For the Birds
Author's posts
Jun 24 2023
How Birds Hear: Bird Hearing, Songs, Calls & Auditory Abilities
Birdsong is one of the most familiar sounds in nature, yet the way birds experience that sound is remarkably different from what we might imagine. A robin singing before sunrise, a chickadee sounding an alarm, an owl tracking prey in darkness, and a flock calling to one another overhead all depend on sophisticated auditory systems. …
Jun 11 2023
The Evolution of Bird Calls: From Simple Chirps to Complex Melodies
Birdsong is one of nature’s most familiar soundtracks. A sparrow repeats a bright phrase from a fence post, a chickadee gives a sharp alarm note from the trees, and a mockingbird pours out an astonishing sequence of whistles, trills, and borrowed sounds. To human ears, these voices can sound like music, conversation, or simply part …
Jun 04 2023
The Ruby-Throated Hummingbird: Behavior, Habitat, and Conservation
Few birds announce the arrival of warm weather quite like the Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris). A flash of metallic green beside the garden, the soft buzz of rapidly beating wings, and suddenly one of North America’s smallest birds is hovering almost motionless in front of a flower. For much of eastern North America, the Ruby-throated …
Jun 02 2023
Montezuma Quail: Identification, Habitat, Behavior & Diet
The Montezuma Quail (Cyrtonyx montezumae) is one of North America’s most striking—and most secretive—quail species. A male dressed in bold black-and-white facial markings, chestnut plumage, and white-spotted flanks looks almost too elaborate to disappear into a grassy hillside. Yet disappearing is exactly what this bird does best. Found primarily in the mountains of Mexico, with …
Jun 02 2023
Wings of Hope: How Bird Rescue Centers Are Saving Our Feathered Friends
A tiny songbird lies stunned beneath a window. A young owl is discovered beside a road. A pelican arrives tangled in fishing line, while a nestling is brought in after a storm tears apart its nest. Every day, situations like these bring wild birds into wildlife rehabilitation centers, where trained professionals and volunteers work to …
May 31 2023
Willow Flycatcher: Identification, Habitat, Song & Behavior
The Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii) may not be one of North America’s most colorful birds, but for birdwatchers, it presents one of the continent’s classic identification challenges. Small, olive-brown, and subtly marked, it belongs to the notoriously difficult Empidonax group of flycatchers, several of which can look almost identical in the field. Fortunately, the Willow …
May 30 2023
How to Attract Robins to Your Garden
Few backyard birds feel quite as familiar as the American Robin (Turdus migratorius). With its warm orange breast, cheerful spring song, and unmistakable habit of running across lawns in search of food, the robin is often one of the first birds people learn to recognize. The good news is that robins are relatively easy to …
May 28 2023
Creating Your Own Oasis: The Benefits of Having a Bird Bath in Your Garden
A garden can provide birds with far more than flowers and greenery. With the addition of one simple feature—a dependable source of fresh water—it can become a genuine gathering place for wildlife. Bird baths are among the easiest ways to make a yard more welcoming to birds. While feeders tend to attract species interested in …
May 27 2023
How to Choose the Best Birdhouse for Your Backyard
A birdhouse can be much more than a charming garden decoration. Choose the right design, place it in suitable habitat, and you may give a cavity-nesting bird a safe place to raise its young. The key is choosing a birdhouse for the birds rather than simply for its appearance. Different birds need different entrance-hole sizes, …
May 20 2023
Mexican Jay: Identification, Habitat, Diet & Behavior
A flash of soft blue moves through an oak tree, followed by a nasal call from somewhere deeper in the woodland. A moment later, another blue bird appears—and then another. If you are birdwatching in the mountains of southeastern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, western Texas, or Mexico, you may have encountered a flock of Mexican …
