For the Birds
Author's posts
Dec 08 2023
Golden Pheasant
The Golden Pheasant (Chrysolophus pictus) is one of the most spectacular members of the pheasant family. The adult male looks almost unreal, with a brilliant golden crest, scarlet underparts, an orange-and-black neck ruff, flashes of blue and green, and an extraordinarily long patterned tail. Females could hardly look more different. Their brown, buff, and black …
Dec 08 2023
Chinese Monal
The Chinese Monal (Lophophorus lhuysii) is one of the most spectacular pheasants in the world. Found only in the high mountains of China, this large ground-dwelling bird combines brilliant iridescent plumage with a rugged alpine lifestyle. Male Chinese Monals shimmer with metallic green, blue, purple, and copper tones, while females wear far more subdued brown …
Nov 26 2023
Killdeer: Identification, Habitat, Nesting & the Broken-Wing Display
The Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) is one of North America’s most recognizable plovers—and one of the few shorebirds you are just as likely to encounter in a parking lot, pasture, or athletic field as along the edge of a pond. Its bold double breast bands, piercing call, long-legged running style, and dramatic “broken-wing” performance make the …
Nov 08 2023
Bald Eagle
The Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is one of North America’s most recognizable birds. With its enormous wings, powerful talons, brilliant white head and tail, and commanding presence, an adult Bald Eagle is difficult to mistake once it comes into view. Bald Eagles are closely associated with rivers, lakes, reservoirs, marshes, and coastlines, where fish make …
Nov 08 2023
How Do Birds Build Nests? Nest Types, Materials & Construction
A tiny hummingbird gathers spider silk. A robin presses mud and grass into a sturdy cup. A woodpecker chisels a cavity into a tree, while an eagle carries branches large enough to look more like firewood than nesting material. Bird nests come in an extraordinary variety of shapes and sizes, but they serve the same …
Nov 07 2023
Bird Sanctuaries: What They Are, Why They Matter & How to Visit Responsibly
Bird sanctuaries are places where birds can find something increasingly valuable in a changing world: safe habitat. Some protect wetlands crowded with migrating waterfowl. Others preserve forests used by nesting songbirds, islands occupied by seabird colonies, grasslands where ground-nesting species breed, or coastal mudflats where shorebirds stop to feed during migration. For birdwatchers, these protected …
Oct 15 2023
Birds of Kauai: Native Species, Endemic Birds & Best Birdwatching Spots
Kauaʻi is home to some of the most extraordinary birds in the Hawaiian Islands. From tiny honeycreepers living in misty mountain forests to albatrosses gliding above dramatic sea cliffs, the island supports birdlife shaped by millions of years of isolation. Some birds found on Kauaʻi occur throughout Hawaiʻi. Others are endemic to Kauaʻi, meaning they …
Sep 05 2023
Wallcreeper
The Wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria) is one of the most unusual and beautiful birds of the Eurasian mountains. At first glance, a bird clinging to a gray cliff face can nearly disappear against the stone. Then it suddenly opens its wings, revealing brilliant flashes of crimson, black, and white. That dramatic transformation has earned the Wallcreeper …
Sep 05 2023
Nutcracker Bird: Species, Identification, Habitat, Diet & Seed-Caching Behavior
Nutcrackers are remarkable members of the crow family known for strong bills, impressive memories, and an extraordinary relationship with conifer forests. Instead of simply eating the seeds they collect, these intelligent birds hide thousands of them in scattered caches, returning months later to retrieve much of their stored food. Some seeds are inevitably forgotten. Those …
Sep 03 2023
Alpine Chough: Identification, Habitat, Diet & Life in the High Mountains
Few birds seem more at home among rocky summits than the Alpine Chough (Pyrrhocorax graculus). Glossy black from head to tail, with a bright yellow bill and striking red legs, this highly social member of the crow family spends much of its life in some of the highest mountain environments inhabited by birds. Also known …
