Jan 28
The Purple Martin is the largest North American swallow (Family Hirundinidae), with a wingspan of 18 inches, length of 8 inches, and weight of 2 ounces. It is about the size and appearance of a starling in flight and can be confused with it. (In both species, the purple is due to iridescence of feather …
Jan 26
There was an old belief that when crows saw a human’s face, the face would imprint on the brain of the crow, and then the crow would remember that face for the rest of their life. If the memory was pleasant, the crow would have pleasant feelings for the person and if the memory was …
Jan 12
A familiar bird, particularly in winter when it stays put, even through the snow and cold. It, however, greatly appreciates the feeders and entertains the humans who keep it in viewing distance from a window. There they may hang upside down and feed on sunflower seeds and suet (fat). The winter flocks break up in summer …
Jan 05
This is a frequent winter visitor to bird feeders in most of the country. Because of their distinctive seasonal migration to the south, hence escaping winter, they are often called “snowbirds,” a name also used for people who go south to leave winter behind. They are very similar to sparrows but with a darker head …
Dec 23
Kirtland’s Warbler was one of the most endangered birds in the United States no more than thirty years ago. It nested only in immature, burnt-over jack-pine forests in northern Michigan. This situation describes one of those places where fire has had a place for maintaining critical habitat. “Pioneer” habitat was more abundant at one time …
Nov 28
The Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl has a long name for such a small owl, standing only seven inches tall. “Ferruginous” refers to the characteristic rusty coloration on the back and fine bars on the relatively long tail. The birds have a white circle of feathers around the eyes and in the facial disk, and fake, dark “eyes” …
Nov 12
We often think of owls as fairly large birds that are capable of eating mice and larger prey. The smallest owl, appropriately named, is the Elf Owl. It is less than six inches tall, with a wingspan of 13 inches, and weighing one and a half ounces. It is speckled gray with a brown facial …
Sep 28
Pigeons are those cooing birds you see on tall buildings in the midst of busy city sidewalks. Think of Home Alone and the bird lady rising up out of the brush in Central Park. She was covered with pigeons. Pigeons have been known to congregate where people are, and in fact the relationship between pigeons and human …
Sep 03
The Whooping Crane is one of the most critically endangered species in North America. It was once more widespread, nesting over much of the north central United States and central Canada, in the bog prairies south of the boreal forest. In the 1940s, the only surviving population of this species was nesting in Wood Buffalo …
Aug 28
The California Condor is probably the most endangered bird in all of North America. There were only a couple dozen birds a few years ago. Many attempts have been made to bring them back from the brink of extinction. This largest American bird (along with its South American cousin, the Andean Condor) has been declining …
