10,000 Birds

MAY 17, 2016

I want to alert you to a recent study (from April) that looks at the plight of bird populations under conditions of climate change in Europe and North America. Data were collected from the North American Breeding Bird Survey and the Pan-European Common Birds Monitoring Scheme. Why are Europe and North America different?

North America 176

North America Europe America United States 176

10,000 Birds

MAY 20, 2020

That still leaves 11 Warblers that breed in Michoacán. Like the Common Yellowthroat , the Yellow Warbler breeds no further south than the central Mexican highlands. I must admit that I had the idea the Grace’s Warbler , common in our pine forests, were also at the southern edge of their breeding range here.

Honduras 359

Honduras Mexico South America America 359

10,000 Birds

JUNE 30, 2024

When we look at the breeding birds, they are all Palaearctic, either mainland species or endemics that evolved from mainland species. This immediately suggests that something about the conditions of these islands makes them suitable for Palaearctic birds but for those from the Americas.

Cape Verde 290

Cape Verde Europe Breeding Africa 290

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 14, 2013

They packed up in June of 2013 and headed south from San Diego with the southern tip of South America as their destination. The non-breeding distribution is virtually unknown, although they are suspected to winter in northern South America (Howell and Web 1995). Very little is known about this enigmatic species.

South America 242

South America San Diego Mexico America 242

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 20, 2013

And, in South America, there is at least one species that is being heavily preyed on by North American Minks which are not supposed to be in South America. Their natural range is in a smallish region of southern South America. Some of the lakes they breed on have been stocked with salmon and trout.

2010 261

2010 South America 2011 Argentina 261

10,000 Birds

JULY 30, 2015

Growing up in South America, I distinctly recall the arrival of “the swallow with a deeply forked tail”. They fly from extreme northern North America to the southern tip of South America and are seldom seen perched during migration. Swallows have migrated north to south along the Americas for millennia.

South Dakota 217

South Dakota South America North America Wyoming 217

10,000 Birds

APRIL 11, 2012

There cannot be many ABA area breeding birds harder to get than those that only breed on the remotest tips of the north of North America and then fly off to places that aren’t on the major continental flyways. They do turn up on the coast of North America, but not often. You may even have seen one and not known it!

North America 241

North America Fiji Hawaii America 241

10,000 Birds

JUNE 6, 2017

The Peterson Field Guide to Bird Sounds of Eastern North America by Nathan Pieplow is innovative, fascinating, and challenging. The Peterson Field Guide to Bird Sounds of Eastern North America is divided into three main sections: Introduction, Species Accounts, and Index to Bird Sounds (also called the Visual Index). Chandler S.

North America 189

North America America Sparrows Birds 189

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

Like many warblers the Nashville Warbler breeds in North America and winters in Mexico. I feel rather fortunate having this visitor to my yard as Birds of North America Online states that they are an “uncommon fall migrant in California” usually in August and September.

Nashville 244

Nashville North America Jordan Mississippi 244

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 10, 2011

Its population actually fluctuates in response to the availability of Spruce Budworm and though it nests on the ground it is entirely inseparable from the forests of the north during breeding season. The nectar from Inga flowers provides an important food resource during the winter dry season throughout Latin America.

Tennessee 247

Tennessee Ecuador South America United States 247

10,000 Birds

APRIL 25, 2012

Most of the Osprey breeding in North America are migratory, only Florida, the Caribbean and Baja California host non-migratory breeders 1. In migratory populations males usually arrive to breeding grounds a few days before the females and look for nest sites. This pair copulated several times while I was observing.

California 255

California North America Sacramento Breeders 255

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 1, 2013

Of all migratory birds breeding in North America, Swallow-tailed Kites are among the first to leave for the wintering grounds. The local kites at this time of the year are about to start breeding. Swallow-tailed Kites are also among the first migratory bird arriving to breed in the U.S.

Florida 262

Florida Cuba Colombia 2004 262

10,000 Birds

APRIL 8, 2015

The Calliope Hummingbird is the smallest North American breeding bird 1. The males arrive on breeding grounds before the females and, according to their range map, they probably breed here in Shasta County. References: 1 Birds of North America Online. Click on photos for full sized images. It will blow you away!

North America 254

North America 2010 Breeding America 254

10,000 Birds

MAY 9, 2012

Here in Northern California I am fortunate to have at least three of the western hummingbirds of North America visiting my yard. She will begin breeding in April. The male is the only hummingbird in North America with a rufous back. She is the latest of our local breeders, not nesting usually until mid-May.

Breeders 254

Breeders North America America California 254

10,000 Birds

MARCH 17, 2022

American White Pelicans spend their winter months along the Gulf states, California, parts of Arizona, and Mexico down into Central America. They migrate north through the Western United States, breeding in pockets all the way up through Canada.

Pelicans 264

Pelicans United States Arizona Canada 264

10,000 Birds

MAY 18, 2012

When they are not getting ready to breed they are a pretty bland brown-and-white bird. Actitus macularius , as spotties are known to the scientific set, are widespread across North America and winter across Central and South America, even as far south as Chile. They are, of course, spotted, but only in alternate plumage.

New Jersey 234

New Jersey North America Chile South America 234

10,000 Birds

JUNE 1, 2011

The Buller’s Mollymawk is an endemic breeder to New Zealand, although it ranges widely away from the islands to feed, and regularly goes to South America’s Humboldt Current to feed. As albies go they seem to be doing better than most species, and are only listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN.

Albatross 260

Albatross New Zealand South America Breeders 260

10,000 Birds

APRIL 28, 2021

As the boreal migrants head north, breeding season for the residents and austral migrants is beginning to pick up. They’ve not wasted any time, having drifted northward from mainland South America only a few weeks ago. They’ve not wasted any time, having drifted northward from mainland South America only a few weeks ago.

Raised 264

Raised Breeding South America Family 264

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 10, 2014

Across the world’s northern oceans, 24 species of auklets, murres, puffins, guillemots, and related seabirds make a living catching food beneath the waves and breeding, often in large colonies, on coastlines and islands. Alcids are thought to have originated along the coasts of the Pacific Ocean during the Eocene or even the Paleocene.

Penguins 276

Penguins Puffins 2008 Sharks 276

10,000 Birds

APRIL 24, 2013

The Surfbird outside of the breeding season can be found along almost the entire Pacific Coast of the Americas, from southeastern Alaska all the way to Tierra del Fuego in southern Chile. In breeding season, Surfbird is found in mountain ranges scattered throughout Alaska and the Yukon Territory 1.

Alaska 222

Alaska Chile 2013 Breeding 222

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 27, 2020

Maybe you are a lucky kid whose parents took you birding South America as a toddler, a rich heir with an inheritance to burn, a lucky diplomat choosing your tropical posts, an international bird guide or a bird tour agency owner? That gamble is rigged, so the house always wins.

Family 299

Family Birds South America Breeding 299

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 21, 2013

Our latest nester, these birds don’t start their breeding season until July and are frantically feeding young right now. I’m fascinated how some birds stretch our their stay in North America for breeding and some like orioles are in and out relatively quickly. This is such a weird time of year at bird feeders.

Baltimore 229

Baltimore North America Breeding Raised 229

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 10, 2014

Let’s say you’re a bird wrapping up your breeding season in the north of Scotland—where do your thoughts turn when winter beckons? The researchers theorize that these birds might not be strays from the Scandinavian Phalarope population, but instead perhaps originally from North America. the Caribbean islands, and Ecuador and Peru.

Iceland 238

Iceland Stray Ecuador South America 238

10,000 Birds

JUNE 20, 2013

Perhaps because of threats to the ecosystems of the many places the Arctic Tern visits (Europe, Africa, South America, and North America), it may be on the decline. Some of those once-popular breeding spots now produce no chicks at all.

Bald Eagle 241

Bald Eagle Pandas Puffins Bears 241

10,000 Birds

JULY 3, 2014

The wood stork occurs and breeds in Central and South America. I have seen them foraging on sandy shores of rivers deep in the Amazon, enjoyed them in their raucous breeding colonies in the Everglades, flushed them out of canals during walks around my house, and perhaps more importantly contribute to their recovery. Photo: U.S.

North Carolina 250

North Carolina Bald Eagle South Carolina Florida 250

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 15, 2013

Spoonbills and ibises are stocky, colorful wading birds with distinctive bills: downcurved and pointed in the case of ibises, flat and paddle shaped in the spoonbills (above is my shot of Roseate Spoonbills ( Platalea ajaja ) near a breeding colony in Louisiana). Interestingly, Ramirez et al.

Louisiana 254

Louisiana Mississippi America Pelicans 254

10,000 Birds

APRIL 27, 2011

According to Birds of North America Online , the Great-tailed Grackle’s ( Quiscalus mexicanus ) breeding range has been expanding northward for several years. Far north of where the current range maps show this species breeding. This male was perched in the bulrush and calling, apparently claiming breeding territory.

California 238

California North America Breeding America 238

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 26, 2011

They leave their breeding grounds in early summer to move down the coast, some travelling as far south as the Gulf of California. This beautiful shorebird is on Audubon’s Watchlist because of its susceptibility to catastrophes on its limited breeding grounds. Of course, all birds in these photos are in non-breeding plumage.

Sanctuary 252

Sanctuary Breeders Alaska North America 252

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 15, 2012

They may also breed outside their normal breeding range following major winter irruptions 1. A small flock arrived in mid-March not quite in full breeding plumage. The grosbeaks were gone for a couple of months and returned at the end of May in full breeding plumage. References: 1 Birds of North America Online a.

Jordan 217

Jordan North America Breeding Birds 217

10,000 Birds

JULY 5, 2013

Although both species are widespread in North America as breeders in shrubby edge habitats, that is not the case in the southern half of the sunshine state (the more northerly race of Prairie Warbler is an uncommon breeder in the panhandle). And so concludes this brief introduction to Florida’s breeding warbler duo of the mangroves.

Florida 245

Florida Miami Breeders Tampa 245

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 14, 2015

The distribution of color morphs is unequal in the Snow Goose population, with the maximum number of blue-morph geese occurring in mid-continent breeding and wintering areas 1. References: 1 Birds of North America Online. Color morphs are controlled by a single gene locus where the dark allele is incompletely dominant to the light.

Sacramento 254

Sacramento Geese North America Wildlife 254

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 24, 2014

The Bank Swallow ( Riparia riparia ) is North America’s smallest swallow. These birds have lost more than half their global population, and the 33 species combined have lost hundreds of millions of breeding individuals in just the past 40 years. References: 1 Birds of North America Online.

North America 243

North America 2014 California America 243

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 26, 2020

This is when we might see the greatest variety and numbers of wood-warblers, where we can watch dizzying groups of swallows zip through the skies as kettles of Turkey Vultures , and Broad-winged and Swainson’s Hawks flow towards South America. How many Sinaloa Martins also fly this way?

Costa Rica 338

Costa Rica West Virginia New York South America 338

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 7, 2011

While I often tease Corey about how many albatrosses we have down here in New Zealand, the fact is that the United States has three species of Albatross that breed within its boundaries, albeit one of them only very rarely, and visit the western shores of North America. It is also a very attractive bird, as I hope you will agree.

Albatross 233

Albatross Hawaii New Zealand Japan 233

10,000 Birds

MAY 23, 2020

May migration in many parts of eastern North America was and is an amazing natural celebration. Yes, the birding is truly exciting but we just don’t have the annual parade of breeding plumaged, singing warblers, grosbeaks, and orioles. I please guilty to being bedazzle-warbled. In Costa Rica, well…not so much.

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica Panama Nashville Baltimore 264

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 25, 2020

I haven’t seen any kind of breeding activity from my bird, but my observations are few, far between and for short periods of time. Despite the breeding activity bit, it appears that both birds have habits in common. Another search revealed that South America’s ubiquitous Turdus can live for 25 – 30 years in the wild.

2005 245

2005 Brazil South America 2018 245

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 9, 2013

Unlike the more common American Goldfinch, the Lesser Goldfinch’s ( Spinus psaltria ) plumage does not change color during breeding season. The female Lesser Goldfinch can sometimes be confused with the female American Goldfinch in breeding plumage. References: 1 Birds of North America Online.

California 223

California Species North America Oregon 223