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Acorn Woodpeckers: The Clowns of the Avian World

10,000 Birds

Why would I call these beautiful woodpeckers the “clowns of the avian world?” ” Besides the facial features of the Acorn Woodpecker ( Melanerpes formicivorus ) appearing somewhat clown-like, they are a joy to watch and some of their antics are sure to bring a smile to anyone’s face. www.youtube.com/watch?

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Polygynandry and avian swingers

10,000 Birds

YourBirdOasis.com Mar 17th, 2011 at 11:22 am So polygynandry really is rare, but I can’t believe I forgot about Acorn Woodpecker! In the case of Acorn Woodpeckers, they are cooperative breeders (as with many other polygynandrous species), which seems to predispose species to polygynandry. But I am not a mallard.

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Some Ingenuity Can Go a Long Way

10,000 Birds

Among birds the Egyptian Vulture uses rocks to crack Ostrich eggs, the New Caledonian Crow and Woodpecker Finch (one of several Darwin Finches of the Galapagos Islands), uses sticks to extract grubs from inside a branch. This is similar to the fact that all birds, even first time breeders within a species build identical nests.

Fish 166
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The Summer Doldrums

10,000 Birds

Migration hasn’t really kicked in, the breeders aren’t tied to breeding territories any more, and it is hot and sweaty outside. Tanagers, woodpeckers, gnatcatchers – missing! Nothing is quite as much of a downer to a birder than the summer doldrums. Uncomfortable weather and a lack of birds make birders grumpy.

Downers 169
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Best Bird of the Weekend (Third of June 2016)

10,000 Birds

Mid-June has so much to offer in the temperate zones, with breeders in one half of the world and migrants in the other. Pileated Woodpeckers take BBOTW honors quite often around here, but who can resist the captivating sight of an adult teaching two big, gangly juveniles the finer points of extracting nutrients from decaying logs?

Breeders 100
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American Birding Association Field Guide to Birds of Ontario: A Field Guide Review

10,000 Birds

Lengthy captions point out key identification features, mostly plumage-based, sometimes including behavior, size, and structure. The text descriptions encapsulate everything else and they are a delight.

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Serbia self-drive birding tour planning

10,000 Birds

In my case, I had one easy and three more difficult ( Syrian Woodpecker , Imperial Eagle , Great Bustard and Saker Falcon ). This species is sadly declining in Western Europe, the last breeders disappeared these last few weeks and we only get occasional winter visitors; Centa fish farm ( S49396841 ). Search for my target species (i.e.

Serbia 181