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Here are some things I’ve learned from the Peterson Reference Guide to Owls of North America and the Caribbean by Scott Weidensaul: The Burrowing Owl is the only North American owl species where the male is larger than the female, albeit, only slightly larger. And the term is ‘non-reversed size dimorphism.’).
A breeding bird atlas is a special kind of book. For the nature lovers and birders who participate in breeding bird surveys, the atlas represents hours, often hundreds of hours, of volunteer time spent within a community of citizen scientists doing what they love, observing birds. So, what exactly does a breeding bird atlas contain?
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. Both of these species show gregarious flocking behavior except when nesting.
But no, my story today is about the birds that come in to breed on the heather moorland which dominates the high ground. So is that of the Common Redshank Tringa totanus , another breedingspecies of these moors. Never a better time to see them in full breeding dress.
The adventure of the second European Breeding Bird Atlas, or EBBA2, was the topic of one of my first posts here at 10,000 Birds: In a warm Catalonian March, Barcelona is filled with sunlight and full of Rose-ringed and Monk Parakeets. Original artwork illustrates all species with a full account.
Of course Africa could not to be left out of the pink weekend so I have researched all African species whose official or alternative names include the word “pink”. Both these names as well as it’s English name refer to the overlapping spots that are a feature of the underside of all the twinspots. Pink-throated Twinspot.
Birders normally care about species and make species lists, how do families fit into those? Adding more species brings a lot of excitement, as long as you bird your own country or a continent. 11,000 species require lots of money and a good portion of one’s life. That gamble is rigged, so the house always wins.
North America is home to many amazing bird species, including several which require a special effort to see and appreciate. In the summer, they are the highest altitude breeding songbird in North America. So let’s look at this sampler, shall we? So let’s look at this sampler, shall we? Southeast Arizona Sky Island Spring Sampler.
You can see the list of the more than 270 bird species observed throughout the year at the marsh, along with their frequency and time of year seen here. Among the several species we did see on the jetty however, is the Black Turnston e ( Arenaria melanocephala ). Of course, all birds in these photos are in non-breeding plumage.
I’ve been fortunate to see two Penguin species in the wild (African and Galapagos) and have dreamed of seeing more–maybe even all!–especially The goal of Around the World For Penguins is simple: Describe the 18 species of penguin and their breeding grounds “from the perspective of a traveller.”
Over the next few days, the Alpine Accentors ( Prunella collaris ) will arrive on their high-Alpine breeding grounds – it is time to start singing, despite that the treeless Alpine landscape is still under metres of snow. all Alpine Accetor photos digiscoped (c) Dale Forbes. all Alpine Accetor photos digiscoped (c) Dale Forbes.
Green-tailed Towhee s breed in species-rich shrub communities within shrub-steppe habitats, and disturbed and open areas of montane forest, often created by forest fires 1. References: 1 Birds of North America Online. Click on photos for full sized images. Up in Ashland we found them on the outskirts of Howard Prairie Lake.
Species formerly referred to as P. One recent study found that this species was sister to P. perdix , and also that race przewalskii (sometimes subsumed within suschkini , but generally paler) was basal to other taxa included within the present species. barbata , but present name has priority.
” The fact that they are monogamous and pair up by November, 4 to 5 months before breeding, probably endears them to some. References: Dunne, Pete (2006), Pete Dunne’s Essential Field Guide Companion. www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcgOFQtcyAo. v=HcgOFQtcyAo. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company.
The Latin species name alphonsiana refers to Prof. Of course, the Red-billed Leiothrix is a species native to Sichuan – in Britain, it is now discussed whether to regard it as an invasive species ( source ). The Latin species name ocellata (“marked with eylets”) for once works reasonably well.
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. www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYNb-0vYTE8. v=DYNb-0vYTE8.
The birdlife in the Cape is nothing short of spectacular, with a healthy dose of charismatic endemic species. Over 40 species of South African endemics can be found in the Cape – Cape Sugarbirds, Cape Rockjumpers, Orange-breasted Sunbirds to name but a few. White Sharks, especially young ones, will prey on African Penguins.
I pointed at the bird shown below but he insisted it could not be that species – no long tail … For people of a certain age, gender and background, at some point The Smiths were the most important band in the world. Other species, such as this juvenile Light-vented Bulbul , seem to have more ambiguous feelings about molting.
Terns of North America covers 19 species of terns, noddies, and skimmers that breed and are regular vagrants in the United States and Canada (like many books titled “North America” the geographical coverage stops at the northern end of the Mexico border). .” Note that these are not all species accounts!
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. Truly a West Coast species.
Its genus name refers to supposed similarities between it and the African mousebirds , and its species name refers to waxwings. Here’s the only known video footage of that species: Kauai Oo. This species’ brilliant yellow feathers were once incorporated into capes for Hawaiian kings. Spellman et al.
Readers with a pornographic mindset will enjoy the following information about the Dusky Moorhen: “Simultaneously promiscuous, forming breeding groups of 2–7 apparently unrelated birds; individuals sometimes switch groups between seasons. Honeyeaters are a large bird family (190 species) with a strong presence in Australia.
Eagle Lake, Lake Almanor and Clear Lake have all been identified as Audubon California Important Bird Areas (IBA), meaning that they provide essential habitat for breeding, wintering, and migrating birds. Like the breeding activity of many species this spring, the grebes were late, probably due to the unseasonable weather.
The male of the species has the upper portion of the head, back of neck, back and wings all glossy black. I found these beauties at Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, one of the many locations the Black-necked Stilt breeds in the California Central Valley (map courtesy of Terry Sohl at South Dakota Birds ). www.youtube.com/watch?
In this area, floodwaters from the rising Iron Gates Dam have submerged the Karas River mouth (below) creating a spacious shallow lagoon (sometimes wrongly referred to as “bara Djurica”). When to visit: best during winter and migration season, but also breeding season. eBird list of the recorded species. Dupljaja area.
My target at the start of the year was 200 species in the UK and 300 in Europe, so I’ve achieved the latter, while the chances of reaching the former are pretty good. That trip was fun, as it reminded me of the delights of watching birds like Golden Plover and even Meadow Pipit on their breeding grounds.
You don’t really know a bird until you’ve studied it on its breeding grounds. Getting intimate with a species over the course of the breeding cycle is one of the more rewarding aspects of birding, and field research too. stuffing the chicks full of delicious seeds, most commonly including seeds from species of Croton and Hyptus.
For once, eBird gives a good description of the Asian Glossy Starling, calling it a “Fierce-looking, large songbird” As are humans, this species is fairly urbanized – it “sometimes enters urban areas to roost, e.g. in Singapore” (HBW). “Odd, me?”
The Western Kingbird is one of eight species of tyrant flycatchers that breed in North America. Many Kingbirds and other species that regularly hawk prey in the air have a large, broad bill that maximizes their chances of seizing at least some part of an airborne insect when they snap their bill shut. New York, NY: Alfred A.
And much of that time is spend loafing around the breeding colonies trying to pair off and engaging in silly-looking behaviours referred to as dancing by scientists. The sooty albatrosses ( Phoebetria ) and the mollymawks ( Thalassarche ) tend to breed in tighter colonies and have more restrained courtship behaviour.
“Out West” to most Floridians might mean California or Arizona or might even refer to the Gulf Coast of Florida. But to us locals from the El Dub (Lake Worth, FL) it refers to anywhere east of the Everglades and west of Congress Avenue. And this is where magic happens from time to time.
pounds) heavy Colombia field guide with its 1900+ species. And that became heavier with each passing day… On the other hand, Europe’s Birds cover less than half of that number – 900+ species and a softback weighs 1.4 The number of species per page varies from one to two, rarely 3.
An associated issue is that the Belize and Costa Rica guides share many of the same descriptions of species, written by Howell. Similarly, descriptions of species repeated across volumes do not lose their accuracy with each publication. Other species are splits and lumped and have had their names changed. Why are these issues?
And when I say bird migration I’m referring to a specific group of birds – shorebirds. Last weekend I wasn’t on the hunt for any species in particular though. While seated hidden among some corn plants, a Spotted Sandpiper in gorgeous breeding plumage landed about 15′ away. Greater Yellowlegs.
When a birder uses the word, we usually refer to a species that canbe mostly or exclusively found in a single country. Which means that the large country of Mexico boasts (according to one list) 127 endemic bird species, while the famous birders’ destination of Costa Rica has only 6. It doesn’t seem fair at all.
The report identifies 33 species that do not meet the Watch List criteria but are declining rapidly in many areas. 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.
Mergansers are sometimes referred to sawbills because of their long, serrated bills. Common Merganser female by John Borg There are six living species of mergansers, three of which are commonly spotted in North America: The Common Merganser ( Mergus merganser ) ranges widely throughout the northern hemisphere. Notice the sawbill?
Heermann’s Gulls form large breeding colonies on arid islands in the Gulf of California, Mexico, from March through July. The largest colony exists on Isla Raza, where an estimated 90–95% of the total world population breeds 1. This photo by Basar from Wikipedia Commons shows the adult in breeding plumage. www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUBX_tlHySc.
Both the male and female of the species have a bright red crown. Groups may also contain up to 10 male and female non-breeding helpers, usually offspring of the group produced in prior years 1. Acorn Woodpeckers are the only species to store individual nuts in holes drilled in granaries. Click on photos for full sized images.
The male and female of the species look very similar but they are easy to tell apart. That is to say they have what are known as supernumeraries, individuals above and beyond the primary breeding pair that help with nest building and feeding young 1. References: 1 Birds of North America Online.
The Black Swift is considered a Species of Special Concern in California. The Black Swift is considered a Species of Special Concern in California. Even though the overall breeding range remains largely unchanged from that in the 1940′s, the entire coastal population has been in recent severe decline.
But Gotham’s many parks have some very suitable habitat for birds from the family Picidae and a birder in any borough of New York will generally find at least a couple of species during an average morning’s birding. If you are going to see any single species of woodpecker in New York City, this is likely the one you will see.
One reason it is so widely disliked is its ubiquity, another is the fact that it is an introduced species. It is accused of driving native species out and it has the protection of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act withheld from it. The species I refer to is, of course, the House Sparrow Passer domesticus. We thought so.
The very first thing we notice about this large member of the Galliformes is that there is a wild version and a domestic version, and although the two are rather different, they are both given the same species name, Meleagris gallopavo. This is not entirely unknown among domestic animals, but many domesticates have no living wild version.
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