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 202

Albatross New Zealand South America Breeders 202

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 3, 2020

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.” When we come to Gentoo Penguin again in the South Georgia chapter, for example, we’re referred back to its first appearance in Antarctica, utilizing the outline numbers.).

Penguins 277

Penguins Georgia Albatross New Zealand 277

10,000 Birds

APRIL 19, 2013

This photo could have been taken in Florida’s Treasure Coast during the winter months or in South America during the same period. In South America, the small resident gull is the Gray Gull , the two species of large gulls are the Kelp and Band-tailed , and the abundant gull is the Franklin Gull. Photo: Alastair Rae.

Chile 186

Chile Peru South America Florida 186

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 288

Family Birds South America Breeding 288

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. Kites generally fly to Cuba and then over the ocean to arrive in the Yucatan Peninsula or areas further south. The local kites at this time of the year are about to start breeding.

Florida 225

Florida Cuba Colombia 2004 225

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.

North Carolina 190

North Carolina Bald Eagle South Carolina Florida 190

10,000 Birds

MARCH 23, 2011

They are species that breed in the US and then spend the winter in Central and South America, eating what’s avialable–especially fruit. Some of my happiest memories were sitting on the deck with a big ole’ cup of coffee and watching the parade of birds come in for the fruit.

Nigeria 243

Nigeria Belize Birds South 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 311

Costa Rica West Virginia New York South America 311

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 6, 2014

The first shorebird arrivals are apparently birds that failed at a breeding attempt and don’t have time to re-attempt; they might as well head south early. By checking my Facebook feed on a daily basis, I had a broad idea about birds arriving into different countries in Central and South America.

South America 162

South America Colombia Peru Chile 162

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? If you’re like most, you head southeast, meeting up with your continental cousins near the Mediterranean or Arabian Seas. the Caribbean islands, and Ecuador and Peru.

Iceland 180

Iceland Stray Ecuador South America 180

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 5, 2014

Its wintering range includes most of northern South America. However, they do not settle down and setup breeding territories at my local inland locations until the latter half of April. By the end of September, the territorial birds that breed in the local parking lots are gone.

Dominican Republic 204

Dominican Republic Puerto Rico Miami Florida 204

10,000 Birds

MARCH 19, 2022

Three live and breed here, two migrate through the country in large numbers (one of those also breeds here in small numbers), and another migrates through and winters in Costa Rica. This is how these charming flycatchers roll in southern Central America. In Costa Rica, we have our pewees, 6 species of them.

Costa Rica 254

Costa Rica Pennsylvania South America Panama 254

10,000 Birds

JULY 12, 2024

The Sinaloa Martin is a large swallow, which seems to breed only along a narrow band of the Sierra Madre Occidental, in the Mexican states of Sinaloa, Durango, Nayarit, and Jalisco. It sports the intense purple back and head of its close relative, the Purple Martin , which is found in much of North America (summer) and South America (winter).

Mexico 201

Mexico South America 2020 America 201

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 216

Penguins Puffins 2008 Sharks 216

10,000 Birds

APRIL 21, 2013

Clapper Rails , as currently defined by the AOU, occur along the coasts of North and South America and Caribbean islands, and inland in southern California and Arizona. King Rails occur widely in eastern North America, in eastern and central Mexico, and in Cuba. The photo above, one of mine, shows a Clapper Rail in Louisiana.

Species 211

Species Cuba North America Louisiana 211

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 177

Bald Eagle Pandas Puffins Bears 177

10,000 Birds

JUNE 25, 2012

The dichotomous republic of Trinidad and Tobago may be something of a cipher to anyone unfamiliar with the point where the Caribbean ends and South America begins. I’ve been privileged to travel somewhat extensively through the Americas, but I still pulled a ton of lifers from the veranda before my first breakfast.

Trinidad 241

Trinidad South America America Ecuador 241

10,000 Birds

JULY 5, 2014

The Great Grebe , Podiceps major , is a bird of South America where it frequents large waters and coastline on both sides of the continent. It prefers large waters and coasts during the non-breeding season, but seeks out wooded, well vegetated lakes and marshes for breeding. And did I mention that it was big?

Argentina 170

Argentina Uruguay Chile Brazil 170

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

While the native apple snail continued declining, another species of apple snail native to South America began to appear in canals and ponds in South Florida. The baseball-sized “Island apple snail”, as this exotic snail is known, spreaded through South Florida. Snail Kites now favor these ponds and breed around them.

Florida 211

Florida South America Bolivia Eggs 211

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.

New Jersey 170

New Jersey North America Chile South America 170

10,000 Birds

JULY 24, 2014

On the contrary, the birds were quite satisfied with their new-found freedom and realms, and started breeding immediately after their escape in the spring of 2001, much to everyone’s surprise. Birding Birds Germany Invasive Species Week South America' Turns out, it wasn’t.

Germany 238

Germany 2000 South America Birds 238

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 25, 2014

Perhaps the most complicated and bizarre mating system is that of the Rheas of South America. They live in flocks in the open country shrubland of Southern South America. Females end up mating with several males laying eggs in as many nests as partners they can have during a breeding season.

South America 152

South America Eggs Raised America 152

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 163

2005 Brazil South America 2018 163

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 27, 2015

Most birds use these ephemeral beaches as breeding grounds. They have adapted to breed during the dry season when sand bars are exposed and food is plenty. Depending on the age of the dry season, birds will re-start another breeding attempt or give up until the next year. Pied Lapwing. Photo Credits: Amy McAndrews.

South America 167

South America Fish Breeding Eggs 167

10,000 Birds

JULY 5, 2013

However, the bulk of the population breeds in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties at the southern tip of the state, particularly around the mangrove fringed coasts and islets of Florida and Biscayne Bay. It might be a recent colonist from the Caribbean, as it was only first found breeding in Florida in 1942.

Florida 181

Florida Miami Breeders Tampa 181

10,000 Birds

JUNE 24, 2020

The Yellow-green Vireo is another of those rare birds that winter in South America but only travels north as far as Mexico to breed. In spite of all these interesting species, there were two species that really made my day.

Mexico 232

Mexico Nicaragua Lamb Sparrows 232

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 8, 2015

Brown Pelicans in non-breeding plumage. The Brown Pelican occurs in both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of North America and northern South America. Both are the only Pelican in their non-overlapping breeding grounds. Peruvian Pelican in non-breeding plumage. Brown Pelican in Breeding Plumage.

Pelicans 157

Pelicans North America Peru Chile 157

10,000 Birds

JULY 19, 2014

The Spot-flanked Gallinule Gallinula melanops is a common rallid of southern South America. Despite trawling the internet, it is not clear if these birds are all juveniles, females or non-breeding males. It is easily seen and can be very approachable. The frontal shield is smaller than one would expect to see on an adult male.

Argentina 160

Argentina Colombia South America America 160

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 25, 2015

Black Tern in Breeding Plumage. Black Terns do not breed or over-winter in Florida, they merely migrate through on their way to Central and South America. In terms of looks, their breeding plumage is the polar opposite of all other tern species: a deep ebony, truly striking. Black Tern in Non-Breeding Plumage.

South America 160

South America Breeding Florida Protection 160

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 17, 2016

Nothing against the Rocky Pigeon but let’s be honest, if a breeding plumaged Blackburnian Warbler hops into view, It’s pretty easy to forget about that pigeon, Warbling Vireo , or even a Pine Warbler when you can treat the good old retinas to a striking combination of red-orange, black, and white.

Costa Rica 177

Costa Rica Emotional South America Panama 177

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 30, 2012

Recently a Fork-tailed Flycatcher was reported from a park in San Francisco, a long ways away from its home in Central and South America. This bird was photographed a few years ago in Connecticut, by Corey Finger. This is not only a MEGAVAGRANT, it is also an absolute CRIPPLER and hard to misidentify on top of that.

San Francisco 170

San Francisco San Diego Connecticut South America 170

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 9, 2023

Introduced breeding species and species recorded only as escapees now have all species illustrated (they were not in the #2) and those illustrations larger than before. Forget occasional escapees, there is an established feral population successfully breeding in the north of Germany, which was 131 birds strong last year.

Europe 247

Europe Birds Woodpeckers Ireland 247

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2012

They are found in South America, the Caribbean, and the gulf coast states in the southeastern United States. They do tend to wander after breeding which explains my first encounter with that New Jersey bird.

Wildlife 174

Wildlife New Jersey South America United States 174

10,000 Birds

JUNE 20, 2012

Cliff Swallows migrate to North America from their wintering grounds in South America to nest in large colonies, sometimes numbering in the thousands. In addition to their homing tendency, breeding swallows are attracted to old nests. Under suitable conditions, a nest is quite durable and can be used in successive years.

San Diego 165

San Diego illegal California South America 165

10,000 Birds

JULY 5, 2024

It breeds on the shores of the Canadian and Alaskan Arctic, then gathers around the southern arm of Hudson Bay, to fly non-stop all the way to the southern tip of South America. Hudsonian Godwit Now this is a bird that needs no personal backstory to be special. But I will still provide one.)

Squirrels 214

Squirrels Mexico Kansas South America 214

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 12, 2013

Though the Large-billed Tern is a bird of freshwater rivers, lakes, and marshes of South America it does wander to North America on very rare occasions. As you can see in the image below it has a very distinctive pattern on its wings, to say nothing of the big ol’ yellow bill stuck on the front of its face.

Trinidad 171

Trinidad Nevada New Jersey Illinois 171

10,000 Birds

MARCH 30, 2019

This is the vital time to get outside and see what’s around because lifers could be in the neighborhood, rarely seen species might be just around the corner, and each and every “regular” bird is decked out in beautiful breeding plumage, many also filling the outdoor audio scene with song.

Costa Rica 133

Costa Rica South America Tennessee Philadelphia 133