Ornithology

Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica), family Alcidae, North Atlantic

1. Size and Shape   At the quick glance sometimes you will only catch a vague color pattern and overall size/shape.  This is a diagram used frequently by The Cornell Lab of Ornithology to show the different sizes of birds   

2. Color  - Color is one of the most identifiable features of a bird and what many birders look for first. For example, the male American Goldfinch in breeding season has very bright colors of yellow and black to attract mates.  

3. Behavior- Watch the bird’s actions and movement,  some birds fly differently than others and etc.  Goldfinches fly with a bouncy, undulating pattern and often call in flight, drawing attention to themselves.

4. Habitat-  Look at your surroundings, are you in a forest, city park or maybe the beach?  This crucial fact is one of the most important parts of birding. I mean, you won’t find a barn owl on rolling sandy shores.  The American Goldfinch can be found in fields where plants such as thistles and asters are common. They’re also found in areas such as roadsides and backyards. American Goldfinches can be found at feeders any time of year, but most abundantly during winter.  

 The American Goldfinch is a popular favorite of North American birders. This bird species is definitely one of my personal favorites to date. Breeding season for these birds is around early spring. Adult Males at this time turns a beautiful shade of bright yellow and black. Females are more dull and brown year around much like non-breeding males. 

The House finch is your popular neighborhood ground forger. These beautiful birds can often be seen nesting in cities and towns across North America.  Adult males are blushed red around the face and upper breast, with streaky brown back year around.  Adult females aren’t red; they are plain grayish-brown with thick, blurry streaks and an indistinctly marked face. A highly social bird, the House Finch is rarely seen alone outside of the breeding season and may form flocks as large as several hundred birds.

Length: 5.1-5.5 in (13-14 cm)

Weight: 0.6-0.9 oz (16-27 g)

Wingspan: 7.9-9.8 in (20-25 cm)

If you plan to attract house finches to your yard or if you’re even hoping to find a few nesting in your trees try filling a bird feeder with small black oil sunflower seeds or ground feeders with mealworms.

Egg Description: Pale blue to white, speckled with fine black and pale purple.

Diet-    

Almost and of this birds diet is vegetable matter but they can eat other things such as-

flower parts

seeds

small insects  

Facts-

The total House Finch population across North America is estimated between 267 million and 1.4 billion

The red of a male House Finch comes from pigments contained in its food during molt (birds can’t make bright red or yellow colors directly). So the more color in the food, the redder the male. This is why people sometimes see orange or yellowish male House

Though House Finches were originally found all throughout the continent of North America, they have been introduced to other islands as well. Hawaii has its own population of House Finches now and they can be found in all of the main islands of this state. Hawaiian House Finches have changed their color to yellow, red, and orange.

Though House Finches are quite small, they can live for quite some time. Their expected life span – barring any unfortunate accidents, that is – is about 9 to 10 years.

The northern cardinal or Cardinalis cardinalis is one of the most iconic birds in North America. The cardinal is the official state bird of seven eastern states. And this makes complete sense as you can find a northern cardinal just about anywhere. Whether you’re in a forest, city or rural backyard, pretty much anywhere and at any time on the east coast, you can find this notorious bird.

Identification

   The size and shape of this bird is slightly smaller than an average robin with both sexes.

Length: 8.3-9.1 in (21-23 cm)

Weight: 1.5-1.7 oz (42-48 g)

Wingspan: 9.8-12.2 in (25-31 cm)

Adult males are bright red with a black mask and reddish bill                             Females are a duller brown with red highlights on the wings and tail

Eggs are whitish bluish or greenish white, marked with brown, purple, and gray.

Diet

Cardinals have a pretty basic bird diet, mostly consisting of

seeds

beetles, crickets, katydids, leafhoppers, cicadas, flies, centipedes, spiders, butterflies,

berries -  dogwood, wild grape, buckwheat, grasses, sedges, mulberry, hackberry, blackberry, sumac, tulip-tree, and corn

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird beats its wings about 53 times a second.

The extremely short legs of the Ruby-throated Hummingbird prevent it from walking or hopping. The best it can do is shuffle along a perch. Nevertheless, it scratches its head and neck by raising its foot up and over its wing.

Scientists place hummingbirds and swifts in the same taxonomic order, the Apodiformes. The name means “without feet,” which is certainly how these birds look most of the time.

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds prefer to feed on red or orange flowers (though it’s not necessary to color the sugar water you put in a hummingbird feeder). Like many birds, hummingbirds have good color vision and can see into the ultraviolet spectrum, which humans can’t see.

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds normally place their nest on a branch of a deciduous or coniferous tree; however, these birds are accustomed to human habitation and have been known to nest on loops of chain, wire, and extension cords.

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are eastern North America’s only breeding hummingbird. But in terms of area, this species occupies the largest breeding range of any North American hummingbird.

Male Ruby-throated Hummingbirds don’t stick around long. Pairs are together long enough for courtship and mating – just a matter of days to weeks. Then he’s off on his own, and may begin migration by early August.

The oldest known Ruby-throated Hummingbird was a female, and at least 9 years, 1 month old when she was recaptured and rereleased during banding operations in West Virginia.

Violet Backed Starling by LawrenceNeo on Flickr.

[1795/10977] Brown-capped whitestart - Myioborus brunniceps

Also known as: brown-capped redstart

Order: Passeriformes Suborder: Passeri Superfamily: Emberizoidea Family: Parulidae (new world warblers) Genus: Myioborus (whitestarts)

Ruddy turnstone

Arenaria interpres