Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx Californianus)

Photos - Audubon Field Guide

The Greater Roadrunner is a big (l.22" - 58 cm.) cuckoo.   It has a long heavy bill, noticeable bushy crest, and a long, white-edged tail.   Its short, rounded wings show a white crescent on the primaries.

Its song is dove-like cooing, descending in pitch.

It is found round-and-about Texas, parts a few other nearby U.S. states, and northern Mexico.

It is uncommon in its range and eats insects, lizards, snakes, rodents and small birds.

The Roadrunner has a running speed of 20 to 27 mile per hour (32 to 43 kms.) ...much slower than its animated cartoon character.

They do not have a documented flying speed because they rarely fly and can only sustain brief, low altitude glides or short bursts of flight for a few seconds.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrythBirder

Swainson's Hawks heading to Argentina...

Photo by BarrytheBirder

Swainson's Hawks that haver spent the summer in Aurora, Ontario, several kilometers north of Toronto on Lake Ontario, have been heading south, although a few stragglers have remained into mid-October.   The long migration south can take all of two months when they journey as far south as central Argentina (a distance of 9,000 kms.)   Other South American wintering destinations include Uruguay, Paraguay and southern Brazil.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)

Photos by BarrytheBirder

Yellow-shafted Flicker (note black moustache)

Red-shafted Flicker (note red moustache)

Northern Flickers (both Yellow-shafted and Red-shafted types) are found from Alaska, across Canada (from British Columbia to Newfoundland), and throughout the eastern U.S., down to Florida.

Notably, Yellow-shafted Flickers have a black moustache stripe, while Red-shafted Flickers have a red moustache stripe.

Flickers are the only brown-backed woodpeckers in the east, and they are the only woodpeckers in North America that commonly feed on the ground, usually searching for ants and beetle larvae.

Red-shafted Flicker (preening)

On the great plains of America, the "Yellow-shafted" and "red-shafted" forms meet, interbreed, hybridize and are considered one species.

Northern birds move south in winter.

No other woodpecker is barred with gray-brown and black, with white rump.

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BarrytheBirder

Barn Owl (Tyto alba)

Photo by Sharif Uddin / Macauley Libray

The Barn Owl is a pale owl with dark eyes in a heart-shaped face.  

It is rusty-brown above and its underparts vary from white to cinnamon.

The darkest birds are always females and the palest birds are males .

They roost and nest in dark spots in cities and farm buildings, plus cliffs and trees.   They fly with shallow, slow wingbeats, often with legs dangling down.

They are found coast to coast in the U.S. and Mexico, but are declining in the East, especially in the upper midwest.

I have never seen one where I live in southern Ontario, north of Toronto.   My National Geographic Field Guide says the Barn Owl "...is now extirpated as a breeder from the northern tier of states and southern Ontario.

Conservation-wise, Barn Owls are listed as threatened in some U.S. states, and the eastern population is listed as endangered in Canada. 

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

More on sparrows...

 On October 6th I wrote in this blogsite about about the House Sparrow (called the the English Sparrow in Britain).

Today, I'd like to write about two of my other favourite sparrow species: the American Tree Sparrow and the Chipping Sparrow.

Photos by BarrytheBirder

The American Tree Sparrow is much different from the House Sparrow.   For starters, It has a much smaller range.   In summer it is found across northern Canada from the Yukon territory across to northern Quebec.

In winter, it resides across the very southernmost parts of Canada and across the upper half of the U.S., with the exception of Oregon and Washington states.

After nesting near frigid tundra regions, flocks of these sparrows migrate south to the central and eastern United States, where they are found to be conspicuous and relatively tame.

They forage on the ground, in foliage and in snow, eating mostly seeds.  Found at bird feeders also, they eat caterpillars and insects in summer, plus some berries and willow catkins.

The Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina) is common and widespread across Canada and the U.S. in the breeding season.

I winter, they are found across the southern U.S., from Texas to Florida, and northern Mexico, where they become neotropical migrants.

An extremely tame sparrow, it will accept food from human hands.

Its song is a repetitive series of trilled chip notes: "chip-chip-chip-chip-chip-chip ", all at the same pitch.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus)

(Photo by BarrytheBirder)

The Eastern Kingbird has a black head, slate gray back and its tail has a broad white terminal band.   Its underparts are white, with a pale gray wash across the breast.   A orange-red crown patch is seldom visible, but is revealed during courtship flights.

It is conspicuous and common in woodland clearings, orchards and farms, and is often seen perched on fences and near water.

Its call is a harsh 'dzeet' note.

Now, it will soon be wintering in South America.

The Kingbird's Latin name means "king of the tyrants" and when defending its nest it will sometimes land on the backs of hawks, crows and vultures pulling and pecking at their feathers.

They are common and widespread and have increased their range  and numbers along with agricultural development.

They are a common cowbird host, but will often damage cowbird eggs.

Eastern Kingbirds hawk insects in the air plus they consume fruits and berries.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrythBirder

House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)

                                                                                                                                     Male

Photos by BarrytheBirder

Females

WORLD'S MOST WIDESPEAD SONGBIRD

The House Sparrow (sometimes called the English Sparrow) was introduced in New York City from Europe in the 1850s.

It is currently found throughout North and South America, Eurasia, North and South Africa and Australia.

A mere 6" (15 cm.), it inhabits both cities and farms.   By the early 20th century, they were established over most of North America

With the popularity of automobiles, they began to decline; fewer horses meant less undigested grain to be gleaned from horse manure.

House Sparrows are noisy and aggressive; found in pairs in the nesting season, but in family groups and flocks after breeding.   They feed and roost in huge flocks, and will take over nesting cavities of other species.

They forage on the ground, in trees and shrubs in both urban and rural areas, looking for insects, caterpillars, seed, grains and fruit.

Overall, the species appears to be gradually declining.   They out-compete other secondary-cavity nesters, but do lose out to Starlings.

As far I know, they are the national bird of nowhere! 

Please comment if you wish.

Barry theBirder

California Quail (Callipepla californica)

Photo by Nancy Christensen / Macauley Library

Here's an interesting bird, both in appearance and behaviour.   Mt National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America says: "Scientific evidence has recently placed the New World Quail in their own family.   All have chunky bodies and crests or head plumes...in North America most live in the west".

However, unlike other quail, the California Quail is found as far north as southern British Columbia, in Canada.   In North America, most quail live in the west, which explains why I have never seen or photographed one in southern Ontario.

Its curled topknot distinguishes it from other quail in its range, except Gambel's Quail, but its scaly underparts distinguish it from the Gambel's.

The California Quail is often found in suburban areas of the U.S. west coast, feeding on lawns or attending feeders with spilled grain on the ground, around garden pools, birdbaths and lawn sprinklers.

My DK Birds of Canada Field Guide by Fred J. Alsop III says the California Quail adapts well to civilization but is declining in some regions because of habitat loss from overbuilding.

Alsop also notes this quail is 'solitary or paired in the breeding season....in fall, gathers in well-organized coveys of up to 100....  sentinel stands guard from perch while birds feed, at same place regularly, 1-2 hours before and after sunset....mostly vegetarian; eats some insects and spiders'.

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BarrytheBirder

Gray Jay (Perisoreus canadensis))

Photo by Celine Pollard - Fine Art America

The Gray Jay, a.k.a. the Canada Jay, Whiskey Jack (or Whisky Jack), Camp Robber, Moose Bird, Gorby (gorbie bird), Venison Hawk or Lumberjack also has an indigenous name: Wisakedjak (Algonquin).   The Gray Jay name is also spelled Grey Jay occasionally. 

It has come close to being called the national bird of Canada, but  does not have that official designation yet.

I became richly familiar with the Gray Jay on many canoe trips in southern Ontario, particularly throughout Algonquin Park, as a teenager and young adult.

Painting by Robert Bateman

The Gray Jay is know for its bold behaviour from Alaska, coast to coast in Canada, and on the U.S. north-west coast, plus the mountains of the U.S. mid-west.

They are common to fairly common in conifer and mixed-conifer forests, but declining in some areas due to timber harvesting.  They are vulnerable to habitat loss from logging operations and forest fragmentation.

They will visit feeders with corn, suet and sunflower seeds.   They are voracious beggars for handouts on canoe trips, as mentioned above.

Their voices include a whistled 'wheeo' and a loud 'chuck'.

They are largely resident in their normal range, but can be casual visitors in winter even slightly south of their normal resident range.

I have always had a special place in my heart for the Common Loon to be Canada's national bird, but if is meant for the Gray Jay to be Canada's national bird, it is fine with me.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Yellow Warbler (Dendroica petechia)

 

Photo by Barry the Barry

I have half a dozen birding field guides that I refer to when writing my 'BarrytheBirder' blogs.

As a Canadian, the one I find I am using more and more is the DK BIRDS OF CANADA FIELD GUIDE  BY Fred J. Alsopp.

It is 575 pages and profiles 524 species of the birds that occur in Canada.   The illustrations are all excellent full-colour photographs.

The guide I am using is the Canadian edition, produced in 2005.  It was priced back then at $30.00...God knows what it might cost today in 2026!

Please comment if you wish.

Barry the Birder

Yellow Warbler (Dendroica petechia)

Photo by BarrytheBirder

Yellow Warbler (Dendroica petechia)

This plump-bodied warbler has a wider range than any other North American warbler, nesting from Canada to Mexico and from the Pacific to the Atlantic coasts.

A habitat generalist, like many warblers, it feeds harmful leaf-eating caterpillars to its nestlings.

Here's the really interesting part about this bird...

When a cowbird invades and lays eggs in this warbler's nest, the female builds a roof over all of the eggs, both hers and the brood parasite's, and often lays a new set on the 'new' nest floor.  As many as six stories have been found in a single nest, each floor containing entombed cowbird eggs...this according to Fred J. Alsopp, in his DK Birds of Canada Field Guide....fascinating!

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Warblers are now heading south...

Photo by BarrytheBirder

Canada Warbler (Wilsonia canadensis)

There are 32 species of warblers that reside in Canada.   18 of those species make it as far north as Canada's North West Territories.

Moreover, there are 6 other warbler species in the Parulidae family that are found in Canada. 

They are:

American Redstart

Ovenbird

Northern Waterthrush

Louisiana Waterthrush

(rare in south-eastern Canada)

Common Yellowthroat

Yellow-breasted Chat

(significant decline in much of its eastern range 

of Canadian maritime provinces and Newfoundland 

- Yellowbreasted Chat is also the largest American warbler)

Yellow Warbler

Orange-crowned Warbler

Pine Warbler

Wilson's Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Tenessee Warbler

American Redstart

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Hits on this blog about to go over 3 million!

Self-portrait photo in the rear-view mirror of my Jeep 

I have been a birder since my 20s and have publishing this blog since 2006.   The number of hits on this blog are about to go over 3 million.  Never in the past did I ever wonder how many people might stumble upon 'BarrytheBirder'.

I am about to celebrate my 85th birthday and although I don't get around as much as I used to, I am going to continue producing this blog for a while to come.   I have lots of files of bird photos that I have taken over the years and there is a wealth of online info about birds that I can access.

I am as keen about birding as I ever was.

I hope online birders will continue to look me up.

Regards and good birding,

BarrytheBirder 

My favourite sparrows...

 

Photo by Barry the Birder

White-throated Sparrow

Zonotrichia albicollis)

Photo by Barry the Birder

White-crowned Sparrow

(Zonotrichia leucophrys)

I am familiar with many sparrow species but my two favourites are the White-throated Sparrow and the White-crowned Sparrow.   I have seen these two species over several decades whiles living in King Township, on the Oak Ridges Moraine, a few kilometres north of Toronto on the north shore of Lake Ontario.

I particularly like these two species because of their eye-catching appearance with their black and white head markings. 

Both species are commonly found in my part of the world.

The White-throated Sparrow's song is a clear, whistled "Pure Sweet  Canada, Canada, Canada", while the White-crowned Sparrow's song is a series of clear whistles followed by buzzy notes.

The White throated Sparrow's upperparts are streaked, with underparts clear gray.   Its head has black-and-white stripes; sharply defined white throat patch and dark bill.   The White-crowned Sparrow is similar but lacks the white throat patch and is slimmer, with a pink bill.

Both of these largish sparrows are approximately 6 to 7 " (15 to 17 cm.)

Both are well-known across Canada and the U.S.  Generally speaking both species summer in northern Canadian forests and many winter in the lower forests of the U.S., although some White-Crowneds live all-year along the Pacific Coast. 

In the case of the White-Throated Sparrow, two colour morphs are based on head-striping: field studies show that white-striped males tend to mate with tan-striped females, and tan-striped males tend to mate more with white-striped females ( see photo below)...

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla)

Photo: Tennessee Wildlife Resources

I regret to say I have never seen an Ovenbird, that I know of, even though I live in the centre of this warbler's North American range.  It is quite a distinctive looking bird with its coloring and markings, however it does not forage in live vegetation but instead walks about on the ground, foraging among leaf litter and twigs, and its singing is usually done from an elevated perch high up in deciduous trees.

They eat insects, caterpillars, snails, slugs, earthworms, small amphibians, seeds, berries, and fruit.

They are more often heard than seen, singing a loud and repetitive "TEAcher-TEAcher-TEAcher" sound, rising and becoming more emphatic.

They are common in mature forests and their plump bodies are usually seen on the ground walking with their tails cocked, rather than hopping.

There have been signifigant population declines in the northeast of their range beginning in the 1970s, but they are now increasing in much of their range.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder 

Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)

                                                                    Photo by Ryan Sanderson

My DK Birds of Canada Field Guide says the Barn Swallow is "the most wide-ranging swallow in the world...cosmopolitan...found breeding or wintering on almost all continents".

The Barn Swallow is also the swallow I remember most , from my youth, on visits to my maternal grandfather's  farm north of Toronto, in southern Ontario, in the 1950s.

They eat a wide variety of flying insects and follow farm machinery, even riding lawnmowers, to feed on stirred-up insects.

They have adapted to nesting in and on man-made structures, such as my grandfathers farm buildings and sheds.   They are abundant and widespread in open country and agricultural lands, especially near water.

They are widespread across lower Canada, the U.S.A, and Mexico and they interbreed with with both Cliff and Cave Swallows.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Common Loon (Gavia Immer)

Photo by Dave Kemp

Canada is home to all 5 species of loons found in the world.

 The Common Loon is the provincial bird of Ontario.

The first time I heard the Common Loon's wailing yodel, I thought I was in a different world.   I was in a canoe on a lake in Ontario's Algonquin Park.

The loud yodelling calls are delivered on water and in flight and are heard all year, but most often on the breeding grounds.

This bird is fairly common and is found across Canada, in Alaska, and even in parts of Canada's Arctic region, but is decreasing in some breeding areas in southern parts of its range (probably including Algonquin Park).

The common Loon's winter range in North America is along the eastern seaboard and south-eastern U.S. and parts of Mexico.

Fred J. Alsop III, in his Birds of Canada Filed Guide states the Common Loon is "...prone to environmental loss due to human disturbance and reduced food supply resulting from acid rain.  Some abandon nests due to human activity...although some breeding grounds protected by volunteers".

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder  

Ivory Gull (Pagophila eburnea)

Photo: Birds of the World

Perhaps the hardiest gull in the world, but global warming imperils the species.   It's a two-year Arctic gull that is ghostly pale.   The all-white plumage is not acquired until its second year.   

It does have black eyes, legs and feet and a yellow-tipped dark bill.  The all-white plumage is distinctive and there are no similar gulls.

It's closely connected to pack ice and winters primarily in Arctic seas.  They are casual along the Atlantic coast to New York and inland to the northern tier of states, but accidental to Tennessee.

It is a smallish gull (pigeon-sized) that is almost never found far from snow and ice and rarely winters farther south than drifting ice or pack ice.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Far-eastern Curlew ( Numenius madagascarriensis)

                                                                      Photo - Cornell Lab of Ornithology

The Far-eastern Curlew (one of seven or eight Curlew species left in the world) flies from its wintering grounds in Australia to nesting areas in Siberia, straying sometimes to the Pribilof Islands and Aleutians during spring and summer.   This largest of all the curlews sometimes accidentally reaches British Columbia, which causes some field guides to include the species in their 'Birds of Canada' guides.

There are eight species of curlews in the world.   They are the Far-eastern Curlew, Slender-billed Curlew, Eurasian Curlew, Long-billed Curlew, Far Eastern Curlew, Little Curlew, Eskimo Curlew (now critically endangered or probably extinct) and the Bristle-thighed Curlew.

Internationally, curlews are considered as 'near threatened'!  There vulnerability is linked to their highly specialized and restrictive feeding requirements and the availability of suitable feeding habitats.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater)

                                                                             Photos by BarrytheBirder

Male browned-headed Cowbirds

Female Brown-headed Cowbird

The male's brown head contrasts with the metallic greenish-blue black body, while the female is gray-brown above and paler below.

They are found across lower Canada, throughout the U.S.A. and parts of Mexico.   They are very common today, and their nest parasitism threatens populations of some smaller birds.

Cowbirds were named for their habit of feeding near cattle and other grazers; walking on the ground with their tails held straight up.

They often flock with starlings and blackbirds in agricultural and residental areas

They breed from northeast British Columbia east to Newfoundland in Canada, and south to Texas.   They winter across the southern United States.

Please comment if you wish.

Barry the Birder

How many quail bird species in North America?

                                                                            Montezuma Quail

My National Geographic Field Guide says that scientific evidence has placed the new world quail in their own family. All have chunky bodies and crests or head plumes.   In North America, most live in the west.   I chose to use a photo of the Montezuma Quail to illustrate this blog entry because of this quail's very distinctive head markings.

The six quail species found in North America are:

California Quail

Gambel's Quail

Montezuma Quail

Mountain Quail

Northern Bobwhite

Scaled Quail

A group of quails is called a 'covey' of quails.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Flickers in the western hemisphere...

                                                                               Photo by BarrytheBirder

    Northern Red-shafted Flicker (pictured above)

There are two main Flicker species regularly found in North America: the Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) and the Gilded Flicker (Colaptes chtysoides).   

The Northern Flicker is the most common and widespread species, found across the entire North American continent from Alaska down to Central America.

It is split into two major regional forms that frequently hybridize (interbreed) where their ranges meet.

The Yellow-shafted Flicker dominates the eastern half of North America and northern boreal forests, while the Red-shafted Flicker dominates western North America.

Meanwhile, The Gilded Flicker is a separate, genetically distinct species restricted mainly to the arid southwestern United States (such as Arizona) and northwestern Mexico. 

There are 4 primary flicker species commonly recognized in South America, alongside a few closely related woodpecker species in the same genus that are sometimes referred to as green or forest flickers.

In the world, there are 13 extant (living) species of birds in the woodpecker genus (Colaptes), which comprises the birds commonly known as flickers.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)

 

Photos by BarrytheBirder

The Northern Flicker is a widespread and common woodpecker usually found in wooded habitats, particularly gardens and parks.   They can be noisy and conspicuous, and seen frequently hopping on the ground in search of ants.   Two of my favourite Flicker photos which I taken are shown below.                                                                                                         

Flicker preening (above and below)

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Green Heron (Butorides virescens) a.k.a. Green-backed Heron

Photos by BarrytheBirder

Although I am particularly partial to the Great Blue Heron, my next favourite heron is the Green Heron.   If for no other reason, it is the heron I see most often, other than the Great Blue, in the area of southern Ontario where I live.   I see them nearby in ponds, marshes and wooded creeks, where they jerk their short tails up and down as they stalk the water's edge.

They are small (18") and dark, with orange-yellow legs.   They have a chestnut neck and dark back glossed with green or blue.  Their black crown feathers are sometimes raised in a bushy crest.

Generally solitary, the Green Heron will be found in a variety of habitats and even perches in trees often.

They are found across the U.S.A., southern Canada and in Mexico.

Although known historically as the Green Heron, they are now commonly known as the Green-backed Heron.

They winter along coasts from Oregon and Massachusetts south to South America.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder