One of the highlights in spring is going birding to see and hear the colorful songbirds that have migrated back from their southern wintering grounds. These little songbirds are as brightly colored and diverse as their musical songs, whistles and trills. This colorful group is the parulidae family, also called the new world warblers or…
For birds to survive, they need keen eyesight, to find food, to navigate their environment, find a mate and avoiding becoming something else’s meal. So it is critical to protect their eyes, especially when flying through the air and through vegetation where there is an increased risk of something hitting their eyes and causing abrasions….
Birds of prey have excellent vision, they need it to be able to see prey from perched in a tree or soaring high above the ground. Though, something can get in the way of their vision, making it difficult to clearly see, especially when out in the open, and that is the sun. Many times…
If you look at the bills of some duck species, you may see it lined with fine comb-like structures. These little projections are called lamellae and are made of keratin. These slightly flexible structures are used to filter and strain food from mud or water. These structures will be seen mostly in dabbling ducks along…
The tomial tooth, or the mandibular tomia, is not really a tooth at all, but a projection that can be seen in the outer edge on beaks of falcons, kites, and shrikes. This “tooth” also corresponds with a divot on the lower bill, called the mandibular notch; these together act like a pair of scissors…
In the bird world, if you say ear tufts, you would probably instantly think of the ear tufts on owls. This feature is found on many owl species, about 50 of the 200 plus owl species have ear tufts, seemingly mostly occurring in nocturnal, forest dwelling species. But there are many other species that possess…
If you asked someone what their favorite bird species is, many will respond with some species of owl. What’s not to like? They are a beautiful group of birds, full of mystery and not as often seen as other birds who are active during the day. When you see one, it tends to be the…
In the northernmost reaches of north america is a small little finch species, white and frosty as the snow and a red forehead. Both features give hints to this species name. This little round arctic bird is called the hoary redpoll. This species spotlight episode is going along with my art project of lifesize birds…
I believe to truly understand and appreciate how unique birds are you must know what makes a bird a bird. What makes up each and every species no matter what they are. To know what makes them so different you must see what makes them similar. And from there you can really appreciate what makes…