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Even within the same family, related species can have a vastly different appearance. One of the parts of a bird that can vary is their beaks, since the shape has evolved around their primary food source. One group that this can be seen in are finches. Pine siskins, a small boreal finch, have thin beaks,…
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…
One of the more common large birds you may see overhead throughout North America is the turkey vulture, especially in the spring as they migrate in large numbers northward. One of their features to help identify them when they are in flight, even if they are at a great distance away, is their flight style….
While out hiking in a field, you spot a little american kestrel in a telephone wire. Its back is to you and you notice an interesting pattern on the back of its head, which appears to resemble eyes. These feather patterns aren’t eyes though, they are called ocelli, or false eye spots. This adaptation can…
On August 30th 2020, a steller’s sea eagle was seen at Denali National Park in Alaska. This was not the first time this species has been seen in this state, but it was unusual in the fact that this individual was seen so far inland. Afterwards, on March 10, 2021, it was then spotted at…
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…
In 1987 there were only 22 california Condors left in the wild, numbers had plummeted and it seemed certain that this great bird would soon become extinct. That’s when a plan was put into action and every single wild california condor was captured and put into a captive breeding program with hopes of saving this…
I’m adding another series featuring different species of birds found throughout North America, these species spotlight episodes will go along and in order with an art project I started in the beginning of 2021 and am currently working on. Those who follow me on my facebook and instagram may have already seen the start of…
Migration is described as a yearly seasonal movement of a population of animals, in this case birds, generally north to south, to and from breeding and wintering grounds. Many are familiar with an overhead passing form of canada geese noisily flying over in their typical v formation. Seeing these large flocks form twice a year,…
As of now there are over 10000 recognised species of birds, broken down into 249 different families, with some families containing just one species like the kagu in the dromadidae family and all the way up to Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers which can boast of having more than 400 species including the eastern phoebe, great…