Category Archives: Bird of the Week

Bird of the Week — Long-billed Curlew

Posted on by
27

Long-billed Curlew – Numenius americanus

According to All about Birds, the Long-billed Curlew is America’s largest shore bird. We see them every day during our beach walks near Santa Barbara, California. I’ve seen three types of birds I used to call Sandpipers, but have identified one species as Willets and the second identified is the Curlew. I’m still working on identifying the third one.

SIZE:

  • Length: 19.7-25.6 in (50-65 cm)
  • Weight: 17.3-33.5 oz (490-950 g)
  • Wingspan: 24.4-35.0 in (62-89 cm)

APPEARANCE:

The Long-billed Curlew is a speckled cinnamon and brownish bird with flecks of white. It’s chest and belly are light a solid light cinnamon color. It has a touch of pink at the base of it’s bill. Males and females look similar but the females beak is slightly longer and more curved than the male.

LOCATION:

FOOD:

When the Long-billed Curlew are not inland, they forage along the shore eating marine life such as shrimp, crab and other crustaceans as well as worms and mollusks. Their long, curved bill helps them forage for earthworms and other prey that burrows underground. Inland in grassy or muddy areas they will use their long bills to eat insects including grasshoppers, beetles, caterpillars and spiders.

NESTING:

Long-billed Curlews are not monogamous for life but are for each breeding season. They may get back together for later breeding seasons. The males make several scrapes in the ground in dry areas. The female chooses which scrape she wants as their nesting place. Then they both complete the nest together digging it out deeper. Then they line it together with bark, feathers, grasses or other material. After two to three weeks after the eggs hatch, the female takes off and the male raises the chicks.

SOUNDS:

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Long-billed_Curlew/sounds

A Long-billed Curlew taking flight.

Bird of the Week — Willet

Posted on by
20

A Western Willet foraging for food along the California coast. There is also an Eastern Willet, but my photos and focus is on the Western Willet.

Willet —
Tringa semipalmata

Willets belong to the shore birds more commonly called Sandpipers. I see several types of Sandpipers at the beach, but so far the only one I’ve successfully identified is the Willet.

SIZE:

Length: 13.0-16.1 in (33-41 cm)
Weight: 7.0-11.6 oz (200-330 g)
Wingspan: 27.6 in (70 cm)

LOCATION:

From All About Birds

DIET:

Willets forage along the shore, often alone. The tips of their beaks are sensitive and used to find food. They can forage at night as well as in the daytime. They eat crabs, insects, mollusks and worms. They feed along the mudflats, beaches and rocky shores.

A Willet getting a bite to eat along the shore.

NESTING:

Western Willets move inland from the shore for breeding along wetlands, grasslands or fresh water lakes. They nest on the ground and the male will scrape out a nest from the mud or grass. They line their nest with grasses or other soft materials. A typical clutch is four eggs. Males and females incubate their eggs, but the male takes over at night.

Although they are monogamous, they may separate after breeding season and reunite the next breeding season.

CALLS:

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Willet/sounds

Bird of the Week — Snowy Egret

Posted on by
32

A Snowy Egret I spotted during our beach vacation near Santa Barbara, California. Photos were taken with my iPhone during a beach walk.

Scientific name: Egretta thula
Genus: Ardea

I learned that herons and egrets both belong to the genus Ardea and that there is no scientific difference between the two. Egrets are white and herons are blue or other colors. That’s it.

The Snowy Egret has white plumage with a black beak and legs. They have a yellow streak on their faces behind their beaks. Their feet are bright yellow and called golden slippers. The brightly colored feet are helpful in herding small aquatic creatures while the Snowy Egret forages in shallow waters.

When they are breeding, the adults grow wispy long plumes which were in demand for ladies’ hats in the 1880s. The plumes were valued at twice the price of gold. Many Snowy Egrets lost their lives because of their valuable feathers.

SIZE and SHAPE:

Snowy Egrets are long, thin herons with a long neck, long legs and beak.

  • Length: 22.1-26.0 in (56-66 cm)
  • Weight: 13.1 oz (370 g)
  • Wingspan: 39.4 in (100 cm)

RANGE:

FOOD:

They eat aquatic animals including fish, crustaceans, frogs, worms and insects. They forage in mud flats, along the shore, marshes and tidal flats and eat while standing up.

NESTING:

The male will start building a nest before finding a mate. He’ll select a location at the top of a tree, shrub or vines. When the male finds a mate, the two will finish building the nest together. It’s a shallow oval of grasses, twigs, rushes and moss from 14 to 18 inches across and eight to 13 inches high.

The male and female share the job of incubating their eggs. A Snowy Egret clutch usually has three to five eggs. They also share feeding their chicks. Snowy Egrets do not mate for life, but are monogamous for each breeding season.

CALLS:

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Snowy_Egret/sounds

Bird of the Week — Bullock’s Oriole

Posted on by
29

This is a female Bullock’s Oriole who stopped by our yard for the first time last week. She was very flighty and this is the only photo I captured. She’s hiding in a firestick plant.

Scientific name: Icterus bullockii

Size:

  • Length: 6.7–7.5 inches (17–19 cm)
  • Weight: 1.0–1.5 ounces (28–43 g)
  • Wingspan: 12.2 inches (31 cm) [1]

Location:

Bullock’s Orioles can be found in forests, along streams and also thrive in desert washes in Mesquite trees and other desert plants.

Diet:

They eat insects and ripe fruits. Bullock’s Orioles also will stop by hummingbird feeders to drink sugar water. They forage for insects in the leaves and bark of trees.

Nests:

The female chooses a nest site typically 10 to 25 feet up in a tree. She will weave the nest from grasses, twine or wool. The nests are gourd-shaped and range in size from four to 15 inches. They line their nests with soft material like feathers, or “cotton” from cottonwoods or willows. They will work on the nest together, with one working inside and the other on the outside. Pairs will stay together long enough to build their nests and raise their chicks, but will find new mates the following year.

Calls:

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Bullocks_Oriole/sounds

Bird of the Week — Brown-crested Flycatcher

Posted on by
50

We had a new bird visit our yard last week. I’m grateful this Brown-crested Flycatcher stopped by because I had run out of birds for Bird of the Week.


Scientific Name: Myiarchus tyrannulus

SIZE:

8 to 9 inches (21 to 23 cm) long, with a wingspan of 12 to 13 inches (30 to 33 cm). It weighs roughly 1.1 to 1.6 ounces (32 to 45 grams).

RANGE:

Brown-crested Flycatchers are large flycatchers who range from southwestern United States to Argentina. They are migratory birds.

NESTING:

Brown-crested Flycatchers nest in woodpeckers’ holes in Saguaro and Organ Pipe cactus. They choose the former nests of larger woodpeckers like the Gilded Flickers and Gila Woodpeckers, which are common where we live. Smaller species such as the Ladder-backed Woodpeckers have nests with too small of holes for the flycatcher. They will also use woodpecker holes in forests, brush and along streams and in large suburban trees.

The male and female flycatchers stay together for a season only, but often return to the same nesting area and may even use the same woodpecker hole again. They line their nests with fur of rabbits, rats, opossums, badgers, horses, and cattle, as well as feathers from ravens, nighthawks, White-winged Doves and chickens. They also have been known to use snake and lizard skins.

FOOD:

Their primary diet is insects including large ones like cicadas, beetles and grasshoppers. They also fly and catch flying insects such as butterflies, moths, bees, wasps, and dragonflies. Other bugs they eat include caterpillars, spiders, ants and termites. Their diet includes berries and wild fruits.

They catch flying insects mid air as they fly or forage for insects as they perch on trees and plants.

CALLS:

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brown-crested_Flycatcher/sounds

Bird of the Week — Cactus Wren

Posted on by
35


Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus)

The Cactus Wren is the state bird of Arizona, where we live. I was curious why. If it was up to me, I’d have selected the beautiful bright red Northern Cardinal.

According to Arizona State Parks, the Canyon Wren became Arizona’s state bird in 1931 because it embodies the unique spirit, toughness, and beauty of the Sonoran Desert.

SIZE:

It is the largest species of wren:

  • Length: 7.1-8.7 in (18-22 cm)
  • Weight: 1.1-1.7 oz (32-47 g)

COLOR:

It’s a speckled brown bird with a white stripe across and above red eyes, to the sides of the neck. They have light cinnamon sides and their backs are brown with heavy white streaks. Cactus Wrens have white chests with dark speckles. Males and females look alike, but juveniles are slightly paler and have brown eyes.

PERSONALITY:

Cactus Wrens are not timid and love to perch on cactus or forage for food out in the open. I often have a Cactus Wren perching on a chair outside my window. He stares at me unafraid as I’m on my laptop.

FOOD:

They mostly eat insects, seeds and vegetable matter such as fruit pulp. They don’t need to drink water but get their hydration from cactus fruit and insects.

NESTS:

They weave football shaped nests with one entrance from grasses and twigs inside the safety of cholla cactus or other protective bushes. The male may make several “dummy” nests and the female will choose one to lay her eggs. They mate for life.

CALL:

I have heard the loud gravelly sound of Cactus Wrens months before I saw one.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Cactus_Wren/sounds

RANGE:

They are found throughout the Sonoran Desert and other arid regions of Arizona. Also found in Southern California, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas.

Bird of the Week — White-winged Dove

Posted on by
39

Scientific name: Zenaida asiatica

Size:
They measure 11 to 12.5 inches (28 to 32 cm) in length, possess a wingspan of 19 to 23 inches (48 to 58 cm), and weigh between 4.5 and 6.5 ounces (125 to 187 grams).

White-winged Doves are very common birds in our backyard. The Mourning Doves outnumber them, but White-winged Doves are a close second. Their coloring is either brownish or gray. They have very noticable white tipped wings, bright blue eye-shadow and bright orange or red eyes. When they are in flight, their white wings are more prominent.

Diet:
They are frequent visitors to our bird feeder and eat sunflower seeds and millet. In the wild, they eat seeds from desert willows, ocotillo, agave, as well as cacti fruit. They can fly up to 25 miles in the Sonoran Desert to look for water, plus get moisture from Saguaro cactus fruits.

Range:
White-winged Doves have been seen as far north as Alaska, Maine and Ontario Canada, but are mostly found in the Southwest.

A White-winged Dove in our backyard tree.

Nesting:
A female finds a location to build a nest such in vines, in thick desert brush, a clump of cactus or a tree limb. She builds a nest out of sticks that the male bird will bring to her. They are known to use their nest from a prior year, or they will reuse a nest from another bird. They are not monogamous for life, but more likely to stay together for breeding season.

Sounds:

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-winged_Dove/sounds