Island Scrub-Jay

Island Scrub-Jay aka. Island Jay aka. Santa Cruz Jay aka. Santa Cruz Island Scrub-Jay
Prisoners Harbor, Santa Cruz Island, Channel Islands National Park, Ventura, California, USA
July 2018
Member of the Crows and Jays Family
§A Party of Jays§

~True Bird Fact~ Once considered to be a sub-species of Scrub-Jay, but spun off into his own species in 1995 (while the other Scrub-Jays became Florida and Western based on where they lived). Since then, we've also seen Western split into Woodhouse's and California Scrub-Jays. Complicated stuff for a bunch of birds that look very alike. Let's see just how alike, shall we?

Island Scrub-Jays are supposedly brighter in color, larger (by 15%), and have a larger beak (20%) than their mainland relatives. The species split about 150,000 years ago, and the specialized island lifestyle (i.e. thick-shelled acorns = thicker, stronger beak) has resulted in these changes manifesting fairly quickly. Side by side like this? I can kinda see it. They also have somewhat different personalities, with these Island guys having less of a fear of people and more curiosity. After I first spotted them, they seemed to follow me around for a while and see what I was up to. Which one do you think is which, reader? Highlight for answer- Top is California, Bottom Island

How Endangered Are They? One of the rarest birds in the USA, there are only about 2,300 of these guys, and they only live on Santa Cruz Island, one of several islands that are part of California's Channel Islands National Park. While they're pretty easy to find once you're there, their entire habitat is less than 100 square miles, which makes them vulnerable to catastrophic events, like a fire, or the outbreak of disease. They are categorized as Vulnerable by the IUCN. They are one of only two species that are endemic (found nowhere else) to California, along with bird blog alum Yellow-billed Magpie.

This great, great bird was first described by

Henry Henshaw

(1850 - 1930)

Born in Massuchutsets, he got his start as a field naturalist when he had to give up school due to poor health, and instead went on a collecting trip to Louisiana. I don't really know how that is better for your health, but I guess it worked for Henry. He went on a number of successful collecting trips throughout the Southwest. During this time he co-founded a lot of bird related clubs, including the Nuttall Ornithological Club, the American Ornithologists' Union, and the National Geographic Society.

In 1893 another bout of ill health led to him moving to Hawaii (has poor health ever been better for anyone than it was for this guy?) He continued to research birds there, and his witnessing of the mass extinction of native Hawaiian birds led him to dedicate the rest of his life to conservation and the popularization of birding. He gave permission for his popular birding book, Fifty Common Birds of Farm and Orchard, to be published in National Geographic, which led to the creation of the National Geographic Field Guide to Birds of North America. His lobbying efforts led to the Migratory Bird Treaty Act being signed into law in 1918. He seems like he was a really good guy.

Wood Duck

Wood Duck aka. Carolina Duck
Mountain View Cemetery, Oakland, California, USA
February 2018
Member of the Duck, Goose, and Swan Family
§A Flush of Ducks§


{Etymology Corner} Wood Duck is slang for a sucker or rube (I would argue infrequently used). Apparently it's 70's era lingo from the used car salesman community. No information presents itself on how this originated/why it would make sense.

~true bird fact~ A very different kind of duck from what we usually see, at least physiologically. Wood Ducks have sharply clawed feet, which they use to perch in trees near water. Wood Ducklings are born into nest cavities and have to leap up to 50 feet into the ground or water and can do so without injury. So all those videos of people 'helping' baby ducks by catching them as they jump out of their nest can go take a hike as far as I'm concerned.

You know that quote about 'dance like no one's watching'? Wood Duck always acts like someone's watching him.
Master of the celebrity encounter name drop
Gets a lot of his food at the farmer's market



 How Endangered Were They? A distinctly North American species, Wood Ducks never had much of a range outside of the USA and Canada (they're in other places now because they were popular ornamental birds). This was bad news for Wood Ducks during the height of American expansionism. They were actually on the verge of serious trouble by the late 19th century, both because of loss of habitat, and because of hunting, mainly for their feathers (the infamous 19th century fancy hat industry strikes again).

Happily, Wood Ducks are doing much better now, because at that crucial moment, some sweeping government regulation was enacted to protect them. The 1918 Migratory Bird Treaty Act declared them a protected species, and, along with the introduction of constructed nesting boxes, enabled them to bounce back. You know who else helped? Beavers, who also have a rebounding population, and happen to naturally make perfect Wood Duck habitats. So thanks beavers, and thanks reasonable regulations, for making this bird alive. And of course, zero thanks to our current president, who is choosing to roll back the Migratory Bird Treaty Act's protections for birds after 100 years of success stories like this. Hopefully this move loses him the bird vote.

Painted Bunting

Painted Bunting aka. Nonpareil (fr)

Big Bend National Park, Texas, USA
July 2017
Member of the Cardinal Family
§A Palette of Buntings§

{Etymology Corner} The scientific name of this bird is Passerina ciris. Evidently, it's named after the Greek Mythological character, Princess Scylla. She is turned into a bird after betraying her father in favor of an invading King Minos, who she has fallen in love with at first sight. She subsequently drowns while attempting to swim after her fleeing love, who wants no part of this whole thing. It's a wild story. It's also a pretty bad name for this bird, since she was supposedly transformed into a seabird, which this is not. I can agree, however, that this looks like a bird brought into the world through magical means.

~true bird fact~  As anyone can see from looking at it, this bird is incredibly colorful. This has made him a frequent target of poachers. In the 1800's, the were trapped in the thousands and shipped back to Europe for heavily marked-up sale as caged birds. This kind of trade is now illegal, happily, but has not been entirely eliminated. I know it's probably none of you dear readers, but please stop buying wild animals.

How endangered are they? They are listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN. Now I don't want you to panic, because they are till a fairly common bird, with an estimated 13 million adults out there. The rating is probably the result of a dramatic 60% dip in their population that took place between 1966 and 1995. Numbers have seemed stable since then, but you can never be took careful with a bird like this. The pressures on their population seem to be habitat loss from development and the aforementioned poaching.



Musically inclined
Despite his outwardly confident appearance, he's been the subject of a lot of pressure throughout his life
You can tell how he's feeling very easily- 'wears his hear on his sleeve'
Always laughs at your jokes

Trip Report: Cosumnes River Preserve

Cosumnes River Preserve, Galt, California, USA
January 2017

Duck, var.

Another day in paradise, another trip to a local birding destination. These pictures were taken when your amateurnithologist found himself with some unusual time off and was able to go on some fun day trips to birding locales slightly further afield.

Cinnamon Teal, has a youtube prank video series

Today's pictures come from the Consumnes River Preserve and the adjacent Woodbridge River Preserve in eyebrow-raisingly named Galt, California. The preserves are part of California's heavily farmed central valley and the Consumnes River represents the last free flowing river of the valley. Located between Sacramento and Stockton, there are 46,000 acres of protected land, 40,000 of which are farmed.

Green-winged Teal couple, collect salt and pepper shakers

It's an important spot for birds, and your amateurnithologist was blown away by the variety and sheer quantity of birds present. And that makes a lot of sense, since this spot is part of the Pacific Flyway, one of the 4 major migration routes for American birds. Among its 250 native bird species are the rare Sandhill Cranes (got em') and Tri-colored Blackbirds (WHEN?). Both the Audubon Society and the American Bird Conservancy have declared it an "Important Bird Area."

Sandhill Crane, always stands next to shorter birds to make himself appear taller

The preserve itself is beautiful and well-maintained, and given that we attended in the middle of the day, on a weekday, it was surprisingly well-attended, mostly by like-minded bird people. Some serious scopes were on display.

White-fronted Goose, high tolerance for crowds

It was mostly a waterfowlful affair, and all manner of ducks and geese and assorted others were on display. I had the great experience of getting a much, much better shot of a Northern Pintail immediately after I had posted a blog about him. Such is the life of a bird blogger. We appeared to be right in the middle of White-fronted Goose migration, who got riled up and all took off together and blacked out the sky a few times.

Northern Pintail, always acts weird when you try to take a picture of him

Best spots for me were the rarely observed Sora (still have no idea how I spotted him in the reeds) and the vaunted and endangered Sandhill Crane. It was my first time getting a shot of the California subspecies (all previous cranes I had seen were in Florida). Other birds seen, but not included in this photo essay included Great Egret (in breeding plumage), Northern Shoveler, Belted Kingfisher, Canada Geese, American Kestrel, and Black-necked Stilt.

Sora, loves to do amateur research on topics that interest her

Overall I would give Galt, CA objectively high marks. It's a veritable fountainhead of birds, and you won't find yourself shrugging off enough birds to fill a whole atlas. Take the train. Go Ayn-y time.

Final Rating: Yes

White-crowned Pigeon

White-crowned Pigeon
Ardastra Gardens, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas
April 2017
Member of the Pigeon and Dove Family
§A Passel of Pigeons§

~true bird fact~ Truly an island bird, White-crowned pigeons nest in an entirely different habitat than they feed in, sometimes flying across entire bodies of water to get from one to the other. They nest mostly in mangrove groves and feed on the fruits of hardwood trees. They're strong fliers, traveling up to 30 miles each way for this commute. It's said they can outpace a speed boat. Is this surprisingly fast? Let's do some math. (All research done using google search)

Pigeons fly at an average speed of 77 mph, which is actually quite fast for a bird. In fact, the fastest self-propelled horizontal flight speed (ie. not in a dive) in the bird kingdom belongs to a member of the pigeon family, the homing pigeon, which has been measured at 110mph (!!). An average bird, say, an unladen swallow, travels at about 30-40mph. An average, not-super-expensive speed boat travels at approx 45mph, so yes, this bird flies a lot faster than a speed boat.  I'm so glad we learned this about pigeons today guys.

How endangered are they? I regret to inform you that these cool, fast pigeons are also rapidly approaching danger, in addition to boats. They are categorized by the IUCN as a 'Vulnerable' species. In other words, they are not quite endangered, but definitely threatened. There are about 7500 nesting pairs in FL, but the real worry is their declining numbers throughout their largely Caribbean range.  They get hunted some, but the biggest threat is lost of their nesting habitat, which often gets cut down to grow crops, especially sugarcane. They're also a bird positioned to be hit especially hard by climate change, since they basically only eat this one type of fruit, and if the seasons go all nuts, that would be a major problem for them.

Always getting IDed, despite being more than old enough
Surprises you with his somewhat old-fashioned views
Prefers to buy used things rather than new things
Fond of idiosyncratic clothing choices (ie. straw pork pie hat)

Java Sparrow

Java Sparrow aka. Java Finch, aka. Java Rice Bird, aka. Paddy Bird (sounds potentially offensive, tread with care)
Kailua-Kona, Hawai'i, USA
December 2015
Native of: Java, a few other Indonesian islands
Member of the Weaver-Finch Family (huh?)
§A Trembling of Finches§
★Largest Weaver-Finch★

~true bird fact~ Those aka's ain't kidding, the Java Sparrow is serious about rice. Considered a major threat to rice-based agriculture, it was a popular cage-bird in America until it was banned for concern that they would wreak havoc on our grain fields if they escaped.

~true bird history~ Ironically, they remain popular pet birds throughout Asia despite this. Java Sparrow domestication goes back centuries, at least until the Ming Dynasty. A famous and well regarded Japanese novelist, Natsume Sōseki, wrote about his pet Java Sparrow in the 1909 essay, Buncho.

How endangered are they? The real numbers are not really known, but the places he lives are so small and so under-threat, that they are considered a Vulnerable species.

Mild-mannered and friendly
A good, active listener
Upbeat, but sympathetic
Communicates a lot with a simple look

California Condor

California Condor
Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, Big Sur, California USA
February2016
Member of the Vulture Family
§A Scarcity of Condors§ (a bit on the nose..)
★Largest North American Bird★

~true bird fact~ Truly a creature out of another time, Condors are huge, slow, and long-lived. They thrived 40,000 years ago, when giant mammals roamed the continent. Condors can go weeks without eating, and when they do eat, they can store up to 3 pounds of meat in their crops (bird food-holding organs). Unlike most birds, young Condors stay with their parents for more than a year, and actually take 6-8 to reach full maturity. Overall, one of the longest-lived birds, with a lifespan of up to 60 years. Basically these are bird dinosaurs.

How endangered are they? Very much so. The California Condor is critically endangered. As of 1987, there were only 27 birds left. Dramatic action was necessary, and they were all taken into captivity to attempt a breeding program. It's slow and laborious work, partly because female condors only nest once a year, and sometimes not even that much, and partly because birds take so long to reach maturity. In 1991, Condors began to be released back into the wild. As of today there are 425 birds alive, full stop. Only 219 of them are wild, making them one of the world's rarest birds. This means that I've now seen a little more than 1% of all the wild California Condors.

Heavy emphasis on family life
Superstitious. Uses folk medicine
Like most vultures, has a strong stomach, literally and metaphorically
Insular

Nene

Nene aka. Hawaiian Goose

Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, Kilauea, Kaua'i, Hawai'i, USA
December 2015
Member of the Duck, Goose, and Swan Family
§A Blizzard of Geese§
★Hawai'i's State Bird★
★Rarest State Bird★
★Rarest Goose★

{Etymology Corner} They make a 'Nay Nay' Sound

~"true" bird fact~ Unlike other geese, the Nene doesn't migrate. In fact,he generally doesn't even leave his home island. He's somewhat more terrestrial than other geese, having his webbed foot partially evolved into a non-webbed one, to make him better at walking on bare lava rock. He has an extinct cousin called the Giant Hawaii Goose, who was 4 times larger (!!!) and couldn't fly at all.

How endangered are they? There are only 2500 Nene. At one point, the bird was extremely common on the islands. Anyone want to guess when? If you were thinking 'before white people got there', you would be correct. Between 1778, when 'discoverer' Captain James Cook arrived, and 1952, the population dropped from 25,000 to 30. Three Zero. Drastic action was taken to save the bird, and an extensive captive breeding program helped bring them back from the brink, enabling them to make a comeback to the point where they could be reintroduced back into the wild. Much of the credit for saving this species falls to Sir Peter Scott, a british naturalist and conservationist who founded the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust. He oversaw their recovery at the Slimbridge WWT, a reserve in Gloucestershire, England.

Bears a mysterious smile
Overeats and doesn't mind
Has no ill-will towards others, although it would be very justified
Lives on 'island time' for sure

Snowy Plover and Chick

Snowy Plover aka. Western Snowy Plover
Coal Oil Point Reserve, Isla Vista, California, USA
July 2015
Member of the Lapwing and Plover Family
§A Brace of Plovers§
★North America's Smallest Plover★

~true bird fact~ Young snowy plovers can leave the nest an amazing 3 hours after hatching, and are already capable at that point of running, swimming, and catching food. They still need the experience and brooding of their parent, who at that point is generally a single dad, but they're extremely independent as bird chicks go. Oh, you might be wondering if these precocious bird chicks are cute or not. Well..

Yes. The answer is yes.

How endangered are they? Like the Burrowing Owl, and the California Condor, the Snowy Plover is one of California's most well known endangered birds. They are designated as 'Threatened' by the Endangered Species Act, at least in their Western Population. They are a bird who makes their home on wide, flat expanses of sandy beach, mostly breeding in Southern California, and as you can imagine they run up against humanss fairly regularly. A number of concentrated conservation programs, led by the UC system, have brought Western Plovers back from the brink. I personally was able to see these plovers on a beautiful and active recreational beach near Santa Barbara, where signage, rope lines, and volunteers are all that protect the plover. It seems to be enough, as the program is a fairly dramatic success. Your blog author can never really tell why conservation for some birds really takes off the way it does, while others languish in obscurity, but it's always nice to see when it happens. Snowy Plovers are popular enough that they have a website dedicated to them, westernsnowyplover.org, which features an 11 minute video for kids, printable signs, and an extremely detailed recovery plan. Oh, and go watch that video, it's amazing.

Wood Stork

Wood Stork (FKA Wood Ibis [not an ibis])
Wakotahatchee Wetlands, Florida, USA
April 2015
Member of the Stork Family
§A Phalanx of Storks§

~true bird fact~ The Wood Stork's breeding system is timed to be during the dry season in the places he lives. This doesn't make sense at first, but the Wood Stork knows what's up. During the dry season, pools of water shrink, meaning that fish are concentrated in smaller areas and it's easier for him to find food.

~true bird myth~ Storks have long been associated with protection, wealth, and of course, child rearing. Storks are believed to hold high amounts of faithfulness and familial values. Not only are they associated with delivering babies (which they allegedly found in caves or marshes), but also with taking care of elderly relatives. Ancient Greeks had a law that punished anyone who killed a stork with death, and Muslims revered the birds because they made a pilgrimage to Mecca on their annual migrations. Many of these myths seem to come about because Storks are large, prominent birds that often nest among humans, but they also stem from the Stork's own behavior. They're very consistent birds- mostly monogamous, and they nest in the same site year after year.

Acts on emotion. Wears her heart on her sleeve
Finds enjoyment in the simple company of others
Doesn't think about 'the big questions'
Likes percussion instruments best


How endangered are they? They've never been a globally endangered species because they have such an enormous range, but Wood Storks had a hard time of it for a while. Back in 1984, their population was dropping by a precipitous 5% per year. However, a concentrated conservation effort over the past 30 years has brought them back up to healthier levels. In July of 2014, they were moved off the US Fish and Wildlife Endangered List and are now considered merely 'threatened'. There are now estimated to be somewhere between 6,000 and 10,000 storks in the States. Stork populations have followed a similar trajectory in Brazil. Good for you, storks.

Ridgway's Rail

 
Ridgway's Rail (formerly California Clapper Rail)
Arrowhead Marsh, Oakland, California, USA
December 2014
Member of the Rails, Coots, and Gallinules Family
§An Audience of Rails§

~true bird fact~ Ridgeway's Rail is an extremely 'new' bird. How new? He's only been an official bird since July of 2014! What does this mean? Well, every once in a while, the American Birding Association makes some calls about which birds are actually different from each other (and have been all along). You may remember the ABA as the organization that 'recognized' the Purple Swamp Hen from an earlier Am-Ornithologist Exclusive. Presumably someone has granted them the authority to do this, and they do so with their increasing scientific understanding of bird biology and evolution and whatnot. Anyway, it was determined that the Californian sub-species of The Clapper Rail is actually a whole different bird. They live pretty much only in the Bay Area.

Loves to cuddle
Intelligent and sensitive. Curls up with a good book (fiction, poetry)
Privileged (despite the whole 'endangered species thing') 
Doesn't understand this modern violent world. Shakes her head sadly

How Endangered Are They? There are somewhere between 1000 and 3000 of these birds left living in the wild depending upon who you ask. The trusting and apparently tasty Ridgway's Rail never recovered from over-hunting that occurred during California's gold rush, and numbers have been kept low by habitat destruction and non-native predators. This story isn't all sad, however, since as recently 1992 there were only 240 (!) of these birds. Even at the low numbers above, it's clear the rail is making some headway.

Who's this Ridgway Guy?

Robert Ridgway lived from 1850-1929 and was a major modern ornithological presence in America. He worked primarily for the Smithsonian as Curator of Birds, which is quite a title, especially since he held it for 43 years. He also was a founding member and early president of The American Ornithologist's Union. Ridgway was primarily a names and classifications kinda guy and he ended up describing more American species of birds than any other, probably mostly by noticing the minor distinctions that now set this rail apart. Unlike previous 'featured naturalist', the famously wrong WJ Swainson, Ridgway's classifications have stood the test of time so well that modern taxonomist's have a maxim that invokes him "Rule #1: Ridgway was right".

Trumpeter Swan

Trumpeter Swan
Lincoln Park, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Member of the Duck, Goose, and Swan Family
★Largest Waterfowl★
★Heaviest North American Bird★
§A Regatta of Swans§

~true bird fact~ Trumpeter Swans are one of the few birds to come back from the brink of extinction. By 1900 it was believed that they had been hunted to extinction for their meat, skin, eggs, and feathers (which were believed to make the best possible quill for a quill pen). However, small populations still survived in sparsely inhabited and hard to reach places like Alaska, central Canada, and small mountain valleys in middle America. Efforts to preserve the remaining swans and reintroduce them began, and at first populations remained dangerous small. Recently however, populations have begun to rebound, quadrupling in the past 35 years. Today Trumpeter Swans are again beginning to live in some of the places they were once hunted out of. An inspiring and hopeful story for your holiday season!

A mind like a steel trap
Finds weird things to be fun or entertaining, like doing her taxes
Gets stressed out on long trips. Not a good travel companion
Introvert

Least Tern

Least Tern
Wakodahatchee Wetlands, Delray Beach, Florida, USA
Member of the Gulls and Terns Family
§A Ternery of Terns§

~true bird fact~ Weighing in at one ounce, the Least Tern is the smallest member of the gull family. This doesn't keep him from aggressively defending his nest by diving and shrieking at intruders.

Loves hot-doggin' and showin' off with some fancy flyin' moves
Doesn't like it when you bring up the whole 'least' thing
Acts really tough. Some might say he's compensating
A fiery temper

How endangered are they? Depends where you ask. It turns out there are three distinct populations of Least Terns, one on the East Coast (pictured above), an inland variety, and a West Coast Tern (who is probably the coolest least tern). The California and Inland type are both categorized as endangered species, but both of these populations have been recovering with aggressive management of nesting sights. These guys love the beach, so their breeding spots are often also good vacation spots. In addition to this, they were once nearly hunted to extinction by fancy-hat-makers. Overall the Least Tern is a success story, although it still has a designation as 'endangered', 'of concern', or 'threatened' in many of the states it lives in.

Horned Lark

Horned Lark aka. Shore Lark
Martinez, California, USA
Member of the Lark Family
§An Exaltation of Larks§

~a seemingly endless litany of true bird facts~

• The only species of lark in the Western Hemisphere
• Like many birds, these guys return to their place of birth to nest every year. Due to this fact and The Magic of Evolution larks in different areas have adapted slight coloration variations based on the area they live in. Estimates say there are 15 sub-species of horned lark.
• Lady larks prepare for mating by doing a display that looks a lot like taking a dust bath, which is something they also do. Guy-birds often can't tell the difference, those dumb idiots.
• Lady larks also like to build a little pathway of loose stones and detritus around their nest. No one really knows what purpose it serves, but I suspect she does it... on a lark (YEAAAAAAAAH)

Loves her Pinterest projects
Likes to save up for a rainy day, has a 'financial plan'
Might embarass you in front of your guy friends by mentioning some kind of girly thing you did with her
Wishes she were fluffier

How endangered are they? Not very. In fact, they exist in all the continents of the Northern Hemisphere, numbering a healthy 120 million. However, they are in steep decline, with a population decreasing more than 2 percent every year. Their numbers have dropped by 60% in the last 50 years. This earns them a 9 out of 20 on the evocatively named Continental Concern Scale. Like most birds, the reduction of their natural habitat and encroachment by people explains some of their losses (quoth wikipedia "among the bird species most commonly killed by wind turbines"), but no one really knows why they're dropping in number so quickly. Love your larks now, for larks are not promised tomorrow.

Black Oystercatcher

Black Oystercatcher (not to be confused with the Blackish Oystercatcher of Argentina (really bird naming people? Really?))

Point Lobos State Reserve, Carmel, California, USA
Member of the Oystercatcher Family
§ A Parcel of Oystercatchers§


~true bird fact~ Oystercatchers have some tough babies. They nest in shallow bowls made of sand, small rocks, and shell fragments and their eggs are very hard and tough enough to survive being submerged during high tides. Once the chick is born, it leaves the nest after only a day. Young oystercatchers have been known to dive underwater to avoid predators, even though they cannot swim.

Smirky
Likes to shock older people with provocative behavior
Unexpectedly intelligent
Might be a witch



How endangered are they? While he's listed as a species of least concern by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, he is considered by a lot of people to be a bird of significant ecological and conservationary importance. There are less than 12,000 of these birds and they have a very limited habitat that they can occupy- that is rocky, tidal shorelines along the pacific coast of North America. They are considered a Species of Special Status by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. This is partly just due to their limited global range, but also has to do with how sensitive their habitat is to all sorts of modern problems like rising sea levels, ocean acidification, and (of course) people. Let's all do our best for black oystercatcher.

 
Bonus Fact: The Wikipedia Page for Black Oystercatcher does not mention specifically whether or not he eats oysters, even though they mention like 8 other things he eats. Comedic oversight or inaccurate name? You, dear reader, be the judge.

Red-masked Parakeet

Red-masked Parakeet aka. Cherry-headed Conure
San Francisco, California, USA
Member of the Parrot Family
§A Chatter of Parakeets§

~true bird fact~ These parakeets are not native to San Francisco, rather famously so. They are feralized populations of escaped pets. Groups like this have established themselves not only in San Francisco, but in Spain, Hawaii, Florida, Mexico, and Texas. Although none of these populations have yet been around long enough to be considered 'established', they are doing well and growing in size, living off the fruits of the palm trees and other tropical vegetation that are commonly cultivated in these places. Another bird that has managed to thrive on the unthinking hubris of human beings.

How endangered are they? Despite all those succeeding invasive populations, Red-masked Parakeets are considered Near Threatened by the International Union on the Conservation of Nature in their native Peru and Ecuador. It is estimated that there are less than 10,000 of these birds there, and populations are declining due to poaching and habitat loss. Again folks, do these birds a favor and do not take them in as pets. Just enjoy them for what they are.

Enthusiastic for fairly mundane things
Likes weird, gimmicky candies (ie. pop rocks, astronaut ice-cream)
This bird loves the 90's!
Sometimes gets so involved in in doing one thing that they don't notice anything else going on around them

Yellow-billed Magpie

Yellow-billed Magpie
Roseville, California, USA
Member of the Crows and Jays Family
§A Mischief of Magpies§

~true bird fact~ From the Crows-and-jays-are-really-smart-you-guys file: When a Yellow-billed Magpie dies, he receives a funeral. No, really, this is true (source). Nearby birds appear to experience grief. They swoop down to the body and hop around it making long squawking cries, and this goes on for quite some time.


How endangered are they? The Nature Conservancy has declared the Yellow-billed Magpie 'vulnerable', mainly because he has such a narrow range. This guy only lives in California's Central Valley, and, as such is especially susceptible to threats from any number of natural or human disasters. Populations are in decline since the outbreak of the West Nile Virus. It is estimated that literally half of all Yellow-billed Magpies died from the virus between 2004 and 2006.

Has not talked to his brother in years, but still cares about him deeply
Trusting to a fault
Is an active and well-known member of his local community
Not afraid to experience emotions deeply

Burrowing Owl, Bird of the Year 2013: Portrait of a Champion

Burrowing Owl
Berkeley, California, USA
Member of the True Owl Family
§A Parliament of Owls§

The Burrowing Owl occupies an interesting evolutionary niche that both endangers it and assists in its long-term survival. They live in open grassy fields, which are generally perfect places to build stuff. Hence, the Burrowing Owl is endangered in Canada, Threatened in Mexico, and a species of special concern in Florida and most of the west, including my own California.

However, he finds sanctuary in some unusual places. Golf courses and airports, both of which people build in abundance, have been known to attract these guys in significant numbers due to their similarity with the owl's natural habitat. Furthermore, they're doing just fine in Central and South America, where the clear-cutting of the rain forest is actually increasing the size of their habitat.

Unlike most owls, this guy is active all day and all night. He catches ground based prey by running after it with his long legs, or swooping down from low perches. He basically eats everything, and even lures insects to his burrow (which, sometimes are dug by other animals, but that he can dig himself) using animal droppings.

With this intriguing background, is it any wonder that Burrowing Owl is 2013's Bird of the Year, as named by California's Audubon Society? No, it is not any wonder. Your Amateurnithologist was granted a rare interview session with Burrowing Owl following his victory, and found out that he's much more than a pretty face. Burrowing Owl has a sharp, brooding intelligence to him that you wouldn't expect. And you can't argue with success.

Burrowing Owl states that his motivation is not just to entertain and delight. Owling is art, he feels, and he hopes that people really think about his work. He hopes to take on more challenging, independent projects in the future.

Burrowing Owl had strong words for 'haters' that your blogger will not repeat here. He also doesn't like when people call him 'cute', 'fluffy wuffy', or 'a little cutie'. Burrowing Owl feels that his success is earned, frequently pointing out that he "started from the bottom." He expressed love and appreciation for his fans. "I couldn't have done it without you, you're the reason I do what I do when I do what I do" he stated. 

Burrowing Owl, congratulations! You are Bird of the Year 2013.