Red-whiskered Bulbul

Red-whiskered Bulbul aka. Crested Bulbul
Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, Arcadia, California, USA
July 2018
Member of the Bulbul Family

Native to:  India, Pakistan, Southern China, Southeast Asia

{Etymology Corner} Bulbul translates to Nightingale in Arabic or Persian. These birds are actually in a different family than Nightingales, which are Thrushes. But like, come on, it's pretty similar.

~True Bird Fact~ The Red-whiskered Bulbul in another non-native bird. They have stable, but fairly limited populations in certain cities in South Florida and Southern California, which have enough exotic plants and a similar enough climate to their home. They were also released in Hawaii and there have taken off like gangbusters, to the frustration of native bird fans. Like many non-natives, Red-whiskered Bulbul was brought to the states first as a pet. They were and are popular cagebirds in Indian and Southeast Asia, apparently being fairly easy to domesticate/train. Not a great song though, so I guess it's a wash.

Loves hugs
Goes to lots of nerd culture conventions
(Justifiably) annoyed when people ask her where she's really from

Nuttall's Woodpecker

Nuttall's Woodpecker
Solstice Canyon Park, Malibu, California, USA
July 2018
Member of the Woodpecker Family
§A Descent of Woodpeckers§

~True Bird Fact~ Not a tremendously interesting bird, since most of the fun facts I could find about her were things like "she lives near oak trees, BUT DOESN'T EAT ACORNS!" We love to have fun here in the birding community. One thing that's kind of neat, that this bird has in common with last week's Island Jay, is that she developed into a distinct species as a result of a geological split (this time by a desert, not a body of water). Nuttall's speciated from the much larger-ranged Ladder-backed Woodpeckers some time between 2.5 million and 11 thousand years ago, and now only live in Califorina (both the US and Mexican states).

Big fan of 'fun' office supplies (i.e. You Don't Have to be Crazy to Work Here... But it Helps!)
Taking a karate class
They say she doesn't eat acorns, but she tries one every once in a while just to make sure she still doesn't like them



So we have another bird named after an old white dude, so you know what that means. It's another Naturalist Profile!

Thomas Nuttall

(1786 - 1859)

I swear half these guys are named Thomas. Anyway, Nuttall was mostly a botanist who did a lot of work cataloging the plants and trees of the young United States. Mostly considered to be a birding guy because of his popular bird book, Manual of the Ornithology of the United States and Canada, which he published in 1832. He also published the first complete record of the Tree Species of North America. It was called North American Sylva: Trees not described by F. A. Michaux. That's the name of another botanist who was working at the time, so yes, this book appears to be a 19th century sub-tweet.

He's got some other stuff named after him, but it appears to be mostly named in honor of him by other people. This woodpecker here, for example, was 'discovered' by his bro William Gambel, whose quail we are acquainted with. I'll take this to mean that he was well liked. He did go on a ton of expeditions and seems like he was very enthusiastic about nature. I give Thomas Nuttall 4/5 stars.

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.