Birds of Costa Rica 2: part 3

Common Black Hawk (busardo negro aka. gavilán cangrejero negro (lit. Black Crab-eating Hawk)
Peninsula de Papagayo, Liberia, Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica
May 2024
Member of the Kites, Eagles, and Hawks Family
§A Kettle of Hawks§

~True Bird Fact~ Black Hawks are specialized to hunting prey in the water (hence the 'crab-eater' above). They can wade around in shallow water to startle fish and then use their wings to 'herd' them to spots where they can be picked off more easily. They also like to perch on low branches and then drop suddenly into the water to snatch up crabs, fish, and crawfish. Sounds like a nice life.

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird (colibrí cola rojiza)

Peninsula de Papagayo, Liberia, Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica
May 2024
Member of the Hummingbird Family

§A Bouquet of Hummingbirds§

{Etymology Corner} Something that's always fun is when you get a picture of a bird with a name that's like the "named-after-an-incredibly-obvious-physical-feature hummingbird" and somehow the angle that you get is the only possible one where that feature isn't visible. Makes you real cautious about the ol' ID. But I think that's probably what he is. There's not a lot of options in terms of the pink/orange bill. Anyway, this guy has kind of a red tail area.

~True Bird Fact~ Rufous-tailed Hummingbirds have a pretty rare social set-up- they live in loose colonies with one male and many females. In this setup, the male mates with the females and the females are responsible for nest-building, egg-incubating, and child rearing. How's that for a division of labor? Sheesh.

I know, I know, this is far and away the worst photo I have uploaded to the blog, a true #worstbirdpic, but I was so excited to see this guy and this is the only shot I got of him. C'est la vie. Maybe he will appear again on this blog when I get a good shot.

Crested Caracara aka. Mexican Eagle aka. Mexican Buzzard (carancho aka. traro)

Peninsula de Papagayo, Liberia, Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica
May 2024
Member of the Falcon Family

~True Bird Fact~ The only falcon to build a nest- all others just kind of lay eggs in the dirt, or use the old nest of other birds. Seems to be a bit of an intelligence outlier among this family to be honest- they also have learned to follow trains and cars to feed on discarded food. 

~Real Bird Myth~ As you might expect for such a distinctive and charismatic bird, the Crested Caracara features prominently in mythology. In the Aztec founding legend, the bird that shows them where to build their capital city is probably the Caracara. The legend goes that the sun god, Huitzilopochtli, told them they would build a city where they find an eagle perched on a cactus, holding a snake. This image may sound familiar to some, as it is depicted on the Mexican flag. Of course, the city they found is Tenochtitlan, which is the modern day Mexico City. The beautiful narrative here is only somewhere tainted by the fact that the bird on the modern Mexican flag is very clearly a Golden Eagle. Different interpretations of the same myth, it seems.

Birds of Costa Rica 2: part 2

Steak-backed Oriole (turpial dorsilistado aka. turpial de fuego (lit. Fire Oriole!))
Peninsula de Papagayo, Liberia, Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica
May 2024
Member of the Blackbird Family

{Etymology Corner} Another local name for the bird is bolsero dorsilistado, which translates to Streak-backed Purse maker, which refers to these birds really cool looking nests. These birds (along with several others) construct what is called a penduline nest, or a woven structure made from grass and other foliage that hangs from a tree branch. These are really cool looking. Here is one such nest, also from this trip to Costa Rica.

Gray-breasted Martin (martín pechigrís)
Peninsula de Papagayo, Liberia, Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica
May 2024
Member of the Swallow Family

§A Scream of Swifts§ (Ok, I know, I know, these are Martins, not Swifts, and that's not even the same family (SOMEHOW), but I hadn't heard 'scream' as a term of venery before and I thought it was neat. Guys, the well is DRY on this bird, there are no other interesting facts about it. If you know anything about swallows or swifts, you know everything there APPARENTLY is to know about these birds. Ok, fine, fine, here's something-)

~True Bird Fact~ They can't walk, their little legs are only for perching. See!! That was the best I could do. That's barely interesting at all and something you probably would've assumed just looking at this thing. This bird blog was held up SIGNIFICANTLY while I tried to come up with something to say about this Gray-breasted Martin, which, BY THE WAY, this might not even 100% be, because Swallows are hard to ID. So LAY OFF!

Turquoz-browed Motmot (momoto cejiceleste) aka. Torogoz aka. Guardabarranco (lit. Ravine-guard) aka. Pájaro reloj (lit. Clock Bird)

Peninsula de Papagayo, Liberia, Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica
May 2024
Member of the Motmot Family

★National Bird of both El Salvador and Nicaragua★

{Etymology Corner} I think we got a famous one here ladies and gentleman. It's always a good sign when a bird has like 6 plus names, and they're all really expressive and beautiful, and that's the situation we have here. In El Salvador, he's called Torogoz, which is a reference to the sound he makes (you be the judge). In Nicaragua he's called Guardabarranco (lit. Ravine-guard). In the Yucatán, he's called Pájaro reloj (lit. Clock Bird, for the way he moves his tail). And in Costa Rica he's called Pájaro bobo (Foolish Bird) for his comfort around humans. That's the good stuff!

~True Bird Fact~ So, that tail- it's referred to as 'racketed' and serves a couple of purposes. First, they use it for sexual selection- i.e. a male with a long tale is a more desirable mate. But interestingly, they also use it to communicate with predators (!). They wag their tail back and forth, like a clock pendulum, to signal to a predator that they have been observed, and that pursuing them would be pointless, because they will fly away if approached. This is called a 'pursuit deterrent signal'.

~Real Bird Myth(?)~ Look, I don't know what to trust anymore in regards to the internet. But there are lots of claims that the Motmot is a significant bird in Mayan cultural tradition (and why not, look at it!). Most of the stories I found were on travel websites, and they all had a theme of how the bird lost most of it's tail feathers, leaving only the aforementioned 'rackets', usually as a result of arrogance. Here's my favorite one of this genre, which I totally can't vouch for as legit, from this website.

The motmot’s Mayan name is toh, and it features in local legend and lore. According to one story, the motmot liked to meet his fellow royal birds and spend the day telling stories and feasting on insects while other birds were working. He was such a beautiful creature and so proud of his glossy tail and plumage that it made him arrogant and overbearing.

One afternoon, when black clouds were massing on the horizon heralding the approach of a storm, Oc, the king vulture summoned all the birds to a meeting and they decided to build themselves a shelter. Chujut the woodpecker, Panchel the toucan, Mox the parrot and Xtut collected timber, Baax the chachalaca and Cutz the wild turkey carried the heaviest branches and the hummingbirds collected grass, herbs and leaves for the roof. Other birds gathered fruit and seeds to tide them over the storm. Only the motmot refused to help, saying that he was an aristocrat, not a worker.

When the storm burst, the motmot found a crack in a stone wall that he thought would be a good place to hide. He crept in and went to sleep without noticing that his elegant long tail was still out in the open.

Much later, the motmot woke up and emerged from his shelter to sing in the sun like the other birds. He was astonished to find that all that was left of his beloved tail were two bedraggled and naked barbs with a small clump of feathers at the end. The wind and water had done their worst. Horrified, realized what a fool he had been. Pride soon got the better of him and he decided to shun his former companions for fear that they would mock him. He flew off into the depths of the forest and dug a hole where he hid until this very day. He still keeps to himself; perching on branches overlooking cenotes where he swings his long tail from side to side incessantly like the pendulum on a clock.

Birds of Costa Rica 2: part 1

Well, I went back to Costa Rica, just over ten years since my last trip. Costa Rica is a well known birders paradise, boasting more than 900 species in a relatively small area. Did I learn anything about birding since then? I guess we'll find out (but the answer is 'no', for those not wanting to read the whole thing). As you will see, this was not a 'birding trip' and was very limited in scope, but it would be impossible to not see some very impressive birds. 

Squirrel Cuckoo (Piaya cayana)

Peninsula de Papagayo, Liberia, Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica

May 2024

Member of the Cuckoo Family

{Etymology Corner} Why is it called a Squirrel Cuckoo? Well, because it kind of acts like, and could be confused for, a squirrel (theoretically). Quoth wikipedia: "This species’ English name derives from its habit of running along branches and leaping from branch to branch like a squirrel. It flies only short distances, mainly gliding with an occasional flap." OK!

Also, while researching this cuckoo I learned of potentially my favorite member of this family, the Cocos Cuckoo. C'mon, that's just too fun.

~True Bird Fact~ Unusual amount of interspecies cooperation observed with this bird, which forages happily alongside other birds and even some smaller mammals. They even take advantage of army ants, which they follow as they flush out prey. Also, unlike many cuckoos, they don't do any brood parasitism, and opt to raise their own young instead. I hate to assign personality to a bird (why would I do something like that?), but this guy seems like the good egg (so to speak) of a troubled family.

Neotropic Cormorant aka. Olivaceous Cormorant (Cormorán Biguá aka. Pato Cerdo, Pato Puerco, Pato Chancho, Pato gruñón [lit. Pig Duck, Dirty Duck, Oinking Duck])

Peninsula de Papagayo, Liberia, Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica

May 2024

Member of the Cormorant Family

§A Flight of Cormorants§

{Etymology Corner} Yes, Olivaceous means olive-colored. The Spanish informal names refer to the sound the bird makes, which is extremely pig-like IMO. Check it out at this link

~True Bird Fact~ Semi-domesticated and used for fishing by native people for, reportedly, the past 1600 years. Specifically, the bird is used by the Uru people of Peru.

Bare-throated Tiger Heron (Avetigre Mexicana)

Peninsula de Papagayo, Liberia, Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica

May 2024

Member of the Egrets, Herons, and Bitterns Family

§A Sege of Herons§

~True Bird Fact~ There are, essentially, no fun facts associated with this Tiger Heron. He sure is a looker though!

Loves Sports Betting

Ruffed Grouse

Ruffed Grouse aka. Patridgde, aka. Pheasant, aka. Prairie Chicken (all colloq., inaccurate) aka. Thunder-chicken

East Glacier Park, Montana, USA
August 2023
Member of the Turkey, Grouse, and Partridge Family
§A Pack of Grouse§
★The State Game Bird of Pennsylvania★ (Ranked the worst state bird by this website, due to not being a state bird (Pennsylvania does not have one)
★The most widely distributed game bird in North America★

~True Bird Fact~ They are described as an "immensely popular game bird" by allaboutbirds.org, and I see no reason to argue with that characterization, given that they appear to have an enormous organization named after them. Yes, you heard me, The Roughed Grouse Society exists, and appears to have an extremely slick website, and a history of working with state governments to improve forest management to create more appropriate grouse habitats. 

Yes, these are hunters, which is not really my thing, but I think the lesson to take here is that a bird species thrives when attention and care is paid to it, although maybe not for ideal reasons in this case. Anyway, this aforementioned website is filled with great quotes. Like this one, about the birds comfort with humans "they can still be killed with a canoe paddle or thrown stones in Minnesota wilderness forests, and are not considered much of a sporting bird in western mountains and north into Canada due to their confiding “fool-hen” nature."

And this one about Ruffed Grouse chicks "The chicks are precocial, which means that as soon as they have dried following hatching they are ready to leave the nest and start feeding themselves. Grouse chicks are not much larger than a man’s thumb when they leave the nest. They are surprisingly mobile and may be moving farther than 1/4 mile a day by the time they are 3 or 4 days old. They begin flying when about 5 days old, and resemble giant bumble bees in flight."

I also learned that "Ruffed Grouse are almost exclusively “flower-eaters,” living on the dormant flower buds or catkins of trees such as the aspens, birches, cherries, ironwood and filberts. Extensive feeding upon flower-buds in apple orchards caused Ruffed Grouse to be placed on the list of bountied animals in some New England states at one time."

Man, what a great website.

So anyway, I went to Montana, to Glacier National Park specifically, to continue my bucket list dream of visiting all the National Parks. Didn't actually get that many birds there, due to not really taking a birds-first approach, but I did get some, that I'll be posting in the coming (months? years?). I did also capture some strange non-bird animals, that maybe you'd have a passing interest in. Like this one

Moose (Shiras subspecies)

Fishercap Lake, Glacier National Park, Swiftcurrent, Montana, USA
August 2023
Member of the Deer Family
§A Herd of Moose§
★Largest and Heaviest Member of the Deer Family★

{Etymology Corner} from the Algonquin "Moosh" from the Innu people. Meaning "stripper and eater of bark"

Purple Martin

 

Purple Martin
Vollmer Peak, Orinda, California, USA
July 2022
Member of the Swallow Family
§A Gulp of Swallows§ (dubious about this claim)
★The Largest North American Swallow★

{Etymology Corner} So, when I was preparing this blog I stopped for a moment and thought 'why are they called Martins instead of, you know, Swallows, like all the other members of the Swallow Family. So, as you do, I googled it, for the blog. The answer is interesting enough that I'm just going to fully quote The Online Etymology Dictionary directly"

Martin (n.) kind of swallow-like bird (Chelidon urbica), 1580s (earlier in diminutive form maretinet, mid-15c.), from Old French martin, which is apparently from the masc. proper name Martin in some sense. Writers in 17c. said it was named for St. Martin of Tours (d. 397 C.E.), patron saint of France, whose festival day (Martinmas) is Nov. 11, about the time the birds are said to depart for winter. But OED says the naming "may have been purely arbitrary," and Century Dictionary says "the name has no specific meaning ...." Usually with a qualifying term: the common house-martin is so called because it nests under the eaves of houses. The American purple martin is so called by 1804.

So named after, literally, the name Martin, or maybe just nothing. Amazing work language, you're doing great.

~True Bird Fact~ Purple Martins have a rare and interesting relationship with humans, having developed, over the centuries an almost symbiotic relationship with us. Purple Martins are almost 100% reliant on humans for the creation and maintenance of their nests. The bird migrates between North and South American, and Native peoples in pre-colonial times would hang up hollowed out gourds for nests. The people get a bird that eats tons of insects that would otherwise be eating crops, and the birds get a home. The practice of building and keeping up Martin nests continues to this day, although there is concern that it's becoming less popular with young people (Millennials are killing Martins with their lattes and avocado toast! (I am being sarcastic here)). There are not many birds with a whole non-profit dedicated to their continued existence, but this bird has one. Cool stuff, Martin!

So this is my last blog of the year. Usually I do some kind of year in review post, outlining the best birds, best posts, etc. Well, this year, as you might have noticed, we have had a grand total of 3 blogs, coming in well under my own goal of doing one a month. What can I say, this is the year my son went from 3 to  4 and my daughter went from 0 to 1. It's been a bear, folks, but hopefully, next year will be more like a bird, which is to say I'll do more bird watching and blog more birds in the new year. Best wishes, Amateurnithologist signing off for 2022. 

Black-bellied Whistling Duck

Black-bellied Whistling Duck, fka Black-bellied Tree Duck

Green Cay Nature Center and Wetlands, Florida, USA
April 2022
Member of the Ducks, Geese, and Swans Family
§A Brace of Ducks§

{Etymology Corner} I don't usually mention this, but the Latin name of this duck is Dendrocygna autumnalis, which translates roughly into Autumnal Tree-swan. I think that's a great name, it is a very autumnal looking bird.

~True Bird Fact~ Fascinating bird, with behavior that is very unique for ducks- ready for some bullet points? Cause this duck needs bullet points

• Does whistle
• Does nest in trees (in South America, where the duck is most commonly found, it nests in palm trees. Boy I'd like to see that)
• Does form monogamous pair bonds
• Has increased it's North American population by 6% per year from 1966 to 2019, and they expand northward every year. They used to be a rare bird, but now are quite common in southern states. If things continue at this rate, soon the only life this continent will sustain will be Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, and honestly, that's fine.

What a cool duck, huh? Well, anyway, that's all for today... Unless you'd like to talk about how this is my first blog post since January. Two this year! How did this happen? Well, to be honest, I had a second kid (as recounted here), and boy, does that take a lot of time up. Birding time has been minimal, but not as minimal as looking-through-photos time and sitting-down-to-write-a-blog time. Still, I am resolved to revive this blog, so I'm going to make a commitment to catch up on my blogging and come out with at least a total of 10 this year, to match my last year's total. I can do 10, right? That's super easy. Lots more birds to come. 

Hugs and kisses, 

The Amateurnithologist

Ring-necked Duck

Ring-necked Duck aka. Ringbill

Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California, USA
December 2020
Member of the Ducks, Geese, and Swans Family
§A Brace of Ducks§

{Etymology Corner} This duck's name is universally reviled. Every resource that I usually check for bird facts mention that the name is not very accurate, and that the ring around the ducks neck is very hard to see on a living animal. Here are some quotes, because why not:

• This species might better be called the "Ring-billed Duck," for its chestnut neck ring is usually seen only at close range, while the white ring on the bill can be a prominent field mark.
• his bird’s common name (and its scientific name "collaris," too) refer to the Ring-necked Duck's hard-to-see chestnut collar on its black neck. It’s not a good field mark to use for identifying the bird, but it jumped out to the nineteenth century biologists that described the species using dead specimens.
• Despite the name, the ring on its neck is almost never visible.
• The cinnamon neck ring is usually difficult to observe, which is why the bird is sometimes referred to as a "ringbill"
• The "ringneck" name is derived from a faint brownish ring around the base of the neck, which is visible only upon close inspection.

That was 5 different websites (in order: Whatbird, All About Birds, Audubon, Wikipedia, and Ducks Unlimited) finding their own coping strategy for how badly named this bird is. My favorite is wikipedia, which goes so far as to point out that a better alternate name already exists. The only website that resists opining is good old businesslike ebird.org. There aren't really any other interesting facts about this bird. It's just a very sharp looking duck with a bad name.

Gets excited when talking about obscure scientific topics

Bigger in person than you'd expect

Perpetual sinus infections

Pigeon Guillemot

Pigeon Guillemot
Soberanes Point, Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, USA
August 2020
Member of the Auks, Murres, and Puffins Family
§A Bazaar of Guillemots§

{Etymology Corner} First, Guillemot is pronounced guil·le·mot, which was not at all how I thought it was pronounced. I was saying it like it was, like, a French word, but I don't speak French, so probably wrong twice. Turns out my guess is not completely baseless, because this is a word of French origin. It's a diminutive of the French name William, Guillaume. Why are these birds called 'Little Willams'? No information available. Apparently the 'pigeon' part comes because other Guillemots  were colloquially known as Greenland Doves. I guess the shape and size is sort of pigeon-like? 

~True Bird Fact~ Quite socially advanced for a little sea bird. Guillemots hunt cooperatively. You may know them from cool scenes from Planet Earth where they're coordinating with dolphins or seagulls to corral a bunch of bait-fish using bubbles trapped in their feathers. This is one example, but I know I've seen others. They also pair bond, and engage in romantic behavior with their partners, like singing together, or playfully chasing one another under water. I am sad to report that Guillemots CAN divorce.

Lots of PDA, makes you uncomfortable, but you're kind of impressed
Surprising athleticism
Always does a little bit more than necessary

PS- I got partially took these Guillemot pictures while kayaking off the coast of Monterrey, so here, as a bonus, is a cute picture of an otter. Hang in there baby!

Good Birds, Bad Pics: Mono Lake Edition

 Hello bird fans! As you might have known from my Grouse Grousing last month, I recently took a trip to Mono Lake. It was a wonderful trip, but to be honest, not as bird-bountiful as I might've wanted. It was a little early to catch the big migrations, but still, it's away from home, and that means new birds. Just not, like, a lot of new birds. And certainly not cooperative new birds. So below I present to you some of the finds that I'm happiest about having seen, even if I didn't exactly nail it in the picture department. These days it feels like the busy amateur birder should feel pretty good about having even tried, right?

Clark's Nutcracker
Mono Lake County Park, Lee Vining, California, USA
July 2020
Member of the Crows and Jays Family
§A Jar of Nutcrackers§ (the other ones are worse)

~True Bird Fact~ Yup, he's named after That Clark, of Lewis and Clark fame. I'm not going to do a naturalist profile in this one. I just did one of those. Go read about how birds shouldn't be named after these guys anyway.

Picture Crime: Far away, in shadow. Basically you can barely see it well enough to ID.

Wilson's Phalarope
Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Preserve, Lee Vining, California, USA
July 2020
Member of the Sandpipers and Phalaropes Family
§A Dopping of Phalaropes§
★The Largest Phalaropes★ (of...3)

[Etymology Corner] Phalarope, that's a weird word, huh? It comes from the Latin name of the bird, and it breaks down to mean Coot-footed. So this bird is named after having lobed feet, similar to a coot. Ironically, this member of the Phalarope genus actually doesn't even have the lobed feet. Pretty messed up that the birds have similar feet but one is named after the other. If only the cards had been dealt a different way, perhaps the coot would've been named Phalarope-footed (but this would cause a time paradox, unfortunately). 

~True Bird Fact~ Unlike most birds, the female is the dominant member of the species. She is larger, more colorful, and males watch the nest while she is out finding more partners. Girlboss!

Picture Crime: Far away, in a group, breeding plumage appears to have not quite come all the way in yet. Other birds nearby confuse me and make me less confident in my ID. They could be juveniles, non-breeding birds, or even non-breeding Red-necked Phalaropes.

Brewer's Sparrow
Gem Lake Trail, June Lake, California, USA
July 2020
Member of the American Sparrows Family
§A Ubiquity of Sparrows§

~Interesting Bird Facts?~ None. Hey, it's named after that same guy from Brewer's Blackbird. That's something, I guess.

Picture Crime: Obstructed behind a branch. Slightly out of focus. Sparrow, so, inherently boring. I already forgot which one it is. 

Well, thanks for slogging through those medium pictures. Still, it's 3 birds I didn't know before, and sort of know now. See you next time when we get into some of the birds I got slightly better shots of.

Townsend's Warbler

Townsend's Warbler
Hilltop Lake Park, Richmond, California, USA
December 2019
Member of the Wood Warbler Family
§A Fall of Warblers§

~True Bird Fact~ When wintering in the south, mostly in Mexico, these Warblers thrive on a diet heavy with the secretions of 'scale insects', a sweet substance called 'honeydew'. This is such a good source of food that Warblers will set up and defend territories around trees and plants infected with the insects. Birds already eat bugs, so this is not really a step up in grossness, if you think about it, but still, I hate this fact. I think it's because I hate these bugs- I think they trigger my trypophobia (side note- why, when you search for a phobia, does google instantly show you a million image results of the thing you are phobic of??)



This is also a Proper Name Bird (PNB), so you know what that means- that's right, it's time for another.... Naturalist Profile

John Kirk Townsend

(1809 - 1851)

Like many creature-discoverers from this time, John was not a trained biologist. He was a physician and pharmacist who just knew the right people. He discovered (normal disclaimer that these animals were all plenty 'discovered' already by the native people who lived in this country) this bird and many other animals on an expedition from Pennsylvania over the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific. It sounds like a great trip, tbh, especially right now. While he got some good birds, like this guy, and the Townsend's Solitaire, he seemed to focus on small mammals and has like 7 named after him. Can I interest you in a Townsend's pocket gopher, a Townsend's chipmunk, or a Townsend's mole or vole?
His sisters wrote a book called The Anti-Slavery Alphabet, so it's safe to say that he was from a pretty cool family. He died quite young, as you'll notice, from arsenic poisoning. This was due to his development of his own 'secret formula' for taxidermy which included, big shocker, arsenic.

Let's also do a brief [Etymology Corner], cause I want to get more into the naming of birds-
Let's return to another real one, Thomas Nuttal. Remember him? From this woodpecker? Well he was the one who invited Townsend on this expedition, which, again, I want to say I would like to very much do. At the time I covered him I noted that his woodpecker was named in his honor by one of his friends, William Gambel, of eponymous quail fame. So in researching Townsend I learned that this bird was named in his honor by Nuttal. Digging a little deeper, it seems like this group of guys circumvented the norm against naming animals for yourself by naming them all after each other. In modern terms, I think you could say this was a group of real Ornithological Bad Boys who play by their own rules. Is there a movie in this?

Northern Harrier

Northern Harrier
Kennedy Park, Napa, California, USA
December 2018
Member of the Kites, Eagles, and Hawks Family
§A Swarm of Harriers§



[Etymology Corner] What's a harrier? Well, it's derived from the Old English word herigan, which is harasser or plunderer. Not entirely inappropriate for this bird, as it does sometimes harass other birds of prey until they drop their own catch. This is as good a time as any to mention that farmers sometimes call these birds "Good Hawks" because they don't pose a threat to poultry, like other raptors, but do eat mice, which is good. For the farmers, not the mice.


~True Bird Fact~ You might (and this is a big might with this picture) notice that this bird has kind of an unusual face. Sort of short and owl-like. Well, this is because it is owl-like. Northern Harriers have face-disks, a feature they share with owls. And just like with owls, this gives them really good hearing. This is distinct to them, among hawks. They use this to hunt for prey. Obviously. I mean they don't use it to listen to music or whatever. Unless...

Rivoli's Hummingbird

Rivoli's Hummingbird aka. Magnificent Hummingbird (arch., but extremely complimentary)
Madera Canyon, Arizona
July 2019
Member of the Hummingbird Family
§A Hover of Hummingbirds§

~True Bird Fact~ Among the largest of the hummingbirds, it's hard for a Rivoli being this zippy and also so big. In contrast to smaller hummers, they're a bit slower, can actually glide a bit sometimes with their wings, and are more insectivorous. They also have one of the highest recorded heart rate among all vertebrates (420-1200 bpm).

Has, like, half a dozen degrees, loves going to college
Mysterious source of wealth
Names his home/boat with words that no one has any idea of the meaning of, like "Ciceronian" 



Well, we've got a Eponymous bird here, and you know what that means

Francois Victor Massena, 2nd Duke of Rivoli (a 7 year old here, presumably looked older as he aged. This is the only picture I could find, sorry!)

(1799 - 1863)

Francois was the youngest child of Andres Massena, one of Napoleon's military commanders during his whole thing. His father's nickname, by the way, was "The Dear Child of Victory", which has got to be hard on a kid. Described on his Wikipedia page as an "Amateur Ornithologist" (hey, that's me!), he accumulated quite a collection of bird specimens in his lifetime. One of the finest private bird collections, the 12,500 birds were eventually sold to an American naturalist, Thomas Bellerby Wilson, and made their way to the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences. Combing through his collection with his cousin, Charles de Souancé, resulted in the describing of a number of new parrots (new to western science at least). You might remember Francois' wife as the source of the name for Anna's Hummingbird. A hummingbird power couple to be sure.

Black Scoter

Black Scoter aka. Common Scoter
Richmond Marina, Richmond, California, USA
January 2019
Member of the Ducks, Geese, and Swans Family
§A Flush of Ducks§

[Etymology Corner] Common Scoter is a little bit of an archaic name, but it's also grossly inaccurate, since this is the least common of the three North American scoters. The Eastern Hemisphere version of this duck is still called that over there. I bet you thought I was going to tell you where the word 'Scoter' came from here, but nope. There doesn't seem to be any explanation of the origin out there, it's just a word that's used for this genus of sea ducks.

~True Bird Fact~ In France, Roman Catholics were allowed by their church to eat this bird on Fridays (on which you normally can't eat non-fish meats). The reasoning is that they have a 'fishy' taste to them, which raises some questions for me about what Catholics thought makes something a fish, and also makes me even less likely to eat this duck.

Another quote I saw a lot while researching this bird was a description of his call as a 'constant mellow, plaintive whistling', so to me that says that this bird has a real Jeff Bridges vibe, and I don't think any more personality speculation is needed.



How Endangered Are They? Well, not that endangered. They are considered near-threatened by the IUCN with a global population between 350,000 and half a million. However, their population is slowly declining, and they are threatened by oil and gas drilling, as well as climate change. So something to watch out for, at the very least.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Nisenan Tribute Site, Nevada City, California, USA
February 2019
Member of the Kinglet Family
§A Princedom of Kinglets§

[Etymology Corner] So, who exactly thought to name this bird (and his accompanying family) Kinglet? It's in the scientific name too, the latin name, Regulidae, literally translates to 'little king'. This is not because of a regal quality that this bird has (unlike kingbirds), but because of the physical trait of the colorful crest the adult birds of this family share. You can see the crest on this guy, just barely, here. It looks like someone drew a little line on his head with a highlighter. They do get more dramatic than this and flare up, when the bird is either courting or defending territory.

~True Bird Fact~ The Ruby-crowned Kinglet lays an enormous clutch of eggs for such a small bird- up to 12! And although they are admittedly really small eggs, taken together, they can add up to the weight of the female bird herself.

Likes fiddly little hand puzzles, like Jacob's Ladders or Rubik's Cubes
Has a nerd voice (you know what I mean)
Has petitioned, without success to get the -let removed from the end of his name. Embarrassed by this

Wrentit

Wrentit
Solstice Canyon Park, Malibu, California, USA
July 2018
Member of the Sylvid Family

[Etymology Corner] As you might expect from a bird with a name from the 'we don't know what this bird is' school of naming, there has been some dispute about exactly what family the Wrentit falls in. Is it a Tit? No, but we used to think so. Is it a Wren? Not even close, but it does have an upturned tail like one. For a while we thought that Wrentits were the only member of their own family, ala Limpkins. It turns out that Wrentits are the only representative of a family of birds mostly found in the Mediterranean and Asia, which include parrotbills and babblers.

~True Bird Fact~ A remarkably sedentary bird, Wrentits live only in the narrow stretch of land on the North American coast between the Sierra Mountains and the Pacific. Even more shockingly, these birds barely leave the immediate area of their nest, usually making their own homes only 1200 feet away, on average, from where they were born.

If you want to know where this bird lands, politically speaking, I got one word for you: Chemtrails
Specific junk-food tastes (i.e. only ruffled potato chips)
Collects old magazines and newspapers with 'significant' headlines. Will happily explain his collection to you

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

Brown Thrasher

Brown Thrasher aka. Brown Thrush aka. Fox-coloured Thrush (erroneous, archaic)
Centennial Olympic Park, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
April 2018
Member of the Mockingbird and Thrasher Family 
§ A Shred of Thrashers§ *
★State Bird of Georgia★ (and a good one at that, IMO. Top 10 in the definitive State Bird Power Ranking is nothing to look down on)

{Etymology Corner}  Thrasher is a weird name for a bird, huh? Sounds closer to a 90's AOL Screen-name than a medium sized mockingbird. Speculation is that it's a derivation/evolution of Thrush, a type of bird that this is not, but this does at least offer an explanation of why some people call it a Brown Thrush.

~true bird fact~ Able to vocalize somewhere between 1000 and 3000+ songs, depending on who you're asking. Some sources say this puts him at the rank of the ★bird who knows the most songs★


Sensitive to bad smells
Has an unassuming quality that makes people underestimate her 
Sometimes solves mysteries

Western Kingbird

Western Kingbird aka. Arkansas Kingbird (archaic)
Mt Burdell Preserve, Novato, California, USA
May 2018
Member of the Tyrant/Flycatcher Family
§A Tyranny of Kingbirds§

{Etymology Corner} Certainly someone was very impressed with these birds to grant them such a regal name, right? Well... maybe they were an anti-monarchist, because kingbirds are named as such because of their aggressive and "take-charge" behavior (quoth wikipedia). I guess the name dickbird was already taken, so this makes sense.

~true bird fact~ Ironic for a country founded on defying a king, we in America have done nothing but contribute to the Kingbird's reign. By cutting forests and creating pastures and farms, we have created ideal habitat for this plains-hunting specialist. Not only that, but utility wires make for ideal Kingbird perches.


A real jokester, does a lot of silly voices
Doesn't agree with the concept of privilege, despite having it in abundance
Has a great sense of physicality. Comfortable in his body

Red-breasted Merganser

Red-breasted Merganser

Monterrey Bay, Monterrey, California, USA 
January 2018 
Member of the Ducks, Geese, and Swans Family 
§A Raft of Ducks§

{Etymology Corner} You might wonder what exactly a merganser is, if you're the type of person who reads this blog. Well, what separates this guy and his relatives from other ducks, for the most part, is that he is a hunter. He's got a saw-toothed bill, and dives for fish (Red-breasteds like to hunt at sea, other mergansers prefer rivers or lakes). But what does the name Merganser mean? Well, it comes from his Latin name, Mergus (no surprise there, when you see a nonsense word in a bird's name, it's probably from the latin). The fun part is that Mergus translates to 'unidentified water bird'. Really reaching for the stars with that ID.


~true bird fact~ May in fact be the fastest duck. Wikipedia states that the fastest recorded speed for a duck came from a Red-breasted Merganser, flying at 100 miles per hour. The speed was recorded as the duck was being pursued by an airplane. To me this just raises so many questions about what we're doing out there with these ducks. Did the Merganser commit a crime? Anyway, I don't feel confident in really calling it for the record, since who knows what many species would be capable of with a plane barreling after them. Still. an impressive feat. No word on whether the bird got away or not.

Owns a lot of obscure metal band t-shirts (doesn't play an instrument)
Definitely thinks hunting in the ocean rather than a lake makes him cooler and more legit
Gets a tattoo every year on his birthday

Rhinoceros Auklet

Rhinoceros Auklet aka. Rhino Auklet aka. Unicorn Puffin(?!) aka. Horn-billed Puffin
Monterrey Bay, Monterrey, California, USA
January 2018
Member of the Auks, Murres, and Puffins Family
§A Loomery of Auks§

{Etymology Corner} Technically not an Auk, he is the only living member of his genus. Closer to a puffin, but honestly just his own thing. You could see why they would think he was an auklet though, when you see the absolutely wild looking birds he's related to. The rhinoceros part is pretty easy to figure out, it's that 'horn' above his bill. It's actually pretty mild in this photo, it gets even craggier. It only appears in breeding season, like the horn on a Pelican, and no one knows what it's for.

~true bird fact~ Was able to repopulate California's Farallon Islands after the introduced rabbit population there was eliminated. Obviously rabits don't eat the Auklets, but they did drive them out of burrows, preventing them from breeding there. Sort of a conservation success story. I was only able to see this guy with his horn because of the population there

Gives off bad vibes, a dangerous bird
He didn't see nothin', this bird, and who's asking?
Mother issues
You know, I don't normally do this, but this bird looks kind of like if one of those mugshot magazines fell in a puddle and was actually a bird
He has a displeasing head shape and eye position
His wings looks like they were just knocked off, thrown away, picked up out of a garbage can, and then glued back on by a clumsy child
Looking at this bird I feel like I've traveled back in time to an era before birds developed aesthetics
He looks just smart enough to be mean
Bird looks like when he honks a cigarette butt flies out of his throat
Let's be frank, this bird looks like he is honored and grateful that you invited him to your daughter's wedding, on the day of your daughter's wedding