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...

Mexican Jay

Mexican Jay aka. Gray-breasted Jay (archaic)
Big Bend National Park, Texas, USA
July 2017
Member of the Crows and Jays Family
§A Scold of Jays§

~True Bird Fact~ Mexican Jays practice cooperative breeding, meaning that young birds are taken care of not just by their parents, but by others in the flock as well. These family groups can include older offspring, but also random other birds. It takes a village, and all that.

~Another Mexican Jay Fact~ Northern Flickers usually follow them around, because although the Flickers don't have the vigilance or attentiveness to notice predators, the Jays do, and will alert their fellow birds. This bird's a real cooperative type!

Gets annoyed sometimes by family obligations, which he has many of
Prides himself on professionalism in the workplace
Blows off steam with off-roading hobby

Sulfur-bellied Flycatcher

Sulfur-bellied Flycatcher
Madera Canyon, Arizona, USA
July 2019
Member of the Tyrant/Flycatcher Family
§A Zapper of Flycatchers§

~True Bird Fact~ Most easily identified by their call, which sounds basically exactly like a dog's squeaky toy or a child's bath toy. A lot of time people compare bird calls to other things, but this time folks, it's real.

~Additional mildly interesting Bird Fact~ Sulfur-bellied Flycatchers are super rare in the United States, living only in a biome known as the Madrean Sky Islands. These are small mountain ranges in the desert clustered around the New Mexico, Arizona, Chihuahua border. On name alone they are just just the coolest, but they also are the home to the United States' only jaguar species. Did you know we have a jaguar?

Tougher than they look, will start a fight with you
Makes 'zoom zoom' sounds as they fly around
Always drinks out of a straw. Don't worry, it's a reusable one

Yellow-eyed Junco

Yellow-eyed Junco
Madera Canyon, Arizona, USA
July 2019
Member of the American Sparrow Family
§A Meinie of Sparrows§

~True Bird Fact~ Yellow-eyed Juncos are, in their local range, abundant, sedentary, and often stick around the same location. They also do well with captivity, so, as a result, this bird has been used for a lot of scientific behavioral study. Not the kind of thing I would have guessed, as the bird itself looks like it might have firestarter powers.

~Real Bird Myth~ The native people of Mexico (within which most of this bird's range falls) had another name for it- Echa-lumbre, which means 'caster of fire' or 'lightning bird'. Here's an audio story on bird note about it. The Veracrucian people believed the bird absorbed sunlight by day and released it through its eyes at night. This is, to be honest, much more in line with the characterization I was imagining.

I guess in this case you can speculate about the Yellow-eyed Junco's personality as you choose. Do the scientists have it right? Or the Veracrucians? I know which one is more fun to think about, so I'm just going to picture this bird shooting lightning from it's eyeballs at scientists who try to do experiments on it.