H.J. Ruiz – Avian101 – Page 616 – "My Backyard Visitors" – All about birds

Darling Starling

The European Starlings parents and their babies are practically taken over the feeders and deck to conduct their “parenting academy”. The parents teach their brood how to eat on their own from a feeder.

I have noticed that Starlings are very organized, make smart decisions to accomplish what they set to do. In this case, they are teaching the babies to use their own bills in order to pick the seeds they’d like to eat, right from the feeder, not the mother’s or father’s bills anymore.

I’m starting to see more of the baby starlings going alone or with some of the siblings to get their meals without the company of the parents.

It’s has been quite an experience to see the European Starlings having bred a new family in my backyard for the first time.

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Text and photographs © HJ Ruiz – Avian101

Tags: birds, European Starling, nature, photography, photos of birds

Brown-headed Cowbird

The Brown-headed Cowbird is a small brood parasitic icterid of temperate to subtropical North America. They are permanent residents in the southern parts of their range; northern birds migrate to the southern United States and Mexico in winter, returning to their summer habitat around March or April.

The brown-headed cowbird is typical for an icterid in general shape, but is distinguished by a finch-like head and beak and is smaller than most icterids. The adult male is iridescent black in color with a brown head. The adult female is slightly smaller and is dull grey with a pale throat and very fine streaking on the underparts.

Special mention about the Brown-headed Cowbird is a brood parasite: it lays its eggs in the nests of other small passerines (perching birds), particularly those that build cup-like nests. The brown-headed cowbird eggs have been documented in nests of at least 220 host species, including hummingbirds and raptors. The young cowbird is fed by the host parents at the expense of their own young. Brown-headed cowbird females can lay 36 eggs in a season. More than 140 different species of birds are known to have raised young cowbirds.

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Female

Text and photographs © HJ Ruiz – Avian101

Tags: birds, Brown-Headed Cowbird, nature, photography, photos of birds

Carolina Chickadee

My little friends have been in my backyard for several bird generations and are always welcome by me, the Carolina Chickadees are other favorites of mine.

Adults have a black cap and bib with white sides to the face. Their underparts are white with rusty brown on the flanks; their back is grey. They have a short dark bill, short wings and a moderately long tail. Very similar to the black-capped chickadee, the Carolina Chickadee is distinguished by the slightly browner wing with the greater coverts brown (not whitish fringed) and the white fringing on the secondary feathers slightly less conspicuous; the tail is also slightly shorter and more square-ended.

These birds hop along tree branches searching for insects, sometimes hanging upside down or hovering; they may make short flights to catch insects in the air. Insects form a large part of their diet, especially in summer; seeds and berries become important in winter. They sometimes hammer seeds on a tree or shrub to open them; they also will store seeds for later use.

I’m so used to see them, that I take them for granted for all year round as has been for the past years. My wife is very fond of them too!

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