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Birds

American Crow – Corvus brachyrhynchos

American Crow

General: The American Crow (Common Crow) is a common bird found throughout much of North America.  They can be spotted in forests, farmland and cities. In the Northeast US I have watched American Crows gather in large communal roosts at night. In the Capital District of upstate New York (Albany, Troy and Rensselaer) 10’s of thousands of these birds roost along the Hudson River in winter. During these roosting periods, it is common to drive just at twilight and see branches of trees totally covered with crows. This scenario is repeated in other towns and areas throughout their range.

American CrowThe American Crow is an intelligent and adaptable bird. It is one of only a few species of bird that has been observed modifying and using tools to obtain food.

They are also an aggressive bird and will protect territory, food and nests from almost all intruders. It is common to see American Crows chase larger birds such as hawks, falcons, owls and herons. I have watched as a mob (that is what a “flock” of crows is called) of crows attack squirrels and mink.

When nesting, both members of a breeding pair help build the nest. They make the nest with twigs with an inner cup lined with pine needles, weeds, soft bark, or animal hair. Nest size is quite variable, typically 6-19 inches across, with an inner cup about 6-14 inches across and 4-15 inches deep. Crows typically hide their nests in a crotch near the trunk of a tree or on a horizontal branch, generally towards the top third or quarter of the tree. They prefer to nest in evergreens, but will nest in deciduous trees when evergreens are less available.

The female lays 3–9 eggs that are 1.4” – 1.9” long 1” – 1.2” wide. The eggs are pale bluish-green to olive green with blotches of brown and gray toward the large end.

American Crows are highly susceptible to the West Nile Virus.

Identification: American Crows are generally 15.7” – 20.9” long with a wingspan of 33.5” – 40.0” and a weight of 11 oz – 22 oz. The American Crow has iridescent black feathers all over. Its legs, feet and bill are also black. They are long-legged, thick-necked with a heavy, straight bill. In flight, the wings are fairly broad and rounded with the wingtip feathers spread like fingers. The short tail is rounded or squared off at the end.

When not sure if you are viewing a crow or raven remember, the American Crow is about two-thirds the size of a Common Raven (Ravens can be almost the size of a Red-tailed Hawk). And Raven tails in flight are wedge shaped.

Habitat: Virtually all types of country from wilderness, farmland, parks, open woodland to towns and cities are inhabited; it is absent only from Pacific temperate rain forests and tundra habitat where it is replaced by the raven.

Territory: The range of the American Crow extends from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean in Canada, on the French islands of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, south through the United States, and into northern Mexico

Migration: This crow is a permanent resident in most of the USA, but Canadian birds can migrate some distances southward in winter.

Diet: American Crow is omnivorous, usually feeding on the ground and will eat almost anything. It will feed on invertebrates of all types, carrion, scraps of human food, seeds, eggs and nestlings, stranded fish on the shore and various grains. American Crows are active hunters and will prey on mice, frogs, and other small animals. In winter and autumn, the diet of American Crows is more dependent on nuts and acorns. Occasionally, they will visit bird feeders. I often see them along roadsides feeding on road-kill.

I have read that “though their bills are large, crows can’t break through the skin of even a gray squirrel.” I have spent time observing crows feed on a gray squirrel that had been hit by a car two days earlier. They were able to break through the skin of the squirrel.

Birds

Mallard – Anas platyrhynchos

Mallard – Anas platyrhynchos

General:

The Mallard is widely found in most North America and Eurasia. They inhabit all kinds of wetlands mallard drakefrom large lakes to urban park ponds. Most of today’s domestic ducks are descendants of the Mallard. One problem throughout the world is that the mallard has been introduced, sometimes to the detriment of native species – and not just native ducks. So, there are places that the Mallard is considered invasive.

Mallards are know to crossbreed with multiple other species such as pintails and black ducks.1

Mallard eggs are creamy to greenish. The chicks hatch in about 23 – 30 days and fledge in 52 -70 days. The chicks are able to leave the nest in 1 day from hatching. Only the female incubates the eggs and takes care of the ducklings. Mallards frequently interbreed with their closest relatives such as the American Black Duck.

The Mallard is one of the most popular ducks for hunters. It has a lot to do with their large population and wide distribution. A popular method is to hunt over decoys. Mallard meat is mild and excellent to cook.

Identification:

The drake mallard is 22″ – 26″ long, has a wingspan of 32″ – 39″ and weighs 2 – 4lbs. Females are slightly smaller.

Male:

The most prominent identifying feature of the male mallard is its iridescent green head with a white ring at the base of the neck. Its bill is yellow to green. The breast and sides are silvery white. The back is gray.

Female & Juveniles: The female is mottled brown overall with a lighter breast and darker back. Her bill is orange with black blotches.

Both sexes have orange feet and legs. They have blue-violet speculums with white margins.

The biggest problem I have had is identifying female Mallards from the American Black Duck. The American Black Duck is darker and has no white borders to its purplish speculum and its tail is dark.

Habitat:

Mallards can be found in all wet areas – from marshes, lakes, agricultural lands to urban ponds

Territory:

Mallards are the most widespread and abundant duck in North America. They breed from Alaska most of Canada, the USA and into Mexico. They migrate south to the Southern USA into Mexico. Many birds stay north and will migrate only when forced by iced rivers and lack of food.

Diet:

Mallards eat mostly plant matter and can be seen in and around agricultural farms. They also eat insects and larvae and aquatic invertebrates. Mallards are dabblers, feeding at the surface of water often times tipping up in shallow water. They will also move to fields and feed on corn, rye and other agricultural grains.

1. Field & Stream November 2011 pg 4: Fowl Fusion by: T. Edward Nickens

Birds

Bufflehead – Bucephala albeola

Bufflehead

General:

The Bufflehead is the smallest North American diving duck. As of 2010 their population is steady. The Bufflehead nests in holes excavated by by other birds and often time by Northern Flickers

bufflehead

Bufflehead eggs are creamy-buff colored. The chicks hatch in approximately 29 – 31 days and fledge in 50 50 days.

Many Buffleheads are taken by hunters incidentally by hunters. These birds have a dark meat that can be strong tasting.

Identification:

Adults are approximately 13″ – 16″ long with a wingspan of 24″.
Male  are black and white, with iridescent green and purple heads with a large white patch behind the eye.
Females are grey-toned with a smaller white patch behind the eye and a light underside

Habitat:

Breeds along freshwater ponds, slow rivers and small lakes. The picture was taken of a Bufflehead on the Mohawk River just outside of Schenectady, NY.

Territory:

Buffleheads breed in much of Alaska, Canada and the Northwestern USA. Ninety percent of the population is believed to breed from Manitoba westward. When Buffleheads migrate they winter in coastal waters or open inland waters on the either coast of North America and the southern United States into Mexico.

Diet:

The bird’s diet consists largely of fish and invertebrates with a lesser amount of plant material.

Birds

White-throated Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow

General:

White-throated sparrows are fairly common species. They are fairly abundant and their range is substantial. Compared to many migratory bird populations white-throated sparrow numbers appear to be comparatively stable.

White-throated SparrowThe White-throated Sparrow The White-throated Sparrow comes in two color forms: white-crowned and tan-crowned. What is interesting is that individuals almost always mate with a bird of the opposite coloration. Additionally, both male and female white-stripe birds are more aggressive than the tan-stripe birds.

White-throated sparrows nest either on the ground under shrubs or low in trees. Their eggs are approximately .7″ and  are pale-green flecked with brown. The chicks hatch in about 11 – 14 days and fledge in 7 – 12 days. The White-throated Sparrow The White-throated Sparrow and the Dark-eyed Junco occasionally mate and produce hybrids.

Identification:

The White-throated Sparrow is a large, full-bodied sparrow, roughly 6″ – 7″, with a fairly prominent bill, rounded head, long legs, and long, narrow tail.
White-throated Sparrows are brown above and gray below with a striking head pattern. They have a black-and-white-striped head and a bright white throat and yellow between the eye and the gray bill.

Habitat:

Woodlands, forest edges, residential areas, shelterbelts In the northeastern U.S. and across most of Canada, white-throated sparrows breed in semi-open coniferous and mixed forests that are regenerating following logging, fires, or insect damage, and where secondary growth provides a low, dense understory.
white_throated_Sparrow
White-throated SparrowTerritory: Found in their summer range from Alaska to Newfoundland, New England, the Great Lakes Region, and much of Canada. It migrates in the southeastern third of the United States.

Food:

They mainly eat seeds, insects and berries. They are frequent visitors to bird feeders and can be seen on the ground searching for seeds that have fallen.

Credits:
Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
The Audubon Society – Field Guide to North American Birds (Eastern Region)
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Birds

Killdeer – Charadrius vociferus

Killdeer – Charadrius vociferus

The Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) is a medium-sized plover. The attached pictures of a Killdeer and its nest were taken at SUNY Geneseo.


Description: Adults have a brown back and wings, a white belly, and a white breast with two black bands. The rump is tawny orange. The face and cap are brown with a white forehead. They have an orange-red eyering. Tail extends beyond wing tips at rest. Sexes are similar in appearance. The chicks are Killdeer – Charadrius vociferuspatterned almost identically to the adults, and are precocial — able to move around right after hatching.killdeer

Their breeding habitat is open fields or lawns, often quite far from water, across most of Canada, the United States, and Mexico. They nest on the ground in an open area with a clear line of sight, or on a gravel roof.

They are migratory in northern areas and winter as far south as northern South America. They are rare vagrants to western Europe, usually late in the year.

These birds forage for food in fields, mudflats, and shores, usually by sight. They mainly eat insects.

Their name comes from their frequently heard call.

killdeer eggsThese birds will frequently use the “broken-wing act” to distract predators from their nests. This involves the bird walking  away from its nesting area holding its wing in a position that simulates an injury and then flapping around on the ground emitting a distress call. The predators then think they have easy prey and are attracted to this seemingly injured bird and away from the nest. Killdeer have an average length of 8 inches

Similar species – all other plovers lack the two black breastbands. Very young Killdeer have a single breastband and could be confused with Piping, Wilson’s, Snowy or Semipalmated Plovers, but are usually still downy, have black bills (any Piping or Semipalmated Plover having a breastband will also have an orange bill with a black tip), and are colored above like the adult (eliminating the paler Piping and Snowy).

Killdeer Charadrius vociferus – USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter

Birds

White-breasted Nuthatch – Sitta carolinensis

White-breasted Nuthatch – Sitta carolinensis

General:

White-breasted Nuthatch is an agile bird that can typically be seen walking along a tree and even hanging upside down below a tree branch as it searches for insects and seeds.
White-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatches are common around bird feeders often taking seeds, nuts or pecking at suet. In winter, White-breasted Nuthatches join mixed flocks with chickadees and tufted titmice.

White-breasted Nuthatches typically build nests in natural tree cavities or abandoned woodpecker holes. The eggs are about .7″ long are white with light red-brown speckles. The chicks hatch in approximately 13 – 14 days and fledge in about another 14 days.

Identification:

The largest North American nuthatch, the White-breasted Nuthatch has a large head, short tail The White-breasted Nuthatch – Sitta carolinensis and short wings. They are a sparrow sized bird, approximately 5″White-breasted Nuthatch – 6″ long. The upperparts of the White-breasted Nuthatch are pale blue-gray, and the face and under-parts are white. It has a black cap and a white lower belly.

Habitat: White-breasted Nuthatches are birds of mature woods and woodland edges. They are more likely to be found in deciduous tree stands, including maple, hickory, basswood, and oak. However, they can also be found in coniferous forests.

Territory:

They are widely dispersed. White-breasted Nuthatches range from British Columbia to Nova Scotia to Florida and Mexico

Food:

The White-breasted Nuthatch forages along tree trunks and branches in a similar way to woodpeckers. White-breasted Nuthatches eat insects. They also eat seeds and nuts, including acorns, hawthorn, sunflower seeds. At birdfeeders they eat seeds, nuts and suet.

Credits:
Patuxent Bird Identification Info Center
The Audubon Society – Field Guide to North American Birds (Eastern Region)
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cornell Lab of Ornithology