North American Bittern, Petaluma, CA May 2025 Photo Credit – Author The first North American Bittern I ever saw was a few weeks ago at Shollenberger Park in Petaluma. This solitary bird was stealthily hunting its prey. It stood motionless alongside the tall …
Eurasian Magpie Photo Credit – iNaturalist There are three well-known species of black-and-white Magpie: the Eurasian Magpie found across Europe and Asia, the Black-billed Magpie of western North America, and the Yellow-billed Magpie, which substitutes for the Black-billed Magpie in California’s Central Valley. …
Feathers in Fashion, Easter Parade 1911 New York City
At the turn of the nineteenth century, in North America and Britain, birds were hunted for sport and food, and their feathers used for fashion. Ornithologists killed birds to examine them. Feathers made ladies’ hats, hunting supplied meat, and eggs were for consumption and collection. Birds seized included swans, geese, ducks, shorebirds, raptors, gamebirds and even small to medium-sized songbirds. Some were taxidermied and displayed in cases or kept in cages. My childhood bedroom featured a Red-backed Shrike shot and stuffed in the 1890s. The history of birdwatching was waiting to begin.
Since then, the history of birdwatching has depended on human curiosity, the arrival of optical equipment and field guides, and the impact of Artificial Intelligence.
There were exceptions to the hobby’s late beginnings. Natural History Clubs flourished earlier in the British public school system, and I had connections with one of these schools in York, England, during the 1950s. As early as 1834, the school produced a hand-written magazine called “The Ornithologist”. Schoolboys recorded their bird sightings and consolidated and published their observations. Admittedly, only the well-to-do participated.
The following paragraphs examine the history of birdwatching in Britain and North America.
Etta Lemon, Founder Fur, Fin and Feather Folk 1889
Efforts to end the feather trade and protect birds in Britain began during the late 1880s when women’s advocacy groups were formed. The Society for the Protection of Birds, SPB (first known as the Plumage League) was created in 1889 and two years later amalgamated with the Fur, Fin and Feather Folk. Queen Victoria supported its purpose and, in 1899, ordered army regiments to stop wearing osprey plumes. Osprey plumes at the time were upright millinery ornaments made from the wispy breeding plumage of the Great and Snowy Egrets and not from the Osprey. In 1904, the organization received Royal Assent and became known as the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, and it exists today with around 1.2 million members. In 1921, the Importation of Plumage (Prohibition) Act prohibited the sale of imported plumes in Britain.
Snowy Egret
In the United States, in 1896, Harriet Hemenway and Minna Hall established the first Audubon Society in Massachusetts (named after naturalist, ornithologist and artist John James Audubon 1785-1851) with the purpose of ending the slaughter of wild birds to make women’s hats. By 1905, a national organization had formed, and persistent advocacy led, in 1913, to the Weeks-McLean Act. The law outlawed the plume trade, prohibited spring hunting of migratory birds, and banned the import of wild bird feathers. The Secretary of Agriculture was allowed to establish exemptions when specified bird species could be taken during an approved hunting season. Previously, egrets had become almost extinct, with over five million killed annually by the start of the 20th century. The general protection of all wild birds did not arrive in the United States until the 1918 Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Today, there are approximately two million members of 610 Audubon chapters.
Lapwing (aka Peewit)
UK protection for wild birds was selective, and conservation focused on breeding seasons only. One of the earliest regulations was the 1831 Game Act, applicable to grouse, pheasant and partridge, which protected these birds during specified nesting periods (the close season). The 1869 Sea Birds Preservation Act protected 35 named species of sea birds and their eggs from sports hunters during their breeding season. In 1880, a law was passed to protect annually a long list of wild bird species from April 1st to August 1st, although it did not ban the collection of eggs. An 1896 law permitted English counties to add species or specific conservation areas to the list, and a 1902 law allowed for the confiscation of stolen birds. These laws were consolidated in the 1908 Wild Birds Protection Act, which gave flexibility to administrative areas (usually counties) to add or delete protected species, outlaw specific methods of capturing birds, permit the creation of bird sanctuaries, and allow flexibility in determining the period of protection.
The UK took far longer than the United States to introduce comprehensive laws to protect all wild birds and their eggs. This did not occur until 1954, when the Protection of Birds Act was passed, ending my childhood hobby of bird nesting.
An exception to the British lack of protection was Lapwings. In 1926, Britain introduced national regulations to protect the birds and their eggs annually from March to August because the population had dramatically declined. Birds were killed for meat, and eggs were taken for sale as delicacies in nearby cities.
In 1918, the United States passed the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which protected 1,100 species from being killed, captured, sold, traded, and transported unless the government authorized an exemption. A few non-native species, such as House Sparrows, European Starlings, and Rock Pigeons, were excluded because they had been introduced with human assistance. Protection included the birds’ eggs.
Simultaneously, Canada passed its 1918 Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which protected approximately 450 species of birds and stopped their indiscriminate slaughter. The Act prohibited taking any part of a bird, including its feathers, effectively shutting down the ornamental feather trade in Canada.
Early Carl Zeiss Binoculars
Out of these early beginnings around the history of birdwatching, the hobby of birdwatching has emerged. It was made possible by the advances in optics, especially the invention of Carl Zeiss’s binoculars at the start of the 20th century. These “double microscopes” removed the need to shoot birds to identify them. Ornithologists could observe them from a distance and study their behavior. They were light enough for hobbyists to carry them in the field. However, the pastime was available to a limited few. It was not until after World War 11, when binoculars became more available and Field Guides were broadly introduced, that it became an everyday recreational activity. At first, it was adopted in only developed countries, but it has since spread globally.
Quetzal in Costa Rica 2020 taken with mobile phone on scope
Another invention, essential to the history of birdwatching, was the telescope (spotting scope). This device appeared at about the same time as binoculars. It was heavy and less portable, and its high magnification exposed it to image disturbance when touched or knocked. This led to the invention of fixed platforms. Today’s advantage of spotting scopes is that you can attach your smartphone and take photos of what you see, as I did in Costa Rica five years ago with the Quetzal. Another option is combining a camera with a telephoto lens. This offers an opportunity to document your rare sightings and, at the same time, mix the hobbies of birdwatching and photography. Today’s scopes are much lighter and have improved low-light performance and enhanced optical performance.
Mist Net, Jerusalem 2023
In the 1950s, the term “twitcher” was introduced in Britain. Birdwatchers passed information about rare bird sightings, and some colleagues would instantly travel to wherever the bird was seen. It was a way of adding species to “life lists”. The nickname “a twitch” or “twitcher” came from the excitement and tension shown by some of these early bird travelers. “Chaser” is the equivalent term used in the United States.
Mist nets and trapping birds are other features of birdwatching that have developed since the 1950s. The idea of mist nets was brought to the United States from Japan in the late 1940s, where, for centuries, the technique had been used to catch small birds for local consumption and sale. Nets constructed of fine black netting strung up in sections between poles were introduced to catch birds and bats. At Spurn Point, at the start of the 1960s, I participated in mist netting to band, measure, and release birds. Records show me fitting numbered bands to species such as Redstarts, Pied Flycatchers, Whitethroats, Greenfinches, Redwings and Goldcrests. In the United States, it is estimated that over one million new birds are banded yearly, and a similar number is achieved in Britain.
The Jerusalem photo above was taken at the Jerusalem Bird Observatory, where mist netting occurs four days a week, except in spring when it is daily. In spring, 500 million birds fly over Israel, migrating back from Africa and elsewhere to their Northern Hemisphere breeding grounds.
Field Bird Books 1920s
Another significant development in the history of birdwatching was the availability of field guides to assist birdwatchers in identifying what they saw. Field guides have been published from the early 20th century. At first, the illustrations were black and white or hand-colored with limited details for identification. As time passed, color illustrations became standard, identification features were spelt out, and range maps were provided.
My spouse’s mother used T.A. Coward’s The Birds of the British Isles and Their Eggs, published from 1920 to 1925, during her childhood birdwatching. T.A. Coward was her local ornithologist living in Cheshire, England. My field guide was the Birds of Britain and Europe (Revised 1958) by Peterson, Mountfort and Hollom, and included pages where I recorded my Life List.
How to use eBird
Identifying birds from field guides is not easy. It is hard to keep the bird in sight while you find the relevant page in your book. Identifying the bird from memory can be satisfying, but it takes time to reach that standard. That is changing today. The field guide has become an app on your mobile phone, with platforms such as eBird offering checklists of birds, their location, numbers, and dates when they are seen. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society launched the app in 2002. Today, 85 percent of the world’s land surface is covered by eBird, from Papua New Guinea to Greenland, with over 60 million checklists and a billion observations.
This information is now provided by apps that instantly tell you what you are looking at so long as you can take a photo or audio record the bird using your smartphone. Apps include Merlin Bird ID, BirdNET, and Picture Bird in North America; and Birda, Collins British Bird Guide, Smart Bird ID (UK and Europe), Birds of Britain Pro, Warbl, and Merlin Bird ID in Britain. Some are free; some you pay for.
Rare Bird Alert, Blue Rock Thrush, San Francisco
Another challenge for birdwatchers has been verifying rare bird sightings. In Britain in 1959, a Rarity Records Committee (later renamed the British Birds Rarities Committee (BBRC)) was established to approve each sighting. Today, 250 species are considered “rare.” The British Trust for Ornithology maintains an internet application called Bird Track, the British equivalent of eBird. National and regional lists are updated nightly, and the site prompts birdwatchers when they must follow the BBRC process. About 85 percent of submissions are accepted.
In North America, rare bird reports usually go via eBird to the Audubon chapter responsible for the location or through some other ornithological group. They are then submitted to the North American Rare Bird Alert under the control of the American Birding Association. Non-rare bird species are listed on eBird. However, the spotter listing the observation may find themselves challenged by other eBird subscribers if the species they report are unusual or unrealistic.
Birdwatchers are also unlikely to run out of new species to spot. Global birding allows birders to travel internationally to add to their “Life List,” and with a global population of 11,145 species, it is doubtful that someone will see one of everything. Adding to this challenge is the annual addition of new species based on bird morphology and genetic advances. For example, in 2024, there was a net gain of 128 species.
New technologies continue to speed up and simplify bird identification, making birdwatching more convenient, satisfying, and participative. Here are a few examples.
Bird Buddy
California Condor
In summary, the history of birdwatching has transformed several times over the past 120 years. Today, the hobby is soaring in popularity, with an estimated three million adults in the UK who annually go birdwatching, 96 million estimated from a 2022 survey (three out of ten adults) in the United States, most of whom are backyard birdwatchers, and eight million in Canada. The term birdwatcher is often reserved for those observing birds coming to them, whereas birder is used for people who actively and seriously search for birds.
As identification becomes more immediate and straightforward, more people will adopt the hobby. The COVID pandemic began the process. I wish you success if you are already a birdwatcher, and I encourage those who have yet to start to start. As a beginner, obtain a decent pair of binoculars and set up your identification method (smartphone recognition is probably the best). Add a reference book at home for more details and a notepad to write down what you see and where.
Birdwatching is also a social activity. Join a bird or ornithological society (county bird clubs and RSPB or British Trust for Ornithology in Britain; Audubon or American Birding Association in North America). Participate in organized bird walks, visit bird sanctuaries, and volunteer to participate in local bird population surveys. These have been conducted since the late 1960s when the pesticide DDT affected population numbers in North America. Britain’s Bird Breeding Survey also originated in the 1960s. There are also annual Garden/ Backyard Bird Counts in many countries in which to participate. May the hobby continue to thrive.
Half Moon Bay, CA Photo Credit – Author Parasitic Jaeger Photo Credit – eBird I’m sure they were Skuas, but I could not identify the species. They were close to the shore in Half Moon Bay, northern California. My Bird Book identified …
European Ring Ouzel, male Photo Credit – Birdfact European Ring Ouzel, female Photo Credit – Flickr The Ring Ouzel, a member of the Thrush family, is only seen if visiting or living in Europe. There is no reference to the appearance …
American Pipit
There are about 40 pipit-named species worldwide, with the word “pipit” derived from the Meadow Pipit’s call “pi-pit.” Pipits are small, slender, drab-looking, streaky-brown birds with forenames often identifying their habitat, location, or coloring—such as American, Meadow, Tree, Water, Tawny, and Red-throated. Wolf Winter, a novel set in Swedish Lapland by Cecilia Ekback, mentions pipits and renewed my interest in these birds. I first saw pipits in the UK in the 1950s.
Meadow Pipit
First, let me introduce you to the most common pipit in the United Kingdom: the Meadow Pipit, a mainly resident bird. However, some migrate as far as North Africa for winter, and because of their drabness and habitat among ground vegetation, they often go unnoticed. Their plumage is mainly brown above and buff below, with streaking on the upper breast. They are thin-billed and display an undulating flight pattern during which birders can spot their white tail feathers. You might mistake them for sparrows, but remember, sparrows hop on the ground, whereas pipits typically walk or run. Meadow Pipits feed off insects and worms and nest on the ground. Males and females look alike; their life span is three to five years. Also, they are a species where the Cuckoo commonly removes their eggs and lays its own in their nest.
Meadow Pipit Range
Light green – Breeding; Dark green – Resident; Light blue – Passage; Dark blue – Non-breeding
Although UK numbers have declined since the 1970s, and the species is on the UK Amber List of Conservation, over two million pairs remain. The cause of the decline is believed to be more arable farming, the expansion of woodland, and possibly global warming pushing the population northwards. They are widely distributed across Europe and Asia, with an estimated global population of around 12 million pairs. They appear in Iceland and eastern Greenland but do not reach North America.
Tree Pipit
Growing up, the Tree Pipits I spotted were usually near a thicket of trees next to a clover field on our farm and present only during summer. Both the birds and the trees have long since disappeared. They spent April to August breeding and then migrated to Sub-Saharan Africa, 6,000 miles (10,000 km) away. They look like Meadow Pipits but have more streaking on their chest and flanks and less contrast in color between their belly and flanks. They also have a distinctive call and flight behavior. The bird will launch out of a tree, soar upwards, then suddenly stiffen its wings and fall back into the tree. The Meadow Pipit does the same but starts from the ground. The birds’ diet consists mainly of invertebrates, although fruit and seeds sometimes supplement their food in winter. They nest on the ground and typically live for around two years. They are also vulnerable to the Cuckoo’s “brood parasitism”, where the Cuckoo uses the Tree Pipit and its nest to raise their young.
Tree Pipit Range
Orange: Breeding; Blue Non-breeding
There are far fewer Tree Pipits in the UK than Meadow Pipits. Current estimates are about 100,000 pairs. Tree Pipits have suffered a severe decline in the UK since the 1970s, with its range reduced by 30 percent and its summer population falling up to 70 to 80 percent in some places. The reasons are unclear, and its cause may lie outside the UK. The species has been placed on the UK Red List of Conservation. Otherwise, the species is abundant across the rest of Europe and Asia, with about 35 million pairs in Europe and 70 million worldwide.
Richard’s Pipit
The Richard’s Pipit is the only other pipit species I recorded seeing in the UK in the 1960s. Surprisingly, it is missing from current British Bird Lists because it has become a rare winter visitor. It breeds across the grasslands of North Asia and winters in India and Southeast Asia. A few fly westwards for winter and end up in Europe.
I also mention the three other species of UK pipits I did not see. Rock Pipits are mainly resident in small numbers and breed along the rocky British coasts, while the Water Pipit is a relatively rare winter visitor and breeds in the mountains of Europe. The Tawny Pipit is also a rare migrant, with about a dozen yearly sightings. It breeds in Europe, Central Asia, and North Africa, and winters in central West Africa and India.
None of these pipits is found in North America; instead, there is the American Pipit (the most widespread), Sprague’s Pipit (breeds in the northern Great Plains and winters in the central southern States, south to El Salvador), and the Red-throated Pipit, which is a northern Eurasian bird that only enters North America for breeding in Alaska and a few show up along the California coast in the fall. The Olive-backed Pipit is also an Asian variety, but individuals occasionally are blown off course and arrive in California.
American Pipit
American Pipit Range
The American Pipit was first considered the Old World species known as the Water Pipit, but ornithologists spun it off as a separate species in 1989. Like most pipits, it is a small, brownish, streaked bird with a sparrow-like appearance. It nests on the ground; its diet consists of insects taken from the ground or low plants and may also eat seeds. The typical lifespan is about five years. The breeding population is estimated at 20 million individuals, but there has been a 30 percent decline since the 1970s, possibly due to habitat loss and global warming affecting their breeding grounds.
The species is a winter visitor to California when it is seen in open country and lakeshores; however, some nest in the high Sierra Nevada during summer. The species may be seen in flocks of several hundred in open habitats or as solitary birds. They usually start to arrive and pass through the state in late September and return north by mid-May. Expect to see them on the ground, searching for food, with their tails bobbing. In 2024, the Siberian Pipit was split from the American Pipit because of its paler whitish underparts, reddish, not dark, legs and other minor plumage differences. It is migratory, so we have a new vagrant species visiting California.
In summary, it is challenging to differentiate between pipit species but to begin with, the location where you see them will give you a clue. Try not to confuse them with sparrows that feed on the ground; look for the pipits’ running antics, buff-colored breasts with streaks, white outer tail feathers, and thin bills. Sparrows have more conical bills. Be aware that some sparrows, like the Song Sparrow, Fox Sparrow and Savannah Sparrow, also have streaked chests.
Hopefully, this article will help you separate pipits from other birds, such as sparrows, larks, and thrushes, but determining which species of pipit is the more challenging part.
Tawny Pipit, a UK comedy film from 1944: a couple from a Cotswolds’ village rally local people to save two birds nesting in a wheat field during World War 2
Woodpecker that does not drill holes, Northern Flicker males (red-shafted /yellow-shafted) Photo Credit – Cornell Lab. of Ornithology The Northern Flicker (a species in the Woodpecker family) is on my golf course for the winter. Several birds recently flew low alongside the eighth …
Sabine’s Gull Photo Credit – eBird On a recent pelagic birding cruise out of Ventura, CA., I spotted my first Sabine’s Gull, a small, delicate seagull Sir Edward Sabine first described in 1818. Unlike most seagulls, these are readily identified but rarely seen because they …
Great Blue Heron Nests
The above photo arrived a few days ago with the question, “To whom do these nests belong?” The location is Puget Sound on the northwest coast of the US state of Washington. The answer is Great Blue Herons. The species nests in colonies, heronries, or rookeries, and while I always thought rookeries were for Rooks (look like crows), in the United States the word is apparently used for a colony of more than one bird species. The photo was taken in September, six months after the Great Blue Herons started reproducing in large, ungainly nests of sticks.
Great Blue Heron
The Great Blue Heron is an unmistakable large bird with bluish-grey, black, and white feathers, swatches of rufous on the wings and thighs and a large dagger-shaped bill. For a brief period in spring, the male grows ornamental plumes on its head, breast and wings to attract its mate.
Great Blue Heron Male Breeding Plumage
The species also has specialized feathers on the chest that continually grow and fray. Herons comb these feathers into a “powder down” to remove fish slime and oils from their feathers as they preen. Its yellow eyes, which can become reddish during breeding, provide three times more detailed vision than humans and have built-in zoom lenses and photoreceptors that improve night vision. In flight, the bird tucks its head back into its shoulders.
Great Blue Heron Range Map
The Great Blue Herons are a New World partial migrant species, widespread from Alaska through Central America into parts of South America. A sub-species is present in the Galapagos Islands. It is an occasional vagrant in Hawaii. In the eastern US, it is seen on the Chesapeake Bay, including around Baltimore and Richmond, and has become the name of a golf course near Williamsburg. In South Florida, a “Great White” Heron variety (a morph, not a subspecies) inhabits shallow marine water. The Great Blue Heron is a wader, not a swimmer.
Great Blue Heron White Morph
The species has attracted the nickname Lady of the Water, and native Americans believe the bird symbolizes patience and good luck because of its behavior of waiting to catch its prey. The species is closely related to egrets rather than other herons, with the word egret derived from the French word “aigrette”, meaning silver heron. Estimating population size is challenging because of the dispersed nature of the birds, but a quarter of a million plus has been suggested.
Gray Heron
My first sighting of a heron was in 1960 near York, England, where there were three heronries and widely scattered individual birds. The species was known simply as “the heron” and today as the Gray Heron. It is the Old World version of the Great Blue Heron, with the two species likely originating from the same ancestor a million-plus years ago. The Gray Heron is common across Europe, Asia, and Africa. It is smaller and slimmer than the Great Blue Heron, and the rufous coloring on the thighs and wings of the Great Blue is missing; its bill is slimmer. Curiously, the average life span of the Great Blue Heron is 15 years, but only five years for the Gray Heron.
Gray Heron Range Map
Light green – Breeding; dark green – Resident; blue – Non-breeding
Gray Herons nest in the same manner as the Great Blue Herons, share a similar diet and live in similar habitats. They experience the same predators. Falcons, especially peregrine falcons, catch them as food; in olden times, humans persecuted them. The British hunted them with falcons, roasted them, and served them at banquets during medieval times. They believed that those killed at the full moon would cure rheumatism. Today, Gray Herons have recovered, in numbers with estimates of one to four million globally, and in the UK, 11,000 breeding pairs and 50,000 individual birds in winter.
In North America, fishermen hated them, and hunters trapped them for their feathers to be used as adornments for women’s hats. As early as 1910, the New York State legislature introduced legislation that protected them from the plume industry.
Portland City Mural
Today, there are no significant conservation threats for either species. The primary risks are habitat loss, decreased food supply, and lead fishing tackle. Beavers are the principal benefactor of Great Blue Herons in North America, constructing the ideal fishing environment. Humans appear to take them for granted, providing them with little recognition. No country has adopted them as their national bird, and no US state has used them to represent their natural landscape. I believe Lake County, close to where I live, is the only county in the United States to adopt them as the county bird, and Seattle and Portland have adopted the Great Blue Heron to represent their cities (as have other towns in Washington and Texas). This iconic, majestic, graceful, quiet, and unassuming bird justifies more public recognition.
Lesser Goldfinch at my Tube Feeder Photo Credit – Author It has been a fascinating two years living in northern California, close to the Pacific Coast, observing the etiquette of birds that visit my bird feeders. Each specific species has a distinct bird …
Black Phoebe Photo Credit – Cornell Lab of Ornithology Phoebes are smallish (6 inches/16 cm), insect-eating, perching songbirds native to the Americas. Black Phoebe – United States, Mexico, Central America, parts of South America Eastern Phoebe – Eastern North America Say’s Phoebe – …
Mistle Thrush
This month, I am focusing on a bird I observed during my childhood in northern England: the Mistle Thrush. In the late 1950s, my ornithological colleagues at Bootham School reported that the Mistle Thrush was widely distributed and common around York. I discovered it is absent from North America except for rare winter sightings, but the Continent has its own thrushes, such as the Swainson’s Thrush, Varied Thrush, Hermit Thrush, and the Wood Thrush in the east.
The Mistle Thrush’s diet includes mistletoe berries, hence its name. In winter, it protects clumps of mistletoe berries and, after eating them, carries and deposits their seeds onto trees, propagating the plant. Different species of mistletoe exist worldwide, including in North America. Bluebirds, Mourning Doves, Grosbeaks, and American Robins (also a member of the Turdidae Family) are among the birds responsible for propagating the plant.
Mistletoe originates from Anglo-Saxon words mistel for dung, and tan for stick or twig. It has a long history with humans. Originally, it was a medicine and aphrodisiac, but these purposes were eventually replaced by kissing under the mistletoe at Christmas. Norsemen stole a kiss from any woman standing under the mistletoe, and refusing the kiss was bad luck. In England, young girls put mistletoe leaves under their pillows at night when they supposedly dreamt about a particular boy. During the 18th century, the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe at Christmas to bring good luck and peace to the household was established.
Mistle Thrush Range Map
Green – resident; Orange – breeding/migrant; Blue non-breeding
The Mistle Thrush is 11 inches long (29 cm) and slightly larger than an American Robin. Most are residents, although some of those breeding in the north and Asia migrate for winter. Distinctive features of the species are:
The global population of the Mistle Thrush is between 12 and 30 million, nearly two-thirds of which live in Europe. However, numbers have declined in the UK by around 60 percent since the mid-1960s, and consequently, it is on Britain’s most endangered species list. Reasons for the decline are unclear; high juvenile mortality rates are suggested, but the loss of food sources as grassland and woodland are converted to arable may be another cause.
Eurasian Song Thrush
Song Thrush Range Map
Orange – breeding; Purple – year-round; blue – non-breeding
In Europe, you may mistake a Song Thrush for the Mistle Thrush. The Song Thrush is much smaller, its chest speckles are streaky, its upperparts are olive-brown, and it is much more frequently found in backyards.
Let me now turn my attention to North American thrushes.
Swainson’s Thrush
Swainson’s Thrush Range Map
Orange – breeding; Yellow – migration; Blue – non-breeding
The Swainson’s Thrush is familiar during summer along the Pacific coast in northern California. Usually, you hear it before you see it since it hides among the foliage. Its song is distinctive and beautiful, a fluting sound reverberating in dense foliage. The species is common and widespread in North America, with a population of around 12 million. During winter, Swainson’s Thrushes may move to Mexico and further south. It eats a diet of berries and insects, sometimes catching the latter in flight. The bird is smaller than an American Robin, has a round head, a short straight bill, and upperparts are olive-brown, with palish underparts and a brownish spotted chest.
Hermit Thrush
Hermit Thrush Range Map
Orange – breeding; Yellow – migration; Blue – Non-breeding
Hermit Thrushes are small, inconspicuous birds widely distributed across North America. Their breeding habitat is dense, moist, upland coniferous forests, but they sometimes move to lower elevations for winter. It is small, greyish brown, with big dark eyes and a reddish tail. Most notable is its song, regarded by some as the most beautiful song of any North American songbird. It eats by foraging among leaf litter on the ground. To distinguish it from a Swainson’s Thrush, look for a more olive-colored back without a cinnamon tail.
Varied Thrush
Finally, there is the brightly colored Varied Thrush. It breeds in dark, wet, mature forests in the Pacific Northwest, from Alaska to northern California, and migrates to lower altitudes in winter. Sometimes, it can be seen on the ground around bird feeders as it sorts out discarded seeds and eats suet, mealworms, and fruit. The global population is about 35 million, with a one-third decline in numbers during the past 50 years. Try not to confuse the species with the American Robin.
I could mention many other thrush species. However, as my Blog implies, this paper considers only some thrushes. Worldwide, there are over 170 species.
American Robin
Barn Swallow Photo Credit – Birds and Blooms Magazine My local Barn Swallows have arrived and have been constructing mud nests and feeding their offspring under the roof eaves of houses along the Corte Madera Creek near San Francisco. These avians make an …
Cory’s Shearwater off the coast of Madeira, Portugal Photo Credit – Author Cory’s Shearwater is a large, heavy bird and a member of the seabird family Procelleridae. It breeds primarily in the Portuguese islands of the Azores and Madeira and the Canary Islands, Spain. …
Northern Mockingbird
Amidst a cacophony of mid-morning birdsong, a medium-sized bird, approximately 10 inches (25 cm) in length, caught my eye. Its tail, as long as its body, was a striking feature. The bird’s plumage was a mix of grey, darker above and lighter below, adorned with distinctive white patterns on its wings and tail, which were particularly noticeable when it took flight. The bird was a Northern Mockingbird, a captivating sight indeed.
The bird appeared in the exact location a year earlier, in a housing development near the Corte Madera Creek in northern California. The purpose of its song was unclear. Maybe it was calling a mate, protecting its territory, catching insects, or simply listening to its voice. During my childhood bird watching in England, the Northern Mockingbird was a species I had never encountered. The bird, a member of a group of New World species, is a rare vagrant in Britain, with years passing between individual sightings. The occasional appearance is thanks to Atlantic tailwinds or even boats offering unexpected lifts, adding a touch of mystery to its presence.
Northern Mockingbird
The Northern Mockingbird is a testament to adaptability, breeding from southern Canada across the United States and south into Mexico and the northern Caribbean islands. It has even managed to establish itself in Hawaii. Most birds are yearlong residents, but a few occasionally wander in the fall and winter, especially those that breed in the north. The species expanded its range along both coasts into Canada during the 20th century and prefers open land below about 1000 feet (300 meters), where shrubs and small trees provide cover. If you have encountered Western or Eastern Mockingbirds, they are sub-species of the Northern variety.
Northern Mockingbird Range Map
Orange – Breeding; Green – Permanent Resident; Blue – Non-Breeding Resident
At the turn of the last century, California’s standard range for these birds was restricted to the Central Valley, as far north as Merced and along the coast south of Los Angeles; now, the species has become more broadly distributed, and in San Francisco, you may encounter them in the Presidio. The development of farmland, the outlawing of trapping to make them cage birds, and banning shooting them as an agricultural pest have supported this expansion. The species has been common in the southern United States and is the state bird in five states: Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas.
Texas Mockingbird and Bluebonnet
As the novel To Kill a Mockingbird says, the mockingbird is innocent and harmless and should be allowed to sing and add beauty to its surroundings. Current population estimates are around 30 million in the United States and a little over 40 million worldwide.
The Northern Mockingbird sings repeated phrases throughout the day and often into the night. A single bird will develop a repertoire of up to 150 to 200 songs during its lifetime. It mimics the songs of other birds and impersonates cats, car alarms, lawnmowers, and police sirens. Expect to hear different songs in the fall from those in the spring. However, estimates are that 90 percent of its songs are pure mockingbird, and 10 percent are mimicry. The bird’s scientific name mimus polyglottos translates into “mimic of many tongues”. Native Americans used a name that translates into “four hundred tongues”. Maybe due to their noisiness, they are caught by cats, attacked by raccoons, and taken by birds of prey.
Northern Mockingbird Winter Diet
For food, their diet changes during the year. In summer, they primarily eat insects; in fall and winter, they consume fruit. They forage on the ground or in vegetation. Visits to garden bird feeders are rare, but in winter, suet, mealworms, and fruit may attract them. Their average life span is eight years, but some are known to live as old as 15.
Blue Mockingbird
If you visit southwestern Mexico, do not be surprised to see a “blue” version of the mockingbird. The Blue Mockingbird is indigenous to Mexico, with an estimated population of up to five million. Both mockingbird species are of “least concern” from a conservation perspective.
Finally, you may want to listen to a singing Northern Mockingbird:
