Tag Archives: Songbirds

Something to crow about: Corvus brachyrhynchos one smart bird

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Warren Bielenberg/NPS • An American crow perches on a fence post. These birds are considered remarkably intelligent by scientists.

There’s something rather autumnal about watching a flock of American crows glean the last scattered kernels of corn from a harvested field as one of the flock stands sentry and ready to utter the alarm with some guttural “caws” should anything potentially threatening appear on the scene.

Crows are such a part of the landscape that they would almost escape our notice if they didn’t come with centuries of accumulated baggage that makes us distrust them and suspect their every action.

American crows and their kin, albeit unfairly, have often been painted darkly because of their black plumage. These fascinating birds are worth a second look and not just during the Halloween season. While seeking birds far afield, I have occasionally spotted some innovative scarecrows standing guard in gardens and agricultural fields. I’m not sure if anyone still erects these human effigies for their original purpose of warding off crows and other feathered agricultural pests. These days, scarecrows likely serve an ornamental purpose and are often part of a yard’s whimsical Halloween or autumn decorations.

Photo by Bryan Stevens / A trio of American crows forages on a grassy lawn.

The crow, largely thanks to its glossy black feathers, but perhaps also with a nod to its avian intelligence, has long been associated with Halloween. Greeting cards and holiday decorations often feature depictions of bats, owls and black cats, as well as the inevitable crow and the accompanying scarecrow.

With a brain about as big as a man’s thumb, the crow is renowned among ornithologists and other scientists for its keen intelligence. Crows are not fooled for a second by the charade of a straw-stuffed, brainless friend of Dorothy propped in a field. I recently heard an expert refer to crows and their kin as “feathered apes” to emphasize their intelligence.

The intelligence of this bird has long been known. Early American naturalist William Bartram wrote about a crow named Tom in a highly entertaining essay titled “Anecdotes of an American Crow.” Bartram, who lived from 1739 to 1823, brought humorous observations and keen insight to his subject as he wrote about the joys — as well as tribulations — of living with Tom, a crow that enjoyed tormenting Bartram’s dog and purloining the writer’s spectacles and trying to hide them.

Photo by Bryan Stevens / Wary American crows survey their surroundings.

Bartram’s essay demonstrates that almost as soon as Europeans arrived in North America, some of those with a bent toward the natural world recognized the intelligence and amazing adaptability of the American crow. As well as writing about the natural world, Bartram earned widespread acclaim for his drawings of botanical and ornithological subjects. Tom, the featured crow in Bartram’s brief essay, certainly exhibited intelligence of an impressive degree. Not only did the crow steal his owner’s eyeglasses, he foiled Bartram’s first attempt to reclaim them. The story makes very humorous reading. To read Bartram’s account, visit http://www.geocities.ws/jswortham/crow.

What else have crows done down through the ages to gain such a dark and much undeserved reputation? It probably doesn’t help matters that a flock of crows is known as a “murder.” Ancient Greeks considered crows as omens, which often foretold death and other disasters. The warrior goddess known as the Morrighan from Celtic mythology often appears in the form of a crow or raven. She is also often portrayed as being accompanied by a group of these black-plumaged birds. Many Native American tribes revere crows as communicators between worlds. Crows have been documented using tools and solving problems, which shows an uncanny ability to analyze and strategize. The early Celtic people also noted and admired these traits in crows.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • An American crow harasses a soaring red-tailed hawk.

I think the Celts and Native tribes had the right idea. Crows are admirable birds for many reasons. For instance, they are very social birds, often forming family flocks. They may also form much larger flocks for the purpose of roosting. When nesting, this social behavior comes in useful for a mated pair. Offspring from previous successful nesting efforts often serve as helpers. In addition to gaining their own life experience on successful nesting and caring for chicks, these older siblings may protect the nest site from predators or even deliver food to fill hungry beaks and bellies.

While famous for their associations to humans and our agriculture, crows forage far beyond the cornfield for their food. Many crows scavenge road-killed wildlife, such as squirrels, opossums and rabbits. While they certainly don’t turn up their beaks at the notion of eating carrion, crows do so less often than birds such as turkey vultures, black vultures and the crow’s fellow corvid, the common raven.

Early naturalist and artist John James Audubon painted this American crow.

The kinship to the raven is evident, but even moderately experienced birders rarely confuse these similar species. The raven is a large bird with a heavy beak, a distinctive profile and a wedge-shaped tail. In a direct comparison with a raven, a crow looks downright puny. Both are members of the corvid family, which consists of 120 species including jays, rooks, magpies and jackdaws. Some of the world’s other crows include the descriptively named little crow, hooded crow, carrion crow, collared crow, long-billed crow and violet crow. While most of the world’s crows are thriving, the Hawaiian crow has been extinct in the wild since 2002, although the species still exists in captive-breeding programs in various zoos.

Thanks to its resourcefulness and intelligence, the crow is deserving of more respect and even admiration. The American crow is a uniquely American success story. If you’re looking to define crow, look more to Bartram’s story about Tom the crow and not the dark, misguided myths and legends about crows you may hear this Halloween. Long may the crows fly.

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Email me at ahoodedwarbler@aol.com to share sightings, ask questions or make comments.

Screech-owl call haunts autumn evenings

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Photo by Irene K-s/Pixabay.com
An Eastern screech owl keeps an eye on its surroundings.

I’ve enjoyed listening to frequent serenades from the Eastern screech-owls residing in the woods around my home. The small owl’s shivery wailing calls usually start around dusk and can continue at intervals throughout the night.

These small owls are not always content to wait for sunset. I’ve also heard “early bird” owls calling occasionally from shady wooded areas around my home. The owls tended to call more often during the daytime when conditions were overcast. I don’t even have to be outdoors to hear them. Om several recent evenings the calls of the local screech owls have drifted through the walls and windows as these small birds prowl the backyard.

I always pause and listen when I hear the wailing and haunting vocalizations of the screech-owls that make their home in the woodlands that surround my home. I’m glad to have this small owl as a neighbor, but I fully realize that owls have suffered from a dark reputation in certain corners. The fact is, unless you are a small rodent or some sort of insect-sized prey, the Eastern screech-owl makes an excellent addition to the neighborhood.

On the verge of Halloween, a closer look at this small owl is warranted. An adult Eastern screech-owl is usually only between six and nine inches in length. Many people upon first seeing a screech-owl assume it’s a baby owl. During past trips to Brookgreen Gardens in South Carolina, I have enjoyed attending the daily educational programs conducted by the attraction’s zoo staff. These programs are designed to introduce visitors to various examples of native wildlife. The presenter usually introduced a couple of animals to the audience. On several occasions, the show featured birds of prey, including hawks and owls.

Ray Shrewsberry/Pixabay • A red phase Eastern screech-owl clutches at a branch.

Two of the shows during my visit to Brookgreen back in 2019 featured Lucy, an Eastern screech-owl, and people in the audience invariably asked if she was a baby owl. To their astonishment, they learned that Lucy was an adult screech-owl and unlikely to grow any bigger.

There are larger owls in our region, including the great horned owl and barred owl. Lucy and her kin must avoid these much larger owls, which would not scruple at making a meal of their much smaller relative.

Because of their small size, screech-owls prey on some comparatively small creatures, including insects, small rodents, amphibians, songbirds and reptiles. The Eastern screech-owl is also a cavity-nesting bird and will accept bird boxes provided by humans so long as the box’s entrance hole is customized to their size.

The screech-owl is the owl most likely to encounter human beings. It’s an adaptable little feathered predator, just as much at home in the backyard and garden as it is in parks and woodlands. In addition to nesting in cavities, this owl roosts in them during the daytime hours. Look for roosting screech-owls in knotholes of trees or in unoccupied wood duck boxes. Although they come in two color phases — red and gray — both variations are quite capable of camouflage. When perched or roosting, these small owls blend into their surroundings with remarkable preciseness.

Photo by Bryan Stevens
An Eastern Screech-Owl perches in the branches of an Eastern hemlock.

The Eastern screech-owl also produces a variety of odd wails and other vocalizations including a distinctive, trembling “whinny” call that is often made when the owl feels curious or alarmed. It’s a wavering, haunting call that is made after dark, most often at the hours closer to dawn and dusk. Imitating the call of a screech-owl or playing a recording is also a trick for getting some shy songbirds to show themselves. Screech-owls are not-so-welcome co-habitants among my yard’s songbirds, which will flock to this owl’s call and band together to “mob” the predator and try to convince it to depart the vicinity.

As small as the Eastern screech-owl is, the United States is home to several other pint-sized owls, including Western screech-owl, Northern pygmy-owl, Northern saw-whet owl, flammulated owl and elf owl, which at six inches tall and a weight of less than an ounce qualifies as the world’s smallest owl.

Any time I finish listening to a calling owl and go back indoors for the evening, I reflect on the fact that screech-owls make good neighbors. Their prey preferences remove many nuisance insects and rodents from the habitat they share with humans as well as other wildlife. If you’re hearing an odd, winnowing call from the edge of the woods at your own home, there’s a good chance that you have one of these small owls as a neighbor.

Keep alert for these small owls and their larger kin as we observe this year’s Halloween holiday, as well as other days and nights throughout the year.

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To learn more about birds and other topics from the natural world, friend Bryan Stevens on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ahoodedwarbler. He enjoys posting about local birds, wildlife, flowers, insects and much more. If you have a question, wish to make a comment or share a sighting, email him at ahoodedwarbler@aol.com.

Photo by Bryan Stevens
An Eastern Screech-Owl at rest in a roosting hole in a large sycamore tree.

Free program at senior center to focus on North America’s wading birds

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Photo by Bryan Stevens • A great blue heron and a great egret patrol a tidal creek in South Carolina.

I’ll be presenting a free public program on wading birds and their kin for the Clinchfield Senior Adult Center in Erwin at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 14.

My main focus will fall on a family of birds known as waders, which include herons, egrets, ibises, spoonbills and more. I will also discuss shorebirds, such as plovers, godwits, sandpipers and more, to a lesser degree. This will be a fully illustrated slide show featuring some of my own photography.

Egrets and herons are members of a family of birds known as Ardeidae. Our region is home to the great blue heron all 12 months of the year. This stately, long-legged bird can stand 4.5 feet tall but weighs no more than six pounds. The black-crowned night heron is a localized year-round resident in the region, making it much more difficult to locate than its larger relative.

Most other waders are summer residents or unexpected visitors in the region.

For example, the great egret is a graceful bird with white plumage, long legs and a sharp, yellow bill. It is smaller than the great blue heron. The great egret stands 3.3 feet tall and has a wingspan of 52 to 67 inches. On average, however, they weigh only about 2.2 pounds.

Photo by Bryan Stevens
A large flock of Great Egrets flies over the Watauga River in Elizabethton.

These egrets nest in large colonies. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the colonial nesting habits of these birds made them particularly vulnerable to humans who slaughtered the birds in the millions to harvest their feathers for use in the fashion industry. The great egret and other wading birds were almost decimated in order to decorate fashionable hats for women.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • A great blue heron at dusk on Fripp Island, South Carolina.

The National Audubon Society was founded in 1905, largely as an effort to combat the unregulated slaughter of birds like great egrets, snowy egrets and roseate spoonbills. Now, more than a century later, the great egret still serves as the official logo for the National Audubon Society.

The great egret has rebounded from those dark years. In fact, this bird now ranges as far north as southern Canada in appropriate wetland habitats. During spring and fall migration, great egrets also pass through northeast Tennessee. Look for them along rivers, lakes and on small farm ponds.

Wading birds also include a couple of oddballs, including wood stork, roseate spoonbill, limpkin and American bittern.

When I first set out on my birding adventure I wanted to see as many birds as possible. I was also motivated to check off at least one family of birds.

With North America’s wading birds, I was successful, although it took me 20 years to finally see all of this family of birds. I saw my last member of North America’s waders on June 11, 2016. While visiting Huntington Beach State Park in South Carolina, I finally observed a least bittern.

I wasn’t actively looking to add any life birds to my list during that South Carolina trip, so the least bittern also represented a very pleasant surprise.

Photo by Bryan Stevens
A Great Egret resting on a spit of land in a lake at Murphy Candler Park in Brookhaven, Ga.

The least bittern has been found by other birders in wetlands in southwest Virginia and northeast Tennessee, but I’ve never been in the right place at the right time to find this bird closer to home. I have seen a few American bitterns, which are a larger relative of this diminutive member of the heron clan.

I didn’t have the same degree of difficulty adding an American bittern to my list. Years ago, while birding with Reece Jamerson, an American bittern emerged from vegetation at the edge of a ditch in a flooded pasture and proceeded to put on quite the show. To my eternal regret, that sighting predated my habit of always carrying a camera with me while birding.

I learned my lesson and began faithfully carrying a camera with me after that encounter. I hope some readers will come out to the free program on Oct. 14 and enjoy some of the photographs I have taken during 30 years of birding. I will also be talking about the different wading birds it’s possible to see in the region. This family of birds has some beautiful, graceful birds that tend to make observers take notice whether they’re seeing them in person or in a photograph.

The Clinchfield Senior Adult Center is located at 220 Union St., Erwin. For more information, email me at ahoodedwarbler@aol.com.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • A great egret in the aviary at Brookgreen Gardens in South Carolina.

Eastern wood-pewee is pint-sized tyrant flycatcher

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Photo by USFWS • An Eastern wood-pewee perches on an exposed branch.

My annual fall warbler watching has not taken off yet. We’ve had hot days recently and not many weather fronts moving through the area that might push migrating warblers to make a stopover in my yard.

Even the warblers I have seen, such as a recent black-throated blue warbler, are species that nest in Northeast Tennessee, meaning they may or may not be migrating so much as lingering.

There are, however, still signs of migration. Ruby-throated hummingbird activity remains intense at both the feeders and the stands of blooming jewelweed around my home. I’ve been seeing everything from cedar waxwings and wild turkeys to red-eyed vireos and Eastern wood-pewee.

Photo by Hans Toom/Pixabay • An Eastern wood-pewee perches on a branch. These flycatchers are tireless at singing their name “pee-wee” during the summer season.

The latter species is a member of the family known as tyrant flycatchers. During the early summer months it’s easy to find Eastern wood-pewees. Head to this bird’s favored mid-elevation on local mountain slopes and you’re almost certain to hear its plaintive “pee-a-wee” whistle the gives the bird its common name. Their sheer dedication to singing their name repeatedly reminds me of the persistence of another champion summertime singer, the red-eyed vireo.

By early fall, however, Eastern wood-pewees fall mostly silent, but they seem to increase their profile as migrants perch on bare branches of open trees to frequently venture out to “flycatch” meals on the wing.

In appearance, the Eastern wood-pewee doesn’t have much to help it stand out. Like many of its relatives, it’s a plain bird with olive-brown to gray upper parts, a pale throat and a whitish belly. Some birds show a faint hint of an incomplete eye ring that looks more like a crescent at the back of the eye. Otherwise, unlike some relatives, the pewee lacks a prominent ring around its eyes.

The Eastern pewee looks like its head comes to a triangular peak, but this species is not truly crested like the related great crested flycatcher.

In diet, it lives up to its flycatcher family heritage, feeding on houseflies, mosquitoes, bees and wasps, winged ants, moths, stoneflies and mayflies. If insects are unavailable, they may feed on berries and seeds, but they are dedicated insectivores. They catch most of their food on the wing, sallying forth from their perches. If unsuccessful, they will swing back, land again and wait for another chance to strike.

The Eastern wood-pewee’s bill has a dark upper mandible and a yellowish lower mandible, a good way to separate the bird from other flycatchers.

Small songbirds are not known for longevity, but one Eastern wood-pewee was at least 8 years, 2 months old when it was recaptured and rereleased during banding operations in Maryland in 2010. That was enough to rank the bird as the oldest documented member of its species, according to the website All About Birds.

Some practice will help observers tell an Eastern phoebe from an Eastern wood-pewee. Phoebes are slightly heavier than pewees, although they are close in overall body length. The pewee does not bob its tail at its perch, which is a habit that the phoebe does so reliably that that action alone can confirm its identity. The bills of these two birds provide another reliable way to distinguish them. Phoebes have an all-black bill, while pewees have a two-toned bill with a lighter lower mandible. It takes an observation with good lighting condition to detect this difference at times, but its a surefire way to confirm a visiting pewee’s identity.

Phoebes can rightfully be considered a backyard bird guest throughout the year, but autumn is the best season to get acquainted with the Eastern wood-pewee.

Stake out any trees with lofty bare limbs. Chances are a migrating Eastern wood-pewee will show up and lay a claim to this valuable real estate. For flycatchers, a good perch will help increase the odds their flycatching will be successful. Watching them on the hunt as they refuel to continue fall migration is always a source of reliable entertainment.

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Bryan Stevens has written about birds, birding and birders since 1995. Email him at ahoodedwarbler@aol.com.

House finch origin story in region has unusual twist

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Photo by GeorgiaLens/Pizabay • A male house finch visits a feeder. Flocks of these small finches can become regular feeder visitors. Credit: GEORGIALENS/PIXABAY

I received an email from Unicoi residents Judy and Bill Beckman asking for a reason to explain a sudden absence in house finches at their feeders.

“For a number of weeks now, our house finches have disappeared from our feeders,” they wrote in the email. “They are usually the dominant number of birds. We do not recall this happening before. Any thoughts?”

I answered, explaining that the birds will probably return. Exactly when the finches decide to return to the couple’s yard is more problematic.

In fall and spring, even birds that don’t normally migrate get a bit restless. I suggested that the house finches could just be exploring somewhere else nearby.

My best guess is the finches they will return. As I explained in my answer, the Beckmans have probably provided a generous buffet for the birds. They will remember where the best free lunch is served.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • A male house finch perched on a cable. These finches are native to the western United States but became established in the eastern states thanks to the illicit pet trade.

The house finch is an interesting species. Until the 1980s, this species was not present in Northeast Tennessee. Although this finch is a native North American bird, it is not truly native to the Eastern half of the continent. All the house finches in the Eastern United States are descended from captive birds released into the wild by dealers in the exotic bird trade.

About 1940, the house finch became established in the eastern United States. In violation of federal law, these small finches were being sold in New York City as pet birds described as “Hollywood Finches.” To avoid trouble with authorities, vendors and even some owners released their “Hollywood Finches” into the wild. Finding the area around New York City to their liking, house finches thrived spread. Within a few decades, they were common birds throughout the eastern United States, including Tennessee, Virginia and North Carolina. The house finch had also been introduced into Hawaii about 1870, and is still present today, along with many other species of birds not native to the islands.

As the house finch claimed a new range, the species inevitably encountered the related purple finch. During the winter, both finches are often present at feeders in the region. When both are available for observation, bird enthusiasts should take advantage of the opportunity to compare and contrast these birds.

Personally, I have never had any difficulty distinguishing a purple finch from a house finch. The two species, at least in my eyes, are easily recognized. I can understand why some people might have trouble separating the two birds. The late Roger Tory Peterson once described the purple finch as a bird “dipped in raspberry juice.” Think about that imagery for a moment and you’ve got a good start to distinguishing a male purple finch from a male house finch.

Photo by Ray Shrewsberry • A male house finch perches on a branch. This bird species has been introduced into locations nature never meant for the bird to live.

The females of both species are a different matter. However, purple finch females have a more distinctive facial pattern and a heavier bill than do female house finches. With a little practice, it’s not difficult to identity these two species in the field. In Northeast Tennessee, house finches and purple finches are usually only present together during the winter months when purple finches occasionally flock to our feeders.

In their native range in the western United States, house finches have adapted to a range of habitats, including deserts, grassland, chaparral and open woods. Another related species in the Western United States is Cassin’s finch, which is a species found mostly in high-elevation regions dominated by tall evergreen or coniferous forests.

The house finch is an abundant bird. According to the Partners in Flight, there are an estimated 40 million house finches ranging across North America.

They have also proven resilient. House finches are susceptible to some contagious diseases, including Mycoplasma gallisepticum, a bacterium that causes chronic respiratory disease in chickens and infectious sinusitis in turkeys, chickens, game birds, pigeons and passerine birds. House finch populations in the Eastern United States crashed in the 1990s due to the epidemic prevalence of the bacteria. Their numbers have since stabilized, although the species remains vulnerable to infection from the bacteria. Infection with the bacteria often leads to conjunctivitis characterized by swollen, encrusted, nasal discharges, impaired vision and weight loss. Infected birds usually succumb to slow starvation or predation. House finch conjunctivitis is most frequent during colder months when birds congregate and flock to bird feeders. Anyone who fed birds during the 1990s likely witnessed the disease at their feeders.

They also proved to be a songbird susceptible to West Nile virus, but most house finches and other songbirds recover from this mosquito-borne disease. Crows, ravens and jays, however, are vulnerable to the disease.

Overall, although a strange twist of fate brought the house finch into Tennessee and other parts of the Eastern half of the nation, this bird has become a welcome visitor. Males have a cheery song and bright plumage. By all accounts, it’s also here to stay.

I’m going to have to keep a closer watch over my own feeders. I had a pair that visited regularly at the start of the summer season. It’s time to see if they’re back with a new generation of house finches.

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Bryan Stevens has written about birds, birding and birders since 1995. Email him at ahoodedwarbler@aol.com.

These migratory birds are true champions

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ANNE AND SATURNINO MIRANDA/PIXABAY • The common crane holds a record achieved by the feat of flying over the Himalayans at a height of 37,000 feet. However, this is not a typical flight. They usually fly below 3,280 feet.

As it does every year, September’s arrival puts fall migration into sharp focus. The birds that returned this past spring — the warblers, vireos, tanagers, grosbeaks, flycatchers, hawks, hummingbirds and many more — have begun or are beginning to make their way back to the locations where they will spend the winter months far from the cold, bleak conditions over most of North America.

On recent mornings as I leave for work I have heard the buzz of hummingbird wings, as well as the scolding calls of red-eyed vireos from the woodlands around my home.

Some of these birds migrate out of the tropics every spring to avoid competition. Others find North America a land of abundant, albeit temporary, resources. This land of plenty offers a wealth of insects, seeds, fruit and other nourishing, nutritious food to help parent birds keep their strength while they work to ensure their young thrive. Of course, once the bountiful period concludes, they return to the tropics of Central and South America to winter. Those that do so successfully will make the journey back to the United States and Canada in the spring. It’s an ongoing cycle, repeating year after year, season after season.

The phenomenon of migration isn’t exclusive to the neotropical migrants of the New World. Birds in other parts of the world migrate, too. Waterfowl, shorebirds and raptors are among some of the families of birds that stage impressive migrations.

Here are some migration achievements of some of our feathered friends:

Elevation Champ
The Himalayas represent a mountainous challenge for many migratory birds. Some birds, however, shrug off the astonishing heights of the world’s tallest mountains. The common crane holds a record achieved by the feat of flying over the Himalayans at a height of 37,000 feet. However, this is not a typical flight for these cranes. In fact, they usually avoid flying over mountains. They usually fly below 3,280 feet. The regular migrant that does fly at loft heights is the bar-headed goose, recording reaching 29,000 feet. These geese regularly fly over the peaks of the Himalayas when migrating.

Long-distance Champ
The Arctic tern truly takes migration to extremes. This small seabird travels each year from its Arctic nesting grounds to the Antarctic region, where it spends the winter months. Put into terms of mileage, the Arctic tern can travel about 50,000 miles in a single year. For a bird with a body length of about 15 inches and a wingspan of about 28 inches, this incredible migration is an astonishing feat. These statistics permit the Arctic tern to easily lay claim to the title of champion migrant among our feathered friends.

Tiny Champ
The ruby-throated hummingbird, a favorite of many bird enthusiasts living in the eastern United States, makes an impressive migration each year. Just to reach the United States, these tiny birds undertake a strenuous journey. They leave their wintering grounds in Central America to return to the United States and Canada for the nesting season. Most of these tiny birds, which are barely four inches long, make a non-stop flight of more than 500 miles across the Gulf of Mexico. The journey can take almost an entire day. With the end of summer, the entire population of ruby-throated hummingbirds, increased by a new generation of young birds, makes the Gulf crossing for a second time in a year to return to the American tropics for the winter months.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • A ruby-throated hummingbird perches at a feeder for a sip of sugar water.

Dedicated Champ
Among North America’s buteo hawks, which includes raptors such as red-shouldered hawk and red-tailed hawk, the broad-winged hawk stands out as a dedicated migrant. These hawks form flocks that at times number in the hundreds or thousands as they sail and glide on thermals rising over various mountain ranges. These hawks and other raptors are well-known in the region for migrating past the Mendota Fire Tower in Southwest Virginia every September and early October. The broad-winged hawk’s counterpart in the western United States is Swainson’s hawk, which shares the broad-winged hawk’s inclination for migrating in large flocks. Swainson’s hawk is named for William Swainson, the famous 19th century English naturalist for which Swainson’s thrush is also named.

Warbler Champs
My favorite family of birds, the warblers, are seasonal migrants. The Northern parula, a warbler species that regular spends the spring and summer months in the woods around my home, winters in Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and southern Florida. The Northern parula breeds across the eastern half of the United States and southeastern Canada. It’s not a migration of an incredible distance, but it’s still quite an accomplishment for a bird less than five inches long and weighing less than half an ounce.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • The Northern parula, like most warblers, is a medium- to long-distance migrant.

Another warbler is a true migratory champion. Few warblers make as great a journey as the blackpoll warbler. Instead of migrating over land, this five-inch-long warbler undertakes a two-stage migration. The first half of the migration is a non-stop flight of about 1,500 miles. Every fall, these tiny birds fly over the Atlantic Ocean during this part of their migration, departing from Canada or the northern United States and not stopping until they reach various locations in the Caribbean. There they will spend some time recovering from the exhausting first half of their journey before they continue their way to such South American countries as Colombia and Venezuela. Once again, during the time they spend flying over open ocean, these tiny warblers do not feed.

Fall’s a great time to witness the variety of avian life. Look for some of these migrants passing through your yards, gardens or favorite birding spots.

For those wanting suggestions for seeking out migrating birds, the linear trail in Erwin, Rocky Fork State Park in Flag Pond and Limestone Cove Recreation Area are some good bets.

Make an effort to win over gray catbirds

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Veronika Andrews from Pixabay • If all else fails, bribery works well on gray catbirds. Provide these birds with a treat and their confidence is more quickly given.

The gray catbird is a baffling bird with a personality that runs the gamut from introverted to extroverted, sometimes depending on the season and at other times seemingly just on a whim. With some gentle persuasion, however, people can gain a catbird’s trust and develop a fun friendship with these clever songbirds.

Bribery also works. One summer, I only needed to offer some less-than-perfect strawberries and blueberries. A few blemishes on the fruit didn’t bother the resident catbirds at all, and they soon became accustomed to receiving such treats.

Your first introduction to the catbird is likely going to occur when you hear what sounds like an irritable feline hiding in a hedge, thicket or dense shrub. Upon closer examination, you may get a glimpse of a charcoal gray bird roughly the shape of a Northern mockingbird but smaller. A black cap and a patch of rusty-red feathers under the tail are the only exceptions to this bird’s overall gray plumage.

Photo by Bryan Stevens A curious Gray Catbird peeks from dense cover. Attendees at the fall rally can look for catbirds and other species at any of the offered bird hikes.

I’m pleased to note that catbirds are doing well. A profile on the website All About Birds confirms that the species is common and has benefitted from stable populations from 1966 to 2019, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. An estimate from Partners in Flight gives the species a breeding population of 29 million individuals spread out across North America. In a time when many bird species are declining, this is welcome news.

Catbirds are experts at concealing themselves from prying eyes. The gray plumage blends into the shadowy sections of the tangles and thickets where the bird likes to hide itself. However, even when gray catbirds are reluctant to be seen, they’re almost eager to be heard. The catbird is extremely vocal, with several calls and songs in its repertoire, including the rather faithful rendering of a fussy cat’s meow that provides this bird its common name.

They’re part of a family related to thrushes that are known as “mimic thrushes.” Besides its surprisingly accurate rendition of a feline, the catbird has several other common vocalizations. Despite their shy nature, they’re extremely curious. Imitating their calls or simply producing a squeaky sound will usually persuade the bird to move out of cover and search for the source of the noise.

Catbirds are part of the parade of returning birds each spring that includes species like rose-breasted grosbeaks, scarlet tanagers, Baltimore orioles and indigo buntings, but because they lack the brilliant plumages of these other birds their arrival would probably go unnoticed if not for the fact they are extremely noisy for the first few weeks they are back. Then they go silent again and remain quieter as they take up the serious business of raising young.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • A gray catbird hides within the branches of a dense shrub.

However, in a mood that appears to swing with the seasons, gray catbirds emerge again in late summer and early fall when they feast on such fruit as elderberries and wild cherries while making their whiny cacophony of calls from any tangle or thicket where they happen to be.

The catbird belongs to the genus Dumetella. The name is based upon the Latin term dūmus, which roughly translated means “thorny thicket.” Dumetella, in turn, means “dweller in the thornbushes” or “small bird of the thornbushes.” It’s a rather apt description for a bird fond of habitats often dominated by thorny vegetation. Older common names for the gray catbird included cat thrush and slate-colored mockingbird.

They are related to thrashers and mockingbirds, but scientists find them just different enough to warrant placing the gray catbird in its own genus. A relative known as the black catbird, which ranges throughout the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, as well as northern Guatemala and northern Belize, also belongs to a genus of its own. Both catbirds are classified as “mimic thrushes,” or Mimidae, of which there are about 30 species in the New World. There is a totally unrelated family of catbirds that ranges through Australia, Asia and parts of Africa.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • Gray catbird have a rusty-red patch beneath their tail, occasionally seen as they dive for cover.

The gray catbird is not as an accomplished mimic as some of its relatives, such as the Northern mockingbird. Males have motivation to constantly expand their repertoire, however, as doing so increases the likelihood of attracting a mate. They imitate other birds, but some have been recorded imitating frogs and other non-avian singers.

While not generally considered a bird to visit feeders, people have succeeded in attracting catbirds to feeders designed to offer grape jelly or orange slices. Planting fruit-bearing shrubs and trees is the best means of attracting these fascinating birds to your yard and garden. Leave a few untidy edges to your yard. Gray catbirds will thank you.

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Email me at ahoodedwarbler@aol.com to ask a question, make a comment or share a sighting.

Calling cuckoo brings back some birding memories

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Photo by Peter Pearsall/USFWS • A yellow-billed cuckoo perches horizontally along a bare tree branch. The species feeds prodigiously on a variety of caterpillars.

I heard the low, gulping call of a yellow-billed cuckoo concealed by a dense curtain of green on the ridge behind my home on Sunday, July 26.

The hidden caller reminded me that this bird has acquired the nickname “rain crow” for consistently calling prior to summer downpours.

The yellow-billed cuckoo migrates a great distance to spend the summer months hidden in the dense green canopy of our local woodlands. Cuckoos spend the summer months in southern Canada and across most of the United States, but the bird’s winter range extends as far south as Venezuela and Argentina. They make a roundtrip journey of about 5,000 miles every spring and fall.

In pursuit of their favorite food – caterpillars – the yellow-billed cuckoo provides a public service, removing hairy tent caterpillars and their unsightly silk tents from the branches of various trees. I certainly applaud these efforts. Only a handful of birds feed on these caterpillars, with the yellow-billed cuckoo being the first and foremost consumer of these pests. The cuckoo has a voracious appetite for these caterpillars.

Photo by USFWS • A yellow-billed cuckoo selects a surprising open perch for a bird known for its reclusive nature.

Staking out tent caterpillar nests would seem a good way to increase the chances of seeing these elusive birds. Personally, it’s never quite worked out that way. My best – and first – sighting of a yellow-billed cuckoo is now buried 30 years back among my birding memories. I saw the bird perched in a gnarled peach tree that once stood only a few yards from my home.

Another memorable sighting took place on Fripp Island, South Carolina. That bird, observed from a golf cart, shared a tree with a scolding blue-gray gnatcatcher. The discrepancy in the sizes of the tiny gnatcatcher and the large cuckoo was striking. I genuinely feared that the cuckoo might attempt to snack on the smaller bird.
Other sightings have taken place at Roan Mountain State Park, Winged Deer Park in Johnson City, Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park in Elizabethton and Douglas Lake in Cocke County.

In addition to sightings of live birds, some readers have reported window strikes to me, usually because they’re unable to identify the bird that suffered a sad demise after impacting a window.

The yellow-billed cuckoo is a large bird, which an observation in close quarters emphasizes. This bird can reach a length of nearly 12 inches, but much of that length is composed of its long tail. It easily matches the size of such familiar birds as blue jay and American robins.

The yellow-billed cuckoo has a long, streamlined body and a brown and white plumage. The underside of the tail features large white dots and the wings show some rusty-red feathers. The bird also has a large, curved beak that gives the species its common name.

I hear these birds every summer, but my sightings amount to perhaps a couple every decade. I’m sure I could see more cuckoos with extra effort, but this bird would still present a challenge.

Europe’s common cuckoo is famous in folklore and fairy tales for slipping its eggs into the nests of other birds. While the yellow-billed cuckoo does this on occasion, it is not in the same league as nest parasites such as brown-headed cowbirds.

Two other cuckoos spend time in the United States. The black-billed cuckoo is also found in Northeast Tennessee, but this species is even more difficult to locate than its yellow-billed cousin.

I’ve only seen black-billed cuckoos on a few occasions. My best and first sighting involved a bird that briefly perched on a snag along a hiking trail at Johnson City’s Winged Deer Park. I managed to get my binoculars on the bird long enough for a memorable look. I’ve also seen this species at Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park and at Hampton Creek Cove in Roan Mountain.

Another species is the mangrove cuckoo, a bird that in the United States resides only in southern Florida while also ranging the Caribbean, both coasts of Mexico and Central America, and the Atlantic coast of South America as far south as the mouth of the Amazon River. It’s no surprise that this specialist species is found primarily in mangrove swamps.

The yellow-billed cuckoo is known by the scientific name, Coccyzus americanus. Other cuckoos in the genus Coccyzus, which includes about a dozen species, are pearly breasted cuckoo, dark-billed cuckoo, chestnut-bellied cuckoo, grey-capped cuckoo, bay-breasted cuckoo and the great lizard cuckoo.

Although I haven’t seen one for a few years, I’m still glad to know that the yellow-billed cuckoo remains a lurker in the woodlands around my home. If you manage to lay eyes on this elusive bird, consider yourself fortunate.

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Bryan Stevens has written about birds, birding and birders since 1995. To share a sighing, ask a question or make a comment, email him at ahoodedwarbler@aol.com.

Scarlet tanagers bring brilliance of tropics to local Mountains

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Photo Courtesy of Jean Potter
A male scarlet tanager brightens shadowy woodlands with a flash of tropical colors yet remains mostly inconspicuous in the forest canopy.

The berries on the mulberry trees at home ripened slightly ahead of the recent Fourth of July holiday. As the berries ripened, various birds descended on the trees. Among the visitors were American robins, cedar waxwings, gray catbird, wood thrushes and, almost without a doubt, scarlet tanagers.

The male scarlet tanager is a breathtaking bird that makes the mountains of northeast Tennessee, western North Carolina and southwest Virginia their summer home. The extraordinary appearance of the male scarlet tanager is certainly one that sets it apart from most other songbirds.

This tanager is not typically a feeder visitor, but bird enthusiasts have had varying degrees of success trying to lure these birds with fruit, such as orange slices placed in special feeders or simply spiked onto the branches of backyard trees. As an added bonus, orange slices can also attract birds such as brown thrashers, Baltimore orioles and gray catbirds.

The scarlet tanager indulges its fondness for fruit by incorporating various berries into its diet, Blueberry, mulberry, elderberry, serviceberry and wild cherry are all sure to attract scarlet tanagers and other fruit-eating birds. Plant some of these trees and shrubs to make your yard or garden more inviting to a range of our fine feathered friends.

Bryan Stevens • A male scarlet tanager stands out from other summer birds.

I usually have a few scarlet tanagers in residence around my home during the summer months, but I haven’t seen one in 2026. As usual, I have heard them. But listening to the male sing is not quite the same as observing this beautiful bird with its brilliant plumage of crimson red paired with black wings and tail.

Of course, like many other birds, the female scarlet tanager makes no real claim to the common name with her comparatively drab greenish plumage. However, the scientific name, Piranga olivacea, gives a nod to the olive-green plumage of females, young males and even adult males when they’re molting their feathers.

I began hearing a male scarlet tanager singing deep in the woods at about the time the mulberries ripped. I’m speculating that he got lured close enough to overhear by the mulberries.

So, why is it so difficult to lay eyes on such a brightly colored bird? The answer rests with this bird’s daily routine, which is usually conducted among the upper woodland canopy in such tall trees as oaks and poplars.

The male tanager does produce a distinctive song. Upon first hearing it, listeners might mistake the hidden singer for an American robin. Listen a little closer, however, and the song sounds as if it is being delivered by a hoarse robin with a sore throat. The male tanager also makes a vocalization described as “chip-burr” that is also easily heard.

Photo by Bryan Stevens
A scarlet tanager feeds on wild cherries. By late summer and early fall, even male tanagers have lost most of their vibrant plumage. 

If we were to see a scarlet tanager in a rain forest in South America, we might not be so surprised by vibrant plumage that has come to be associated with many tropical birds. The scarlet tanager is certainly better attired than most birds to provide observers a glimpse of a creature that would indeed look more at home in the jungle.

Worldwide, there have traditionally been about 390 species of tanagers. Experts have changed some of the ways they classify tanagers, so that figure has fluctuated in recent years.

Tanagers are a New World family of birds, concentrated mainly in the tropics of Central and South America. Some of the world’s other tanagers are known by extremely descriptive names, including bay-headed tanager, blue-and-black tanager, seven-coloured tanager, gilt-edged tanager, green-naped tanager, beryl-spangled tanager, opal-rumped tanager flame-faced tanager and blue-gray tanager.

The scarlet tanager ranges in North America with a couple of other relatives: Western tanager and summer tanager.

I am hoping I might still see a male scarlet tanager this summer, but it needs to be soon. The males molt their feathers in late summer and lose their vibrant red appearance. They usually remain in the region’s mountains through late September and early October. Tanagers are common migrants offering a chance to see them as they pass through to return to the tropics. They’re just not going to look as good in the fall as they do in spring and early summer.

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Bryan Stevens is celebrating 30 years of writing about birds, birders and birding. Email him at ahoodedwarbler@aol.com to share a sighting, ask a question or make a comment.

Eastern kingbirds deserve their billing as tyrant flycatchers

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Photo by Bryan Stevens • An Eastern kingbird perches on a chain-link fence on the campus of East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee.

On Saturday, June 27, I spotted two Eastern kingbirds perched on utility lines that extend over the fish pond at my home.

Eastern kingbirds are fairly common summer residents in the region, but they’ve not been at all common birds at my home. In fact, this recent sighting is only the second I’ve ever made of the species at my home in 30 years of birding. As best I can recall, the first time I saw this species at home was in the late 1990s. I’ve seen Eastern kingbirds in many other areas in the region, as well as on trips to Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Virginia.

It didn’t take long to discover what had attracted the kingbirds to the fish pond. Using the utility lines as convenient perches, the birds continually swooped down over the waterlily-choked pond and returned to the lines with their catches. They were hunting dragonflies, an abundant insect at my fish pond. Based on my observations, they were quite skilled at capturing the dragonflies.

Kingbirds belong to an extensive family of birds known as tyrant flycatchers, or Tyrannidae. The family’s members are exclusively found in the New World. It is the world’s largest family of birds, with more than 400 species.

Tanagers, with 384 species, and hummingbirds, with 363 species, are close rival families when it comes to number of species. So are the pigeons and doves with 353 species, and Old World flycatchers with 345 species.

The Eastern kingbird is easy to recognize and identify. The bird’s plumage is a study in contrast, being black above and white below. In addition, there’s a noticeable white edge to the tip of the bird’s otherwise all-black tail. There is a red patch of feathers on top of the bird’s head, which gives this pint-sized tyrant a “crown,” but most birders, myself included, will tell you that this colorful patch is rarely seen and is instead kept concealed at most times.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • An Eastern kingbird perches on a fence post in the Limestone Cove community of Unicoi, Tennessee.

The scientific name of the Eastern kingbird is Tyrannus tyrannus, a good clue to the bird’s militant nature. Kingbirds, which are about the size of an American robin, are famous for displaying aggressive behavior against much larger birds such as crows and hawks, as well as vultures and herons.

While some birds are all bluff, the Eastern kingbird often follows through with its attacks. According to the website All About Birds, kingbirds have been known to knock blue jays right out of a tree.

I’ve observed kingbirds tormenting such large birds as red-tailed hawks and turkey vultures. I once watched a kingbird get so close to a red-tailed hawk that it almost looked like the smaller bird was hitching a ride on the hawk’s back. I suspect the hawk lost a feather or two in the encounter, not to mention suffering a blow to its dignity.

Other North American kingbirds include Western kingbird, tropical kingbird, Couch’s kingbird, Cassin’s kingbird and the thick-billed kingbird. On a trip to Salt Lake City in Utah many years back, I got the chance to see a Western kingbird, the counterpart to the Eastern kingbird in that part of the country.

Look for the Eastern kingbird in open terrain that offers plenty of perches. These birds spend most of their time chasing and catching flying insects, which provide the bulk of the bird’s food during the summer months.

While the kingbird is probably to be lauded for helping control populations of insect pests, they are not discriminating in their choice of prey. As a result, kingbirds feed on beneficial insects, such as dragonflies and bees, as well as pests like flies.

Photo by Bryan Stevens
A glimpse through the vegetation reveals one of the pond’s most voracious predators. Dragonflies consume many other species of insects, including some that are considered pests. Pictured is a female Blue Dasher. In turn, many birds, including Eastern kingbirds, feed on dragonflies. Kingbirds are skilled at snatching winged insects right out of the air.

Other flycatchers that are relatively common in the region include Eastern phoebe and Eastern wood-pewee. The region is also home to some pint-sized flycatchers during the warmer months, including least flycatcher, Acadian flycatcher, willow flycatcher and alder flycatcher.

Don’t judge the tyrannical kingbird too harshly. These birds are motivated to show aggression to other species due to an inordinate need to protect mates, young and territory. It’s not their fault that they are quite masterful at fulfilling this task.

Kingbirds are not the only birds to exhibit bold, brash behavior. Mockingbirds, brown thrashers and red-winged blackbirds are also quite pugnacious. At home, the male red-winged blackbirds have made numerous attacks on the resident red-shouldered hawks whenever these larger raptors venture too close to the cattail domain of the blackbirds.

Although the species faces potential habitat loss in both its summer range and tropical wintering grounds, the Eastern kingbird remains a prevalent bird across much of North America. It’s just not a common bird at my house, but perhaps my recent sighing of two kingbirds is a signal that’s about to change. Or it could mean that it will be another couple of decades before I see this species again at my home.

To share a sighting, ask a question or make a comment, send me an email at ahoodedwarbler@aol.com.