Fish Crow

Fish Crow, Corvus ossifragus  (identified by call)

Fish Crows can be found within the southeastern portions of the United States. Although within the same range and with similar appearance to the American crow, the Fish crows are completely difference species with closer genetic ties (pdf) to the Palm crow and Jamaican crow than the American crow. Compared to the American crow, the Fish crow is smaller, shorter, and glossier. In addition, Fish crows prefer wetlands, marshes, lakes, rivers, and coastal habitats; however, when it comes to field identification, the nasal call is best used for differentiation. They are omnivorous with a diet that can include carrion, crayfish, insects, berries, seeds, nuts, eggs, and garbage. While some flocks migrate, the majority of Fish crows are year round residents. Their population continually increases and is spreading north and west.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Regulus calendula

A very small, olive-green bird with prominent white eyerings and white wingbars, the Ruby-crowned Kinglet can be found throughout most of North America. Although migratory with breeding grounds mainly in parts of Canada and Alaska, some live year round in parts of the western United States and Canada. The bright red crest of males which gives this kinglet its common name normally remains hidden unless provoked.

Flying Ruby-crowned Kinglet with a very visible white eyering.

Ruby-crowned kinglets are mainly insectivores, but often eat some berries, seeds, and sap during winter. They can be found within trees and brush as well as isolated trees within meadows, but coniferous forests are a preferred habitat. Although tiny, the Ruby-crowned Kinglet lays a very large clutch of up to twelve eggs within a single nest. The red crown of the males is often visible during courtship displays. While monogamous during breeding season, they change mates each year.

Northern Mockingbird

Northern Mockingbird, Mimus polyglottos

The Northern Mockingbird is native to North America, but is most common in the southern regions of the United States. They are a dull grey with dark wings and distinctive white wing patches visible in flight. While commonly found in residential areas and city parks, Northern mockingbirds prefer any open area including forest edges, farmlands, thickets, and brushy deserts. These mimicking songbirds sing throughout the day and often into night, especially during a full moon, with most nocturnal singers being unmated males. Both males and females sing, but females are more quiet and rarely sing in summer. Northern mockingbirds are generally monogamous, occasionally for life. Although the females solely incubate the eggs, both parents are active in feeding and protection of their young. As omnivores, their diet consists of various insects, berries, and seeds including holly, dogwood, earthworms, wasps, ants, and small lizards.

Northern Cardinal

♂ Northern Cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis

The Northern cardinal is native to North America, found throughout most of the eastern and central portions of the continent. While common in suburbs, they may also be found in dense shrubby areas such as forests, thickets, and hedgerows. The males are a very distinguishable bright red crested bird with a black bib around an orange beak, while the females are dull brown and red. As a non-migrating species, and one that doesn't molt into a dull plumage, both are very noticeable during winter. Unlike most other song birds, female cardinals can and do sing.

 ♀ Northern Cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis

Although serially monogamous, about one-third of nestlings are the result of extra-pair copulations, and about one-fifth of pairs split up by the next season. Males are extremely territorial during breeding season and are often seen attacking their own reflection in mirrors, chrome, and windows. Northern cardinals are common feeder birds with a diet mainly of seeds and fruits, but they will also consume various insects. Their main predators include domestic cats and dogs, shrikes, owls, and hawks.

Red-winged Blackbird

♂ Red-winged Blackbird, Agelaius phoeniceus

Red-winged blackbirds are native to North America. They can be found in prairies and fields, but are most often found in wetlands and marshes, freshwater and saltwater. Contrary to the sometimes streaky dusty brown females, the adult males have a distinctive red and yellow shoulder badge with the immature males wearing a badge of orange and yellow. As with most songbirds, the males are the ones found singing while the females prefer to remain out of sight. Warning calls and mobbing are done by the males.

Winter flock of male, mature and immature, and female, red-winged blackbirds.

Migrating flocks often contain a thousand individual or more, and like with many other migratory birds, roosting is communal with large, centralized populations. Red-winged blackbirds are extremely polygynous with a single male on average breeding with five females, but up to one-half of nestlings are the progeny of someone other than the territorial male. The female incubates, but both parents contribute to feeding the nestlings. Red-winged blackbirds are generalized feeders with greater consumption of animal material, such as snails, frogs, carrion, and insects, during breeding season, and with a greater consumption of plant material during non-breeding season, especially seeds such as from ragweed, cocklebur, and sunflower.

Mallard

♀, ♂ Mallards, Anas platyrhynchos

Mallards are one of the most familiar of all duck, possibly due to its native distribution throughout North America and its introduction throughout most of the world, particularly in the Northern Hemisphere. They are the ancestor of nearly all domestic ducks and inhabit almost any wetland habitat from city ponds and prairie potholes to rice fields and estuaries. While mallards prefer lowland habitats, they will also inhabit low-elevation mountain lakes and streams. Pairs are generally monogamous and form long before spring breeding season, but incubation and rearing of the ducklings falls solely on the female. Their minimal nest requirements are dry ground away from the edge of the water, dead vegetation to form nests, and plenty of pond area for feeding. Mallards eat a variety of aquatic plants and invertebrates including duckweeds, smartweeds, grasses, crustaceans, snails, spiders, and worms, and if in the bottomland hardwoods, acorns. As an important game species, humans are a common predator as well as cats, dogs, weasels, raccoons, opossums, ravens, crows, snakes, turtles, and fish.

Sign of Spring

White Trout Lilies, Erythronium albidum

It is my favorite time of year when the trout lilies are starting to bloom. They are a rare wildflower due to their habitat preference and long propagation time; however, they are earlier bloomers and often considered a herald of spring. Although I have written an in-depth post about them already, today seemed a good day to revisit the topic, with some more photos of their blooming, and a reminder about the post linked above where you can read more information.

Leaf litter may hide them as they bloom, but they are there if you look!

Next week and perhaps the week after I plan to focus my posts on birds. To make it interesting, I hope to do an identification game similar to last year with the bark on Google+, except instead of pictures, I'll post the bird call and allow for guessing. The songs will be posted on Monday and Wednesday.