BACKYARD BIRDING FOR BEGINNERS
Fun Facts About Common Backyard Birds and Related Bird Feeders
1. House Sparrow--The House Sparrow was introduced into Brooklyn, New York, in 1851. By 1900 it
had spread to the Rocky Mountains. Its spread
throughout the West was aided by additional introductions in San Francisco, California, and Salt Lake City, Utah. To see SPARROW FEEDERS, CLICK HERE! 2. House Finch--The red or yellow
color of a male House Finch comes from pigments that it gets in its food during
molt. The more pigment in the food, the redder the male. Females prefer to mate
with the reddest male they can find, perhaps assuring that they get a capable
male who can find enough food to feed the nestlings. To see FINCH FEEDERS, CLICK HERE! 3. Chickadee--Like many members of its family the Mountain Chickadee hides food to eat later. It hides seeds and occasionally insects under bark, in pine needle clusters, and in the ground. An unusual cache site was inside a moth cocoon, where the seeds forced into it killed the pupae inside.
To see CHICKADEE FEEDERS, CLICK HERE!4. Goldfinch--The American Goldfinch is one of the latest nesting
birds. It usually does not start until late June or early July, when most other
songbirds are finishing with breeding. The late timing may be related to the
availability of suitable nesting materials and seeds for feeding young.
To see FINCH FEEDERS, CLICK HERE! 5. Pine Siskin--Small brown-streaked bird with varying amounts of yellow showing on wings and base of tail; bill is fairly long and sharply pointed. Seen most often in winter at feeders, often in the company of goldfinches.
To see SISKIN FEEDERS, CLICK HERE! 6. Mountain Bluebird--This bluebird often hovers several feet above the ground as it searches for insects to eat. (pictured above)
To see BLUEBIRD FEEDERS, CLICK HERE! 7. Northern Flicker—Although it can climb up the trunks of trees
and hammer on wood like other woodpeckers, the Northern Flicker prefers to find
food on the ground. Ants are its favorite food, and the flicker digs in the
dirt to find them. It uses its long barbed tongue to lap up the ants.
To See FLICKER FEEDERS, CLICK HERE! 8. Rufous Hummingbird--The Rufous Hummingbird makes one of the
longest migratory journeys of any bird in the world, as measured by body size.
Its 3,900 mi (6,276 km) movement from Alaska to Mexico is equivalent to
784,500 body lengths. In comparison, the 11,185 mi (18,000 km) flight of the
Arctic Tern is only 514,286 body lengths.
To See HUMMINGBIRD FEEDERS CLICK HERE!
9. European Starling--All the European
Starlings in North America descended from 100 birds released in New York's Central Park in the early 1890s.
A group dedicated to introducing America to all the birds
mentioned in Shakespeare's works set the birds free. Today, European Starlings
range from Alaska to Florida and northern Mexico, and their
population is estimated at over 200 million birds.
10. Black-billed
Magpie--Like
most members of its family, the Black-billed Magpie is known as a predator on
nests of other birds. Although it will take eggs and nestlings, these items
actually make up only a tiny portion of the magpie's diet. In England, one study found
that songbird density actually increased when Eurasian Magpie density
increased.
To see our full line of Quality Bird Watching Gifts for Attracting, Nesting and Feeding Wild Birds including: Bird Feeders, Birdhouses, Hummingbird Feeders, and Bird Baths, and Unique Home and Garden Decor such as Wind Chimes, Mylar Windsocks, Garden Gnomes and more, go to www.BackyardBirdsandGardens.com
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