Wild Birds

Whether you prefer to watch woodpeckers in Michigan in the woods or your backyard, there is never a dull moment. Michigan has plenty of woodpeckers. Ask any Michigan state resident. And they will probably tell you they have woodpeckers in their backyards all year round, though you should also know that a few species are […]

Early in my bird-watching hobby, I was hiking in the woods of Colorado when I came across a tree with a dozen or so small holes drilled into it. The holes were very uniform and orderly, laid out in an almost perfect line. A while later, I came across another tree with a similar pattern

If you live in or close to forest areas in the eastern United States of America or southeast Canada, feed the birds in your yard, or spend time walking in the woods, you are probably quite familiar with the Red-bellied Woodpecker. These are not shy woodpeckers, and they are not particularly picky when it comes

As a birdwatcher living in Colorado, I have always had to be satisfied with seeing the few species of hummingbird that can be found here–primarily the Black-chinned Hummingbird and the Broad-tailed Hummingbird. Occasionally I might be able to spot a Rufous Hummingbird as they are migrating through our fair state, headed either to the Pacific

Long before my bird-watching interest had taken hold, there was one bird that I could readily recognize, and each sighting of this bird brought me feelings of scorn and irritation. That bird was the Northern Flicker. To me, this bird was a pest, only too happy to drill holes in the side of our house

Diurnal, Migratory, Soaring, Predator Diet: Mammals, Lizards, and Birds Listen to the Zone-Tailed Hawk here and here   My favorite characteristic of the Zone-Tailed Hawk is its cunning stealth with hunting prey. Evolution has been kind to this raptor, giving it a startling similarity to the Turkey Vulture (which doesn’t hunt prey but waits until

This hummingbird has a fantastic name that made me excited to learn about it – I’ve never been fortunate enough to see one in person. I mean, when you hear the name ‘starthroat,’ it just has to be a stunner, right? Unfortunately for us bird watchers, the name doesn’t quite live up to our expectations,

Overview Evolved from Theropods (yes, the dinosaur!), these modern-day Jurassic Park inhabitants are not even big enough to fill one of the behemoth’s claws, yet hummingbirds have more species than any other bird (over 350)! I wonder how the one-ounce Black-chinned Hummingbird would look next to a Velicoraptor – it may be a speck, but

I still remember the goosebumps I got the first time I heard the intense drumming, followed by a loud me-ah call in the forest and the adrenaline rush at the sight of it leaning on its tail while licking sap from a maple tree. Few birds can match the skills of a yellow-bellied woodpecker: to

We often hear the term “a murder of crows,” but do you know what any other groups of birds are called? It seems unfair that crows get all the attention for having a unique group name. In the case of hummingbirds, these vivacious and quick gems are referred to using very endearing terms when gathered