Passerine Birds

Belted Kingfisher

Belted kingfishers are year-round native Floridians and are most commonly found around sources of water, which they rely upon for survival. The belted kingfisher has a powder blue plumage, white belly, and shaggy crest. The females sport a rust-colored belly band for which the species is named, but the differences stop there. Both males and females have a large, pointed beak for fishing.
Belted kingfishers stalk lakes, rivers, and estuaries, looking for small fish to catch. They will fly up and down waterways searching for food or dive headlong from a perch. Belted kingfishers are one of the few bird species capable of hovering in one spot before diving. They use their dagger-like beaks to strike the water and their prey.
Belted kingfishers are known to nest in most climates but migrate south during the winter, where their waterways will stay unfrozen and, therefore, a viable food source. During the breeding season, they burrow upward into muddy banks so that rain cannot penetrate and line the nest with fish bones, scales, and various prey animal remains for added insulation. Keep an eye on the skies above your local water sources for a glimpse of the belted kingfisher.
Photo Credit: Dan Kon
Author: Sarina Pennington, IOF Volunteer
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Great-Tailed Grackle

Great-Tailed Grackle
While normally found year-round in the Southwestern United States, great-tailed grackles can occasionally be seen here in Florida. Not to be confused with the boat-tailed grackle or common grackle, this species has unusually long, splayed tail feathers. The males are twice the size of female great-tailed grackles and sport iridescent black plumage. The females have long, slender tail feathers.
Great-tailed grackles are a member of the Icteridae family (New World Blackbirds) but are commonly mistaken for Corvidae. Similar to crows. They eat a wide variety of foods such as insects, grains, fruits, and even small fish. Although incapable of swimming, great-tailed grackles are known to forage in shallow waters searching for tadpoles and crustaceans.
This species of grackle is frequently spotted in rural areas during the day before coming back to urban areas to roost for the night. Great-tailed grackles are a common sight on farms, where they live in symbiosis with cattle by eating the parasites that plague the bovine. All in all, they are a welcome sight to Florida’s coasts and woodlands– as well as the occasional parking lot.
Photo Credit: Lynn Marie
Author: Sarina Pennington IOF Volunteer
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Ovenbird

The ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla) gets its name from the shape of its nest. The dome and side entrance make it resemble a Dutch oven. Their range is the eastern and central United States and parts of Canada, extending downwards towards Mexico and Central America. Florida is part of their nonbreeding habitat.
Ovenbirds generally avoid open fields and cultivated areas. They prefer uninterrupted forests with close canopies. If mature forests are unavailable, they can live and feed along coffee trees or mangroves in agricultural lands. Even though they prefer leaf litter when hunting for invertebrates, they will forage in grasses, rocks, or mud near water. In their winter habitats, they are flexible in what they eat. They can add seeds to their diets and specialize in locally abundant prey like ants. Whereas they breed and rear their young as a pair in their breeding habitats, they are generally solitary on their winter grounds.
Ovenbirds are abundant, and their population is stable, increasing slightly over the years. They are of low conservation concern; However, they still face threats from forest fragmentation and disruption of industrial noises. During migration, large numbers can face casualty from colliding with towers and tall buildings.
Cool Fact: The abundance, wide distribution, and relative ease of observation have made the ovenbird a model songbird in scientific studies for nearly a century. These studies have helped scientists understand the effects of logging and habitat fragmentation on migrating songbirds.
Photo Credit: Lynn Marie
Author: Destiny Alvarez – Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, University of Oregon
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Loggerhead Shrike

Loggerhead Shrike
This small bird has a light gray body with a white underbelly. It has a black tail, wing markings, and a mask around its eyes (ECOS date unknown).
The species range extends as far north as Canada, along the prairies of the central region, down to Mexico. It can be found from the northern Gulf Coast to the southern part of Florida, where they spend the winter (FWC 2003).
Loggerheaded shrikes prefer areas with low vegetation, such as grasslands, marshes, prairies, scrubs, and sandhills. They can also be found near agricultural areas, golf courses, and urban areas. They can be found near structures with spines, such as barbed wire or thorns on plants (ECOS date unknown).
Most of their diet consists of insects such as grasshoppers and beetles. However, they consume larger prey such as mice, roadkill, and other birds. They attack the throat of their prey, paralyzing them before impaling them on spines before consuming them (ECOS date unknown).
Both sexes participate in nest selection sites, looking for thorny areas for protection. Females primarily construct the nest made of a stick foundation and lined with soft materials such as foliage and animal fur. About five eggs are laid with gray, brown, and black markings. They incubate for about 16 days, take two days to hatch, and begin leaving the nest at about 18 days and rely on their parents for food for up to 6 weeks (FWC 2003).
The spraying of sodium nitrate fertilizer has been shown to negatively affect populations. When sample nests were compared to control groups, there was a significant loss of eggs, nests, and offspring (Yosef and Deyrup, 2019).
References :
[ECOS] Environmental Conservation Online System. Date unknown. United States Fish and Wildlife Services. [Accessed 2023 March 19]: https://ecos.fws.gov/ecp/species/8833
[FWC] Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. 2003. Florida’s breeding bird atlas: A collaborative study of Florida’s birdlife (Online). [Accessed 2023 March 19]: http://www.myfwc.com/bba/
Porter, C. 2000. “Lanius ludovicianus” (Online), Animal Diversity Web. [Accessed 2023 March 18] https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Lanius_ludovicianus/
Yosef, R and Deyrup, MA. 2019. Effects of fertilizer-induced reduction of invertebrates on reproductive success of Loggerhead Shrikes (Lanius ludovicianus). Bulletin of Experimental Biology & Medicine. 166(6):307-312.
Photo Credit: Andy Waldo
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Savannah Sparrow

Savannah Sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis) have an extremely wide range. Canada and the northern parts of the United States are their breeding grounds. During non-breeding times, they migrate to parts of the central and southern United States and Mexico.
These little sparrows live in grasslands with few trees, such as meadows, pastures, and cultivated fields planted with cover crops. They also inhabit tidal salt marshes and estuaries as they are near the ocean. In colder regions, Alaska and northern Canada, they will live among the shrubby willows of the tundra. During breeding seasons, they will eat insects and invertebrates; in their winter range, their diet will consist primarily of small seeds from grasses and forbs. Along coastal areas, they may eat tiny crustaceans.
During the nonbreeding range, Savannah Sparrows will gather in large flocks and become increasingly restless until they depart.
Savannah Sparrows are widespread and abundant and are of low conservation concern. These sparrows benefited from the human-changed landscape as pasturelands opened up, but some of their range has been lost to the urbanization that followed and the shift in agricultural practices. Due to their foraging behavior, they are vulnerable to some crop pesticides and may eat granular pesticides that are scattered in cornfields.
Cool Fact, the Savannah Sparrow’s name is not named because of its fondness for grassy areas but is named by a famous nineteen-century ornithologist Alexander Wilson for collecting specimens in Savannah, Georgia.
Photo Credit: Andy Waldo, Lynn Marie
Author: Destiny Alvarez – Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, University of Oregon
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White-eyed vireo

The White-eyed vireo (Vireo griseus) is a small songbird that lives in Florida year-round in scrubby areas such as overgrown pastures, forest edges, and mangroves. The diet comprises caterpillars, flies, beetles, moths, butterflies, leafhoppers, lacewings, and spiders. During nonbreeding seasons fruits will be a part of their diet.
Males defend territories from other males by wing flicking, fluffing, sleeking their feathers, and will pecking at the other male. Courtship will start as soon as the female arrives and they will maintain a monogamous bond during the breeding season. The White-eyed vireo will return to the same breeding area year after year, sometimes with different mates.
It takes a mating pair 3-5 days to complete a nest. They will use insect silk and spiderweb to make a shell, then collect stick leaves, bark, plant fibers, rootlets, and bits of paper and add them to the shell. They will use lichens, moss, or leaves outside the nest to camouflage the nest. Usually, 3-5 eggs are laid in a clutch with only 1-2 young being hatched; the eggs are white with some spotting. Incubation is 13-15 days; they can leave the nest after 9-11 days. Both parents contribute to incubating the eggs and feeding the young. However, there are times when the nest can be parasitized by the Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus after), which results in the unknowing parents caring for another bird’s young while their young do not survive.
This species is common with a stabilized population, so it is not of conservation concern.
Photo Credit: Sheri Douse, Lynn Marie
Author: Destiny Alvarez – Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, University of Oregon
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Wood Thrush

Florida is one of the Wood Thrush’s (Hylocichla mustelina) migration routes; they breed in deciduous and mixed forests in eastern North America. During winter, they will live in shady, broad-leaved, and palm tropical forests.
Wood thrushes mainly eat invertebrates on leaf litter and fruits from shrubs. Their summer diet is primarily invertebrates, though they will occasionally eat salamanders found in trees. Their diet will shift to mainly fruits, particularly fatty fruits, to prepare for migration. In winter, they are omnivorous, eating a variety of fruits and invertebrates. The male Wood Thrush is one of the first songbirds to be heard in the morning and among the last in the evening.
Wood Thrushes are solitary foragers, though they may form mixed flocks on their wintering grounds. They are still common though their population has declined between 1966 and 2019, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. The Wood Thrush is included in the Yellow Watch List for birds most at risk of extinction without significant conservation actions to reverse declines and reduce threats. It is thought that habitat fragmentation in their breeding and wintering grounds contributed to their population decline. Lower food quality choices can result from fragmented habitats along with exposed nests for predators such as raccoons, jays, crows, and domestic or feral cats, and to the nest parasite, the Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater).
Fun Fact: Among many alarms calls this bird can make, one is a distinctive, sharp machine-gun-like sound that can be heard from far off.
Photo Credit: Lynn Marie
Author: Destiny Alvarez – Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, University of Oregon
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Pine Warbler

Pine Warblers (Setophaga pinus) are common in eastern pine forests. These long-tailed warblers are hefty with a stout bill. They are small, measuring about 5.1-5.5 inches with a wingspan of 7.5-9.1 inches, and they weigh about 0.3-0.5 oz. The Pine Warbler is yellowish with an olive back, a whiteish belly, and two prominent white wing bars on gray wings. Adult males are brighter than females; females and immatures are more subdued in color and can even appear gray-brown. Pine Warble can be difficult to see as they perch high in pines. Compared to other warblers, this species is not heavily patterned.
Pine Warblers are well-named as they spend most of their time in pine trees. Pine Warblers live in pine or mixed pine-deciduous forests in the eastern United States. Northern populations migrate to the southeastern United States during winter. Individuals that breed in the southeast typically stay there year-round.
Insects make up most of their diet, which mainly consists of caterpillars and other arthropods, including beetles, grasshoppers, bugs, ants, bees, flies, cockroach eggs, and spiders. However, in colder months, they will eat fruits and seeds, notably pine seeds. While foraging, they will hop along branches as they pick food from bark and needles. Pine Warblers can also feed on the ground and catch insects in the air.
Males are aggressive in the early breeding season; they chase other birds and indicate aggression by gliding or flying with stiff wingbeats around their opponent. Sometimes during a fight, they fly toward each other and lock bills in the air. In winter Pine Warblers will forage in mixed-species flocks. In late winter or spring, males will establish breeding territories by singing persistently and chasing intruders.
Nests are almost always built in pine trees, usually high in the tree and concealed among needles and cones. The female will gather most of the nest material and bind the nest with sider or caterpillar silk. The female can begin laying eggs in 14 days once the nest is finished. The male will often escort the female as she gathers nest materials and occasionally will help build. There are 3-5 eggs in a clutch, with only 1-2 young hatching. The incubation period is 10-13 days, and it takes about 10 days before the offspring can leave the nest. Eggs are white, grayish, or greenish-white with brown speckles. The offspring are undeveloped and downy. Parents will perform the broken wing display to lure predators away from the nests. After the young fledge, the warblers will move around in family groups.
Pine Warbler populations are steadily increasing, indicating this species is a low conservation concern. Across much of their range, the pine forests have been altered or destroyed by logging, development, and fire suppression. However, over the last few decades, Pine Warblers have moved into deciduous forests where pines have been introduced.
Photo Credit: Lynn Marie, Andy Waldo
Author: Destiny Alvarez – Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, University of Oregon
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Eastern Phoebe

The Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) is a small flycatcher with a short, thin bill that is used for catching insects. It is a plump little songbird with a brownish-gray color, a white belly, and a head as the darkest part. Birds with their fall plumage appear faint yellow on the belly and whitish edging on the folded wing feathers.
Eastern Phoebes breed in wooded areas, generally near water sources. Their chosen nesting sites are typically human-built structures such as overhanging decks and bridges. They could nest on woody understory vegetation; it was possible that they chose this type of vegetation to become less visible or to provide perches near the nest for the adults. During winter they can be found in deciduous woods. They have an extensive range from parts of Canada to the eastern parts of the U.S. and parts of Mexico. Florida is part of their non-breeding habitat.
The Eastern Phoebe’s diet mainly consists of flying insects such as butterflies, wasps, flies, and cicadas. They will also eat spiders, ticks, millipedes, and occasionally, small fruits or seeds. When hunting they will be on alert on a low perch often twitching their tails when prey is spotted. They will quickly leave their perch on quick wingbeats. After they catch their food, they often return to the same or nearby perch.
Rarely seen in groups, even mated pairs spend little time together. Males are territorial and will defend their territory from others Eastern Phoebes, though they do tolerate other species. This species is of low conservation concern because their population increases as people spread across landscapes building human-made structures used by these birds.
Photo Credit: Dan Kon
Author: Destiny Alvarez – Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, University of Oregon
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Tufted Titmouse

The Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) is common in eastern deciduous forests and is a frequent visitor to feeders. They have a large head with large black eyes, thick necks, and a full compact body. They have a distinctly pointed crest and stout bill with a black patch above. Measuring about 5.5-6.3 inches with a wingspan of about 7.9-10.2 inches, they weigh about 0.6-0.9 oz. Plumage is a soft silvery gray coloration from above and a white color below, with a rusty or peach-colored wash down the flanks.
This passerine bird eats mainly insects in the summer which include caterpillars, beetles, and ants, though they also feed on seeds, nuts, and berries, including nuts and beech nuts. In fall and winter, they will hoard their shelled seeds in bark crevices. As acrobatic foragers, they often hang upside down or sideways while investigating cones, undersides of branches, and leaf clusters. They are very vocal birds and are quick to respond to the sounds of agitation in other birds, either going to investigate or joining a group of birds that are mobbing a predator.
The Tufted Titmouse nests in cavities from natural holes or old nest holes made by several woodpecker species and will also nest in artificial structures such as nest boxes, fenceposts, and metal pipes. Damp leaves, moss and grasses, and bark strips are used to create their nests. The nest is lined with soft material such as hair, fur, wool, cotton, and even sometimes plucked hairs from living mammals. Nest construction takes about 6 to 11 days. Three to nine eggs are laid in a clutch, incubation is about 12 to 14 days, and the young can leave the nest at about 15 to 16 days.
Their population is common and even increasing which makes this little bird a low conservation concern. The Tufted Titmice have gained popularity as a backyard feeder bird.
Photo Credit: Dan Kon
Author: Destiny Alvarez – Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, University of Oregon
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Yellow-throated Warbler

The Yellow Throated Warbler (Setophaga dominica) is well named for its bright yellow throat; they are gray and white with black streaks down the sides. They are small birds measuring about 5.1-5.5 inches with a wingspan of 8.3 inches and weighing about 0.3-0.4 oz. Their range consists of the central and eastern parts of the United States, parts of Mexico, and the Caribbean islands. Florida is part of their non-breeding habitat. Their habitats are the same during the breeding season and winter range; they live in pine forests with an open understory, bald cypress swamps, and woodlands near streams.
The warbler’s diet consists of insects such as beetles, caterpillars, and flies. They forage more deliberately and with less fluttering than other warblers as they will probe for insects in crevices, pine cones, and clusters of pine needles. During the non-breeding season, they also forage on insects attracted to agave and coconut palm flowers. During the breeding season, males will establish territories with song and generally will only interact with their mates and offspring. During the non-breeding season, they form mixed-species flocks with Carolina Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, and other warblers.
According to the North American Breeding Bird Survey, the Yellow Throated Warblers are common and are a species that is of low conservation concern.
Photo Credit: Andy Waldo
Author: Destiny Alvarez – Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, University of Oregon
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Cedar Waxwing

The Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) is a sleek bird with a large head, a short neck, and a short wide bill. They have a crest on top of their head that often lies flat and droops over the back of their head. Their wings are similar to the starling, it is broad and pointed, and their tail is short and square-tipped. They can reach lengths up to 5.5-6.7 inches, with a wingspan of 8.7-11.8 inches. Cedar Waxwings are pale brown on the head and chest fading to soft gray on the wings. The belly is pale yellow, and the tail is gray with a bright yellow tip.
The Cedar Waxwing has an extensive range, which includes all of the U.S., parts of Mexico, and parts of Canada. Florida makes up parts of their non-breeding habitat. They inhabit deciduous, coniferous, and mixed woodlands, particularly areas along streams. They are social birds that form large flocks and often nest in the loose structure of a dozen or so nests. They feed on fruits year-round. The birds’ name derives from their appetite for cedar berries in winter, though they eat a variety of fruits. In summer Cedar Waxwings will supplement their fruit diet with protein-rich insects.
Cedar Waxwings are listed as ‘least concern’ as their population is stable; however, they are vulnerable to window collisions and being struck by cars as the birds feed on fruiting trees along roadsides.
Photo Credit: Lynn Marie
Author: Destiny Alvarez – Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, University of Oregon
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Black-and-white Warbler

Black-and-white Warblers, Mniotilta varia, spend their winters in Florida and California, with some migrating all the way to northern South America. These medium-sized warblers can be found in a number of habitats including forests, wetlands, mangroves, and urban settings.
Insects and butterfly larvae make up their diets. Look for these agile birds on tree trunks and thick limbs where they use their downcurved bills to probe moss and bark to pluck insects.
Photo Credit: Lynn Marie
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Wilson’s Warbler

Wilson’s Warblers, Cardellina pusilla, are easily recognized with their bright yellow feathers and black cap. After breeding in the western U.S. and Canada, these small warblers head to Mexico and Central America for the summer. During migration, they pass through all 48 states.
Look for them in shrubby areas of scrubs and forests near a water source. These birds rarely stay still. They fly out and back from their low perches to catch insects in mid-air. They are quick to snatch spiders, caterpillars, and larval insects off of twigs and leaves.
According to the North American Breeding Bird Survey, Wilson’s Warblers population declined by 60% between 1966 and 2019. Threats include habitat loss on their migratory paths. Create bird-friendly yards with native Florida shrubs and trees to help these birds recover.
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Vermilion Flycatcher

The Vermilion Flycatcher’s genus name, Pyrocephalus rubinus, means “fire-headed.” The brilliant male pictured here is an uncommon visitor to Florida. Females are grayish brown with a yellowish-red underside.
Vermilion Flycatchers are year-round residents in Central and South America. However, they are known as wanderers and have traveled to British Columbia. Some spend their winter along Florida’s Gulf coast.
These small, but striking birds, prefer open habitats with a water source where they perch on low branches, shrubs, and fences. They fly swiftly to catch their prey and loop back to their perch. Food consists of insects, including bees, crickets, and beetles. Larger insects, such as butterflies or grasshoppers, are slammed against the perch to make them suitable for eating.
Although scarce in Florida, Vermilion Flycatchers are common in most of their range and, thus, are a species of low-level concern.
Photo Credit: Lynn Marie
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White Wagtail

White wagtails, Motacilla alba, are common birds across Asia and Europe. A small population lives in western Alaska. These passerine birds are 6.5 to 7.5 in long. They can be found in open areas near water or in urban areas foraging insects and small invertebrates. The white wagtail is the national bird of Latvia and has been featured on many stamps throughout Eurasia.
Fun Fact: In Latin, Motacilla alba means little mover. However, because the bird constantly wags its tail, some medieval writers thought it meant wagtail.
Photo Credit: Lynn Marie
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Chuck-will’s Widow

The Chuck-will’s Widow is a nocturnal bird that regularly visits North America. However, this bird inhabits the south of Florida from Okeechobee to the Keys year-round, In breeding season, this bird spends time in oak-hickory, pine, and other forests of the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic states. During the breeding season, this bird spends time in oak-hickory, pine, and other forests of the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic states. During winter, they move as far south as the Caribbean, Colombia, and Venezuela.
The Chuck-will’s Widow is the largest nightjar in North American and can grow to be 12.6 inches large and weigh 188 grams. This bird is well camouflaged, so it is hard to spot. The general color tone of its plumage is warm brown. and the outer tail feathers have white inner webs). Additionally, its whole body has small black spots.
The diet of the Chuck-will’s widow consists of insects they hunt while flying low over the ground. They have regularly been seen eating smaller birds and bats. This bird does not build nests. Instead, they just lay their eggs among pine needles and dead leaves on the ground.
According to the All About Birds organization, the population of Chuck-will’s widows has declined by about 2.3% per year between 1966 and 2015. This decline accounts for an accumulative decline of 69% by the North American Breeding Bird Survey.
Listen for the Chuck-will widow’s unrelenting calling at dusk and during the night and especially when the moon is full.
Work Cited: The Cornell Lab. “Chuck-will’s Widow.” All About Birds Accessed 25 November 2021.
Photo Credit: Paul Waller, Natureboy Photography
Author: Steven Marquez – Student, Valencia College
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Painted Bunting

Painted Bunting
 
Painted Buntings, Passerina ciris, are a delight to see with their bright blue, green, red, and yellow feathers. Females and young buntings are a beautiful shade of green.
There are two breeding populations of Painted Buntings. The western population in the south-central U.S. migrates to Central America. The eastern population that we will discuss here breeds in northeastern Florida eastern Georgia, and South Carolina before migrating to southern Florida and the Caribbean.
 
Painted Buntings breed in scrub habitats, hedges in yards, and on the edges of maritime hammocks. They prefer habitats with shrubs and trees that are semi-open. A mated pair will find dense foliage where the female will build a nest of woven foliage, including oak leaves, pine needles, bark, grasses, and Spanish moss. She will produce 1-3 broods yearly with 3-4 eggs. Incubation lasts 11-12 days. Males will fiercely defend their breeding territory.
 
Eastern breeders spend their winter in grassy/shrubby habitats where food is readily available. You may find them in small flocks or sharing their space with other seed-eating birds in South Florida.
 
These songbirds’ diets consist primarily of seeds except during the breeding season when their diets require mostly insects. Insects of choice include grasshoppers, caterpillars, wasps, flies, and beetles. Painted buntings forage seeds from grasses, spurge, sedge, St John’s Wort, and more. bark, grasses, and Spanish moss. She will produce 1-3 broods yearly with 3-4 eggs. Incubation lasts 11-12 days. Males will fiercely defend their breeding territory.
 
Painted Buntings will eat seeds from your bird feeder when you welcome them to your yard and provide low, dense vegetation.
 
Photo Credit: Andy Waldo and Lynn Marie
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Prothonotary Warbler

Prothonotary Warbler
The radiant golden Prothonotary Warbler, Protonotaria citrea, is a delight to see as it hops among the low branches in the dark understories of shaded swamps. It has bluish-gray wings and tail, white under the tail, olive-yellow back, and black beady eyes. Females are a bit paler than males.
Prothonotary Warblers, also known as swamp warblers, breed in swamps, flooded forests, and woods near lakes and streams. They are one of only two warblers who build their nests in abandoned chickadee and woodpecker holes. Courtship begins in April when the males arrive in Florida. After quite a display of courtship, the male will place moss in the nesting cavity. The female will build the nest of leaves, bark, and moss before incubating 3 – 7 eggs for 12 -14 days. Both parents feed the young for 9- 10 days when they are ready to leave the nest. Prothonotary Warblers produce 1 – 3 broods each year.
Aquatic insects make up most of the warblers’ diet. Prothonotary Warblers forage on shores and above standing or slow-moving water. They also dine on spiders and insects including butterflies, beetles, flies, caterpillars, grasshoppers, ants, as well as seeds and fruit.
Migration begins in early fall to their winter homes in Central or northern South America.
Prothonotary Warblers are a species of concern. Their population is declining due to the loss and alteration of forested wetlands. Snakes and raccoons are nest predators. Restoring forested wetlands where natural flooding occurs has proven successful in increasing populations. Nest boxes with predator guards protect the eggs from predators.
Connect. Respect. Coexist.
Photo Credit: Paul Waller
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Northern Mockingbird

The Northern Mockingbird, Mimus polyglottos, is best known for its ability to copy the sounds of 50 -60 other birds. Mimus polyglottos means “many-tongued mimic” in Latin. Recent studies indicate that mocking birds can mimic the sounds of frogs, music, auto horns and alarms, and machinery. These amazing birds can learn up to 200 songs and will serenade you all day and all night long.
Look for mockingbirds in open grassy areas, near shrubs, and singing on a fence or from a high spot such as a utility pole. Mockingbirds eat insects such as ants, wasps, butterflies, and grasshoppers. Fruit is a favorite food in the fall and winter.
Both the male and female build the nest in trees or shrubs. Female mocking birds lay 2-6 eggs two or three times each year. Mockingbirds are extremely defensive of their territory. They will swoop at humans, cats, birds, and other mockingbirds who get too close to their nests.
Florida was so enamored by this native songbird that it designated the Northern Mockingbird as the official state bird in 1927. Attract this bird to your yard by planting fruiting shrubs or trees.
Photo Credit: Dan Kon
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Red-winged Blackbird

Red-winged Blackbirds, Agelaius phoeniceus, are common throughout Florida. Male Red-winged Blackbirds are black and have a beautiful yellow-tipped red shoulder patch. Females are brownish with white streaks and have a tinge of yellow/orange around their beaks.
Look for Red-winged blackbirds foraging on the ground in marshes, wet fields, swamps, and near other water sources. While 75% of their diet consists of seeds found on the ground or in shrubs, the birds also dine on insects such as spiders, grasshoppers, caterpillars, beetles, and millipedes. They may occasionally enjoy a berry or small fruit.
A loose colony of Red-winged blackbirds forms in wetlands where breeding takes place. A male may have more than one female in his territory, Together with other birds from the colony, he will aggressively defend the nest from larger birds. The female builds a nest in the marsh of cattails, reeds, leaves, and grass. She lays 3-4 eggs and incubates them for 10 – 12 days. The hatchlings are fed by both parents before they leave the nest at 11-14 days old.
Photo Credit: Andy Waldo
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Yellow-headed Blackbird

Yellow-headed Blackbird visits Florida

While the yellow-headed blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus) may be a common resident of the western United States, it is a rare visitor to Florida. This male is one such individual that migrated just a little too far east. Every year, a small handful of individuals can be seen in random locations throughout Florida, usually in the Fall and winter months.

Similar to the more commonly known red wing blackbird, the yellow-headed blackbird occupies marshes and open fields where it searches for seeds and small insects to eat. Being larger and more dominant than the smaller red wing blackbirds, yellow-heads often occupy the best nesting grounds in the marshes that they share. A single male can maintain a territory with up to 8 females to nest with. He will often share in the nesting duties but seldom feeds the young other than those in the first nest created. The nests average 4 eggs each and they typically lay one clutch of eggs per year.

Apart from the bright yellow heads of the adult males (as seen in the photos), yellow-headed blackbirds can also be identified by the bright white wing patches most easily seen when in flight. They are also known as having a rather unpleasant call for a songbird, sounding much like a rusty hinge squeaking.

So, remember, always keep your eyes open. You never know what neat visitor you may run into.

Photo credit: Andy Waldo
Map: Cornell Lab

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Yellow-rumped Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Known affectionately as Butter-Butts, Yellow-rumped warblers, (Setophaga coronata), migrate south in the winter. These flocks of Florida snowbirds can be found in mangroves, scrub, forests, or your yard.

Their winter diet consists of fruit from shrubs such as wax myrtle, juniper berries, poison ivy, and poison oak as well as many seeds including those from goldenrod and beach grasses.

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Great Crested Flycatcher

Great Crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus)

These beautiful birds tend to make homes in deciduous forests but can also settle in your backyard. Once they establish a nest, they rarely move. Both parents care for the nest and will leave in search of insects. They are excellent hunters, moving quickly and picking off insects on the ground or even in flight.

Great Crested Flycatchers have also been known to bring snake skins back to their nest. Occasionally, they may mistake plastic for snakes’ skins. Males defend their nest with loud calls and will even fight when threatened. Breeding takes place throughout the U.S. and southern parts of Canada in spring and summer. During non-breeding seasons, from fall through winter, Great Crested Flycatchers migrate to Central or South America.

Photo Credit ~ Aymee Laurain

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Northern Cardinal

Northern Cardinals, Cardinalis are familiar sights and can be heard singing and chirping in yards, parks, wooded areas, and shrubby forest edges. You will often see them in pairs on or near the ground eating grass or weed seeds. They love insects such as beetles, grasshoppers, caterpillars, ants, flies, spiders, centipedes, and snails. Small berries, grapes, and fruits are other favorites. They will seek out black sunflower seeds in birdfeeders.
The male’s brilliant red plumage is a welcome sight for humans and female cardinals. Females, who are pale brown with reddish-orange tinges of color are drawn to the males with the brightest color. Males are aggressive when defending their territory and attack other males who intrude. They nest in dense shrubs and vines and produce up to three broods of three to six eggs each season. The male cardinal, whose brilliant red color will fade after mating, is a wonderful parent who feeds his mate during and after incubation. The mother cardinal will sing from the nest to indicate when it is time to eat.  Father cardinals will care for and protect the mother and babies until they leave the nest. You may find young cardinals following their parents on the ground as they learn to forage on their own.
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Florida Scrub-Jay

Florida Scrub-jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens) is the only species of birds endemic to Florida. These social birds are charismatic, vocal, and friendly. They thrive in sand pine and xeric oak scrub, scrubby flatwoods, sand dunes, and sandy deposits along rivers. Scrub-jays dine on lizards, toads, frogs, mice, insects, and bird eggs. Acorns add protein, and Scrub-jays have been known to bury some to be used during the winter months.

Florida Scrub-jays are cooperative breeders. Both the mom and dad, as well as grown offspring, feed and protect the young. Breeding takes place from March through June. Nests are built from palmetto fibers and twigs and are only 3-10′ above the ground. An average clutch of 2-5 eggs produces new chicks in about 18 days. The babies fledge in another 18 days and remain with their family for a year.

A scrub-jay family lives in a 24-acre area. The family will take turns being the “look-out” bird while the rest forage for food. If a predatory bird such as a hawk is sighted, the “look-out” bird will call to the family, and they will all take cover. If the threat is at ground level, the family may join together in attacking a snake or other predator.

Sadly, Florida Scrub-jays have been declared Threatened under the Endangered Species Act and classified as Vulnerable to Extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. There are only about 8,000 Scrub-Jays left in Florida. The U.S. Migratory Bird Treaty Act protects Florida Scrub-jays.

Over the last 200 years, humans have claimed Scrub-jays well-drained habitats for development and agriculture. A history of fire suppression caused much of their remaining habitats to become overgrown and unlivable. Because development has caused forests to become fragmented, when young birds leave their family home, they have a hard time finding a suitable habitat where they can settle down and start their own family. This fragmentation has caused isolation between families, and thus, each group of Scrub-jays has adapted by developing their own unique vocalizations.

Photo Credit Dan Kon

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Carolina Wren

Quietly sit outside, and you will likely see a pair of busy Caroline Wrens. They are common in backyards and open woods. Listen, and you will hear their song, often with the male producing resonant melodies while the female chirps along.

Carolina Wrens (Thryothorus ludovicianus) dine on caterpillars, beetles, grasshoppers, crickets, spiders, larvae, and other insects, as well as fruit, seeds, and berries. They use their bills to search for food while hopping or flying on or near the ground. They forage together near the safety of shrubs or bushes in gardens, thickets, brush piles, barks of trees and limbs, and may occasionally stop at your birdfeeder for a treat.

Mated for life, Carolina Wrens will defend their permanent territory. They work together to construct their nest where they will raise 3 broods of 4-8 young each year. Their nests can be found in tree holes, branches, stumps, and brushes. They can also be found in mailboxes, window boxes, garages, artificial wreaths hung on your front door, and a variety of other human-provided safe nesting spots. The couple builds the nest out of twigs, leaves, and weeds with a side opening and oftentimes, with a domed roof. The female lines the nest with soft materials of grass, moss, feathers, animal hair, and/or snakeskin. The male brings meals to the female while she incubates the eggs for two weeks. Both parents feed the chicks for two weeks before they leave the nest.

Has a Carolina Wren pair claimed your yard as their permanent territory?

Photo Credit Andy Waldo

 

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House Sparrow

House sparrows were introduced at various stages throughout New York (Barrows 1889), Maine, Massachusetts, and Nova Scotia. Some of these releases were a sentimental connection to the homeland of many European immigrants. Others were to help control cankerworms or linden moths(Marshall 2014). In some cases, the release of house sparrows failed and the birds died without breeding. One of the more successful attempts was in Nova Scotia. This population spread and the presence of other populations in the U.S. Northeastern states may have helped them thrive.

Today, house sparrows have spread throughout all of the United States, most of Mexico, and the southern parts of Canada. They have even made their way to South America. In most regions, they are considered an invasive species due to their aggressive and territorial tenancies. They will even go to such extremes as to damage the nests of other birds. They out-compete many native birds for food and reproduce at a rapid rate making them difficult to control. Oddly enough, many places in Europe are seeing declines in house sparrow populations. The United Kingdom has a 71% reduction since the mid-1990s. This decline has been linked to avian malaria and areas of increased nitrogen dioxide. Italy experienced a 49% decline in house sparrow populations from reductions in nesting sites, reduced food availability, and possible disease. Paris reported a 12.4% reduction by year primarily due to city gentrification. Yet, these birds continue to thrive in North America.

One way you can help is by providing a nesting box for house sparrows. If eggs are laid you can simply poke them with a pin to prevent the eggs from further developing. Removing the eggs entirely can cause the female to produce more eggs at a faster rate. Removing an entire nest could force sparrows into more wild landscapes and could pose a greater threat to native birds. While we might never be able to fully eradicate house sparrows from Florida, it never hurts to try and reduce the growing population.

House Sparrows are sexually dimorphic with the male having a classic black mask across his eyes. The photos below show a male (Left) and female (Right).

Photo credit: Aymee Laurain
Reference:
Barrows, W.B. (1889). “The English Sparrow (Passer domesticus) in North America, Especially in its Relations to Agriculture”. United States Department of Agriculture, Division of Economic Ornithology and Mammalogy Bulletin (1).

https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.182197

https://www.theguardian.com/…/pollutionwatch-city-sparrows-…

https://www.researchgate.net/…/230139769_Recent_declines_in…

Malher, F. and Maintigneux, P., 2019, The House Sparrow in Paris: decline and monitoring, AGIR pour la biodiversité.

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Eastern Bluebird

The Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) is part of the songbird family of thrushes. Once declining at an alarming rate due to introduced species, pesticides, and habitat loss, Eastern bluebirds have made a stirring comeback. The population increase has been aided by birdhouses built especially for the bluebirds along bluebird trails.

Eastern bluebirds prefer open habitat, which is near trees. These areas include forest clearings, burned areas, savannas, pastures, parks, and golf courses.

Male bluebirds flutter and sing to attract a female. The new couple will find a tree with a cavity such as an old woodpecker hole or a birdhouse. The female does most of the nest building and will loosely construct a nest of twigs and grasses lined with softer material such as feathers, animal hairs, or fine grass. There she will lay 3-7 pale blue or white eggs.

Incubation takes 13-16 days and is mostly by the female. When the nestlings are born, both parents will feed their young. Since Eastern bluebirds have 2-3 broods per year, it is not unusual to see a young bird from a previous brood help with feeding. Meals consist of a wide variety of insects. They also enjoy berries, earthworms, and snails.

Eastern bluebirds are monogamous while nesting but can be found in small flocks during the rest year. We hope a flock of bluebirds will fly over the rainbow and visit all of you this year.

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Robin

Robins

* Robins prefer cooler temperatures, which is why they fly north to escape the southern heat.
* Robins will start to migrate back north when they feel a 37-degree average daily isotherm ( ground temperature above 37*).
* Male robins will arrive at their northern destinations about 2 weeks earlier than the females. This gives them time to claim their territory. 
* Robins do not mate for life; however, the male will stay to help feed his chicks.
*Chicks leave the nest in August and live to be 5-6 years old.
* Robins begin to migrate south when the temperature causes the ground to become too hard to dig for earthworms, their main food source.
* Robins will resort to eating berries and insects until that food supply starts to dwindle.
* During migration, robins can fly up to 36 mph and cover 100-200 miles a day.
*Winter months are spent in Florida, southern Louisiana, southern Texas, southern Arizona, southern New Mexico, Southern California, and northern Mexico.
* Most robins migrate intermediate distances but some have migrated from Vancouver to as far south as Guatemala.

As the temperature warms in our neighboring states, robins will begin to make their way across Florida. Keep an eye on your birdbath. A flock of robins just might stop by for a quick dip and drink.

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Florida Grasshopper Sparrow

The Florida Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum A. s. floridanus) is one of the most endangered birds in Florida, with less than 50 breeding pairs left in the wild. A subspecies of the Grasshopper Sparrow, the Florida Grasshopper Sparrow, has darker and more gray tones in its plumage and is the only grasshopper sparrow that breeds in Florida. They weigh no more than one ounce as adults. Their coloration and habit of living and nesting in the grass make them almost invisible. The sparrow forages on the ground for small invertebrates, grasshoppers, and seeds. The Sparrow’s nest is concealed under vegetation. Still, they are extremely vulnerable to predation by snakes, birds of prey, crows, rodents, raccoons, skunks, armadillos, opossums, coyotes, fire ants, and box turtles. Females incubate three to five eggs for approximately 12 days. Chicks leave the nest at around eight days old but will stay in the area and be fed by the parents for a few weeks. The Florida Grasshopper Sparrow’s decline began in the 1970s when native prairie grasslands were converted to cattle grazing pastures, sod production, and other agricultural uses. The Florida Grasshopper Sparrow responds well to restoration efforts. Current conservation efforts in Florida to restore native grasslands and breeding programs may help this critically endangered bird recover.

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Boat-tailed Grackle

This beautiful male Boat-tailed Grackle is on the lookout at the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive. He is a permanent resident of Florida. The bright sun makes the beautiful iridescence of his feathers glow for all to enjoy. Females have a brownish coloration and a smaller tail. Boat-tailed Grackles breed abundantly in salt and freshwater marshes along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. These birds forage on the ground, in shallow water, or in shrubs. They eat arthropods, crustaceans, mollusks, frogs, turtles, lizards, grain, seeds, fruit, and tubers. At times they have been known to steal food from other birds, animals, and humans. They overturn shells and stones with their beaks, dunk their heads in water to catch their prey, and pry open mussel shells. Just like us, they will dunk food like rice, dogfood, or bread before eating it.


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Palm Warbler

Florida has many migratory birds. This Palm Warbler (Setophaga palmarum) is one of them. The Palm Warbler is a fast little bird, and getting a picture can be quite a challenge. Luckily, this beauty allowed us to snap a shot before darting off. The Palm Warbler is a small and colorful songbird. However, they have larger tails and legs than most warblers. This beautiful species has a captivating color pattern that easily attracts the attention of any bird-lover. 

Palm Warblers breed throughout much of Canada’s boreal forests during the summer and migrate to the Southeastern U.S., Caribbean, and Central America for the winter. These songbirds are quite talented, and their songs can be heard throughout the day.

This bird can constantly be seen wagging its tail. They are mostly ground feeders and will feed off berries, seeds, and insects, including aphids, mosquitoes, beetles, grasshoppers, and spiders. Planting native plants in your yard help provide these birds with lots of healthy food during their migration.

Photo Credit: Dan Kon

 

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