Barred Owl

Barred Owl - Puszczyk kreskowany

 
Cresskill, New Jersey, 2013

Description

The Barred Owl (Strix varia) is a large typical owl native to North America. Best known as the Hoot Owl for its distinctive call, it goes by many other names, including Eight Hooter, Rain Owl, Wood Owl, and Striped Owl. It has a pale face with dark rings around the eyes, a yellow beak and brown eyes. It is the only typical owl of the eastern United States which has brown eyes; all others have yellow eyes. The upper parts are mottled gray-brown. The underparts are light with markings; the chest is barred horizontally while the belly is streaked vertically. The legs and feet are covered in feathers up to the talons. The head is round and lacks ear tufts, a distinction from the slightly smaller Short-eared Owl, which favors more open, marginal habitats.

Habitat

A nocturnal bird. Hides in dense foliage during the day, usually high up. May also roost on a branch close to a broad tree-trunk, or in a natural tree hole. May be very aggressive when defending a nest. Breeding habitats are dense woods across Canada, the eastern United States, and south to Mexico; in recent years it has spread to the northwestern United States, having gradually spread farther south in the west.

Voice

A loud barking hoo, hoo, hoo-hoo; hoo, hoo; hoo, hooo-aw! and a variety of other barking calls and screams.

Sounds of Barred Owl

Diet

Mostly small mammals. Eats many mice and other small rodents, also squirrels (including flying squirrels), rabbits, opossums, shrews, other small mammals. Also eats various birds, frogs, salamanders, snakes, lizards, some insects. May take aquatic creatures such as crayfish, crabs, fish.
Behavior: Hunts by night or day, perhaps most at dawn and dusk. Seeks prey by watching from perch, also by flying low through forest; may hover before dropping to clutch prey in talons. Like many other owls, coughs up pellets of its prey.

Reproduction

The Barred Owl's nest is often in a tree cavity, often ones created by pileated woodpeckers; it may also take over an old nesting site made previously by a red-shouldered hawk, cooper's hawk, crow, or squirrel. It is a permanent resident, but may wander after the nesting season. If a nest site has proved suitable in the past they will often reuse it as the birds are non-migratory. In the United States, eggs are laid from early-January in southern Florida to mid-April in northern Maine, and consist of 2 to 4 eggs per clutch. Eggs are brooded by the female with hatching taking place approximately 4 weeks later. Young owls fledge four to five weeks after hatching. These owls have few predators, but young, unwary owls may be taken by cats. The most significant predator of Barred Owls is the Great Horned Owl.[ The Barred Owl has been known to live up to 10 years in the wild and 23 years in captivity.

Did you know?

The belly feathers of some Barred Owls are pink. This coloring may be the result of eating a lot of crayfish. A barred owl's right ear is higher than its left ear. Hearing from two different angles helps it pinpoint the location of prey.

Photos by others

 

Credits
Wikipedia, The Owl Pages

American Robin

American Robin - Drozd wędrowny



Cresskill, New Jersey, 2013

Description

The American Robin is the largest, most abundant, and most widespread North American thrush. The presence of this rather tame songster in the backyard setting, together with its loud and musical voice, makes it one of the most easily recognizable birds in North America. The head varies from jet black to gray, with white eye arcs and white supercilia. The throat is white with black streaks, and the belly and undertail feather are white. The Robin has a brown back and a reddish-orange breast, varying from a rich red maroon to peachy orange. The bill is mainly yellow with a variably dark tip, the dusky area becoming more extensive in winter, and the legs and feet are brown. The American Robin is active mostly during the day, and on its winter grounds it assembles in large flocks at night to roost in trees in secluded swamps or dense vegetation.

Habitat

This bird breeds throughout most of North America, from Alaska and Canada southward to northern Florida and Mexico. While Robins occasionally overwinter in the northern part of the United States and southern Canada, most migrate to winter south of Canada from Florida and the Gulf Coast to central Mexico, as well as along the Pacific Coast. Most depart south by the end of August and begin to return north in February and March. The American Robin's breeding habitat is woodland and more open farmland and urban areas. It becomes less common as a breeder in the southernmost part of the Deep South of the United States, and there prefers large shade trees on lawns. Its winter habitat is similar but includes more open areas.

Voice

The male American Robin, as with many thrushes, has a complex and almost continuous song. Its song is commonly described as a cheerily carol, made up of discrete units, often repeated, and spliced together into a string with brief pauses in between. The American Robin is often among the first songbirds singing as dawn rises or hours before, and last as evening sets in.

Sounds of American Robin

Diet

The American Robin's diet generally consists of around 40% invertebrates, such as earthworms, beetle grubs, caterpillars and grasshoppers, and 60 percent wild and cultivated fruits and berries. Robins forage primarily on the ground for soft-bodied invertebrates, and find worms by sight, pouncing on them and then pulling them up. Nestlings are fed mainly on worms and other soft-bodied animal prey.

Reproduction

The American Robin begins to breed shortly after returning to its summer range. It is one of the first North American bird species to lay eggs, and normally has two to three broods per breeding season, which lasts from April to July. The nest is most commonly located above the ground in a dense bush or in a fork between two tree branches, and is built by the female alone. The American Robin does not shy away from nesting close to human habitation and will frequently construct nests under eaves or awnings on human homes when such locations provide adequate shelter. Robins are not cavity nesters, and so will generally not use a bird house, but will take advantage of artificial nesting platforms that have been provided. A clutch consists of three to five light blue eggs, and is incubated by the female alone. The eggs hatch after 14 days, and the chicks leave the nest a further two weeks later. The altricial chicks are naked and have their eyes closed for the first few days after hatching. While the chicks are still young, the mother broods them continuously. When they are older, the mother will brood them only at night or during bad weather.

Did you know?



The American Robin is a known reservoir (carrier) for West Nile virus. While crows and jays are often the first noticed deaths in an area with West Nile virus, the American Robin is suspected to be a key host, and holds a larger responsibility for the transmission of the virus to humans. This is because while crows and jays die quickly from the virus, the American Robin survives the virus longer, hence spreading it to more mosquitoes, which then transmit the virus to humans and other species.

The American Robin has a place in Native American mythology. The story of how the robin got its red breast by fanning the dying flames of a campfire to save a Native American man and a boy.

Credits

Wikipedia, Avibase

American Oystercatcher

American Oystercatcher - Ostrygojad brunatny

New York, Canarsie, 2013

Description

The American Oystercatcher has distinctive black and white plumage and a long, bright orange beak. The head and breast are black and the back, wings and tail greyish-black. The underparts are white, as are feathers on the inner part of the wing which become visible during flight. The irises are yellow and the eyes have orange orbital rings. The legs are pink.

Habitat

The American Oystercatcher is found on the Atlantic coast of North America from New England to northern Florida, where it is also found on the Gulf coast, and south to Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina. In the 19th century they became locally extinct in the northeast of the United States due to market hunting and egg collecting. The American Oystercatcher is common in coastal salt marshes and sand beaches throughout the central part of its range. One of the few birds to specialize on bivalve mollusks living in saltwater, this species is completely restricted to marine habitats. Although this oystercatcher inhabits coastal areas where human encroachment, habitat loss, and destruction are threats, the recent establishment of large coastal reserves helps to protect the center of its abundance. This species adapts well to dredge spoil islands, and is often the most common breeder in such locations.

Voice

Sounds of American Oystercatcher

Diet

Oystercatchers are closely tied to coastal habitats. They nest on beaches on coastal islands and feed on marine invertebrates. The large, heavy beak is used to pry open bivalve mollusks. Feeds mostly on mussels, clams, oysters; also marine worms, sand crabs, limpets, and other small creatures of the intertidal zone. Often forages by walking in shallow water, searching for food by sight. Finding an oyster or mussel with its shell open, the oystercatcher quickly jabs its bill into the shell, cutting the muscles and then cleaning out contents. May also take a closed mussel and hammer it open. Probes in mud for clams and other items, and pries limpets off rocks.

Reproduction

Sometimes may mate for life. In courtship display, two birds walk and then run side by side, giving loud piping calls; may take off and fly together. Sometimes may form trios, with one male and two females attending one nest or two nearby nests. Site is on ground, on marsh island or among dunes, above high tide mark. Nest (apparently built by both sexes) is shallow scrape in sand, sometimes lined with pebbles, shells.

Photos by others

Credits

birds.audubon.org, planetofbirds.com, Wikipedia, Avibase

Bearded Woodpecker

Bearded Woodpecker - Dzięcioł Sawannowy

Africa, Botswana, Okavango Delta, 2012

Description

The four savanna woodpecker species are superficially very alike in appearance and coloration and therefore misidentifications would have occurred, but probably somewhat less frequently in case of the Bearded Woodpecker which is noticeably larger and his similar bold facial markings in both the male and female. It also has distinctive drumming behavior which renders it conspicuous, and this may account for its comparatively high reporting rates. The sexes look very similar, except that the males have a small red patch on the back of their head.

Habitat

The Bearded woodpecker occurs from central Africa to southern Africa. It dislikes dense forest, preferring deciduous woodland and savanna. Any broad-leaved woodland in which there are tall trees, especially dead trees, is optimum habitat for this woodpecker.

Voice

Sounds of Bearded Woodpecker

Diet

It mainly forages in trees, tapping and probing branches in search of insects, licking them up with its barbed tongue. The following food items have been recorded in its diet: beetle larvae and pupae, Mopane emperor moth larvae, termite, spiders, lizards.

Reproduction

 Both sexes excavate the nest, which is usually a oval-shaped hole in the trunk of a tree, although it has been recorded nesting in fence posts. Here It lays 1-3 eggs, which are incubated by both sexes, for roughly 13 days. The chicks are cared for by both parents, leaving the nest at about 27 days old. The juveniles become fully independent roughly 1-2 months after fledging.

Did you know?

Because woodpeckers beat on trees with their powerful beaks to collect food, to construct their nests and to communicate with each other, they have evolved a number of anatomical features to prevent brain damage from repeated blows to their heads. These include small brain size, the orientation of the brain within the skull, which maximizes the contact area between the brain and the skull to keep it from rattling around inside the head. Additionally, in that millisecond before contact with wood, a thickened nictitating membrane closes, protecting the eyes from flying debris. Even their nostrils are protected; they are often slit-like and have special bristles that cover them.

Photos by others

Credits

Biodiversity Explorer

Bateleur

Bateleur - Kuglarz

Africa, Botswana, Okavango Delta, 2012

Description

The Bateleur is a colorful species with a very short tail which, together with its white under wing coverts, makes it unmistakable in flight. The tail is so small the bird's legs protrude slightly beyond the tail during flight. The Bateleur is sexually dimorphic; both adults have black plumage, a chestnut mantle and tail, grey shoulders, tawny wing coverts, and red facial skin, bill and legs. The female additionally has tawny secondary wing feathers. Immature birds are brown with white dappling and have greenish facial skin. It takes them seven or eight years to reach full maturity. The bird spends a considerable amount of time on the wing, particularly in low-altitude glides. Incredibly, the Bateleur may spend as much as 80 percent of the day in flight, covering up to 500 kilometers, as it searches for food. Flying relatively low, this species scans the ground for signs of food and, when sighted, it descends in a tight spiral to investigate. When not in flight, the Bateleur can be seen perching on branches or standing on the ground with its wings outstretched, absorbing the heat from the sun.

Habitat

The Bateleur has an extensive range, encompassing most of Africa, from Mauritania in the west, across to Sudan in the east, and stretching north to Egypt and south to South Africa. The Bateleur mainly occupies savanna and open- and closed-canopy woodland, favoring broad-leaved woodland with long grass. Rarely in heavily wooded areas, mountainous areas and largely treeless habitats, but penetrates semi-desert shrub land with tall drainage-line woodland.

Voice

The Bateleur is generally silent, but on occasions it produces a variety of barks and screams.
Sounds of Bateleur

Diet

Bateleurs are hunters and scavengers; birds such as pigeons and sangrouse are preferred prey items, although it may attack small mammals. Their diet includes antelope, mice, birds, snakes, and carrion. Bateleur eagles spend 8-9 hours each day in the air looking for food.

Reproduction

The Bateleur breeds in December–March. It constructs a well-concealed nest in trees, laying a single egg. Mother incubates the egg while father collects food and sticks for the nest. Sometimes, however, the father incubates. After an incubation period of 52-59 days, the chick hatches. 110 days later, the hatchling fledges, but will continue to receive food from its parents for another 100 days. Only 2% of chicks make it to adulthood. Bateleurs pair for life, and will use the same nest for a number of years. Unpaired birds, presumably from a previous clutch, will sometimes help at the nest.

Did you know?
The Mbuti tribe believes that if a pregnant woman or her husband eat this bird, a baby with an extraordinary large head may be born to them.

The Temba tribe of the Congo consider the species as a cure. Its feathers and claws are used to cure benign epilepsy. For the medical treatment, feathers and claws of this bird are burnt and inhaled by the patient. Only old people can eat it. Also this bird makes noise while flying, like the wind. It sometimes carries away two-to three-year-old infants of goat, monkey, or hare.

The Zulu in South Africa believe that when creation began, when the tree of life produced living things, the first bird to fall off the tree of life, was the Ingonghulu, the Bateleur. To signal the birth of creation, the Ingonghulu extended her wings and beat them, GHU-GHU-GHU, and creation was announced. You were not allowed to kill this bird. It enjoyed the direct protection of the king of the Zulus. You were not allowed to harm this bird of victory. If it arrived in your area, it was immediately announced to the king that an Ingonghulu is nesting in such and such a place, and the king used to come there with his people and conduct a sacred ceremony there, to which no ordinary people were invited.

Photos by others

 

Credits

Wikipedia, Plenetofbirds.com, Arkive.com, Birds of Brazil (Wildlife Conservation Society)

Bare-faced Ibis

Bare-faced Ibis - Ibis Ostrosterny

Brazil, Pantanal, 2013

Description
The Bare-faced Ibis is a small, dull ibis of open marshes throughout much of South America. It is smaller, and shorter-legged, than any other Neotropical ibis. This Ibis is darkish red overall. It has bare red skin on the face and a long, pink to yellow bill. In flight its pink legs barely extend beyond its tail, a feature which distinguishes it from flying White-faced Ibis whose longer legs extend noticeably beyond the tail. Flight strong, with steady fast wing beats; glides less than White-faced. Often seen flying overhead, moving between its feeding and roosting sites.

Habitat

It occurs from northern Colombia east through the Venezuelan llanos and from eastern Brazil west to Bolivia and south to central Argentina. It is found in marshes and open areas around ponds and lakes.
Sound

Sound of Bare-faced Ibis


Diet

Bare-faced ibises are often found foraging in moist soil as well as along the edge of standing water. They rarely step in to the water. The diet consists of worms, small invertebrates and insects. Follows cattle to forage the disturbed prey. Usually found solitary or in small groups.

Reproduction

Breeds solitary or in loose colonies, usually in smaller groups or in mixed larger groups. Builds nest low above ground, out of sticks and twigs. Clutch size is 2-5 eggs which are incubated for about 3 weeks. Young fledge after about 4 weeks more. This species is highly sensitive to predation with colonies loosing up to 80% of the chicks in Venezuela.

Photos by others