Primitive Songbirds

Primitive Songbirds By Jim Stevenson
I’d like to remember my departed cousin Anne from Roanoke, Alabama, whom cancer took way before her time. She loved the songbirds! Songbirds are a huge group of birds – more than half the ten thousand avian species, though only one order of 27. These more primitive ones aren’t as colorful as the more advanced families but many have beautiful sings and amazing lives. BTW, it’s 3 am and I’m wide awake in New Zealand. It takes a couple days to get rid of the jet lag. No birds in June? Go fishing!

 

Eastern Kingbird: Black top, white below, white tail tip.

Eastern Kingbird: Black top, white below, white tail tip.

 

West of the Great Plains is the “other” species of wood-pewee, the Western. Its dark “vests” can be a little reminiscent of the larger Olive-sided Flycatcher, and its habit of making long, aerial forays differs from the Empidonax flycatchers. Their pee-wee note is harsher than the clear whistle of the Eastern.

West of the Great Plains is the “other” species of wood-pewee, the Western. Its dark
“vests” can be a little reminiscent of the larger Olive-sided Flycatcher, and its habit of
making long, aerial forays differs from the Empidonax flycatchers. Their pee-wee note is
harsher than the clear whistle of the Eastern.

 

Red-eyed Vireos stretch their range well into the West, but are always easily recognized by the vireo bill, dark like through the eye and gray crown. The Plumbeous Vireo below is common in wooded canyons over much of the American West, and used to be the same species (Solitary) as our current Blue-headed and Cassin’s Vireo.

Red-eyed Vireos stretch their range well into the West, but are always easily recognized
by the vireo bill, dark like through the eye and gray crown. The Plumbeous Vireo below
is common in wooded canyons over much of the American West, and used to be the same
species (Solitary) as our current Blue-headed and Cassin’s Vireo.

 

Primitive Songbirds4

 

Warbling Vireos are probably more easily seen in the migration than they are in the breeding season. Still, you can sometimes spot one singing in the mid to upper canopy, with typical lazy vireo music. Note the virtual absence of field marks, but the light supercilium and darker eyestripe is visible – even in this terrible angle!

Warbling Vireos are probably more easily seen in the migration than they are in the
breeding season. Still, you can sometimes spot one singing in the mid to upper canopy,
with typical lazy vireo music. Note the virtual absence of field marks, but the light
supercilium and darker eyestripe is visible – even in this terrible angle!

 

Loggerhead Shrikes often breed in the same territory as Northern Shrikes winter. They eat more arthropods in summer, like this cicada (?) this bird is carrying. They prefer dry country and their color suits them with dead sticks and such. When they go south for the winter, and Northerns come to take their places, both diets switch to birds and mammals.

Loggerhead Shrikes often breed in the same territory as Northern Shrikes winter. They
eat more arthropods in summer, like this cicada (?) this bird is carrying. They prefer dry
country and their color suits them with dead sticks and such. When they go south for the
winter, and Northerns come to take their places, both diets switch to birds and mammals.

 

Horned Larks are abundant birds of the Central and Western Plains, though not in human populated regions. Their “horns” are both ornamental and supposedly help them hide, and the black tail with white outer feathers is a common theme with birds of the open lands, Worldwide. They also have the long hind claw, called a hallux. The black mask, yellow front and black bib are all prototypical of grassland species.

Horned Larks are abundant birds of the Central and Western Plains, though not in human
populated regions. Their “horns” are both ornamental and supposedly help them hide, and
the black tail with white outer feathers is a common theme with birds of the open lands,
Worldwide. They also have the long hind claw, called a hallux. The black mask, yellow
front and black bib are all prototypical of grassland species.

 

Juvenile Horned Larks give a lot of people fits as they hardly resemble their parents at all. Notice the beak, which is neither as thick as conical birds, nor as thin as insectivorous species. They also make many of the same high-pitched chips as the adult larks. As I’ve pointed out in other PDFs recently, notice/imagine how well the bird would camouflage from on high.

Juvenile Horned Larks give a lot of people fits as they hardly resemble their parents at
all. Notice the beak, which is neither as thick as conical birds, nor as thin as insectivorous
species. They also make many of the same high-pitched chips as the adult larks. As I’ve
pointed out in other PDFs recently, notice/imagine how well the bird would camouflage
from on high.

 

Swallows are extremely good fliers and feed entirely on the wing. These Tree Swallows are not quite the long-distance migrants other swallows are, but they do winter in the South and Mexico. The blue back and shiny white undersides give them a real brilliance and the cheery calls make it no wonder people put out boxes for them.

Swallows are extremely good fliers and feed entirely on the wing. These Tree Swallows
are not quite the long-distance migrants other swallows are, but they do winter in the
South and Mexico. The blue back and shiny white undersides give them a real brilliance
and the cheery calls make it no wonder people put out boxes for them.

 

Many swallows make their nests out of mud that they scoop with their almost-inadequate bills and plaster into shape. Still, the level of diff iculty creating these nests is exceeded by the tough job of trying to get into the nests to prey on the young. It’s all about numbers, just like those swallows which nest under bridges over Interstates. A few get killed, but the reproductive success is surprisingly high.

Many swallows make their nests out of mud that they scoop with their almost-inadequate
bills and plaster into shape. Still, the level of diff iculty creating these nests is exceeded by
the tough job of trying to get into the nests to prey on the young. It’s all about numbers,
just like those swallows which nest under bridges over Interstates. A few get killed, but
the reproductive success is surprisingly high.

 

The swallow most helped by the overpasses is this Cliff Swallow, a very colorful species up front. Their buffy forehead tells you it’s not a Cave Swallow, and the shorter tail and whitish undersides eliminate Barn Swallow. The name? Obviously, nesting on cliffs eliminates about as many predators as nesting under bridges over highways.

The swallow most helped by the overpasses is this Cliff Swallow, a very colorful species
up front. Their buffy forehead tells you it’s not a Cave Swallow, and the shorter tail and
whitish undersides eliminate Barn Swallow. The name? Obviously, nesting on cliffs
eliminates about as many predators as nesting under bridges over highways.

 

Here a congregation of Cliff Swallows is scooping up mud to pack their nests. They always have their wings up, as if in readiness to fly. Many aerial species are at their most vulnerable point on the ground. The presence of water not only gives them mud, it also increases the chances there are insects in the area.

Here a congregation of Cliff Swallows is scooping up mud to pack their nests. They
always have their wings up, as if in readiness to fly. Many aerial species are at their most
vulnerable point on the ground. The presence of water not only gives them mud, it also
increases the chances there are insects in the area.

 

Here’s a Cliff Swallow heading straight for you!

Here’s a Cliff Swallow heading straight for you!

 

Common Ravens are our largest and most intelligent songbirds. They are much larger than crows with a shaggy neck and V-shaped tail. Their beak curves down a bit, as you can tell from the picture below. They tend to be wary of humans, but like crows, they are smart enough to know when they are safe, and may be ridiculously tame. The “nostrils” are covered with bristles, and actually “nares.” It is NOT spelled “nair,” but I did find some pretty funny entries under nair in Google.

Common Ravens are our largest and most intelligent songbirds. They are much larger
than crows with a shaggy neck and V-shaped tail. Their beak curves down a bit, as you
can tell from the picture below. They tend to be wary of humans, but like crows, they are
smart enough to know when they are safe, and may be ridiculously tame. The “nostrils”
are covered with bristles, and actually “nares.” It is NOT spelled “nair,” but I did find
some pretty funny entries under nair in Google.

 

Primitive Songbirds15

 

This Black-billed Magpie is having a tugging match with an earthworm, and when the worm finally relented, the (I swear) magpie fell on his, um, retrices. Power to the inverts, Vernon! BTW, the maggies were having a lot of luck with worms on this flowered lawn at Yellowstone Headquarters, so they may know something we don’t.

This Black-billed Magpie is having a tugging match with an earthworm, and when the
worm finally relented, the (I swear) magpie fell on his, um, retrices. Power to the inverts,
Vernon! BTW, the maggies were having a lot of luck with worms on this flowered lawn
at Yellowstone Headquarters, so they may know something we don’t.

 

Clark’s Nutcrackers are also corvids (like jays and crows) and fairly tame where people are enjoying parks and such. Their habit of burying nuts goes a long way to planting trees and aiding the forest in a mutualistic sort of way. They tend to be gregarious and roam the mountains from one treetop to another. My friend Len now has me wondering which “Clark” they were named after, when my grebe hypothesis for Lewis and Clark ran amuck. Len, you really know how to hurt a guy.

Clark’s Nutcrackers are also corvids (like jays and crows) and fairly tame where people
are enjoying parks and such. Their habit of burying nuts goes a long way to planting trees
and aiding the forest in a mutualistic sort of way. They tend to be gregarious and roam
the mountains from one treetop to another. My friend Len now has me wondering which
“Clark” they were named after, when my grebe hypothesis for Lewis and Clark ran
amuck. Len, you really know how to hurt a guy.

 

North and west of our Carolina Chickadees the Black-capped Chickadee ranges all the way to Alaska. This one needs to find a chicken and borrow a comb, but going in and out of cavities has its price. Check the field guide and their cheek to see the difference, but I am told the range of the Carolina’s moving northward, doubtlessly due to climate change.

North and west of our Carolina Chickadees the Black-capped Chickadee ranges all the
way to Alaska. This one needs to find a chicken and borrow a comb, but going in and out
of cavities has its price. Check the field guide and their cheek to see the difference, but I
am told the range of the Carolina’s moving northward, doubtlessly due to climate change.

 

I love watching the tits feed, and they explore every niche available.

I love watching the tits feed, and they explore every niche available.

 

Not your mother’s chickadeedeedee, this Mountain Chickadee is told by the white stripe over his eye. If you were from England, you’d recognize the similar ity to the tits found on the other side of the pond. We call the family of titmice and chickadees tits, but they use the term also for the species names.

Not your mother’s chickadeedeedee, this Mountain Chickadee is told by the white stripe
over his eye. If you were from England, you’d recognize the similar ity to the tits found
on the other side of the pond. We call the family of titmice and chickadees tits, but they
use the term also for the species names.

 

With this part of the West mired in drought, there are more Marsh Wrens than usual on the reeds – and that means their song’s everywhere! They cock their tails and show the orange of the inner mouth – looking like a baby bird. Some will build many nests, making any predators have to sort through multiple nests to find the eggs or young.

With this part of the West mired in drought, there are more Marsh Wrens than usual on
the reeds – and that means their song’s everywhere! They cock their tails and show the
orange of the inner mouth – looking like a baby bird. Some will build many nests,
making any predators have to sort through multiple nests to find the eggs or young.

 

House Wrens are very common over much of Inland America, especially from the Great Plains westward. They are ecologically separated from the Carolina by preferring more open areas, although Vernon Puppies now has Carolina breeding where I once shot a House Wren singing years ago. Of course, if the trees thicken, that ecological change may fuel the takeover of another species.

House Wrens are very common over much of Inland America, especially from the Great
Plains westward. They are ecologically separated from the Carolina by preferring more
open areas, although Vernon Puppies now has Carolina breeding where I once shot a
House Wren singing years ago. Of course, if the trees thicken, that ecological change
may fuel the takeover of another species.

 

Well named is the Rock Wren of the West, who loves rocky cliffs and such. Like other wrens, they are real songsters, often perching atop the largest “boulder” in Colorado. Notice how rock-like their colors are, with House Wrens of the dry, open areas having a bit more color, and the Carolina being a r ich, reddish-brown for the deeper woods. It’s really interesting watching var ious members of families and seeing why they are the colors they are.

Well named is the Rock Wren of the West, who loves rocky cliffs and such. Like other
wrens, they are real songsters, often perching atop the largest “boulder” in Colorado.
Notice how rock-like their colors are, with House Wrens of the dry, open areas having a
bit more color, and the Carolina being a r ich, reddish-brown for the deeper woods. It’s
really interesting watching var ious members of families and seeing why they are the
colors they are.

 

White-breasted Nuthatches often go to the ground for seeds and such, but are dead meat if a hawk comes along. Nuthatches are poor fliers with their short, rounded wings, and when caught away from their cavities, they’ll pay the piper. Notice the chisel-like bill as they rip a lot of insects out of the bark.

White-breasted Nuthatches often go to the ground for seeds and such, but are dead meat
if a hawk comes along. Nuthatches are poor fliers with their short, rounded wings, and
when caught away from their cavities, they’ll pay the piper. Notice the chisel-like bill as
they rip a lot of insects out of the bark.

 

Nuthatches easily move up and down the bark, and this one has a mouth full of ants.

Nuthatches easily move up and down the bark, and this one has a mouth full of ants.

 

I wonder how many of the 2200 fine people on the list know what this bird is. It’s a Sage Thrasher, a nester in the dry, sage country of the American West. In this drought, they have moved from the upland sage around the railroad station behind the Great Salt Lake (Promontory) down to the Lake itself -as did the Chukar. Being adaptable is a great thing.

I wonder how many of the 2200 fine people on the list know what this bird is. It’s a Sage
Thrasher, a nester in the dry, sage country of the American West. In this drought, they
have moved from the upland sage around the railroad station behind the Great Salt Lake
(Promontory) down to the Lake itself -as did the Chukar. Being adaptable is a great thing.

 

Thrushes are great singers with large, rounded heads, large eyes and fat bodies. They are fairly large songbirds. This sharp male American Robin is gathering ants and such for his chicks, maybe wishing he could take a sip of water while he’s there. Robins are certainly in no trouble as they are expanding their population & range, even well inside the Arctic.

Thrushes are great singers with large, rounded heads, large eyes and fat bodies. They are
fairly large songbirds. This sharp male American Robin is gathering ants and such for his
chicks, maybe wishing he could take a sip of water while he’s there. Robins are certainly
in no trouble as they are expanding their population & range, even well inside the Arctic.

 

This young robin awaits food while he shows off the spots many of his relatives sport as adults. Young birds swap gaudy colors for patterns that may hide them and help them to survive. They can’t reproduce anyway. Spots & streaks, p lus the absence of bright colors, constitute some of the juvenile colors/patterns we associate with young birds.

This young robin awaits food while he shows off the spots many of his relatives sport as
adults. Young birds swap gaudy colors for patterns that may hide them and help them to
survive. They can’t reproduce anyway. Spots & streaks, p lus the absence of bright colors,
constitute some of the juvenile colors/patterns we associate with young birds.

 

My favorite thrushes are bluebirds (right, David?) and these Mountain Bluebirds are just lovely with their sky blue front. The other two species (Eastern and Western) have the reddish chests, which ain’t bad. The bluebirds in the Old World are not of this group, but no less beautiful (like the Fairy Bluebird) (related to Leafbirds).

My favorite thrushes are bluebirds (right, David?) and these Mountain Bluebirds are just
lovely with their sky blue front. The other two species (Eastern and Western) have the
reddish chests, which ain’t bad. The bluebirds in the Old World are not of this group, but
no less beautiful (like the Fairy Bluebird) (related to Leafbirds).

 

Bluebirds are best viewed from behind, and besides, they wouldn’t turn around!

Bluebirds are best viewed from behind, and besides, they wouldn’t turn around!

 

Red Rock Lakes NWR has done a great job building houses for its various birds, and they also tend to get tamer “at home.” He just popped the bug to a chick and she stands ready. As thrushes, bluebirds are excellent fliers, with most being fairly migratory. They eat a lot of berries but need to feed bugs to the chicks for protein – growth and repair.

Red Rock Lakes NWR has done a great job building houses for its various birds, and they
also tend to get tamer “at home.” He just popped the bug to a chick and she stands ready.
As thrushes, bluebirds are excellent fliers, with most being fairly migratory. They eat a
lot of berries but need to feed bugs to the chicks for protein – growth and repair.

 

Lastly, an American Pipit, in the breeding plumage few of you have seen, sits at 12,000 feet at Bear Tooth Pass, along with the Black Rosy-finch I showed you last week. It’s hard to take his perch for granite when it looks so marbleous. Pipits bob their tails like Palm & Prair ie Warblers and phoebes, and are slender birds with very high-pitched voices. Despite their occasional lust for dry ground, I hated to see their old name of “Water” Pipit discarded.

Lastly, an American Pipit, in the breeding plumage few of you have seen, sits at 12,000
feet at Bear Tooth Pass, along with the Black Rosy-finch I showed you last week. It’s
hard to take his perch for granite when it looks so marbleous. Pipits bob their tails like
Palm & Prair ie Warblers and phoebes, and are slender birds with very high-pitched
voices. Despite their occasional lust for dry ground, I hated to see their old name of
“Water” Pipit discarded.

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