Chapter 14

1. Chapter 14 Songbirds and Other Perching Birds

2. Songbirds • Part of larger group identified by Audubon Society as perching birds • Includes kingfishers, hummingbirds, cuckoos • All have similar characteristics, but placement in groups arbitrary

3. Songbirds (Cont.) • Adapted to wide range of habitats; found throughout N. America • Perch on upright on branches, other surfaces • Territorial: use calls and songs to define territories; defend boundaries against other birds

4. Songbirds (Cont.) • Call of each bird species unique • Group includes large number of birds • Males often more brightly colored than females (drab female coloring offers camouflage)

5. Fringillidae Family • Largest bird family in the world • 72 found in N. America • Includes sparrows, finches, grosbeaks, buntings • Ploceidae: introduced from England to New York City; similar characteristics to Fringillidae; English house sparrow, weaver finch • Conical bills with sharp edges adapted to cracking seeds

6. Fringillidae Family (Cont.) • Technically omnivores, but feed mostly on seeds of grasses and weeds • Habitat: terrestrial and wetlands • Many gregarious, or live together in flocks • Some brightly colored • Many are migratory

7. Examples of Songbirds • House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) • Introduced New York City from England; range now includes most of N. and S. America • Inhabits cities, towns, farms and nests in buildings and other sheltered areas • Prey to raptors, cats, other carnivorous mammals

8. Examples of Songbirds (Cont.) • House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus) • Introduced to east coast from west coast around 1940 • Sings from high perch with song similar to a canary’s • Diverse habitat: deserts to coastal regions • Often lives in close proximity to humans

9. Examples of Songbirds (Cont.) • Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) • Male cardinal bright red bird with high crest and black face; females buff brown with red wings and tail • Range: eastern U.S. to Mexico • Attracted to garden plants

10. Tanagers • Members of Traupidae family • Notched bills • Migratory: spend winters in Central/South America • Five species found in N. America

11. Tanagers (Cont.) • Summer Tanager (Piranga rubra) • Range: oak woodlands and cottonwood and willow thickets in eastern and southern regions of U.S. • Western tanager close relative: occupies coniferous forests, willow thickets in western U.S., Canada

12. Wrens • Tiny brown birds with up-turned tails and loud singing voices • 10 species found in N. America • Diet: insects, spiders • Range: southern Canada to Mexico (coastal regions to deserts)

13. Wrens (Cont.) • Males of some species build elaborate nests used for sleeping and nesting; also build nests to lure mates • House Wren (Troglodytes aedon)

14. Dipper • American Dipper (Cinclus mexicanus) • Small gray bird with short tail that closely resembles a wren • Range: western U.S. between Pacific coast and eastern slope of Rocky Mountains • Feeds on aquatic insects gathered from stream bottoms • Bobs up and down continuously as it perches on rocks • Walks and flies in and out of swift current, appearing to “walk” in the fast-moving water

15. Shrikes • Have shrill voices, hooked bills, hawk-like behaviors • Hunt insects, mice, small birds, and lizards, and store for later meals • Impale prey on thorns or barbed wire, or force into cracks and crevices • Two species known in N. America: loggerhead and northern shrikes

16. Shrikes (Cont.) • Migratory • Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus) • Range: extends into Mexico • Population declining; has disappeared from much of northern range east of Mississippi River

17. Thrushes • Members of Turdidae family • Migratory birds • 13 species known in N. America, with robins and bluebirds most familiar • Young and adults have spotted breasts (except for robins and bluebirds)

18. Thrushes (Cont.) • Monogamous; form pairs each breeding season • Found in various habitats (woodlands, meadows, pastures interspersed with trees)

19. Examples of Thrushes • American Robin (Turdus migratorius) • Range spans continent • Male has strong singing voice • Mountain Bluebird (Sialia currucoides) • Male bright turquoise blue on upper body; females drab gray • Range: Rocky Mountain region from AK to Mexico in high mountain forests of pine/aspen interspersed with open meadows • Hole nesters, use tree cavities or holes in eaves of buildings

20. Mimidae Family • One of best known songbird families; includes mockingbirds, catbirds, thrashers • All have strong voices and complex songs • Ability to mimic sounds of other birds and animals • Diet: insects, spiders, some fruits, berries

21. Examples of MimidaeFamily Birds • Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) • Plain-looking • Can copy many sounds, including other birds, mammals, and musical instruments • Range: many parts of U.S. in woodlands, gardens, open grassy areas • Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum) • Sometimes called “mimic thrush”: repeats each phrase of a call twice • Range: southern Canada to Gulf states, and from east coast to Rocky Mountains

22. Examples of MimidaeFamily Birds (Cont.) • Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) • Gray in color with patch of chestnut on tail and black cap • Call resembles the mew of a cat • Spends a lot of time on the ground where most of its food is found

23. Icteridae Family • Includes blackbirds, meadowlarks, and New World orioles (Northern oriole) • Diet: insects, fruits, seeds, nectar • Males usually larger, more brightly colored than females • Omnivorous: eat seeds, small fruits, grain, insects, eggs and young of other birds

24. Icteridae Family (Cont.) • Males polygynous: mate with more than 1 female • Gather in large flocks before fall migration • Some species of cowbirds “parasitic”: do not care for own young, but lay eggs in nests of other birds or steal nests for own use

25. Blackbirds • Include: yellow-headed blackbird, red-winged blackbird, Brewer’s Blackbird, grackle, cowbird and others • Some polygamous: bird of either sex takes several mates • Great-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus) • Range: Mexico, TX, and along southern U.S. border from TX to CA • Common grackle related species; ranges from Canada and east of the Rocky Mountains to Atlantic coast

26. Blackbirds (Cont.) • Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) • Smallest blackbird in N. America • Range: southern Canada to Mexico • Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna) and Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta) • Identical in appearance and habits • Songs distinctly different, but can mimic each other where ranges overlap

27. Blackbirds (Cont.) • Northern Oriole (Icterus galbula) • A “New World oriole”—belongs to different family than other birds known as orioles that have black and orange or yellow-colored plumage) • Range: widespread in N. America; prefers wooded area along streams or near humans • Diet: insects, seeds, small fruit

28. Blackbirds (Cont.) • Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) • Introduced to N. America from Europe in 1890; now established throughout continent • One of most adaptable birds in world—can use many different kinds of food • Serious pest in some places because damages vegetables and fruits and eats/pollutes grain

29. Crows and Jays • Corvidae family; includes common crow, raven, magpie, blue jay • 15 species in N. America • Omnivores; feed on vegetables, fruits, insects, meat; some eat carrion

30. Crows and Jays (Cont.) • Can perform simple tasks or learn unusual skills, such as counting to 6 • Some can mimic calls of other birds

31. Examples of Crows and Jays • Common Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) • Sometimes confused with ravens as both are black, but crow is smaller • Range: most of U.S. and Canada in deciduous forest and bushes close to rivers and streams, farmlands, agricultural fields • Considered the most intelligent of all birds • Black-billed Magpie (Pica pica) • Range: along Rocky Mountains from AK to NM

32. Examples of Crows and Jays (Cont.) • Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) • Range: east of Rocky Mountains from southern Canada to Gulf of Mexico in oak and pine woods, also adapts well to gardens, humans • Noisy • Other members of Corvidae family: Clark’s nutcracker, other species of jays, and raven

33. Cuckoos • Cuculidae family; includes North American cuckoos and roadrunner • While many Old World cuckoos parasitic, New World cuckoos care for own young • Diet: insects, spiders, centipedes, worms, sometimes hairy caterpillars • Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus) • Range: East Coast to Rocky Mountains, and southern Canada to Mexico

34. Kingfishers • Solitary; spend most time alone looking for fish • Have strong bills, some have large crested heads • Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) • Most common N. American species of kingfishers • Range: from AK to Canada to Central America

35. Hummingbirds • Unusual, much of nourishment comes from nectar, and hover in place during flight (wings beat at 15–79 times per second) • Includes smallest birds in world (one is size of bumblebee) • 15 species in N. America

36. Hummingbirds (Cont.) • Have long bills and tube-like tongues used to take nectar from flowers; also eat soft insects • Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri)

37. Other Perching Birds • Wood warblers, flycatchers, titmice, wagtails, pipits, trogons, wrentits, flycatchers, gnatcatchers, vireos, and waxwings • All fill important niches in ecosystems of N. America