The Burrowing Owl is one of the smallest owl species on Earth! (Aside from the Elf Owl, which is the size of a sparrow and the smallest owl on Earth.) They are named for the fact that they nest in burrows underground. They usually don't make these burrows and end up using burrows made by prairie dogs. They live in grasslands in the Western Half of the United States, in Mexico, and in South America. Burrowing Owls usually eat small mammals like mice and large insects. They often store food in their burrows. These stashes can accumulate as many as 200 pieces of food! Unlike many other owls and just like the Snowy Owl, these birds are diurnal, meaning they sleep at night and hunt during the day.
Stats: Size: Robin-like Habitat: Grassland Food: Rodents, Insects, and much more Sounds: Hooting and raspy noises Field Marks: Small size, speckled wings and bright yellow eyes
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Imagine it's a Fall Day. Or rather, don't imagine, because as I type this, it is Fall. Anyway, you're taking a perfectly ordinary walk, when you see motion in a tree. You look over. In the tree is a raven-sized bird that looks nothing like a Raven. You wonder what it is and think "Oh my goodness, I need someone to help me identify this amazing creature! I need some kind of guide! Someone, some GENIUS to help me!" Well fear not, reader who may or may not have encountered such a bird and thought such a thing! That bird was a Sharp-Shinned Hawk, and I, Rose, have identified it for you! (P.S. This is all hypothetical. If you actually did see a bird like that and don't know what it is, let me know through the contact page. It may or may not have been a Sharp-Shinned Hawk.)
The Purple Gallinule (GOL-in-yule) is an extremely unique water bird living in some of Southern North America, and throughout a good deal of South America. It eats many things, and frequently is seen walking on lily pads. It has long toes which prevent it from sinking as it does this. Its nest floats on the water! If you want to learn more about this bird, check out The Cornell Lab of Ornithology's description of it: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Purple_Gallinule/id Here are some Purple Gallinule photos: If you have any observations of the Purple Gallinule you'd like to share, please share them with us below and they could be featured on our blog! The deadline to submit is Wednesday, April 27th at 12:00 AM, but you can always submit observations of this or any bird on our "Watching Birds" Page! The Yellow Warbler is a small, cheerful-looking bird with a lovely song. They are easy to recognize with their bright yellow plumage, even though females of this species's plumage is a rather dull yellow. The Wilson's Warbler, however, looks very similar to this bird. The Yellow Warbler is easy to hear and to recognized once you see one, but can be quite difficult to spot.This birds migrates through or Summers in almost every part of North America, and they Winter in the Northern area of South America. If you want to learn more about this bird, check out the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's description of it here: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Yellow_Warbler/id Here are some Yellow Warbler photos: If you have any observations of the Yellow Warbler you'd like to share, please share them with us below and they could be featured on our blog! The deadline to submit is Wednesday, December 30th at 12:00 AM, but you can always submit observations of this or any bird on our "Watching Birds" Page. - Submissions are now closed. --Rose The house finch is a small brown bird that lives throughout most of Eastern and Western United States. A group a these birds was brought in the 1940's from the Western United States to the Eastern United States. They are now common all throughout the Eastern part of the United States, and a common sight at bird feeders. Females of this species are entirely brown, whereas males have a red head. If you want to learn more about this bird, check out the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's description of it: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/House_Finch/id Here are some House Finch photos: As always, you can submit your observation of the bird that was spotlighted this week below for it to possibly be featured on our blog! Just fill out the form below. The deadline for entries is October 6th. - Submissions are now closed. -Song Sparrows are cheerful, small, rich brown and white birds. These Birds have a beautiful song, hence their name. Males and females of this species look the same. You can attract Song Sparrows to your yard with a Bird Feeder containing black oil sunflower seeds. To learn more about this bird, check out the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's description of it: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Song_Sparrow/id Here are some Song Sparrows Pics: Submissions are now closed here! Once again, we apologize for not keeping up with posting! We are not doing a double post, but promise to keep up with our posting from now on! The Ring-Billed Gull is a medium sized Gull that migrates through most of America, and can be seen near the Great Lakes and the Ocean. Juvenile Ring Billed Gulls look like adults, but have brown speckles on them! Females and Males of this species look the same. Ring Billed Gulls will eat almost anything, including beach picnics and trash! If you want to learn more about this bird, check out the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's description of it: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ring-billed_Gull/id Here are some Ring-Billed Gull Photos: Remember last week, when we asked for your observations of the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird, or the Carolina Wren? Well, we would now like observations of the Ring Billed Gull! Just submit your observation below, and it might get featured on our blog! Submissions are due by September 1st. -Form Entries are Now Closed.--Rose First of all, everyone here at HQ is sorry that we haven't been keeping up with Bird Spotlight or What Bird. We are also sorry that this is a day late! We now bring you a double bird spotlight! Carolina Wrens are cute, jaunty little birds that live year-round in the Eastern half of the United States of America. The males and females of this species look the same. These adorable birds have a song that sounds like this: "Tea-kettle tea-kettle tea-kettle!" You can attract these birds to your yard with seeds, but they prefer suet. If you want to learn more about the Carolina Wren, check out the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's description of this bird: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Carolina_Wren/id Here are some photographs of the Caroline Wren: And now for our second bird: Ruby Throated Hummingbirds migrate from South America and Southern Florida to the Eastern United States each Summer to mate. Males, like in the picture, have red, sparkling feathers on their faces to attract female Hummingbirds. Females look just like the males, but without the red feathers. All hummingbirds drink nectar from flowers for food and most hummingbirds are attracted to the color red. Most hummingbirds migrate to the west, around California. You can attract hummingbirds by putting out a hummingbird feeder. Use this recipe to make sugar-water to put in a feeder: 4 parts water to 1 part sugar (don't use red food coloring! It can be harmful to hummingbirds!) If you want to learn more about this bird, check out the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's description of the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ruby-throated_Hummingbird/id Here are some Ruby Throated Hummingbird photos: Remember how, on our last bird spotlight, we asked for an observation of the Downy Woodpecker? Well, once again, no observations were sent in! If you have an observation of either the Carolina Wren or the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird, submit it below! Submissions are due by 8/19/15 at 12:00 AM. -Entries are Now Closed.-Downy woodpeckers are small black and white birds. Males have a red patch on the back of their head. Like their name suggests, downy woodpeckers drill into trees. They do this to find insects that live inside the wood. They also peck trees to make holes to nest in. Downy woodpeckers live almost everywhere in the United States, and you can attract them to your yard with a suet feeder. For more information, check out Cornell Lab of Ornithology's description of the downy woodpecker: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Downy_Woodpecker/id Habitat: Forests Food: Insects Thank you all for your submissions. Entry deadlines are now over! If you still wish to submit a bird observation, please submit it through the form in our "Exploring Birdlife" section. -Jill Remember how, last week, we asked you to send in an observation of the Gray Catbird? Well, sadly, no one shared any observations with us! But here is another chance to be featured on our blog! Just submit an observation of the Red Winged blackbird below! The deadline for submissions is 12:01 AM ET on June 27th. The red winged Blackbird is a common sight in marshes across America. The males of this species are black, with a bright red patch of feathers on each wing. The females are brown. Red winged Blackbirds have a memorable call, which can be heard at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's page about this bird: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-winged_Blackbird/id Here are some photographs of the Red-Winged Blackbird: Thank you all for your submissions. Entry deadlines are now over! If you still wish to submit a bird observation, please submit it through the form in our "Exploring Birdlife" section. -Rose
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December 2016
About RoseI am Rose, a 12 year old birdwatcher and the founder of Junior Ornithologists! I REALLY love birds and have since I was five years old. I also know a lot about birds and, through this website, I hope to share my knowledge with you! About JillHi! I'm Jill, and I like birds just as much as Rose does. The first word I learned to say was bird! My favorite birds are perigrine falcons and snowy owls. I can't wait to share information about birds with everyone!
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