The short answer is no, there is no such thing as a blue chickadee. Chickadees are small songbirds in the paridae family that are found throughout North America. The most common chickadee species have black and white or gray plumage, sometimes with reddish-brown flanks. While they can exhibit incredible variation in vocalizations and behaviors, all chickadee species share the same basic plumage characteristics. There is no evidence of a naturally occurring blue variant within the chickadee family. What do chickadees look like? The chickadees native to North America display typical black and white, gray, or brown plumage. Here are some…
Author: Alan Hernbroth
Puffins are seabirds that are known for their colorful beaks. They live along coastlines and islands in the northern Atlantic and Pacific oceans. There are four main species of puffins: the Atlantic Puffin, the Horned Puffin, the Tufted Puffin, and the Rhinoceros Auklet. Quick Answers Puffins do not live in the continental United States. The only puffin species found in North America is the Atlantic Puffin, which breeds in Canada, Greenland, Iceland, and some islands off the coast of Maine. Puffins spend most of their lives out at sea, only coming to land to breed. They nest in rocky crevices…
Pigeons are a common sight in urban and suburban areas, where they can often be seen perching on buildings, wires, and other structures. While many people view them simply as nuisance birds, pigeons seem particularly attracted to houses for several reasons. Understanding what draws pigeons to residences can help homeowners find ways to discourage them from settling around their property. Food sources One of the main factors that attracts pigeons to houses is the availability of food sources. Pigeons are opportunistic birds that thrive on human food waste and refuse. They congregate wherever people toss out bread crumbs, spilled grains,…
In today’s fast-paced world, many people struggle with feelings of anxiety and stress. While there are many pharmaceutical options available to treat anxiety, some prefer more natural remedies. One soothing solution may be found in our feathered friends: birds. Birdsongs and calls have long been appreciated for their beauty and shown to have positive effects on mental health. In this article, we will explore the potential benefits of listening to bird vocalizations, the science behind these effects, and simple ways to incorporate birdsong into your life. What is anxiety and how is it treated? Anxiety disorders are one of the…
Woodpeckers are fascinating birds that peck away at trees to create cavity nests. These nests are used for roosting and raising young. A question that often comes up is whether woodpeckers reuse the same nesting cavities year after year or if they abandon them and create new ones each season. There are a few factors that influence whether a woodpecker will return to an old nest or excavate a new one. Why Do Woodpeckers Excavate Cavity Nests? Woodpeckers create cavity nests by chiseling out holes in trees. They use their strong beaks and long, barbed tongues to chip away at…
Birds colliding with windows is an unfortunate but common occurrence. Windows can appear invisible to birds in flight, and the resulting collisions often leave them injured or even dead. For birds that survive an impact, the next question is how long the recovery process takes. The answer depends on several factors. What Happens When a Bird Hits a Window When a bird collides with a window pane, the impact typically causes blunt force trauma. The severity depends on the size and speed of the bird, as well as the angle of impact. Injuries can range from minor bruising to concussions,…
Canada Goose is known for making some of the warmest winter jackets on the market. Their jackets are designed to withstand the harshest winter weather conditions. When it comes to choosing the warmest Canada Goose jacket for men, there are a few key factors to consider: Fill Power The fill power of the down insulation is perhaps the most important factor when determining warmth. Fill power is a measure of the loft or fluffiness of the down feathers – the higher the fill power, the better the insulation. Canada Goose uses premium goose down with fill powers ranging from 550…
No, birds’ ears are not visible. Birds do not have external ears like mammals. Instead, birds have ear openings on the sides of their heads that lead to their inner ears. These openings are covered with feathers, so they are not easily seen. The lack of external ears helps streamline a bird’s head for smooth flight. However, just because birds’ ears are not visible does not mean birds cannot hear. Birds have excellent hearing and their inner ears are adapted to detect sound in various ways. Bird Ear Anatomy Birds have three sections to their inner ears just like mammals:…
Swallow-tailed hawks are large, slender birds of prey found in parts of North and South America. Their diet consists primarily of insects, small birds, reptiles, and amphibians. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the swallow-tailed hawk’s feeding habits and preferred prey. Insects Insects make up the majority of the swallow-tailed hawk’s diet. They are excellent hunters and can snatch insects out of midair with ease. Some of their favorite insect prey includes: Grasshoppers Crickets Cicadas Beetles Moths Butterflies Flies Bees Wasps Dragonflies Swallow-tailed hawks will hunt for insects in open fields, meadows, wetlands, and along forest edges.…
There is no single country that speaks a literal “bird language”. However, the question of which country’s language sounds most like birds chirping is an interesting one. Linguists break language down into individual speech sounds called phonemes. The distribution of various phonemes gives each language its unique sound. Certain phonemes may remind listeners of sounds in nature like those made by birds. By analyzing the frequency of bird-like phonemes in different languages, we can determine which country’s language most closely resembles birdsong. What makes a language sound like bird vocalizations? Certain consonant and vowel sounds in human languages share acoustic…