Lewis’s Woodpecker – guarding cache Melanerpes lewis January – Colorado L=9” ...... WS=10.75” ...... WT=3 oz Order: Piciformes (Woodpeckers and Allies) Family: Picidae (Woodpeckers and Allies) Lewis’s Woodpecker is named in honor of Meriwether Lewis who observed and recorded his sighting in 1805 while on the famous Lewis and Clark expedition. This woodpecker has long slow wing beats similar to a crow in flight. It feeds mainly on insects in the spring and summer which it catches on the wing using its exceptionally acrobatic flying skills. In fall and winter Lewis’s Woodpeckers switch to acorns and seeds which it will store in the bark cavities of trees. Once stored the bird will guard the area and the cache scrupulously. In this picture the Lewis’s Woodpecker has finished storing seeds in a nearby tree and is now resting and guarding the stores.
Western Scrub-Jay – Interior or "Woodhouse's" subspecies Aphelocoma californica January – Colorado L=11.5”....... WS=15” ....... WT= 3 oz Order: Passeriformes (Passerine Birds) Family: Covidae (Crows and Jays) The Western Scrub-Jay has three well differentiated subspecies that reside (1) along the Pacific Ocean of California and Oregon, (2) in the non-coastal area of California and east to Texas but remaining south of Montana, and (3) in southern Mexico. There is very little overlap in their ranges. The two North American subspecies are called the “coastal” or “California” and the “interior” or “Woodhouse’s”. The physical and behavioral characteristics of these two North American birds are distinct. The coastal subspecies is thicker billed, darker and richer in color overall. They are bold, conspicuous and adapt well to human neighborhoods. Thus they are easily spotted. The interior subspecies is drabber, secretive, and more frequently heard than seen. Given the lack of range overlap and the associated lack of inter-breeding, differences in physical appearance, and differences in behavior separating these subspecies ornithologists continue to study the evolutionary history of these birds and may create three species where one now exists.
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron – restingNyctanassa violacea July – Texas L=24” ...... WS=42” ....... WT=1.5 lb Order: Ciconiiformes (Herons, Ibises, Storks, New World Vultures, Allies) Family: Ardeidae (Herons, Egrets, Bitterns) This species most often inhabits forested wetlands, swamps, and bayous of the deep south where poor lighting seems to be the most reliable characteristic of its breeding sites. Because Yellow-crowned Night-Herons are dark bodied and nest under canopy in forested areas, aerial surveys are ineffective in determining population status and because colonies are small and scattered, ground surveys are economically unfeasible. Yellow-crowned Night-Herons are frequently not listed at all in results of broad surveys for wading birds. Numerous species of birds sun and adopt quite varied positions in doing so. There is little experimental data to establish the function of sunning but some suggested purposes include keeping the feathers supple through limited heating, harming or repositioning parasites, saving energy by taking up solar heat and simply doing it because it feels good. A number of large water birds stand for many minutes with their wings extended in a pose known as “spead-wing posture”. This type of sunning is most certainly done to help dry the feathers and to increase body heat.
