Eastern Phoebe – LandingSayornis phoebe February – Texas L=7”...... WS=10.5” ....... WT=0.7 oz Order: Passeriformes (Passerine Birds) Family: Tyannidae (Tyrant Flycatchers) Eastern Phoebes are flycatchers with dull coloration and unobtrusive behavior. Their breeding range is expanding apparently because of their willingness to nest on human dwellings and under bridges. Even so, Eastern Phoebes have a strong site attachment – a fact first observed by James Audubon in 1804. Eastern Phoebes move from place to place almost exclusively by flying - they rarely walk, hop or even pivot when on a perch. They are also loners who usually fail to even acknowledge other species, except predators.
Tricolored Heron – ForagingEgretta tricolor February – Texas L=26” ...... WS=36”...... WT=13 oz Order: Ciconiiformes (Herons, Ibises, Storks, New World Vultures, Allies) Family: Ardeidae (Herons, Egrets, Bitterns) Tricolored Herons, formerly known as Louisiana Herons, are a day-heron found only in the New World. This bird probably did not suffer as greatly as other egrets and herons at the hand of the plume trade early in the 20th century and was the most numerous of the species until the Cattle Egret population expanded during the last half of the 20th century.
Mississippi Kite – Feeding on the wingIctinia mississippiensis May – Texas L=14” ...... WS=31” ...... WT= 10 oz Order: Falconiformes (Diurnal Birds of prey) Family: Accipitridae (Hawks and Allies) Mississippi Kites are acrobatic flyers who catch insects from a perch or on the wing. They are highly migratory wintering in South America and migrate in large flocks. The individuals on the next two pages were feeding on insects high in the air.
