Fine Art Birds

Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks – LoafingDendrocygna autumnalis December – Texas L=21”...... WS=30” ...... WT=1.8 lb Order: Anseriformes (Ducks, Geese Swans) Family: Aatidae (Ducks, Geese Swans) Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks are more arboreal than most ducks and will frequently be seen loafing in trees and even on barbed wire or telephone lines. Prior to being renamed “whistling-ducks” this species was called the Black-bellied Tree Duck. They are gregarious and are found in large flocks. When loafing or foraging it is common for sentries to watch for threats. Individuals form lifelong pairs and will separate from a flock in breeding season. Usually they nest in tree cavities. Their young are precocial (i.e. born with open eyes, downy feathers, and are capable of locomotion within a few hours of hatching) and will jump from the nest within 24 hours of hatching. To soften the fall from the 8-30 foot height parents will find or create a landing area that has thick herbaceous matter.

Lesser GoldfinchSpinus psaltria

Lesser GoldfinchSpinus psaltria

Great Egret – Grabbing a fish from flight Ardea alba October – Texas L=39” ...... WS=51” ...... WT=1.9 lb Order: Ciconiiformes (Herons, Ibises, Storks, New World Vultures, Allies) Family: Ardeidae (Herons, Egrets, Bitterns) Great Egrets inhabit diverse wetland settings, including small ponds, large lakes, estuaries, and tidal basins. They feed by foraging, primarily by walking slowly through the water and quickly striking with their bill. They also will regularly stand near or over the water and wait for prey. Occasionally, they will, as seen here grab prey from flight.

Great Egret – Grabbing a fish from flight Ardea alba October – Texas L=39” ...... WS=51” ...... WT=1.9 lb Order: Ciconiiformes (Herons, Ibises, Storks, New World Vultures, Allies) Family: Ardeidae (Herons, Egrets, Bitterns) Great Egrets inhabit diverse wetland settings, including small ponds, large lakes, estuaries, and tidal basins. They feed by foraging, primarily by walking slowly through the water and quickly striking with their bill. They also will regularly stand near or over the water and wait for prey. Occasionally, they will, as seen here grab prey from flight.

Forster's Tern – Diving for fishSterna forsteri January – Texas L=13” ...... WS=31” ...... WT=6 oz Order: Charadriiformes (Shorebirds, Gulls, Auks, Allies) Family: Laridae (Gulls, Terns, Allies) Forster’s Terns forage by flying over water and then either plunging directly into the water or hovering briefly before plunging. Typically only their bill and head goes into the water but sometimes their entire body will be submerged. So long as the fish caught is small it will be eaten as soon as the bird regains foraging height, about 25 feet above the water. See next photo.

Forster's Tern – Diving for fishSterna forsteri January – Texas L=13” ...... WS=31” ...... WT=6 oz Order: Charadriiformes (Shorebirds, Gulls, Auks, Allies) Family: Laridae (Gulls, Terns, Allies) Forster’s Terns forage by flying over water and then either plunging directly into the water or hovering briefly before plunging. Typically only their bill and head goes into the water but sometimes their entire body will be submerged. So long as the fish caught is small it will be eaten as soon as the bird regains foraging height, about 25 feet above the water. See next photo.

Little Blue Heron – Watching for danger Egretta caerylea March – Texas L=26” ...... WS=36” ....... WT=13 oz Order: Ciconiiformes (Herons, Ibises, Storks, New World Vultures, Allies) Family: Ardeidae (Herons, Egrets, Bitterns)

Eastern Phoebe – restingSayornis phoebe December – Texas L=7”...... WS=10.5” ....... WT=0.7 oz Order: Passeriformes (Passerine Birds)

Purple Gallinule – ForagingPorphyrio martinica February – Texas L=13” ...... WS=22”...... WT=8 oz......m>f Order: Gruiformes (Rails, Cranes, and Allies) Family: Rallifae (Rails, Gallinules and Coots) The Purple Gallinule is a striking and exotically colored bird. It has three very long front toes and an exceptionally long hind toe which enable it to walk on floating vegetation to forage for food. The name “gallinule” derives from the Latin “gallina” meaning “little hen”. Purple Gallinules have proven to adapt well when their habitats have been modified. For example, they thrive in rice fields and eat invasive plant species such as water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) and hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata).

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.

White IbisEudocimus albus

Roseate SpoonbillPlatalea ajaja

Lesser GoldfinchSpinus psaltria

Dark-eyed Junco – "Pink-sided"Junco hyemalis October – New Mexico L=6.25” ...... WS=9.25”....... WT=0.7 oz Order: Passeriformes (Passerine Birds) Family: Emberizidae (New World Sparrows) The Dark-eyed Junco was considered 5 distinct groups, two of which had sub-species, until the 1970’s when the American Ornithologist’s Union grouped all five into one species. Still, the distinctiveness of the individual sub groups was recognized. Today the Dark-eyed Junco has the following five groups – “slate-colored”, “Oregon”, “white-winged”, “gray-headed”, and “Gaudalupe”. The “pink-sided” shown here is a sub-species of the group “Oregon”. Clearly, though these are considered to be one species the physical differences are notable. Even with this confusion, the Dark-eyed Junco is one of the most common and most recognized birds in North America. It is abundant, tame, conspicuous in its foraging behavior, and frequents feeders and urban landscapes.

Carolina WrenThryothorus luduvicianus

BananaquitCoereba flaveola Bananaquits are small, tropical birds of the Western Hemisphere not found in North America. They are fond of sugar and can be seen in banana fields, taking nectar from flowers, around homes where sugar is present, and drinking from hummingbird feeders (they are similar in size to hummingbirds).

Unidentified HummingbirdTrochilidae incognitus