Bird of the Day - House Sparrow

The Bird of the Day today is the house sparrow.  It is an old world sparrow that has become established throughout most of the United States.  

The house sparrow is in the family Passeridae.  Eurasian tree sparrows are the other bird in this family that has become established in the United States, though with a much smaller range than the house sparrow.

I took these pictures on the grounds of the Harriet Alexander Nature Center in Roseville, Minnesota.

Bird of the Day - Ruby-throated Hummingbird

 I saw my first ruby-throated hummingbird of the year today.  It is exciting to see these tiny, but bold birds again.  The pictured bird would have flown from Minnesota to South America last autumn, and came back over the Gulf of Mexico this spring and all the way up to Minnesota.

Birds have a massive amount of feathers.  The ruby-throated hummingbird has roughly 1,000 feathers (according to the Sibley Guide to Bird Behavior).  Swans and geese have closer to 25,000 feathers per bird.

Bird of the Day - Brown-headed Cowbird

The Bird of the Day today is the brown-headed cowbird.  It ranges throughout the United States, and most of Canada and Mexico.  They are in the Icteridae family, which includes such things as American blackbirds, grackles, cowbirds, and orioles.

Brown-headed cowbirds are often vilified in modern society because they lay their eggs in other species nests.  Cuckoos do the same thing, but their reputation has been protected by their inclusion in the clocks.  Both species of birds are only acting on instinct, and are not bad forms of life.

Bird of the Day - Downy Woodpecker

 The Bird of the Day today is the downy woodpecker.  It is smaller than its larger cousin the hairy woodpecker.  Downy woodpeckers have a shorter bill than the hairy woodpecker, and a shorter call note (pick vs. peek).  If you look closely, you also see the distinguishing feature of faint dark bars on the tail, which the hairy does not have.

I was thrilled to find that I had photographed this woodpecker eating its meal!  Both of these pictures were taken in Roseville, Minnesota when the woodpecker was foraging on a large stump.

Bird of the Day - Indigo Bunting

 The Bird of the Day today is the indigo bunting.   It is a small, bright blue bird in the family Cardinalidae.

 These pictures were taken last year on the Gunflint Trail.  

 When you think about it, there are not a lot of blue-colored birds in Minnesota.  Blue jays are common.  Eastern bluebirds are present in smaller numbers.  The red-breasted nuthatch has a bluish back.  Indigo buntings are probably the rarest of these birds.

 Indigo buntings enjoy living on the edges of woodlands.

 Happy birding!

Bird of the Day - Red-bellied Woodpecker

This bird was photographed in a suburban yard peeking out of a nest.

The Bird of the Day today is the red-bellied woodpecker.  These woodpeckers range as far west as Nebraska, as far south as Florida, as far east as Maine, and as far north as the middle of Minnesota.  At 9 1/4 inches in length, they are barely smaller than a hairy woodpecker.

Red-bellied woodpeckers can be challenging to photograph.  I took the two pictures for this post in two different locations in Roseville, Minnesota.  These birds seem to move rapidly, and stay quite high on the tree.  

This bird was photographed next to a wetland in Roseville's Central Park.

Bird of the Day - American Goldfinch

 The Bird of the Day today is the American goldfinch.  It is a beautiful sight in the spring when the males turn bright yellow.  For much of the rest of the year, the American goldfinches are brown or grey (males), or olive (females).  The black and white of the wings remains throughout the year.

American goldfinches ranch throughout the Continental United States, and into parts of Canada and Mexico as well.  They can be a year-round resident throughout most of Minnesota.

The pictures on today's post were both taken in Roseville, Minnesota.  Both birds are breeding males.