Bird Chatter

Evening Grosbeak

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 17:10:32 -0700

Evening Grosbeaks (Coccothraustes vespertinus) are an irruptive species attracted to back yards and bird feeders across North America. An irruptive species is a bird species that sporadically and unpredictably occurs in areas that they normally occur, especially in winter presumably due to a lack of food on their normal wintering grounds. Other common irruptive species include Pine Grosbeak, Pine Siskin, Common Redpoll, Red Crosbill, White-winged Crosbill, Purple Finch, etc.

Evening Grosbeak Range Map (adapted from http://sdakotabirds.com)

Evening Grosbeak are large birds that are easily identifiable by their bright yellow colour and strong thick beak. Evening Grosbeaks prefer mixed conifer areas with both conifers and deciduous trees.

Evening Grosbeak eat seeds, berries, fruit, maple seeds, insects, and other invertebrates making them frequent visitors to bird feeders.

Nests consist of flattened saucers in trees or large shrubs. The nests are made of twigs, roots, lichens, grass, and/or pine needles. Incubation is 12-14 days and when chicks hatch, they are precocial, meaning that they hatch with their eyes closed, are completely bald except for a thin fluffy down, and are completely dependent on their parents).

Evening Grosbeak are social birds that move in small to large flocks in the winter. They will use anything from fancy bird feeders to discount bird feeder, provided that they are filled with sunflower seeds. Grosbeaks (and most wild birds) are more likely to frequent your bird feeders if feeders are placed in trees or are near tree. This provides protection and a quick escape from predators. Water also attracts most birds for both drinking and bathing. If your bird bath is deep or slippery, provide marbles or river rocks at the bottom of the water. This gives birds something to grip, increases the attractiveness of your bath to small birds, and reduces the likelihood of drowning.

References

• Bird Source Online. "What is an irruption?" http://www.birdsource.org/ibs/irruption.html

• Bird Web - http://birdweb.org/birdweb/bird_details.aspx?value=search&id=464

• SDakotaBirds.com - http://sdakotabirds.com/species/maps/evening_grosbeak_map.htm

• The Cornell Lab of Ornithology - http://www.birds.cornell.edu/BOW/evgr/

This article can be cited as: Bird, K.L. (2011) Bird Chatter - Evening Grosbeak. Retrieved <insert date> from http://www.aviangenetics.com

Greater Sage-Grouse in Canada

Sun, 27 Feb 2011 14:02:34 -0700

Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) are North America’s largest grouse. Historically Sage-Grouse inhabited three Canadian provinces (Alberta, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia) and 14 American states (Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming), but presently occur only in southeastern Alberta, southwestern Saskatchewan, and 11 U.S. states (Sage-Grouse no longer occur in Arizona, Nebraska, New Mexico, and British Columbia). They are endangered in Canada and have declined by greater than 50% across their range due to the widespread destruction of sagebrush.

Map of the Current Sage-Grouse range in North America - Modified from Schroeder et al. 2004.

Sage-Grouse are sagebrush obligates meaning that they live in habitats dominated by big or silver sagebrush and eat primarily sagebrush during parts of the year. They also eat forbs (small tender plants/weeds), insects, and berries. Sage-Grouse are a lekking species of galliform where males congregate on communal display grounds (leks) in the spring and females make repeated, lengthy visits to choose a male before they mate and raise chicks on their own

Sage-Grouse Chick in Southeastern Alberta

Males can be up to twice as large as females and have long pointed tails, elaborate filoplumes, white breasts, and two large yellowish air sacs that are visible on the lower neck/upper breast during display. These air sacs produce both a visual and audio effect (a loud 2-toned "plop" sound). This sound combined with a wing swish noise that they make while displaying, most closely resembles a little kid running around in snow pants or corduroys and a dripping faucet. Male Sage-Grouse attend leks for up to three months each spring (usually mid-March to mid-May), generally arrive on leks prior to sunrise, and display for up to four hours each morning. Displaying is thought to both attract females and to defend territories from other males.

Sage-Grouse Male Displaying in Southeastern Alberta

Females are cryptic with their plumage (feather pattern) blending into the sagebrush habitat allowing for them to hide while nesting. Females generally nest near the lek, lay between 4-12 eggs., and incubation is 27 days. The Chicks are precocial (fully feathered, sighted, and capable of walking within a short time after hatching), leave the nest soon after hatching, are capable of weak flight at 10 days of age, and fledge (are independent of the mother) at 10-12 weeks of age.

Female Sage-Grouse in Southeastern Alberta

Current and past threats to Sage-Grouse are habitat destruction (conversion of native sage steppe to agriculture), habitat fragmentation (small scale habitat conversion, roads/fences/power lines, and oil and gas development), habitat degradation (over grazing and invasive and non-native plant species encroachment), disease (West Nile virus), predation (coyotes, raptors, and badgers), and environmental conditions (global warming and extreme weather conditions). Sage-Grouse were petitioned to be an endangered species in the United States, but were given a warranted, but precluded listing in 2010 meaning that they have no governmental protection. In Canada, they are an endangered species, but increased fragmentation and frequent snow storms in the spring during the critical nesting time period have resulted in an estimated population of less than 100 individuals and a very bleak outlook for the future.

Oil Rig in Southeastern Alberta

References

•
Schroeder, M.A., Aldridge, C.L., Apa, A.D., Bohne, J.R., Braun, C.E., Bunnell, S.D., Connelly, J.W., Diebert, P.A., Gardner, S.C., Hilliard, M.A., Kobriger, G.D., McAdam, S.M., McCarthy, C.W., McCarthy, J.J., Mitchell, D.L., Rickerson, E.V., and Stiver, S.J. 2004. Distribution of sage-grouse in North America. Condor 106: 363-376. Doi: 10.1650/7425

This article can be cited as: Bird, K.L. (2011) Bird Chatter - Greater Sage-Grouse in Canada. Retrieved <insert date> from http://www.aviangenetics.com

Attracting Black-capped Chickadees to your bird feeder

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 16:01:21 -0700

Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) are one of the most common birds attracted to back yards and bird feeders across North America.

Black-capped Chickadee Range Map (adapted from Project Feeder Watch)

Chickadees are cute and friendly small birds that are easily identifiable by their black cap and bib and white cheeks and side of their face. Chickadees are non-migratory meaning that they stay in the same location year-round. They prefer areas with trees, woody shrubs, and tall grass. They are most often found near forest boundaries (areas where trees meet urban areas, fields, etc.). Unlike migratory species, Chickadees are very cold tolerant and thrive in cold winter temperatures.

Chickadees eat seeds, berries, fruit, insects, and spiders making them frequent visitors to bird feeders. They scour bark for insects, eat weed and conifer seeds (e.g. pine cone seeds), & eat berries and fruits from a variety of trees & shrubs (e.g. blueberries, blackberries, cherries, and apple). Chickadees cache food, meaning that they hide and store it for later.

Nest cavities (holes in dead trees where females lay their eggs) are most commonly found in deciduous trees (e.g. birch and aspen) and Chickadees lay between 1-13 eggs. Chickadees will also use nest boxes, especially flat-bottomed Blue Bird styles. Incubation is 12-13 days and when chicks hatch, they are precocial, meaning that they hatch with their eyes closed, are completely bald except for a thin fluffy down, and are completely dependent on their parents).

Chickadees are highly social birds that live in small flocks and are commonly found with other feeder bird species (woodpeckers, nuthatches, sparrows, vireos, and other small woodland species). Chickadees are not fussy as to the type of bird feeders that they will frequent, as they will use anything from fancy bird feeders to discount bird feeder, including all sizes and shapes of feeders (hopper feeders, tube feeders, peanut feeders, wire mesh feeders, suet feeders, and platform feeders). Chickadees (and most wild birds) are more likely to frequent your bird feeders if feeders are placed in trees or are near tree. This provides protection and a quick escape from predators. Foods that attract Chickadees to bird feeders include black oil sunflower seeds, striped sunflower seeds, suet, peanuts, insect feed mixes, and dried fruit. Water also attracts most birds for both drinking and bathing. If your bird bath is deep or slippery, provide marbles or river rocks at the bottom of the water. This gives birds something to grip, increases the attractiveness of your bath to small birds, and reduces the likelihood of drowning.

References

• The Cornell Lab of Ornithology - All About Birds

• Foote, Jennifer R., Daniel J. Mennill, Laurene M. Ratcliffe and Susan M. Smith. 2010. Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Retrieved from the Birds of North America Online: http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/039

This article can be cited as: Bird, K.L. (2011) Bird Chatter - Attracting Black-capped Chickadees to your bird feeder. Retrieved <insert date> from http://www.aviangenetics.com