Featured Birds
The Bird Nerds think that all birds are cool but every few months we pick a species and showcase it. Every bird we choose includes some neat facts. Here is the list of previously featured birds:
–Featured Bird–
Yellow-rumped Warbler
- The most abundant and widespread wood warbler in North America.
- Although their colours are subdued in winter these birds absolutely *pop* in spring.
- Audubon's (yellow throat) and Myrtle (white throat) are two races of yellow-rumped warbler -- both occur in Alberta.
–Featured Bird–
Wood Duck
- Males are iridescent chestnut and green, with ornate patterns on nearly every feather.
- These birds live in wooded swamps, where they nest in holes in trees.
- The wood duck is the only North American duck that regularly produces two broods in one year.
–Featured Bird–
Mountain Bluebird
- Mountain bluebirds are fairly small thrushes with a bright cerulean colour.
- Easy to observe roadside pairs throughout much of Alberta from March - September.
- Nest boxes have boosted populations and provided insight into the bird's behavior.
–Featured Bird–
Sharp-tailed Grouse
- Males display to attract females on communal dancing grounds called leks.
- Some Native American tribes have incorporated elements of the birds’ displays into their traditional dances.
- Sharp-tailed grouse sometimes build tunnels through snow for their night roosts.
–Featured Bird–
Downy Woodpecker
- It is the smallest woodpecker in North America.
- About a quarter of their diet consists of plant material, particularly berries, acorns, and grains.
- Its sound is an excited string of hoarse, high-pitched notes.
–Featured Bird–
Tundra Swan
- It is larger than a snow goose; smaller than a trumpeter swan.
- The high-pitched, quivering oo-oo-whoo is constantly repeated by migrating flocks.
- It is one of the top 10 largest birds in Alberta.
