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Steller's Jay
The gregarious and noisy Steller's Jay traditionally has been the only crested jay found west of the Rocky Mountains, although in recent decades, its close relative the Blue Jay has made some inroads there. This robust species is also sometimes… Read More »
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Meet Louie, A Happy Indoor Cat (Part 2)
If you missed our first interview with Christiana, please check it out here. After you adopted Louie from the shelter, how did you help him thrive as a happy indoor cat? In terms of enjoying the indoors, I’ve found with… Read More »
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Northern Mockingbird
The Northern Mockingbird is well-known for its powers of mimicry. Nicknamed the "American Nightingale," this remarkable species has been recorded as learning the songs and calls of hundreds of other birds, as well as musical instruments, car alarms, and many… Read More »
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Top Ten Ways to Help Spring's Migrating Birds
(Washington, D.C., March 20, 2014) Despite persistent late-occurring snowstorms, average temperatures are starting to climb, soon to be followed by the most deadly period of the year for birds: springtime. Although spring means new life and hope to many people,… Read More »
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Pink-Footed Shearwater
Flying over the Pacific Ocean, sensing every movement of the wind and waves, Pink-footed Shearwaters are finely attuned to the world around them. These ocean-going birds are frequently far from human civilization, and as the old saying goes, “out of sight, out… Read More »
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Parrot Paradox: The Unprotected, Endangered Red-crowned Parrot
How humanity threatens, benefits, and can save an endearing, range-restricted bird. The Red-crowned Parrot could be a poster-bird for the travails facing wild parrot populations around the world. Pummeled for decades by the one-two punch of habitat loss and capture… Read More »
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Ruby-crowned Kinglet
One of North America’s smallest songbirds, the Ruby-crowned Kinglet is tinier than a Black-capped Chickadee and only a bit larger than a Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Unremarkable at first glance, this diminutive bird is a drab olive-green and gray, with a white… Read More »
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Indigo Bunting
A male Indigo Bunting in breeding plumage is a glorious symphony of shimmering blues, turquoises, and purples. But these beautiful colors are illusory: Like the iridescence of hummingbirds and the blue plumage of other species such as Eastern Bluebird, the… Read More »
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Gray Catbird
The Gray Catbird is a familiar member of the Mimidae (mimic) family, a group of birds that includes noted songsters such as Northern Mockingbird and Sage Thrasher. Like its relatives, the Gray Catbird mimics a variety of sounds, but this… Read More »
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Northern Flicker
The Northern Flicker is a standout, even in an unusual family of birds that includes the pink-and-green, flycatching Lewis's Woodpecker and the clown-faced, nut-hoarding Acorn Woodpecker. This brownish-gray woodpecker, larger than an American Robin, has a black-barred back and is… Read More »
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Rufous Hummingbird
At a tad over three inches long, the feisty red-and-orange Rufous Hummingbird is a tiny warrior, readily attacking birds many times its size, as well as large insects or anything else it perceives as a threat to its territory. It… Read More »
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Create a Feeder-Free Hummingbird Paradise in Eight Steps
Hopped up on sugar, wings moving too fast to see, hummingbirds are winging their way to your part of the United States, if they’re not there already. In the East, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird prevails, but out West, more than a… Read More »
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Mourning Dove
The handsome Mourning Dove is a familiar sight to most people — beige-brown above and pinkish-brown below, with black spots on its wings and an iridescent pink-and-blue flash on its neck. A ring of vivid blue skin encircles its large,… Read More »
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Red-bellied Woodpecker
The Red-bellied Woodpecker belongs to the boldly marked Melanerpes genus, a group of woodpeckers found only in the New World that includes Acorn and Lewis's Woodpeckers. The genus name derives from the Greek words for "black" and "creeper." Oddly enough,… Read More »
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Tufted Titmouse
The active and agile Tufted Titmouse is easily recognized by its jaunty crest of gray feathers, big black eyes, and rust-colored flanks. This familiar bird feeder visitor often joins mixed foraging flocks with other common backyard birds such as the… Read More »
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Hooded Warbler
The handsome Hooded Warbler, like the Prothonotary Warbler, has a name with roots in ecclesiastical lore. The male Hooded Warbler's black hood and throat make it look as if the bird is wearing a mitre — the cowl-like hat worn… Read More »
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Pileated Woodpecker
With flashing black-and-white wings and a bright red crest, when a crow-sized Pileated Woodpecker swoops by, even the most experienced birders stop in their tracks. This is the largest of North American woodpeckers. In the United States, only the Ivory-billed… Read More »
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Farewell to ABC's George and Rita Fenwick
After successfully leading American Bird Conservancy for nearly 24 years, George Fenwick (along with Rita Fenwick, our long-time head of Development) is stepping down on May 31. In this era of change at ABC, we asked some of ABC's best friends… Read More »
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Wood Thrush
The robust, long-legged Wood Thrush is closely related to the American Robin and thrushes of the genus Catharus, such as the Bicknell's Thrush and Swainson's Thrush. Its scientific name, Hylocichla mustelina, translates roughly as "weasel-colored woodland thrush," a reference to… Read More »
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White-breasted Nuthatch
The confiding, acrobatic White-breasted Nuthatch delights many a backyard birder with its head-down antics and nasal calls. Sometimes described as the "upside-down bird" or " wall walker," this agile little songbird is often seen in the company of other familiar… Read More »
