Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus)

The Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus) is a relatively common bird species found in habitats extending from Oregon, California and Western Mexico, right through to the highlands of Central America as well as the Colombian Andes. Described as having a clown-face, the Acorn Woodpecker is a very social creature, with groups living together in a complex [...]

American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus)

The American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus) is a secretive bird. Although it is rarely seen, you are sure to know that one is about when you hear its eerie, booming call echoing through the reeds. Populations of American Bitterns can be found in areas extending from Central British Columbia, toward Newfoundland, down to the Gulf Coast [...]

American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)

As the name might suggest, the American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) is predominantly white in color with black plumage on its wings, and is approximately 60 inches in length with a 110 inch wingspan. They have very long, orange bills with pouches on their lower mandibles, and short legs with large webbed feet. Another very [...]

Ashy Storm-Petrel (Oceanodroma homochroa)

The Ashy Storm-Petrel (Oceanodroma homochroa) is a relatively rare little bird that can be found in colonies on small islands off the coast of California and Mexico. The bird is part of the storm-petrel family Hydrobatidae and it is currently an endangered species. The Ashy Storm-Petrel is also one of 6 species of storm-petrel which [...]

Cinnamon Teal (Anas cyanoptera)

The Cinnamon Teal (Anas cyanoptera) is easily distinguished by its plumage, and the males and females can by determined by their coloring. Males have a cinnamon-red coloring over their belly, flanks, head and neck. Their backs are predominantly dark brown, with long bills and red eyes. The females have brown eyes, gray bills, and pale [...]

Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus)

The Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) is not purple and does not cry “Beep Beep” when ready to speed away. It does, however, run at great speeds and is extremely agile. At fifteen to seventeen miles per hour, it can give most animals a run for their money. The Greater Roadrunner is 22 inches in length, [...]

Ross’s Goose (Chen rossii)

The Ross’s goose or as it is scientifically named, Chen rossii, is 16 inches long with a total wingspan of 51 inches. It is a small goose, weighing between 860 to 2040 g, which sometimes hybridizes with the Snow Goose and has many different colored morphs. The white Ross’s Goose is very similar to the [...]

Dark-Eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)

The Dark-eyed Junco or the Junco hyemalis is 5.25 to 6 inches, or 14 to 16 cm, in length and has a pinkish, conical bill and white outer tail feathers. The wingspan is 7 to 10 inches, or 18 to 25 cm, in length and it weighs 18 to 30 grams. The Dark-eyed Junco varies [...]

Brown Pelican Numbers Hit Record High in the Farallones

The Farallon Islands, located in the Gulf of the Farallones off the coast of San Francisco, California, around 32 kilometers south of Point Reyes, are home to a growing number of Brown Pelicans that at one time were facing extinction. Conservationists at the Point Reyes Bird Observatory have noted that the numbers of these fascinating birds have reached a forty-year peak, which is great news for all who have been keeping track of fluctuating Brown Pelican numbers since 1968.

Birds Share Mammalian Sleep Patterns

It has always been thought that only mammals enjoy the somewhat varied sleep patterns that we are all so familiar with, but now it seems that birds are capable of REM, slow-wave sleep, transition stages and quick spikes too. Recent research conducted on the zebra finch has resulted in some alarming findings.

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