Oklahoma Breeding Bird Species Profile: Tree Swallow

https://phys.org/news/2017-11-birds.html

These common birds nest in nestboxes or tree cavities over water or in open fields, where they will also forage for insects or berries.  They are the only swallows that can eat berries and seeds over a lengthy time period, which is why they can overwinter in the Middle Atlantic states.  They are found nearly everywhere there are large open populations of insects.

Like Purple Martins, Tree Swallows hunt in flight and pull insects from the air.  They will hunt over marshes in groups, then roost communally at night.  They breed in colonies where nest sites are available and associate with other swallow species.  Their song is a simple gurgle.

They prefer cavities in dead trees or snags, as long as it is over or near water.  The female builds a cup nest and usually lines it with feathers for her four to six eggs.  The male will watch the eggs, but he will not incubate them.  Both sexes will feed the young.

                                                                      Tree Swallow
                                                                   Red Slough, 2016

These songbirds are usually on the breed grounds between March and May.  Fall migration begins in July or August, with peaks in September or October.

A recent study shows that birds in agricultural areas are working harder to capture preferred prey.  Due to preferred food over wetlands and insecticide use, it was suspected that they could be shifting over to terrestrial protein.  That turned out not to be the case, for agricultural resident birds tended to weigh less overall.  Diet quality was much better in unadultered grassland as opposed to insecticide laden cropland.

Tree Swallows usually nest in the same area each year, but they may disperse if the nesting year is poor.  The male will attack the female during courtship, and she may wing-flutter to encourage subsequent behavior.  The male will hover over the female, and he will stand upon her wings to make cloacal contact, which holding her neck feathers in his bill.  Then he will bring her to the nest site, where they will raise and tend young.  She is dependent upon food sources and the weather to determine when she will begin laying eggs.

Diet is mostly flies, but they will also take seeds, berries and mollusks.

Genetics and Tree Swallows:

https://debhirt.blogspot.com/2017/11/an-inside-look-at-tree-swallow-research.html

Tree Swallows and the Birds of McCurtain County:

https://debhirt.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-birds-of-mccurtain-county-oklahoma.html

Oklahoma Breeding Bird Species Profile: Upland Sandpiper

Due to loss of habitat, grazing, and hunting, this shorebird of the grasslands was once more abundant in native prairie and open grasslands of the Great Plains.

The upland plovers are related to curlews with a small head, white eyering, thin neck, and long tail supported by yellow legs, a short yellow bill with a dark tip, and a gentle, dovelike expression on its light face.

Nesting on four- to eight-inch tall grassy fields, migrants will also choose the same habitat, like recently mowed hay fields, blueberry barrens in the northeast, and playing fields.  Oklahoma egg dates are usually in May or June and are single brooded.

Mostly a migrant in Oklahoma, though still breeding in a small segment of the north central portion of the state, they perch upon fenceposts and telephone poles.  They enjoy common plains insects, as well as grain, seeds, and earthworms.

                                                                    Wikipedia.org

They will sometimes nest in loose colonies, with the nest on the ground in dense grass.  The parents
behave like a Killdeer with distraction displays, attempting to lure any possible predator away from the area.

Controlled burns could benefit the species, since they like short grassy fields.

Once known as Bartram's Sandpiper, this bird was named after American naturalist and artist  William Bartram.  He explored the American southeast, especially Florida, to record nature at its best, as well as native Americans and called his book Travels, which was very well received in Europe.   Ornithologist Alexander Wilson of Wilson's Phalarope fame named the sandpiper in honor of this classic.

Oklahoma Breeding Bird Species Profile: Blue Grosbeak

Singing a rich, husky warble with a mumbling quality, the uncommon Blue Grosbeak makes itself known in open weedy fields singing from tall weeds or bushes.  Characteristic of old fields turning back to woodlands, they breed in areas of mixed grass and shrubs with scattered trees.

Named for two noticeable field marks, the deep blue color and the large powerful bill, this songbird usually raises two broods each summer.  It often uses snakeskin as a nesting material, perhaps to surprise possible predators.  Nests are usually at clearing edges that are built near the ground, with incubation done by the female.  Nestlings are cared for by both parents.

                                                                 Male Blue Grosbeak
                                                                     Big Thicket, TX
Most of these large finches nesting in the eastern US migrate across the Caribbean, as they are regularly seen there during both spring and fall migrations.  What data exists shows that the Blue Grosbeak may be heavily parasitized by the Brown-headed Cowbird.  In the fall, flocks will gather in rice fields before they fly south.  The flight call is a metallic klink.

A group of grosbeaks is known as a gross of grosbeaks. 

The Blue Grosbeak and Birds of Northeast Texas:

https://debhirt.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-natural-world-according-to.html

Oklahoma Breeding Bird Species Profile: Lark Sparrow

A passerine common in open grassy areas with scattered trees or in shortgrass adjacent to trees, and found easily in pastures and on farmlands.  They are ground foragers, oftentimes on lawns searching for seeds and insects.  This large, thick-billed sparrow has a variegated face pattern, the best identifying feature.

Even early in the breeding season, the male will sing often, be it in flight, on the ground or perched on fenceposts.  Tail spreads are a conspicuous part of display before mating.  The male will  hold a small twig, copulate with the female, and then pass it to her, when she will fly off and possibly use it while she constructs the nests.

Females will occasionally use thrasher or mockingbird nests instead of building theirs, sometimes preferring to be in a tree or shrub.  They will frequently nest upon the ground in natural grasslands where there is a slight rise or a shallow depression in shaded and bare locations.

There are some minor issues with population growth most likely used by loss of habitat or the increase of fire frequency due to invasive grasses.  They once were plentiful in the east, but population drove them away.

One of the easiest sparrows to identify due to the distinctive facial pattern and long tail with broad white edges, the lark sparrow is found in a wide range across the US, except in the east.  This New World sparrow is a short to medium distance migrant wintering in Mexico and is also a vagrant to the United Kingdom.

Oklahoma Breeding Bird Species Profile: Red-shouldered Hawk

Kee-yah, kee-yah!

Often observed perching in trees at edges of clearings, the Red-shouldered Hawk is usually seen near water.  It is vocal with crescents shown across its outer primaries, which is used as one feature of identification.  Checked flight feathers are also another identifying characteristic.  It is not usually seen in the same habitat as the Red-tailed Hawk, yet there are exceptions to the rule.

The three subspecies are very distinctive, which includes the California, Florida, and Eastern.  The California has a solid orange breast, the Eastern has orange bars, and the Florida is much paler as adults.  The brown juvenile is streaked below and very similar to the Broad-winged Hawk.

                                                        Eastern Red-shouldered Hawk
                                                            Boomer Lake Park, 2016

The most distinctive signage is the red shoulder patch, or epaulet, and it is often the most common hawk in its habitat, where it hunts in swamps, coves, agricultural areas with plenty of trees, and riparian woodlands.  Sedentary like other buteos they soar while hunting or from a low perch where it will drop to capture its prey.

Mouse hawks consume a protein-rich diet of small mammals and birds, frogs, reptiles, snails, etc.

They are migratory in northern regions, and are on the breeding grounds by February or March.  They will head south in October or November, generally wintering in Mexico.

                                                         Eastern Red-shouldered Hawk
                                                              Boomer Lake Park, 2016

Nesting is done in tall trees, usually nearest the tree trunk, and they prefer hardwoods, though pines can suffice in a pinch.  They use platform nests with twigs, lined with lighter substrate and feathers.

A popular breeding bird of Oklahoma, the red-bellied hawk is usually up for photographic opportunities.  Also nicknamed winter hawk, hen hawk, red-shouldered buzzard, and a few others depending upon regional locales.

Oklahoma Breeding Bird Species Profile: Summer Tanager

Pik-a-tuck or picky-tucky

Solitary in upper canopies, this bee and wasp connoisseur will prefer pine and upland mixed forest, though it likes lower and more open forest than the Scarlet Tanager.

Males are strikingly beautiful with strawberry coloring, while females are mustard yellow.  Their specific coloring is dependent upon their diet.   These birds are in the cardinal family, yet they lack the conical bill.  They sound somewhat similar to the American Robin.

                                                             Male Summer Tanager
                                                              High Island,TX 2015

The summer redbirds will sally insects similar to a flycatcher, and they pursue nearly any stinging insect.  Their favorite trees are oak and pine, which attract many insects, so they will creep along on branches seeking same.

Flimsy cup nests are built upon horizon branches, distant from the trunk of the tree.  Usually four eggs are incubated solely by the female.  Beebirds are single brooded with an incubation period of about eleven or twelve days.  The female broods, but both sexes feed the young.

                                                          Female Summer Tanager
                                                           Santa Cruz County, AZ

Both birds keep in contact with one another by uttering clicks, very much like the Northern Cardinal.

Oklahoma Breeding Bird Species Profile: Black-and-white Warbler

wee-zee-wee-zee-wee-zee!

A common bird that nests in mixed, small second growth, or deciduous forests, the squeaky wheel sounds can carry over many other songs.  This little songster is known for its namesake and forages in a nuthatch like manner, creeping along both large limbs and the tree trunk.  The female has muted coloration and less streakiness, but there is no doubt that she is a black-and-white.

This species is fond of hawking insects, and will also probe heartily for insects, larvae, spiders, and egg clutches.  Sometimes it will even be so bold as to search twigs and their foliage.

                                                             Black-and-white Warbler
                                                           Boomer Creek, March 2016

Since they forage on the backs of trees, they don't need leaves to search for food, which makes them an early migrant.  In the fall they depart around the end of August to October.  If they are not readily seen, they will be heard.

They generally nest near tree bases and rely on dead leaves and moss for concealment.  Five eggs are incubated by the female for a week and a half and they are fed by both parents.

They can often be the victim of Brown-headed Cowbirds and are neotropical migrants.  They are vulnerable to pesticides, and are also victims for window collisons and turbines during migration.

Flying My Kites

                                                               Fluffed Mississippi Kite

                                                            Coming In For a Landing

                                                             Juvenile Great Blue Heron

                                                         One of six American Crows
                                               Trying to Drive Our Heron Away, a Juvenile
                                                                   Mississippi Kite

                                                                      View 2

                                                                      View 3

                                                                        View 4

                                                                    View 5


082518 through 082718

There was some pretty intense work weather permitting or not.  The goal was to get a few in flight photos, but times were windy, other times were very cloudy, and it was just a matter of doing the best possible in view of the circumstances.

The last day was the most interesting with a murder of six American Crows stopping by.  A juvenile Mississippi Kite was the unfortunate victim of the eldest crow, and was driven off the Bald Cypress tree where he was sitting first, likely with a parent.

The action was captured, as can be seen and hopefully, you'll be able to picture the scenario through my eyes.

Here's another shot of the juvenile Great Blue Heron from the last set of photos, just making itself at home at Heron Cove.

For information on kites, read the following:
https://debhirt.blogspot.com/2018/07/oklahoma-breeding-bird-species-profile_21.html

Oklahoma Breeding Bird Species Profile: Horned Lark

The only lark in the US, this bird of the Great Plains is common in open grounds such as fields, parking lots, and agricultural areas.  They feed upon insects or seeds eaten from the ground or on low vegetation.

The Horned Lark has a distinctive black and yellow face pattern.  Breeding males exhibit black feather tufts that appear to look like tiny horns.

                                                                  Horned Lark
                                                               Texas Lek, 2016
                                                     
The nest is on the ground, nest site chosen by the female, which may be near corn or soybeans for a food source.

Found in large flocks out of breeding season, the Horned Lark will associate with longspurs in the winter.

Oklahoma Breeding Bird Species Profile: White-eyed Vireo

Spit, and see if I care.  Spit! 

Along edges of woods, sitting low while hidden within vegetation, this small, olive drab gray bird has bright yellow spectacles on the gray head.   It is a denizen of second growth forest, riparian streamside thickets, and old fields.

Having a very distinct white iris, more often heard than seen, the solitary bird is often considered to be a warbler or kinglet.  It flicks its wings open and is stocky and active, usually found in the southeast quadrant of the country.

Simple enough song was illustrated, was it not?  Don't let this bird fool you, for it can sing some of the most complex songs.  Males are quite capable of more than a dozen songs, comprising six to ten highly variable elements.  Explosive and spunky, its little head shyly peers out of thick shrubbery, and occasionally, it will actually show itself quite well.

                                                               White-eyed Vireo
                                                          Estero Llano Grande, TX 2017

Favoring spiders, lacewings, moths, butterflies, beetles, and the like, it will slowly hop about in shrubbery to glean these insects.  Larger prey will be pinned down with a foot to be controlled.  During nonbreeding season, they will consume berries from sumac, poison ivy, pokeweed, and wax myrtle.

Nests are low to the ground at approximately three to eight feet in forks of small trees or shrubs.  They are suspended from horizontal forks and held together with spider silk, like many other vireo nests, but are more conelike, similar to warbling vireo construction.

Males are just as diligent as females to raising young, and he is a good protector and provider.

Many of the species are parasitized by the Brown-headed Cowbird, and they will not have time to tend their own young, which will die.

These are breeding birds of eastern Oklahoma.  They are early migrants and thickets are just beginning to leaf out when they are ready to nest.

082618 Muskogee Edition, Birding Today

http://www.muskogeephoenix.com/columns/birding-today-human-neglect-threatens-birds/article_3355058a-a8eb-11e8-a57b-4f7661abe1ed.html

Oklahoma Breeding Bird Species Profile: Red-bellied Woodpecker

The Red-bellied Woodpecker is common in mature deciduous forest of most of the eastern part of the US, but that turns to mixed pine forests in the south.  The range is moving north, as many other species are, where it responds to bird feeders more often.

churrrr-churrrrr-churrrr!

This woodpecker has a red nape and a rarely visible red wash on the belly, which is odd that it would be named after that minor characteristic.  It is more well known for zebra like stripes across its back and the scarlet red nape, with the male's full red cowl.  The zebra woodpecker is well constructed with a chisel shaped bill and barbed tongue, which serves it well at extricating its favorite insects from trees.  If it finds small fish, nestlings, eggs, fruit, nuts or mice, it will eat them, too.  Its food pleasures are unlimited, even down to other species' nestlings, lizards, and acorns.

                                                    Adult Male Red-bellied Woodpecker
                                                             Boomer Lake Park, 2016

The European Starling will watch from other trees as well as from the cavity tree and take the finished hollow away from the zebra-backs that have spent days on excavating it.  Then they will quietly go about constructing another hole in the same tree, either above or below the original, when they find that they are unable to take their first orifice back.

The tongue can extend two inches from the bill in order to extract insects from their hiding places in cracks within tree bark.  They prefer snags or dying trees for both foraging and nesting.  They opt for eating the emerald ash borer if they can get it, but also rely heavily on beetles and other boring insects.

                                                      Female Red-bellied Woodpecker
                                                                Boomer Creek, 2016

Woodpeckers in general provide nest holes for several other species that need an abandoned cavity.  This includes the Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Chickadee, wrens, and Eastern Bluebirds.  Not only do they use trees, but they will also make cavities in telephone poles or fenceposts.  Sometimes they will even drum upon the wooden siding of a residence in order to simply claim territory, shake insects loose, or even make an attempt for a chamber.

                                                      Juvenile Red-bellied Woodpecker
                                                              Boomer Creek, 2016

Red bellied-woodpeckers and Golden-fronted Woodpeckers, which are more commonly found in Texas, cross the state line and will hybridize in western parts of Oklahoma.  If you are in that area, look closely to ascertain what you might have, as the two species are easily confused.

082618 SNP Edition, Life at Boomer Lake

http://www.stwnewspress.com/news/lifestyles/life-at-boomer-lake-they-can-t-all-be-early/article_39f9bd24-2a30-58f9-95ee-842f27e67c08.html

Oklahoma Breeding Bird Species Profile: Common Nighthawk

Easily seen around fields, ponds, lakes, and other open clearings, the Common Nighthawk has a familiar peent, peent, peent that you will easily learn to recognize.  Even though "hawk" is in the name of this bird, it is not a hawk, but a nighthawk in the nightjar family.  In comparison to nightjars, they have smaller heads, long pointed wings, and are seen during the day, as opposed to only being noticed at night or twilight (crepuscular).

Seen all over the continental US, they are solitary birds and form groups when migrating or foraging.  They are quite conspicuous during daylight hours, but once they are at rest upon the ground on upon a tree branch, their cryptic coloration keeps them very well hidden.

The most remarkable thing about the bullbat is the tiny bill, which can open into a gaping cavern.   During courtship, males also perform a stunning aerial display for females.  The bullbat performs steep dives with downflexed wings and ending in a rush of air that creates a booming sound.  It can be heard in the above video, which is one reason why it was chosen to illustrate this piece.

                                                                Common Nighthawk
                                                                 Aransas NWR, 2016

The bugeater often takes advantage of the attraction of insects to street- or stadium lights.  They are almost exclusively insectivores, though it is rare that they may consume vegetation.

There is no nest that is built, as the two eggs are lain directly upon flat ground in the forest.  The female can move them several feet from the original position.  Both sexes incubate in day and night shifts, as well as tend to the needs of the young.  Feeding is done by regurgitation, and the young are kept on a night shift.  Eggshells are removed or consumed to keep predators away from the area.

Even if a carnivore is in close proximity, the nest will rarely be abandoned.  If so, it is done with much fanfare and consternation.  Domestic animals, snakes, owls, hawks, crows, coyotes, raccoons, etc. are the usual culprits.

Pesticides and the lack of gravel roofs are contributing problems to localized declines.  Many rubber roofs now have gravel pads for this reason.

Oklahoma Breeding Bird Species Profile: Barn Owl

An uncommon raptor that nests in old barns, caves, or occasionally dense trees and other abandoned structures, this night owl usually roosts during daylight hours.  Flying on silent wings, the solitary hunter glides over marshes, brushy areas, agricultural lands, and open grasslands of Oklahoma.

Generally heard only at night, the dark-eyed wonder tends to hiss and screech.  A ghostly appearing and silent bird, the ghost owl hunts for mice and voles and they are able to see very little movement in the night.  Since they can see in the ultraviolet spectrum, they easily observe the urine trail of rodents, which they are able to easily locate.

White owls swallow their mice, voles, or rats whole, then they cough up pellets twice a day.  One can earn a great deal from these pellets, especially ecosystems, which is another topic altogether.

                                                                       Barn Owl
                                                              Osage County, OK 2016

Surprisingly, the females are showier than males, making this raptor a dimorphic species.  A top quality female will be more reddish- and more heavily spotted on the breast.  This may have something to do with the fact that they are less susceptible to parasitic flies and other disease.  This quality appears to keep the male more attentive to the nest and it inhabitants when the young hatch.

Sweet heart owls become mature for nesting in their first year, so if there is an owl in your area and there is increased screeching, chances are good that breeding activity is in order.

Nest boxes can attract a breeding pair of these unusual owls, since they do not build their own nests.

This is a valuable resource for building nest boxes if you live in the right location or have access to one.  You could even donate a box to a bird rescue organization or a national wildlife refuge.  Loss of habitat always has a negative effect on birds.

https://modernfarmer.com/2014/05/build-barn-owl-nest/

It is imperative that in order to do their jobs effectively that mankind cease the use of rodenticides and other detrimental poisons to other living raptors.  Once in the body of the affected animal, the poison will not only eliminate the unwanted pest, it will also eradicate raptors such as these.  Help a Barn Owl and other birds today.

Oklahoma Breeding Bird Species Profile: Long-billed Curlew

                   
Usually solitary, this uncommon denizen of the grasslands uses its long, decurved bill to probe deeply into mud and sand for crabs, and also enjoys shrimp when out of the breeding season.  During this period of time, it will also be located in mudflats, wetlands, flooded fields under six inches deep, beaches and tidal estuaries.  A rare visitor of the Oklahoma panhandle, the species once was seen in other northwestern counties.

This nesting bird, nicknamed sicklebill or candlestick bird, of the short grass prairie, does not need water nearby and will forage chiefly on grasshoppers, earthworms, and other invertebrates.  Breeding habitat can also include combinations of sage and cactus on gentle hills, agricultural lands, or grazed mixed grass prairie.

                                                              Long-billed Curlew
                                                            Cimarron County, OK

Small flocks will arrive on breeding grounds and foraging and core areas are then established.  These are often sandy areas, and flight displays and calls will be given above these locales, which will alert one to a nesting ground.  Area meadows are also used to forage within, and flight displays will also be observed here, as well.  This extended territory will be defended and unwanted strangers will be removed.

Nest sites are damp hollows or long sloped riparian areas.  Curlews will nest in loose colonies and the nests are often by dried cow dung for purposes of concealment.  There are four or five eggs in the nest, and they are single brooded.  Chicks are precocial, so they can move about on their own power in a short amount of time.

After families are raised, the flock will depart by the first half of August and winter in southern coastal areas from central and western North America.

In flight, the largest shorebird will show rusty wing patches.  It struts instead of walks, and the impossibly long decurved bill is an identifying feature.  Graceful and with a purpose, it has pale cinnamon underparts.


.

Oklahoma Breeding Bird Species Profile: Yellow Warbler

Sweet-sweet-sweet-little more sweet!

Familiar sounds from a familiar bird that is seen early for migration, many times in late July or August.  Wet brushy habitats (second growth) will assure your success on viewing this little beauty, especially around willow and cottonwood thickets, as well as orchards and hedgerows.

Present in most of the country in spring or fall, the Yellow Warbler will be certain to please you with its lovely song and characteristic demeanor.  It forages on stems and leaves of trees and bushes.  Males will forage higher than females, who seen to prefer a more laid back style of gleaning their insects and spiders.

                             
                                                                 Male Yellow Warbler
                                                  in breeding plumage, Boomer Lake Park

This wood warbler arrives on the breeding ground is late April or May.  Though a rare breeder in Oklahoma, it will breed occasionally in the north central or northeast portions of the state.   The Brown-headed Cowbird parasitizes many of this species, yet it remains plentiful.  The warbler simply builds a second tier upon the nest, lays more eggs, and goes about its business, sometimes as many as six times.

They have one or two broods a year, and the monogamous pair build a cup nest of grass, moss, lichen and spider silk lined with softer material.  This can be found in an upturned tree fork or in a dense shrub or bush.  Females will sometimes help themselves to nest material from other nests, taking about four days to manage construction.  The male does little to contribute to this endeavor, and he will even feed young occasionally.  He is busy protecting the female, nest, and territory from interlopers.

                                                          Female Yellow Warbler
                                                    Boomer Lake Park--Heron Cove

The species has simple needs for territory.  It only requires about a half acre of real estate, high singing posts, sufficient foraging areas, and plenty of concealment.

Oklahoma Breeding Bird Species Profile: Cooper's Hawk

Peak migration for hawks is usually in late September, so now is the time to brush up on your ID skills.  You will be comparing species that could be side by side, and you could see a dozen or two every minute.  The largest conflict is between Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawks, and the jury could still be out on those sightings.

The adult Cooper's hawk will be wearing a dark cap and will have a paler nape.  It also has white undertail coverts conspicuously displayed in flight, and since the Northern Goshawk is not seen in Oklahoma with any regularity, you will have a Cooper's.  It is also best to focus on the rounded tail shape and long length.  Their flight is a flap, flap, glide, not constant flapping.  Also observe head size and the leading edge of the wing.  An adult male Coop will also have gray cheeks.  They will also be more apt to be found on a fencepost than a Sharpie.

                                                              Adult Cooper's Hawk
                                                                Boomer Lake Park

As an accipiter, they have relatively short rounded wings and long tails.  They are bird and small mammal eaters, and they could be found in your front yard or the deep woods.  They can pour on the speed or they can glide into your feeders with very little warning.  If you hear a bang on your front storm door and find a dead bird, the culprit is likely the Cooper's Hawk.  Wingbeats are also choppy and stiff.

The two age classes are adult and juvenile, or first year.  The first year is buff-white with thin, chocolate streaks and could be found only on the breast or upper belly.

                                                              Juvenile Cooper's Hawk
                                                                 Flying Off with Gull
                                                                   Boomer Lake Park

We all know that the hen hawk is larger than the Sharpie, but you must not rely on size, because they are rarely side by side.  Know the other characteristics that have been outlined with practice, and you'll not go wrong.

A breeder of the mature forest, nests are in large deciduous trees at the crotch or next to a trunk in a coniferous tree.   The chicken hawk prefers deciduous trees in many cases.

                                                                                       

                          Cooper's Hawk

                       Liana Winters Smith

 Single brooders from April through July in Oklahoma, the male selects the nest site, and builds most of the structure.  He remains attentive to her needs from courtship through the nestling process.    Young birds fledge after a little more than a month, and they remain dependent for another month.

Oklahoma Breeding Bird Species Profile: Orchard Oriole

The Orchard Oriole (an icterid) is a blackbird, as many other birds that sport black in their coloring.  They are uncommon in areas with isolated tall trees or where there are scattered shade trees, orchards, parks, and farmsteads.  Grasslands will also be considered if suitable nest sites are in the vicinity.  They prefer being in habitats with water, a solitary species, and glean insects and larvae and will take fruit and nectar at birdfeeders.  They are also attracted by trumpet shaped flowers for nectar.

A deep russet or burnt orange color, the male will sing at treetops to attract the yellow-green female, and is the smallest of the orioles.  Females make themselves attractive to males by head bowing, begging with rapid wing fluttering and a high whistle, and seesawing by alternately lowering and raising the head and tail.

                                                                     Male Orchard Oriole
                                                                       Boomer Lake Park

Experienced males will reach the breeding grounds first, followed by females, then the first year males.  These passerines do not compete with the Baltimore Oriole, possibly considering it an ally.  They will share large trees (oaks) with Eastern Kingbirds, the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Warbling Vireo, American Robins, and other birds.

                                                               Juvenile Orchard Oriole
                                                                     Boomer Lake Park

Nests average about twenty feet high in crotches or forks of broadleafed trees, but willows or cottonwoods may also be used due to good shade.  It is a hanging basket made of woven fibers, but tends to be wider than deeper than the Baltimore Oriole.  They are single brooded, breeding from May through July in Oklahoma.

Females will occasionally be confused with New World Warblers, especially if the tail has been lost due to a predator's action.

                                                              Female Orchard Oriole
                                                                  Boomer Lake Park

Oklahoma Breeding Bird Species Profile: Yellow-crowned Night-Heron

Very limited as an Oklahoma breeding species even now, the Yellow-crowned Night-Heron is located in diverse habitats.  Sometimes it is found in saline or fresh water, but is usually seen in quiet, tree lined river habitats.

This bird is not as nocturnal as could be considered, and can be quite active during daylight hours.

It roosts in trees like other herons, often hidden from view within foliage.  It can also be found on the ground in dense reeds or shrubs and will usually forage upon crabs, mussels, fish, crayfish, and other crustaceans.  They favor edges of ponds or streams while walking in the water at twilight or early morning.  They are dependent upon the tide in mudflats.

                                                   Adult Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
                                                               in breeding plumage
                                                      Estero Llano Grande NWR, 2017


Night-Herons usually nest in small colonies and groups, atypical of other herons.  They are generally near or over water.  Both parents will feed their young, usually via regurgitation or dropping food directly in the nest itself.  When the young are old enough to learn how to forage, this instruction is usually done at night.

These birds are thinner than the Black-crowned Night-Heron with a dark, thin bill.  Juveniles have small white spots, whereas the Black-crowned will have broad blurry streaks and larger white spots on the wing coverts.  The immature Yellow-crowned takes nearly three years to molt into full adult plumage.

                                             Second Summer Yellow-crowned Night-heron

                                                       Boomer Lake Park, Sept. 2016

                                                                     (Heron Cove)

Oklahoma Breeding Bird Species Profile: Painted Bunting

A sweet, ongoing warble that sounds like graffiti, graffiti, spaghetti for two, and that is the sound of the male (or immature male) Painting Bunting.  The male receives his handsome dress no earlier than his second year of life.  This uncommon beauty is located along forest edges, wooded ravines, shrubby river bottoms, or in tall trees, and it is very at home along riparian forest.  If you have ever heard that song, you will never forget it.

One of the most beautiful and colorful birds, this splash of radiance is found from May through July in the better part of Oklahoma, except the panhandle, which lacks forest and brushy thickets.

Males are very territorial and will battle other interlopers while females are arriving in the area.  They have been known to wound or kill other males, and if the female should be caught up within a fracas, she can also risk injury.  This species favors invertebrates, and will even remove prey from spider's webs in order to feed.  The males are relentless during spring.

                                                                Male Painted Bunting
                                                                 Boomer Creek, 2015

Often parasitized by the Brown-headed Cowbird, this member of the cardinal family is known collectively as a mural or palette of buntings.  When males migrate to warmer regions for the winter, they still retain their beautiful plumage and do not molt into drabness.

Due to loss of habitat, the species is declining in both the US and Central America.  They may still be trapped as cage birds in the illegal trade south of our country, and have a near threatened conservation status.

If you have had any of these birds in your back yard, they will visit feeders, and you'll be even more fortunate if you have the perfect habitat for a nesting pair.