Oklahoma Breeding Bird Species Profile: Inca Dove

no hope, no hope, no hope

A small and slender dove, the Inca Dove is increasing in suburbia where trees and shrubs are in close proximity to buildings, as well as woodland edges and savannahs.  They forage on the ground for seeds and grain and are usually in small groups, sometimes around feeders.

It is easy to recognize, as its feathers create a fish scaled pattern with dark edges.  It is the color of desert sand to gray and has reddish or chestnut colored underwings which are noticeable in flight.  When they leave the ground, the wings make a quiet, rattling sound.

Though originally a bird of arid regions, it has been expanding into wetter areas and doesn't mind cohabitating with humanity.  They can be common to abundant in suitable habitat, and can survive very well in both the heat and cold.  They are able to last four to five days without drinking water and fly up to ten miles for it.  These birds are quite good at finding water and people used to watch them for that purpose.

                                                                     Inca Dove
                                                               Falcon SP, TX 2017

Nests are usually built in shrubs or trees, and the nests has known to have been quite well used in some areas.  They have been known to raise four or five broods.

A fairly new breeding species to Oklahoma over the past couple of decades, it has been in southern areas, as well as far north as the Norman area, and others have reported it as uncommon at the Ouachita NWR.

Like other doves, they build flimsy twig nests and feed the young regurgitated pigeon milk that is naturally produced by breeding adults.  The males gathers nest material to stimulate the female to nest, and they defend their breeding areas quite intensely.

During winter, these doves tend to flock and will form communal clusters in a pyramid fashion stacked two or three high that aid in the conservation of heat.

Oklahoma Breeding Bird Species Profile: Bewick's Wren

Three subspecies comprise this species--Eastern, Southwest, and Pacific.  The Southwest is paler (grayer), Eastern is unmarked brown with a pale gray belly, and the Pacific has a gray belly with a lengthy white supercilium.

The tail is more often held upward and flicked sideways which will show the white corners, especially when the species is in flight.  It is thinner than the Carolina Wren and not nearly as colorful.  Its syrinx allows it nearly two dozen melodies depending upon its range.

Preferring  river and streamside, hedgerows, parks, farmhouses, suburbia with trees, and open woodland with thick undergrowth, this gentle bird appears tame and is quite approachable.  It is rarely more than ten feet above ground while gleaning insects from leaves, tree trunks and branches.  It blends into its surroundings quite well, so it could be difficult to see, unless it is a singing male atop a tree.

                                                                  Bewick's Wren
                                                       Boomer Lake Park, Dec. 2016

This cavity nester will choose old woodpecker holes, sheds, abandoned buildings, birdhouses, tree cavities, etc.  These sites are similar to those of the House Wren, which is more aggressive and will easily evict the Bewick's Wren if it so chooses.

It is strictly an insectivore, most interested in larvae, spiders, eggs, assorted insects, and small invertebrates.

They reside year round in the west and central states.  Once the House Wren has migrated in the fall, Bewick's Wren may choose to overnight in its former nest cavity.  What few are in the east will migrate between September and October to early November.  It is suspected that both Carolina and House Wrens may have driven it away for the most part from eastern regions due to their more dominant natures.

Oklahoma Breeding Bird Species Profile: Cassin's Kingbird

Chi-beer, chi-bew, chi-beeeer-beeeer-beeeer

Cassin's Kingbird is easily distinguished by a yellow belly, dark gray head and breast, which accentuates the white throat patch.  The tail tip is also white, and it has a thick bill.  This species of kingbird is locally common around tall cottonwoods, ponderosa pine clearings in forests, as well as in oak savannah.  They will even be found in higher elevations than other kingbirds. More of a southwestern bird, it is seen in Oklahoma in one of the hottest spots that I have ever discovered, Black Mesa State Park, and chances are mediocre to good that it is still breeding there.

Like tyrant flycatchers do, it settles upon a perch like limbs, barbed wire, and fenceposts to sally for insects either in flight or upon the ground.  They will also consume fruit and seeds.

                                                                   Cassin's Kingbird
                                                            Patagonia Town Park, 2018

Mating rituals are of interest with flycatchers.  They will hover in place with outstretched wings upon a perch calling in a high pitched tone.  This occurs several times daily, usually in a favored hunting spot.

Trees, fenceposts, and bushes are used for nest sites, but most are found in great heights in taller trees.

Cassin's and Western Kingbirds have a low tolerance for one another, but have clearly been seen nesting in the same tree.  Collective terms for the species are tyranny, court, and  coronation.

There had been mention that a Cassin's was observed in Oklahoma feeding a juvenile Western Kingbird repeatedly in 1997, which raises the question as to whether they may hybridize upon occasion.

Cassin's Kingbird and Other Birds on Panhandle and in Southeast AZ

https://debhirt.blogspot.com/2017/05/birding-on-shoestring-life-on-oklahoma.html

https://debhirt.blogspot.com/2018/05/birding-on-shoestring-american_6.html

Oklahoma Breeding Bird Species Profile: Gray Catbird

This video on assorted avian mimicked voices was a remarkable rendition by a California Gray Catbird.  Never have I heard such accomplished material, for this is what I would expect from an older bird that has seen many breeding seasons.  A bird like this could easily have his choice of mates, for a female would easily realize how special he really is for the valuable syrinx that he has.

A uniform gray bird with a black cap, long black tail and rufous undertail coverts, this is a gorgeous and remarkable bird once it opens its mouth.

Common to uncommon in brushy thickets in woods, along forest edges, parks, often in damp shaded areas, as well as generally solitary.  However, the exception is when the male sings from an exposed perch to attract a female or protect his territory.  This species forages at ground level for berries, insects, and other invertebrates.

                                                                 Gray Catbird
                                                        South Padre Island, TX 2015

Mimic thrushes like this are talented, as well as natural mimics, and one of ten in the Mimidae family.  The harsh mew of this bird is especially diagnostic in the field, especially if heard near the ground.  Females also sing, though rarely, and not nearly at as much of a volume.  Catbirds, like Northern Mockingbirds, often sing at night.

Rather tame, it will respond readily to pishing calls and will come quite near.

Catbirds are late spring migrants, arriving on breeding grounds from May to June, and fall migration is between late August and September.  Birds residing on the coast sometimes choose not to migrate.

The Brown-headed Cowbird parasitizes this species, but may not in Oklahoma.  In other locations, the female simply ejects cowbird eggs.  The territoriality of the Grey Catbird is restricted to the area of the nest site.  The female does most of the nest building, though the male will provide the supplies.  He will even actually point out possible sites by sitting on branches and moving twigs about as though constructing a nest.  Incubation is solely by the female.  The male doesn't feed her very much during this time.  The species is known to double brood.

Oklahoma Breeding Bird Species Profile: Eastern Bluebird

Jeew, jeew, jeew.

Ever so softly spoken, that sound can be recognized anywhere.  One might have to look a bit to see where it came from, but it is truly a happy sound and welcome in any season.

Often observed in back yards, woodlands, farmlands, upon fences, in parks, or in orchards in open grassy areas, this little thrush feeds upon insects or fruit and seeds.  They are often in groups combing the area in search of food.  As long as there is plenty of food available, they will not migrate.

Very social, yet territorial during the breeding season, they normally raise two to three clutches each season.

                                                          Adult male Eastern Bluebird
                                                             Boomer Lake Park, 2015

Nest construction is done in abandoned woodpecker holes, telephone poles, snags, dead limbs, or nest boxes with holes no larger than 1.5 inches in diameter.  This can be done as early as late February.  There should be an adequate perch near the residence, where the entrance should face east or south due to rain exposure in Oklahoma.  It takes the female about ten days to build a small cup nest lined with grass, feathers, hair and stems, usually in March.  Three to six or seven light blue or sometimes white eggs are laid, which take about two weeks to hatch.

                                                         Adult female Eastern Bluebird
                                                             Boomer Lake Park, 2015

Both parents raise the young insect protein and a few of the young birds may help to rear the second or possibly, third brood, as a cooperative breeder.  Young are gray with a speckled breast.

A large portion of the young don't survive their first winter due to both starvation and the cold.   They have plenty of predators including rodents, snakes, raptors, invasive birds, and the worst of all, the house cat.

Oklahoma Breeding Bird Species Profile: Louisiana Waterthrush

Having a sweet, clear and musical song, this uncommon bird seeks standing water undergrowth in wood swamps where bald cypress, cottonwood, tupelo, weeping willow, etc. are found.  The migrants of spring will be within dense brush adjacent to water.  These are one of the early birds in spring to arrive, and they look for bubbling springs in the remotest of habitat to perch to sing their lovely, lilting song.

This thrush-like new world warbler breeds in the eastern part of Oklahoma, enjoying many wet areas.  It it has a plain brown back with a white belly and a streaked breast with buff flanks.  The bright white eyebrow will separate this bird from the almost identical Northern Waterthrush, which also is seen in the area in summer.   It bobs while it walks, like the Spotted Sandpiper.

https://debhirt.blogspot.com/2018/08/oklahoma-breeding-bird-species-profile_15.html

                                                             Louisiana Waterthrush
                                                            High Island Texas, 2015

When establishing territory, the male will sing nonstop, but when he finds a mate, his singing is then restricted to the morning.  Breeding habitat is near running water and dense vegetation to build a nest in a mud bank, in a rock crevice or within roots of trees.  This behavior is very similar to the American Dipper.  https://debhirt.blogspot.com/2018/07/species-profile-american-dipper.html

The warbler forages in leaf litter seeking ground insects, or salamander and small fish if the insects are rare.  They also depend upon flies, aquatic insects, and mollusks.

They are a declining species due to loss of habitat, channelization of rivers, impounding streams to create reservoirs, and pollution.  It is also threatened by logging, excessive irrigation, urbanization, and gas drilling.

Oklahoma Breeding Bird Species Profile: House Wren

This upbeat and cheerful, bubbly sounding wren is common in dense, moist brushy patches, overgrown gardens, and thick hedgerows.  It has a thin, small eyebrow and is faintly barred with pale underparts.

Nesting in the northern segment of Oklahoma, it avoids drier uplands, choosing both natural and artificial nest cavities.  Dense, heavy woodlands are preferred for both living and breeding.

The most common wren has about the widest range of any song wren and besides nesting in the usual wren spots, has even been known to nest inside occupied houses.

                                                                   Marsh Wren
                                                             Boomer Creek, 2015

Fond of spiders and insects, as well as insects more inclined to be on the wing, it will also consume snail shells for calcium and grit.

Males usually arrive upon breeding grounds about nine or ten days before females, and the immatures are shortly after the adult males.  Males will nest in the same territory or not far from it.  Females like to return to the previous nesting areas, so the male will have plenty of possible sites for her to choose from.  Almost half of the males will have a second mate within his territory, and about the same chance for him pairing with the same original individual the next season.

Musician wrens are very competitive for females while courting and will displace a rival about half the time.  He will even go so far as to destroy the eggs and nestlings of another pair.  Being known for puncturing the eggs of other species, the House Wren does it merely for survival of the species, and perhaps to increase food sources.

Nesting cavities will have a one inch diameter entrance with a twig bottom substrate.  Nest cups are made with feathers, grass, and other soft material.  The species is double-brooded.

Who was around the House Wren today?

https://debhirt.blogspot.com/2015/09/the-secret-of-wood.html

                                                     House Wren, Gray Eastern Subspecies

                                                  Three Lakes area, Miami-Dade County, FL

Oklahoma Breeding Bird Species Profile: White-breasted Nuthatch

Yank-yank-yank!

Those are sounds directly attributed to the unusual White-breasted Nuthatch, a boisterous little songbird.

Common in mature deciduous forests, orchards, wood lots, and mixed woods of much of the continent, they are often in mixed flocks of other little songbirds feeding upon insects and seeds found within bark.  They like stands with decaying trees for appropriate nest cavities and will even nest under bark.  The species will climb up and down the trunk or main limbs backward, which is attributed to the nuthatch clan.

These personable birds use the tools that they are given to the best of their ability.  They often wedge seeds in bark crevices to hold them steady, while that sharp little bill goes to work opening their treasure.

                                                      Eastern White-breasted Nuthatch
                                                           Boomer Lake Park, 2015

All three populations of the US--the Eastern, Pacific, and Interior West--have slightly different dialects, just like many of us do, depending upon what part of the country we hail from.  The Eastern's call is low and a hoarse nasal variety, Pacific is highest pitched and thinly nasal, while the Interior West is also high, shorter and rapid.  There is also a thinly veiled subspecies within the Interior West version, from the Sierra Nevada and Northern Rocky Mountain region.  Its song and calls are the highest pitched with the rapid pattern.

Our birds in Oklahoma are the Eastern subspecies, and they are more often found in the eastern portion of the state.  In the western half, they are restricted by necessity to riparian corridors, which is only in local areas.

Knotholes are often used as entrances to their cavities, while the nest is lined with hair, bark strips, and other softer materials.  Most cavities are at least fifteen feet high, but I have seen a low, rotted stump used.

These single brooders incubate in the neighborhood of twelve days, and they begin nesting sometimes in February, through the month of March.

Though the pair winters apart, the male sings in winter to attract the female, and they keep in touch throughout the day.  The female builds the nest, and both sexes raise the young.

What other birds were around on the same day I photographed the White-breasted Nuthatch?

https://debhirt.blogspot.com/2015/06/pre-summer-fun-in-sun.html

Oklahoma Breeding Bird Species Profile: American Crow

One of the most well known birds in the country, the American Crow or common crow, can be a good or bad bird to have in the area, depending upon one's preferences.  Groups or singles can be a handful for any raptor to endure, either through the general din or simple harassment.  This is known as mobbing behavior.  Crows are well known for their intelligence and adaptability, and unless they can get something for their trouble, they are not going to work for it.

Known for their deep caws and croaks, this all black bird is found in all open habitats and will eat anything that isn't protected, which includes the eggs of other birds.  They form large roosts during winter where thousands gather in trees.  Many of these roosts have been in the same area for a century.

                                                                  American Crow
                                                            Boomer Lake Park, 2015
Nests are stick platforms, preferentially in oaks or conifers, near the trunk, around two feet in diameter.  Where there are no trees, telephone poles, shrubs, and the ground are used.  Incubation is around eighteen days, and the young stay with their parents or a flock for an indeterminate period after fledging.

They usually avoid deserts and unbroken forest expanses, and are very social birds.  They will also form strong relationships with other species, using their powers of flight and foraging and trade this for help with gaining access to a carcass especially during the winter.  Even though they have large bills, their structure does not allow them to break through skin.

                                                                 American Crow
                                                          Boomer Lake Park, 2014

The common crow has eaten from outdoor dog dishes, taken fruit from trees, and carried small cups of water to moisten hard food.  They have eaten exhausted birds while resting from migration, and several together will provide distraction displays while others will take the food from mammals.

However, even the crow has empathy, and has provided moral support to sick and dying individuals.  Either one loves them or despises them, but there is never an in-between.  They are even aware that death means no longer existing, and hold funerals for their own species.

These passerines are susceptible to West Nile Virus and will usually pass within a week, even if cared for.  Suspicious of humans because of their mistreatment over the centuries, it is unusual for a crow to trust any of them.

For more photos of the American Crow and other birds:

https://debhirt.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-land-of-plenty.html

https://debhirt.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-north-meets-south-long-may-they-fly.html

Oklahoma Breeding Bird Species Profile: Great Crested Flycatcher

Queeep! Wheeeep! or Krreeep! 

The Great Crested Flycatcher is common in mature deciduous forests, woodlots, shrubby habitat, old orchards, or parks usually found foraging for insects and berries from mid- or upper story branches.  Rarely in the open, this is a large and secretive flycatcher who still takes pride in sallying for insects.

Seen before it is heard, this large flycatcher arrives in Oklahoma in early April.  It is unmistakable with a bright sulphur belly and rufous wings and tail, located in eastern and central parts of our fine state.

                                                             
                                                               Great Crested Flycatcher
                                                               Boomer Lake Park, 2016

This cavity nester will use snags, birdhouses, live trees, and many manmade structures for nesting purposes from May through June.  Usually single brooded, the female will build the nest and  incubate, yet both sexes will handle the care of the young.  This insectivore is rarely located on the ground.  These birds tend to weave unusual items into their nests like snakeskin or plastic, simply because they can do so and find them out of the ordinary.  The former nest snag pictured above is no longer standing.  It met its demise a couple of years ago in a storm.

In the east, where most of these birds breed, males tend to congregate for roosting, but will arrive at the nest cavity shortly after sunrise to handle feeding the young birds.  Some of these roost sites in a large, old territory can have a couple of hundred unmated females and unsuccessful breeders.  As soon as the young are old enough to do so, they will also join these groups.

Usually avoiding coniferous forests, like those found in the boreal forest, the great crested favors second growth forest with open canopy landscape.  They enjoy many insects and spiders, and will consume fruit and berries to a smaller degree.

If you wish to attract a pair of these beautiful and unusual birds to your yard with the correct habitat, simply have a 1 3/4 inch hole in your bluebird nest box.  You can easily obtain a proper sized spade bit or hole saw for the job.

https://debhirt.blogspot.com/2016/06/fruits-of-their-labors.html

https://debhirt.blogspot.com/2016/06/potpourri-for-birding-soul.html

The above links shows more photos of  Great Crested Flycatchers with other birds seen that day!

Oklahoma Breeding Bird Species Profile: Baltimore Oriole

Here, here, come right here, dear

A common bird of open deciduous woods or tall trees, this solitary bird forages in mid- to upper level story trees for larvae and insects.  It will also eat fruit unless it is during breeding season.  Nectar is also a favorite from tubular flowers in any season.

This male icterid received its name from the colors on Lord Baltimore's coat of arms.  It was also once named the Northern Oriole until the name split with the Bullock's Oriole.  The two species will readily hybridize.

The passerine is located in the Nearctic during the summer, mostly in the eastern portion of the US.  Some of these birds have been known to spend winters in the southern states, but they also do the same as far north as Maine, where one spent two out of three winters in Downeast Maine.

These blackbirds enjoy tall trees but will not resort to forest living,. Their adaptability can keep them happy in riparian areas, parks, orchards, forest edges, or stands of trees along rivers, as well as other similar and suitable habitat. 

                                                             Male Baltimore Oriole
                                                           Boomer Lake Park, 2014

When paired, the female constructs the nest on the outer parts of limbs, an intricately woven basketlike pouched structure.  It is on a horizontal limb at a fork, and has been known to withstand hurricanes.  They prefer to nest in elm, oak, cottonwood, willow, maple, and apple trees, where the most insects congregate to feed on smaller bugs.

During migration, it is best to provide the darkest fruits possible, as well as an ample supply of water for drinking and bathing.  They also enjoy dark jellies and hummingbird and oriole feeders.

Raptors, other icterids, squirrels, and domestic cats are normal predators of this species, as well as their young.

To see more photos of the Baltimore Oriole with other birds on those days:

https://debhirt.blogspot.com/2016/06/pass-out-cigars-we-are-parents.html

https://debhirt.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-charge-of-boomer-brigade.html

https://debhirt.blogspot.com/2015/06/with-love-from-birdie.html

https://debhirt.blogspot.com/2015/06/birds-of-feather-photographed-together.html

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.

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.