everyone is a birder
We’re in the last stretch of summer, but there’s still plenty of birding to get in before we start focusing on fall migration.
We’ve given you eight other noteworthy birds, some rare and uncommon, some strangely fascinating. Now we’re going to give you perhaps the most important list of all.
We think the best way to make bird watching special year after year is to learn how to see common birds with fresh eyes. So for our final list, we bring you 4 common birds that maybe you’ve seen countless times this summer, but we’re letting you in on some of their secrets. These birds may be common, but they are far from ordinary.
This time of year, these often solitary birds are now seen in small family groups, caring for their young and curiously occupying backyards all over our state. If you’ve been bird watching this summer—whether in an urban or rural environment—you’ve likely seen a House Finch or two.
And they are a delight! In fact, their charming qualities play a role in how they wound up in our state….
House Finches aren’t native to North Carolina. They actually came from out west, but in 1940, several were released in Long Island after an attempt to illegally sell them as cage birds failed. It didn’t take long at all for them to spread all across the eastern US; not even a hundred years later, House Finches are one of our most common residents!
What’s particularly fascinating about this is what it means for the current House Finches of North Carolina. When you’re observing a House Finch in our state, you’re likely looking at a descendant of one of those released birds. Crazy huh?
One thing that makes these guys so striking is the stunning red plumage sported by the males. Their pigment is reflective of their diet (the more color in the food, the redder the plumage of the male). This is why you’ll sometimes catch a more yellow colored male, as highlighted in the photo above.
And this photo below shows off the red that catches our eyes so easily!
Note how tiny this little guy is!
It’s not likely you’ll mistake the brilliant red of the male House Finch for any other bird aside from the less common Purple Finch, who has more red on its face and back. However, a female will be more difficult to identify, as she has a striking resemblance to other finches and sparrows. Look for a nearby male, or listen for their call. The most unique part of their call is that distinct final slurred note at the end of several chaotic notes, as you can hear here about 20 seconds in:
With this call known, perhaps you can make trips to nearby parks or even moments out in your backyard a little more interesting. You can take a second to realize you’re experiencing a beloved bird with a fascinating history.
While hard to avoid during the winter months, Double-crested Cormorants become a welcome surprise to local lakes and inland waters. You can often spot them resting on logs or foraging in shallow bays.
There’s no bird in North Carolina like the Double-crested Cormorant! They don’t resemble any other common waterfowl in our state, making identification easy. As long as you can tell the difference between a Double-crested Cormorant and an Anhinga (much less common bird that has a pointier bill and white or silver feathers on its wings), confidently IDing these guys will be no problem.
One of our favorite things about these birds is how much more striking they appear when you get a close look. Their bright blue eyes stand out wonderfully against their orange faces, as highlighted in this close-up.
They may have catching eyes, but these birds are quite awkward on land. They’re gangly when they walk, and you’ll often catch them sunning.
This awkwardness is because of their build; they’re MADE for fishing. Their shape and water absorbing feathers help them move fluidly underwater, as captured elegantly in the National Audubon’s 2020 Photography Awards winner:
Their diets have actually impacted their population fluctuations over the years. Historically, Double-crested Cormorants have suffered from population declines due to pesticides—including DDT—in the fish they ate and hunting in the 1800s and early 1900s. They have since rebounded significantly due to an indiscriminate palate – they’ll eat any fish that fits down their gullet.
And they are fascinating to spot during breeding season because plumage highlights their namesake. In breeding season, crests form on the top of the heads of the males, as you can see in this photo. In the west, their crests are white, and in the east, black:
Are you mesmerized yet by their eyes? We are!
Brown Thrashers are overlooked mimics, often in the shadows of the impressive Northern Mockingbird and the charming Gray Catbird. They have the largest repertoire of the three, many with over 1,000 sounds memorized. This is impressive compared other mimics, most of whom only know a few hundred.
When you hear a bird you suspect is a mimic, you’ll know it’s a Brown Thrasher if it repeats sounds twice. If it’s just once, it’s a Gray Catbird. If it’s more than twice, it’s a Northern Mockingbird.
Listen how this Brown Thrasher often sings a call twice before quickly moving on:
Brown Thrashers are fascinating beyond their mimicking abilities. They also have unusual nesting habits. Their nestlings leave the nest quite early for songbirds, even outpacing some smaller species; often within just nine days, Brown Thrasher fledglings are hopping around on the ground, fully feathered. It’s speculated that this is due to their preferred nesting habitats. The shrubbery environments they choose to lay eggs in are often perfect for predators to hideaway in as well. It’s likely Brown Thrashers adapted to swiftly move their young into adulthood, spending less time in dangerous territory.
Brown Thrashers can be quite protective when it comes to their young. Keep this in mind if you share a backyard with a Brown Thrasher family for a breeding season. Be sure to give them plenty of space, as they are defensive parents!
Brown Thrashers are a bit more secretive than the other birds on this list, but if you know where to go, you can certainly find a few. They like to hang out on the edge of dense hedges or forests, where they are often hidden. You can also catch them foraging on the ground. Sometimes you can spot a male perched high in a tree, sounding out his impressive playlist.
If you do spot one, you likely won’t have trouble identifying it. Although they have similar plumage to thrushes, Brown Thrashers are larger, have longer bills and tails, and iconic gold eyes. Even if you don’t hear it sounding out several songs, you might hear its call, a sound described by many as a “smacking kiss”:
They can sing over a thousand songs AND can speak perfectly while eating? Brown Thrashers: We’re impressed.
Fish Crows get included in many people’s list of pests. They aren’t well liked due to some of their infamous behaviors, like mobbing predators with other crows, or eating beloved folk like turtle eggs and baby birds. But there’s much to appreciate about these fascinating birds.
Because Fish Crows, like many other corvids (crows, Jays, etc) are incredibly smart.
In fact, bear with us for a moment as we appreciate crows in general, as Fish Crows and their nearby relatives, American Crows, are quite similar.
Did you know crows remember human faces? Yes, they are THAT smart! An interesting experiment found that crows can remember the face of someone that once proved to be dangerous or harmful. The researchers used one mask to wear for “threatening” behavior towards the crows and another for “non-threatening behavior”. While wearing the mask designated for “threatening” behavior, they captured and banded the crows—a safe procedure that doesn’t harm the birds, but one that’s certainly startling for them in the process.
Later, they had a researcher wear the neutral mask and walk around near the crows. Then, they walked around again with the threatening mask. The crows seemed indifferent towards the neutral mask, but upon seeing the threatening mask, they grew agitated, alarm-calling and dive-bombing the perceived predator.
Keeping the intelligence of crows in mind can help us understand the behavior of Fish Crows that might be regarded as ruthless. They are intelligent, defensive, and creative when it comes to survival, something we can certainly appreciate and observe with curiosity.
If they stumble on a plentiful food source, Fish Crows will hideaway snacks for later in grass or crevices in trees. This can be quite handy when food is short or when it’s time to feed their hungry nestlings.
Speaking of nestlings, Fish Crow young love to play. They often interact with objects they find. One juvenile was even spotted hanging upside down from a weeping willow—I’m nostalgically thrown back to my childhood thinking about this.
The biggest ID challenge you’re going to have with Fish Crows is confusing them with the American Crow. The best way to tell the difference is wait for their call. American Crows caw once, whereas Fish Crows caw twice. You might also confuse a Fish Crow with a Common Raven, but you can tell them apart by looking at bill size and overall size. Common Ravens are much larger and have bigger bills. If you’re unsure, listen for the call. Fish Crows have a shorter, nasally call that makes them stand out from others.
You’ve now heard about the hidden quirks, talents, and impressive traits of these four birds. From their rich histories to their remarkable intelligence, these common birds are just as interesting as some of our rarer avian residents.
So in these last few weeks of summer, we leave you with one final goal to accomplish, and that is to dedicate this time to common birds. See if you can find something unique and extraordinary about each common bird species you spot.
We hope this series has given you some entertainment and inspiration for your summer of bird watching and bird appreciation. Our state is home to hundreds of rare, strange, and abundant birds that make stepping outside in our state adventurous, day after day.
So as always, happy birding.
References
Lasting recognition of threatening people by wild American crows