Some people think all seagulls are the same. A seagull is a seagull, right? Wrong. According to the book Gulls of North America by Fred Shaffer, there are actually 27 species of gulls in North America alone.
All tagged Birdwatching
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Cheerful Tufted Titmouse
The tufted titmouse seems to be a cheerful bird – at least it sounds that way from its cheerful “peter-peter-peter” song. This small bird is mostly gray with a soft white belly. Most individuals have a light tan-colored patch on their sides, just below their wings.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Diving Bufflehead Duck
There are about 29 native species of ducks in North America today, from mallards and pintails to redheads and gadwalls – just to name a few. That does not even include the various species of mergansers, grebes, loons and geese.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Ant-Eating Northern Flicker
The Northern Flicker is a large woodpecker that lives throughout the United States and most of North America. These birds are a bit larger than an American Robin and are often seen on the ground, similar to Robins.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Fly-Catching Eastern Phoebe
The Eastern Phoebe is a very accomplished flycatcher. This bird is dark brown on its back, head and wings (dark gray on some individuals), and has a white or off-white belly and breast.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Intelligent American Crow
American Crows are large, common birds that can be found throughout most of the United States and even much of Canada during the breeding season. One area that they really avoid is the dry, desert regions of the southwest USA.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Elusive Red-Eyed Vireo
There are many birds that are often heard but rarely seen. One of those is the elusive Red-Eyed Vireo. These birds are a dull olive-green color above with a white breast.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Hungry Ring-Billed Gull
Gulls, or seagulls, as many people refer to them, comprise a large group of birds that are associated with water and coastlines. The Atlantic and Pacific oceans, the Gulf of Mexico, the Great Lakes – all of these host populations of different species of gulls.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Tiny Least Sandpiper
Of all the various shorebirds in North America, the Least Sandpiper is the smallest. In fact, they are only a little larger than a sparrow. They are mostly brown above with mottling on their head, back and wings. Their bright white belly stands out against their coal-black eyes and bill.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Reclusive Swainson’s Thrush
There are quite a few different species of thrushes in the bird world, and one of the more interesting is the Swainson’s Thrush. Like most thrushes, these birds are fairly shy and secretive. They prefer to stay out of sight in the shelter of the forest’s dense undergrowth where few people see them.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Grass-Loving Savannah Sparrow
There are many different species of sparrows in North America, and some of them can be difficult to identify. Most of them are relatively small and brown in color, and most people just call them “sparrows”.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Common House Sparrow
Few birds are more common in North America than the House Sparrow. That’s somewhat unfortunate, since house sparrows are not a native species here. They are actually native to Europe, Asia and North Africa.