Birds of Our Backyards
- American Robin
The robin returns to us early in March. You will hear this orange/red breasted bird singing in the morning and find him hopping on your lawn for food. He will stop, tilt his head to listen for an earth worm and then with his bill, pull the worm out. He will either eat it then or fly with it to the nest where the female is sitting to hatch the sky-blue eggs.
- American Goldfinch
The goldfinch is a bright yellow bird with black wings and a small black patch on its forehead. However, in the winter it molts to a drab bird that is greenish yellow. This bird has a very nice song and as it flies it sounds like its saying "potato chip, potato chip". It is the last bird to nest because it uses the down of the thistle to line its nest. It eats thistle seed and other weed seeds or at the feeder it likes nyjer seed from a tube feeder made especially for it and other finches.
- Black-capped Chickadee
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This friendly little bird says his name, "chicka-dee-dee-dee". They love sunflower seeds and if you have a feeder they will come with their whole family many times a day to eat. They are curious and will come up to you if you stand very quietly.
- White-breasted Nuthatch
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The nuthatch is another bird that loves sunflower seeds and will come to your feeder to get them. Look on the trunk of a tree and you will see this "upside-down bird" coming down the tree head first. Though the birds name is "nuthatch", it does not break open nuts but eats mainly insects and spiders.
- Northern Cardinal
This beautiful red bird will be in your yard and sings a song that sounds like "birdy, birdy, birdy". Cardinals also love sunflower seeds and he will feed them to his mate in spring. The female cardinal is more of a yellow/green color, with a red bill, and some red on her wings and tail.
- Blue Jay
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When jays fly into your yard, you will hear them because they call very loudly, "jayyy, jayyy, jayyy". They have beautiful blue feathers of many shades. If you feed them unsalted peanuts in the shell, they will pick up and weigh each one before they decide which one is the heaviest before they fly off with it.
- Downy Woodpecker
If you hear a "tap-tap-tap-tap" on a tree it is most likely a woodpecker and could be the smallest woodpecker we have called a downy. The downy is a black and white bird, the male has a small red patch on the back of his head. They eat entirely from trees, tapping to make holes to reach insects that live under the bark. In the winter if you want to see the downy, you could hang suet in a mesh bag on the tree for them to eat.
- American Crow
The crow is a very large black bird that caws very loudly. You will usually see crows in large flocks, either flying together or chasing other larger birds away. They will mob birds like owls and eagles to get them to leave the area. They have a bad reputation as they will eat other birds, their eggs and babies. They are a highly intelligent bird and can learn to talk.
The robin returns to us early in March. You will hear this orange/red breasted bird singing in the morning and find him hopping on your lawn for food. He will stop, tilt his head to listen for an earth worm and then with his bill, pull the worm out. He will either eat it then or fly with it to the nest where the female is sitting to hatch the sky-blue eggs.
The goldfinch is a bright yellow bird with black wings and a small black patch on its forehead. However, in the winter it molts to a drab bird that is greenish yellow. This bird has a very nice song and as it flies it sounds like its saying "potato chip, potato chip". It is the last bird to nest because it uses the down of the thistle to line its nest. It eats thistle seed and other weed seeds or at the feeder it likes nyjer seed from a tube feeder made especially for it and other finches.
This beautiful red bird will be in your yard and sings a song that sounds like "birdy, birdy, birdy". Cardinals also love sunflower seeds and he will feed them to his mate in spring. The female cardinal is more of a yellow/green color, with a red bill, and some red on her wings and tail.
If you hear a "tap-tap-tap-tap" on a tree it is most likely a woodpecker and could be the smallest woodpecker we have called a downy. The downy is a black and white bird, the male has a small red patch on the back of his head. They eat entirely from trees, tapping to make holes to reach insects that live under the bark. In the winter if you want to see the downy, you could hang suet in a mesh bag on the tree for them to eat.
The crow is a very large black bird that caws very loudly. You will usually see crows in large flocks, either flying together or chasing other larger birds away. They will mob birds like owls and eagles to get them to leave the area. They have a bad reputation as they will eat other birds, their eggs and babies. They are a highly intelligent bird and can learn to talk.
