What Does an Albino Crow Look Like? White crow in Colorado City, Colorado This American crow (above), photographed by Birds & Blooms contributor SeEtta Moss, has white feathers and pink feet, legs, and a pink bill…but that doesn’t necessarily make it an albino crow. According to Kevin McGowan, senior course developer with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, color variations in crows can occur for a variety of reasons. “Having a normal-plumaged bird is a complicated system,” he says, likening the factors that influence a bird’s coloring to starting a car. “If you turn your key and the car won’t ..read more

Birding Challenge: Rufous vs Allen’s Hummingbird To identify a Rufous hummingbird, look for an orange back and tail. You might call these hummingbird lookalikes a real humdinger. It’s tricky to tell rufous vs Allen’s hummingbirds apart, largely because of their orange plumage and overlapping ranges. Thankfully, there are a few tricks you can use to determine whether you’re looking at an rufous or Allen’s hummingbird. Here’s how. Learn to identify 15 types of hummingbirds found in the United States. Rufous Hummingbird Identification A male rufous hummingbird Adult male rufous hummingbirds have ..read more

What Does a Broad-Billed Hummingbird Look Like? Male broad-billed hummingbird are strikingly colorful Even for hummingbirds, broad-billed hummingbirds are stunning little creatures. The males sport vibrant emerald bodies, iridescent sapphire throats and bright red bills tipped with black. The females deserve equal admiration with their sleek gray bodies and a distinct white line next to each eye.  “This is the wow hummingbird of North America,” says Dan Weisz, an expert naturalist, photographer and volunteer presenter at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.  And they’re not all that har ..read more

What Do Northern Saw-Whet Owls Look Like? Northern saw-whet owl One of the cutest birds ever, (as voted on by Birds & Blooms readers) is the northern saw-whet owl, and Phil Brown, Bird Conservation Director at the Harris Center for Conservation Education in Hancock, New Hampshire, agrees. “They are one of the most charismatic species,” he says. The micro sized owls stand around 8 inches tall, roughly the size of a robin. According to Phil, “saw-whets weigh about the same as a stick of butter.” Although they are fairly common, saw-whets are highly nocturnal and rarely seen. Round faces with ..read more

Listen for red-winged blackbird sounds in spring.Winter Bird Sounds Most North American birds including red-winged blackbirds wait until spring or summer to belt their tunes, but there are some exceptions. Pacific wrens and northern mockingbirds in certain regions are two examples of birds that sometimes start warming up in late January or early February. After you finish reading these facts about bird sounds, check out everything you need to know about bird songs. The post 16 Fascinating Facts About Bird Sounds appeared first on Birds and Blooms ..read more

Yellow-Breasted Chat Identification Adult yellow-breasted chat The bright yellow breast of this big-headed bird balances an olive-gray hue on its upper parts. White spectacles and mustache stripes accent its face, and a white lower belly and long tail feathers help in its identification. Males and females are similar in coloring. Is a Yellow-Breasted Chat a Warbler? Seven years ago, an exclusive nationwide committee of appointed senior ornithologists made a rare move—migrating the yellow-breasted chat from the warbler family into its own family based on genetic and physical characteristics. Lo ..read more

Birds of a Feather Work Together Juvenile western bluebirds may stick close to their parents and help raise the next generation. Avid bird-watchers probably notice that some birds are solitary, like the lone hawk perching along the highway. And some are social, like the goldfinches and cedar waxwings that flock to our gardens. We could say that their degree of social bird behavior is part of the personality of each species. But when birds gather, it isn’t just because they enjoy each other’s company. There are practical reasons that explain why some birds flock together and even work together ..read more

Red-bellied woodpecker chick looks out from a tree cavity nest For parent birds, raising a nest full of babies can be a risky project. With predators around every corner, many parents hide their nests among dense foliage or in tall grass for protection. Another approach is to put it inside a tree. This cavity nesting strategy is practiced by all kinds of birds, including some that you can attract to your backyard. Learn about 9 different types of bird nests and how to spot them. New Cavity Nest Builders Red-headed woodpeckers drill into trees to make new nest cavities Left alone, a mature tree ..read more

Easy to grow and useful all year-round, sunflowers are crowd-pleasers. Summer’s bright blooms bring joy to gardeners and pollinators, and naturally dried seeds provide local wildlife with a food source in winter. They thrive in most soil types and climates, as long as they’re in a sunny spot. Follow these proven tips for growing sunflowers. Enjoy 30 stunning sunflower pictures that radiate beauty. Sunflower Care and Growing Tips Sun-loving sunflowers are easy to grow Sunflowers are truly one of the easiest plants to grow, but they do have a few requirements. They need at least six hours of sun ..read more

Which Red Tanager Are You Seeing? When you’re out birding and you see a flash of red, your first assumption might be that your mystery red bird is a northern cardinal. However, if you know you haven’t spotted a cardinal, the ID’s can get a bit trickier—especially when it comes to two similar-looking tanagers. Here’s how to tell the difference between a summer tanager vs a scarlet tanager. Scarlet Tanager Identification Tips Adult male scarlet tanager The bold and brilliantly colored scarlet tanager is widespread in the eastern U.S. and southeastern Canada in summer. Adult males are red with so ..read more