We added six brand-new coloring pages with some great ducks and birds of prey:

Birdorable Coloring Pages

Check here for more coloring pages. Subscribe to the Birdorable Blog by RSS feed or by email to get notified when new downloads like this are added. Have you used our coloring pages at home, in your classroom, or at an event? We’d love to hear about it! Send us photos of the pages in action, or the final result – we may showcase them on our blog!

If you think our Birdorable birds are cute as adults, what about when they are babies? Below are some baby photos (shared via Flickr Creative Commons) of the Barn Owl. Barn Owls are cavity nesters. They use a variety of structures, including natural sites like tree cavities, cliffs, rocky outcrops, as well as a huge range of man-made structures. Barn Owls will use nest boxes, too. There are some popular nestcams set up in established Barn Owl nests, including Owl Channel, Mel & Sydney, and Audubon Starr Ranch Barn Owls. With their heart-shaped faces and their super-fluffy appearance, baby Barn Owls may look a bit goofy, but we think they are cute, too! What do you think?

Day old hatchling with peeping eggs
Day old hatchling with peeping eggs by rebonnett
Protecting angel, we all have one.
Protecting angel, we all have one. by rebonnett
Owl Hatchlings and Eggs in Attic of Abandoned House (1981)
Barn Owl Nest with Young in Abandoned House (1981) by Hunter-Desportes
Young Barn Owls in Attic of House (1981)
Young Barn Owls in Attic of House (1981) by Hunter-Desportes
Young Barn Owls in Tree Nest (1981)
Young Barn Owls in Tree Nest (1981) by Hunter-Desportes
Young Barn Owls in Tree Nest (1981)
Young Barn Owls in Tree Nest (1981) by Hunter-Desportes
Owlets
Owlets by chdwckvnstrsslhm
Barn Owl
Barn Owl by USFWS Mountain Prairie
001_barn_owl_chick_myatt_odfw
Barn Owl Chick by Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife
Baby Barn Owl
Baby Barn Owl by sanangeloinsurance

Pretty cute, right? Be sure to check out our Birdorable Barn Owl t-shirts and gifts!

Red-winged Blackbirds range across much of North America, from parts of Alaska and the Northwest Territories of Canada, down through Mexico and into parts of Central America. Though a good portion of the population remains resident year-round, throughout northern parts of their range, they are considered a harbinger of spring. That first "KonkaREE!" heard in the late winter can be music to a birder's ear. Here are some interesting facts about the Red-winged Blackbird.

1) In several Ojibwa language dialects, the species is called memiskondinimaanganeshiinh, which means roughly "a bird with a very red shoulder-blade"

2) There are at least 22 subspecies of Red-winged Blackbird, most of which look virtually alike

3) The Red-winged Blackbird is in the Icteridae family of birds, which also includes Brown-headed Cowbirds, Grackles, and Orioles

4) While male Red-winged Blackbirds are unmistakeable in the field, sometimes female or juvenile birds pose an identification puzzle. Their streaky bodies resemble some species of sparrow

Red-winged Blackbird
Red-winged Blackbird

5) The diet of Red-winged Blackbirds varies; they will eat both insects (more often in the summer) and seeds (more often in the winter). At feeders they will dine on suet and other bird seed; one of their favorites is sunflower seeds

6) Male Red-winged Blackbirds like to play the field. One male may have up to 15 different females nesting in his territory...

7) ... which he fiercely defends from intruders. Here a Red-winged Blackbird, weighing no more than 3 ounces, takes on three Sandhill Cranes, which can weigh 10 lbs or more!

apulets
Red-winged Blackbird attacks Sandhill Cranes

8) The longevity record for the Red-winged Blackbird is 15 years and 9 months; this is known from bird banding efforts

9) In flight, Red-winged Blackbirds may reach speeds up to 30 miles per hour!!

10) The Red-winged Blackbird is one of the most abundant species found in North America. Their conservation status is Least Concern as of 2012