This winter is shaping up to be an irruption season for Snowy Owls into northern parts of the United States. There are several maps being maintained which show the locations where these large white diurnal owls have been found, including the great site where anyone can record all of their bird sightings, eBird. The map below shows a portion of a collaborative Google Map of Snowy Owl sightings. If you click the map you can see a wider view.

Often an irruption of Snowy Owls south of their normal range indicates a decline in the lemming population in Canada. However, lemmings have been doing very well this year and because of that, so have their predators. It seems Snowy Owls had a very good breeding year; many of the "southern" owl sightings have been of young birds. The irruption may be due to lack of hunting territory rather than a lack of food. So the owls are spreading out and moving south. Have you seen a Snowy Owl yet? This winter just might be your chance! Be sure to check out our collection of cute Snowy Owl apparel and gifts. We have a brand new spoof design featuring our Birdorable Snowy Owl: got lemmings?

Today’s bird is the 19th and final species in this year's Birdorable Bonanza! It is also our 350th Birdorable bird - introducing the Birdorable Carolina Parakeet!

The Carolina Parakeet was a colorful species of parrot native to the southeastern United States that is now unfortunately extinct. The last captive bird died in 1918, with the last wild birds dying out around that time or earlier. The Carolina Parakeet was a beautiful bird, with a green-blue body and warmer reds, oranges and yellows around the face. They used their powerful beaks to feed on seeds and fruit pits.

Today’s bird, and the 18th (and second-to-last!) species in the Birdorable Bonanza, is the Pileated Woodpecker!

Pileated Woodpecker by magnificentfrigatebird

Pileated Woodpeckers are the largest species of woodpecker currently found in the Americas (the believed-extinct Ivory-billed Woodpecker and Imperial Woodpecker were both larger). During nesting season, both male and female birds take care of incubating the eggs, though males will take over for overnight incubation. Both parents care for the nestlings as they grow.

Tomorrow's bird is an extinct bird that used to live in the United States. Can you guess what it will be?

Just two more days -- we've almost reached the end of Birdorable Bonanza 2011. Today's new bird species is the Roadside Hawk!

GAVIÃO-CARIJÓ ( Rupornis magnirostris ) by Dario Sanches

The Roadside Hawk is the smallest species of Buteo, a family that also includes Red-tailed Hawks and Broad-winged Hawks. Roadside Hawks are found throughout parts of Central and South America. Despite their urban-sounding name, they are highly adaptive and can be found nesting in a wide variety of habitats.

Tomorrow's bird has a large red crest and lives in North America. Can you guess what it will be?

Today’s bird, and the 16th species in the Birdorable Bonanza, is the Cyprus Warbler!

Warbler Cyprus,Kala Chorio,Cyprus 17/10/07 by Mick Sway

The Cyprus Warbler is a small species of warbler that lives on the island of Cyprus during breeding season, and in Israel, Jordan or Egypt during the winter months. Male Cyprus Warblers, like our Birdorable version, have black heads, grey backs, and dark streaking on the breast. Females are similar in color scheme though the brightness is toned down considerably.

Tomorrow's bird is a common hawk from Latin America. Its species name translates as 'large beak'. Can you guess what it will be?

Today’s bird, and the 15th species in the Birdorable Bonanza, is the Chinstrap Penguin!

Chinstrap Penguin at Point Wild, Elephant Island by Liam Q

Chinstrap Penguins are cute little black-and-white birds that live in huge colonies in Antarctica and nearby islands. They are named for the black stripe that runs under the chin which resembles a helmet strap. Chinstrap Penguins are one of the most common species of penguin found in the world, with a population estimated at over 8 million birds.

Tomorrow's bird is a little black and grey bird that breeds on Cyprus. Can you guess what it will be?

For 19 days we're adding a new Birdorable bird every day as part of our Birdorable Bonanza 2011. We're counting up to revealing our 350th species! Today's bird is the Common Moorhen.

The Common Moorhen is a species of rail that has a wide range. They live across parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa. The similar North American Common Gallinule was recently split from the Common Moorhen. Common Moorhens have dark, chubby bodies supported by yellow legs and relatively enormous feet. They have a prominent red facial shield as well.

Tomorrow's bird can be easily recognized from the black line under its chin. Can you guess what it will be?

Birds fly when you're having fun ... we're already at our 13th species in this year's Birdorable Bonanza. Today’s bird is the Dickcissel!

Singing Dickcissel by cyclewidow

The Dickcissel is a small grassland bird that breeds across parts of the Midwest in the United States. These migratory birds head south to Central and South America during the winter months. Male Dickcissels in breeding plumage are extremely bright and beautiful, as you can see in our Birdorable version of this species. Dickcissels are named for their song, part of which sounds like they are yelling "dick! dick! cissss cissss..."

Tomorrow's bird is a bird in the Rallidae family with an almost worldwide distribution. Can you guess what it will be?

Today’s bird, and the 12th species in the Birdorable Bonanza, is the Great Black-backed Gull!

Great Black Backed Gull by Hilary Chambers

Great Black-backed Gulls are the largest species of gull in the world, larger than the very common and oversized Herring Gull. Like many gull species, Great Black-backs will scavenge for much of their food. They will also take live prey, using a variety of techniques including drowning and vigorous physical attack. These large and sometimes predatory gulls have very few predators to fear themselves.

Tomorrow's bird is a small American bird that perched in an open field sings "dick dick ciss ciss ciss". Can you guess what it will be?

We just added four new Birdorable coloring pages for lots of cute coloring fun! Go to Coloring Pages to download the PDFs. You can visit the meet pages for each bird to check the colors: Eastern Screech Owl, Northern Goshawk, Barn Owl and Shoebill. Which one is your favorite bird?

These downloads will be available until 15 January 2012. 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!