Today we are concluding our 2022 Birdorable Bonanza by adding a colorful bird of the New World: the Elegant Trogon!
Elegant Trogons are native to a wide range across Mexico and Central America, where they reside in a variety of woodland habitat types. There is a summer breeding population in southeast Arizona.
The Elegant Trogon is a beautifully colored bird. Adult males have a black face and throat, iridescent green upperparts, a red belly separated by a white band, grey wings, and a finely speckled undertail.
This concludes our 2022 Birdorable Bonanza. Thank you for following along! We wish our fans and followers all the best for the holiday season and good wishes for the coming year!
Today's new Birdorable is a New World songbird. Look-up, over here, see me, up here, it's the Red-eyed Vireo!
That funny introduction above refers to a common mnemonic, or memory aid, to help birders remember the repetitive song of the Red-eyed Vireo. This songster is often heard before it is seen.
Besides the iconic song, Red-eyed Vireos can be recognized by the pretty red eyes they develop as adults, and their distinctive eye stripe.
Tomorrow we'll finish off our 2022 Birdorable Bonanza with one of our most requested species. It's a colorful bird with a fancy name and is found across Mexico, Central America, and southeast Arizona. Can you guess tomorrow's new bird?
This special bird is native to a small range across eastern Asia. Of all of the six species of spoonbill, the Black-faced Spoonbill has the most limited range, and is the only species to be considered Endangered (the others all have a conservation status of Least Concern). The biggest threat they face is loss of habitat.
Black-faced Spoonbills can be recognized by their long spatula-shaped bills, large white bodies, and namesake black faces. Breeding birds (like our cartoon cutie) develop a yellow band at the base of the neck. Young birds, and adults outside of breeding, lack the yellow band (like the photo example below).
Tomorrow our Birdorable Bonanza will continue when we add a North American species named for the color of its eyes. This passerine has a repetitive song and is often heard before it is seen. Do you know the bird?
Today's new bird is a species of finch with a widespread range across a variety of habitats in sub-Saharan Africa. Meet the Birdorable African Firefinch!
There are four or five recognized subspecies of African Firefinch. All birds have reddish underparts and olive-brown upperparts, but the intensity of the color and the ratio of red to olive-brown varies among the subspecies. Males sport distinctive white spots on their flanks.
African Firefinch, Sakania, DR Congo by Nigel Voaden (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Today's new Birdorable bird is our 102nd new species of parrot! Welcome the Blue-headed Parrot to our flock!
The Blue-headed Parrot is a medium-sized parrot with a range in and around the Amazon basin in South America. They feed on fruits, berries, and seeds. These darlings are cavity nesters, using either living trees or dead tree stumps.
Blue-headed Parrots have a mostly bright green plumage along with their namesake blue head. Males and females look alike.
Tomorrow we'll add a small species of finch found in sub-Saharan Africa. They have a fiery red plumage and males sport white spots on their flanks. Do you know the species?
These little toucans live in mountain forest habitat across parts of Mexico and Central America. Males and females look alike with a bright green body plumage and relatively large yellow and black bills.
Tomorrow's new Birdorable is a species in the Psittacidae family. It is named for the color of its head, and lives in the Amazon basin. Do you know the species?
