Today’s new species is found in scrubland habitat in parts of Argentina and Bolivia. Welcome the Birdorable Grey-hooded Parakeet!
This cute species is known by other names in aviculture: Aymara Parakeet or Sierra Parakeet. Aymara refers to people local to part of the birds’ range, in the high plateau region around Lake Titicaca. A Sierra is a chain of mountains, again referring to the type of habitat where these parakeets are found in the wild.
Grey-hooded Parakeets feed on plant material, including seeds, fruits, nuts, and berries.
Grey-hooded Parakeets in Capilla del Monte, Córdoba, Argentina by Nes (CC BY 2.0)
Tomorrow we’ll introduce an extremely high-flying species of goose found in parts of Asia. This bird is named for a pattern found on the back of its head. Can you guess what it is?
Today’s new bird is an Australian wading species, native to the island nation and now widespread across a variety of habitats. Our second bird in the 2020 Birdorable Bonanza is the Australian Ibis!
This species is also known as the Australian White Ibis. Like other ibis species, this bird has a long, down-curved bill. Its white plumage is highlighted by fluffy black feathers over the tail, which are actually secondary wing feathers.
Australian Ibis feed on aquatic prey, like frogs, fish, and mussels. They also eat worms and, having adapted to living in areas near human habitation, will also feed on carrion and even food scraps found in trash.
Tomorrow we will reveal a new species of parrot found in high elevation scrubland in parts of South America, including around Lake Titicaca. Can you guess the bird?
Today we start our 2020 Birdorable Bonanza with a bang! Actually… make that an IRRUPTION! We’re kicking off 29 days of new birds by dropping four finches in this “finch invasion” winter season. A bright spot in 2020, many birders are delighting at seeing these and other finches visit their feeders for the first time in many years or for the first time ever.
Northern finches follow the food, and when they have a good season, large flocks of them might congregate farther south than in other years; their gregarious groups are a delight to see.
Pine Siskins are extremely gregarious and may be found in feeding flocks of hundreds of individuals. Wow!
Crossbills are named for their specialized bills, crossed at the tip, which allows them to feed on conifer seeds by stripping cones down to reach the food inside. Different crossbills specialize in different kinds of conifer seeds. Isn’t that neat?
Male Purple Finches have a beautiful bright raspberry red, streaky plumage. Females and juveniles are duller, with little to no red, though you can see the same face mask pattern on adult females.
Find our new finches in a variety of new designs on a great assortment of apparel and other products, available in our shop.
Tomorrow our 2020 Birdorable Bonanza will continue with a bird native to Australia with a long, curved bill and a bare head. Birds of this family are found nearly all around the world. Can you guess tomorrow’s new species?
The Cedar Waxwing is an excellent choice to be a "bird ambassador" for the ABA in 2020. These gregarious birds are known for their beauty, with striking plumage that includes a dramatic black mask and wax-like red tips to their secondary wing feathers.
These migratory songbirds can be found in much of North America -- summer-only across parts of Canada and only in the winter across roughly the southern half of the continent. Here in Florida, we enjoy flocks of them feasting on berries throughout the late winter and early spring.
The Cedar Waxwing is the 10th Bird of the Year from the organization. Previously honored birds are as follows, with links to our Birdorable version when available.
Today our Birdorable 2019 Bonanza concludes as we reveal the 10th bird of the series: the Grey Wagtail!
Grey (or Gray) Wagtails are songbirds in the wagtail family with a wide distribution across Asia and parts of Europe and Africa where both migratory and resident populations can be found.
The Grey Wagtail can be recognized by its handsome (and more than grey) plumage, which includes grey upperparts and yellow underparts, black chin, and striking white eyeline. True to their family name, they can often be found wagging or bobbing their tails as they walk and forage for food.
Grey Wagtails prefer a habitat near running water, especially during the breeding season, where they can feed on aquatic insects and other small aquatic animals.
Thank you for following along with our 2019 Birdorable Bonanza!
Today's new bird is a warbler-like species found across much of South America, the Bananaquit!
Bananaquits can be recognized by their curved bills, and their plumage, which is a mix of grey, yellow, and white. Their white eyebrow stripe is distinctive. Across their wide range there are over 40 recognized subspecies of Bananaquit. Size varies across the subspecies, as do some aspects of coloration.
Bananaquits use their specialized bills to feed on flower nectar, by piercing flowers, and on fruit juices, which they obtain by piercing fruits. Bananaquits also supplement their diets with insects and spiders.
Tomorrow we'll wrap up our 2019 Bonanza by revealing an Old World species that likes to live near water and is bit more colorful than its name suggests. Any guesses?
Today's new Birdorable bird is a species that feeds almost exclusively on sticky fig fruits. Today Pesquet's Parrot joins our family!
The Pesquet's Parrot is a large species of parrot found in New Guinea rainforest habitat. These birds are specialist frugivores, feeding mostly on figs. These sticky fruits could get matted in feathers, so the Pesquet's Parrot has developed a strategy to avoid this: they have nearly bald heads! This gives them the nickname "Vulturine Parrot".
Besides their bald heads, Pesquet's Parrots can be identified by their dark plumage, with scallops on the breast, and bright red patches on the belly and wings.
Tomorrow's new species is a warbler-like New World bird with a fruit-like name. This bird has over 40 recognized subspecies! Can you guess the bird?
Today's new species in our 2019 Birdorable Bonanza is a colorful member of the nuthatch family: the Velvet-fronted Nuthatch!
Nuthatches typically have a muted plumage, with a mix of black, white, and slate often in the mix. This bird doesn't follow that convention, with its aquamarine upperparts, bright red beak, and yellow eye, this bird is a knockout!
The Velvet-fronted Nuthatch ranges across a variety of forest types throughout southern and central Asia. They are the only kind of nuthatch on Borneo.
Velvet-fronted Nuthatches feed mainly on insects and spiders. Typical for nuthatches, they forage by walking up and down tree trunks in search of food.
Tomorrow we'll add a species of parrot with a fun nickname based on its (lack of) facial plumage. Do you know the bird?
Today we are introducing a species of sea duck to our Birdorable family: the Surf Scoter!
Surf Scoters feed on a variety of marine invertebrates. They are restricted to North American waters, breeding on freshwater bodies in Alaska and Canada and wintering along both coasts of the continent. After the nesting period, Surf Scoters molt their flight feathers. They find a safe place to do this, because during the process, they are flightless and vulnerable to predators.
Male Surf Scoters, like our cute Birdorable version, have an all-black plumage, with distinctive white patches on the face and an orange-looking bill. Females are brown.
Via bird banding, we know that wild Surf Scoters can live to be at least 11 years old.
Surf Scoter by Becky Matsubara (CC BY 2.0)
Tomorrow's new bird is a colorful species of nuthatch found in Asian forests. Can you take a guess?
Today's new Birdorable is really a brand new bird! The Spectacled Flowerpecker was officially described by science in October of this year. The bird was first sighted in Borneo in 2009, but a specimen wasn't available for detailed study until March of 2019.
In addition to describing the bird's external appearance and features, scientists also learned about the diet of the Spectacled Flowerpecker. Part of the diet includes a species of mistleote. Information like this can help ornithologists to learn more about the bird's range and preferred habitat.
The Spectacled Flowerpecker joins our Birdorable Finches and Friends. Flowerpeckers are songbirds in a separate family but show some similarities to finches. The Spectacled Flowerpecker is not closely related to any other known flowerpecker species.
Tomorrow's new bird is a species of North American sea duck that might like to "hang ten". Can you guess the species?
