News Archive

The sun is just about to rise on a cool December morning on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The birds awaken at the forest edge and begin calling vociferously: the harsh "shack" call of the Northern Mockingbird, a variety of "chip" calls from cardinals, sparrows, and yellow-rumped warblers, and the...

In summer in the Appalachian Mountains, its buzzy zoo zoo zoo zee song can often be heard drifting from dense stands of rhododendron and mountain laurel. As the naturalist Lynds Jones wrote in 1899, “The song is uttered in a spirited manner while the bird is feeding and flitting about in the foliage...

Although its name sounds like an insult Yosemite Sam might sling at Bugs Bunny, the yellow-bellied sapsucker's moniker aptly describes its appearance and habits. Both males and females indeed have a pale yellow underside, and tree sap constitutes a large portion of this woodpecker's diet. In fact...

On a cool spring morning in downtown Baltimore this year, the breeze was blowing and the hustle and bustle of an urban city were evident.

An Arctic Tern hovers high above the water, zeroing in on the fish it intends to take back to the nest to feed its ravenous young. With perfect precision, it dives head first into the water and is back in the air within seconds, the fish dangling from its bill. Urged on by parental instinct, the...

Most birders in North America are no doubt familiar with the orange-crowned warbler ( Oreothlypis celata). The species breeds throughout the western U.S. and across the boreal forest from Alaska to Newfoundland, winters in much of Mexico and the southern U.S., and migrates through a broad swath of...

Singing from a concealed perch, the catbird truly enjoys its comfortable position. With its tail held down, body feathers fluffed, and wings drooping at its sides, the catbird exuberantly sings a series of musical whistles and catlike meows, interspersed with imitations of other birds' songs. Video...

Once upon a time, you could, on a summer's day, count on hearing the creaky song of the Rusty Blackbird ( Euphagus carolensis) filtering from the bog lands of the boreal forest. Decades ago, on a winter's day, one could reliably locate small flocks of Rusties foraging at the edge of the swamps in...

Wait. I think I hear a Summer Tanager calling from that shrub over there. No, it sounds more like a Great Crested Flycatcher. But, in a shrub?? No I think I'm hearing a Rufous-sided Towhee!? Is this a strange flock? Hold it, I see a bird that's small and olive, with some yellow below…It's a White...

This species is well named for its blue-gray head that contrasts with white 'spectacles' yellow sides, white wing bars, a greenish back and white belly and throat. However appropriate the name, birders may find the process of naming this vireo confusing. It is clearly the victim of changing...

When birdwatchers list their most beautiful birds, the Swamp Sparrow is seldom, if ever, mentioned. In the world of ornithological aesthetics, sparrows get short shrift. They do not possess the vibrant and gaudy colors of a warbler, tanager, or toucan. However, some bird aficionados tire of spectral...

Like a sumo wrestler, the rufous hummingbird must rapidly gain weight and keep it on, despite extraordinary physical exertion. Weighing in at a little more than a penny, it must double its body weight in order to fuel its migration from breeding grounds in the Pacific Northwest (Alaska to northern...