Owls are extremely charismatic species beloved by both birders and non-birders alike. Nocturnal, mysterious, and secretive, these birds play important roles in our culture.
There are eight species of owls that can be found in Ohio with some being found quite frequently and others being rare visitors. Here are the owl species to be on the lookout for if you are in this state.
Barn Owl (Uncommon)
Barn Owl – Photo by Many Wonderful Artists
Identification
Barn Owls have are a thin looking owl species with an orangey tan and gray back, head, and wings. They have a light underside and pale heart shaped face.
The call of the Barn Owl is a violent sounding scream. It’s possible that legends of creatures like banshees and screaming ghosts derived from people hearing the haunting calls of Barn Owls at night.
Range
Barn Owls reside in most of Mexico and the United States yea- round with the exception of some of the states in the Northern part of the country. Even in the Northern states where their range either does not extend or does not extend very far into, a few individuals of this species can still be found.
Diet and Foraging Habits
Barn Owls hunt almost exclusively at night. Due to this, they eat mostly other nocturnal animals, especially rodents. Voles, mice, shrews, and rats are all creatures that are common prey items for Barn Owls. In addition to small mammals, Barn Owls will also eat small to medium sized birds.
Where to Find This Bird
Barn Owls live in open areas with plenty of space to hunt. Some common places to find them are agricultural fields, grasslands, deserts, and even more urban environments such as cities. As their name suggests, they can be found roosting in barns as well as tree cavities and other structures.
Barred Owl
Barred Owl
Identification
Barred Owls are bulky with round heads, white undersides with brown stripes, and brown backs. They also have white striping on their backs, and dark eyes typically looking uniform in color. Like many owl species, Barred Owls have a flat face known as a facial disk.
Barred Owls have a very distinctive call as they make a “who cooks for you” call. They are known to call even when it’s light out.
Range
Barred Owls are non-migratory and can be found yea- round in the Eastern United States, Southern Canada, and the Pacific Northwestern states of the US. Many of the Western states do not have resident Barred Owls in the wild.
Diet and Foraging Habits
Barred Owls eat many different types of small and medium sized creatures including mammals, other birds, amphibians, and reptiles. They have even been cited going into the water to catch fish and crustaceans. Barred Owls typically find a good vantage point and watch for potential prey items, they will then swoop down from above to catch their meal.
Where to Find This Bird
Badgerland Birding searches for a Barred Owl in an old growth forest
Look for Barred Owls in forests (conifer or deciduous) where there are plenty of tall trees to perch in and cavities to roost in. Older forests with taller trees are typically preferable. Swamps are also good places to find this species, especially in the Southeastern states.
Barred Owls are a species that will call during the daytime so listen for their classic “who cooks for you” call even when it’s light out.
Eastern Screech Owl
Red morph Eastern Screech Owl
Identification
Eastern Screech Owls are small, round looking birds with pointed ear tufts. They come in two different colors or “morphs,” with one being gray and the other being orange. Gray morph birds are very well camouflaged as they look almost exactly like bark with a light gray base color and darker patterns on the back, head, and underside. The orange version of the Eastern Screech Owl is known as a “red morph” bird and have a deep reddish orange base color with darker grayish black patterning on their back, head, and chest. Red morph birds have white coloration on their underside going from the throat down toward their legs.
Range
The aptly named Eastern Screech Owl can be found year-round throughout the Eastern half of the United States and Northeastern Mexico. They also make it into some parts of Southeastern Canada as well. The range of this species expands as far west as Montana, Texas, and Eastern Colorado.
Diet and Foraging Habits
Eastern Screech Owls eat a wide variety of small prey items including mammals, insects, crustaceans, amphibians, and reptiles.
Where to Find This Bird
Eastern Screech Owls are not at all picky about where they live. They can be found in all different types of forests including deciduous and coniferous, residential areas such as city parks, areas near rivers and streams, and edge habitat. They live almost anywhere with adequate tree cover. Often times, Eastern Screech Owls use the same roosting sites repeatedly, meaning that they are easy to find if you know where they are roosting. Look for them peaking out of tree cavities or nest boxes sunning themselves, or watch these same places and wait for them to pop out just before dusk when they usually stick their faces out of their roosting site and wait for the right time to take flight for a night of hunting.
Great Horned Owl
Great Horned Owl
Identification
Out of all of the Owl species in North America, the Great Horned Owl is probably the one that people encounter the most. They are quite large with very noticeable ear tufts and have varying shades of brown covering their back, head, and wings. the Underside of the Great Horned Owl is lighter with a brown wash and darker brown to black horizontal barring.
Great Horned Owls of the arctic population are much more pale and even sometimes look white in color with the same barring and patterns as their southern counterparts.
Range
The Great Horned Owl is extremely widespread across North America as their range encompasses most of Alaska and Canada, the entire continental United States, and the majority of Mexico. They also live in various parts of South America too. This species is non-migratory.
Diet and Foraging Habits
Great Horned Owls eat an extremely wide variety of different animals ranging from small rodents to significantly larger mammals such as skunks and porcupines. They will also eat fairly large bird species such as ducks and even other raptor species. One interesting and gruesome habit of Great Horned Owls is to decapitate their larger prey.
Where to Find This Bird
Great Horned Owls can be found in a variety of different habitats including coniferous forests, deciduous forests, swamps, and residential neighborhoods. The easiest way to find this species is to listen for them making their call: a low “hoo hoo.” During breeding season owls can often be heard calling to one another, a practice known as “dueting.”
Long-eared Owl
Long-eared Owl
Identification
Long-eared Owls are medium sized owl species with very large ear tufts. They are brown on the back, wings, and head with orange, tan, and darker brown colors mixed in. Their underside is brown, white, and orange, giving them the appearance of the bark of a pine tree. Long-eared owls have orange facial disks outlined by dark brown.
Range
Long-eared Owls winter in Mexico and the Southern United States. In spring they move into the Northern United States and Southern Canada. There are many states in which Long-eared Owls are year-round residents such as Utah, Nevada, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, and many more.
Diet and Foraging Habits
Long-eared owls eat a variety of small rodents. They have also been known to consume birds as well. This species hunts for food in open areas where they typically capture prey on the ground.
Where to Find This Bird
Long-eared Owls are secretive birds that roost in thick tangles of brush and vegetation. They often roost in groups so if you happen to find one of these well camouflaged owls, others are most likely around. Some of their favorite trees to nest in are willows, cottonwoods, and tamaracks. Long-eared Owls can also be found by listening for their deep “hoo” calls often repeated in quick succession.
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Northern Saw-whet Owl – Photo by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Northeast Region
Identification
Northern Saw-whet Owls are a very small species with a large, round head. They have a brown back and head with white spots, a white underside, and light brown vertical stripes. They have a white facial disk and piercing yellow eyes.
Range
Northern Saw-whet Owls live year round throughout different parts of North America including Southern Canada, the Northeastern, Northwestern, and Midwestern United States in addition to select areas of Mexico. During winter, they end up filling in the other parts of the United States that they don’t inhabit the rest of the year, moving as far south as Texas and Louisiana some years.
Diet and Foraging Habits
Northern Saw-whet Owls eat small prey items such as mice. They also eat other small mammals and small birds.
Where to Find This Bird
Northern Saw-whet Owls can be found in forests ranging from deciduous to coniferous. They are notoriously difficult to find as they don’t usually use the same roost. To try and locate one, search pine stands (this bird seems to prefer roosting in conifers) and look for white- washed branches. Another way to find Saw-whet Owls is to listen for their call between late winter and spring which sounds like a drawn out “toot toot” repeated in succession.
Snowy Owl
Snowy Owl
Identification
Snowy Owls are iconic and recognizable birds. Adult males range from pure white to white with a few dark brown markings. Female and immature birds are white with much more dark barring. These birds always have a white face regardless of the age of the bird.
Range
Snowy Owls breed on the tundra of the high arctic. During fall and winter they descend into Southern Canada, Alaska, and much of the continental United States. Just how far these majestic birds will go is dependent on food sources in the north. While this can be somewhat complicated, it generally boils down to the more food availability during breeding season, the more owls are successfully raised in a given year. The more owls that are raised in the north, the more they spread out, thus leading to what’s known as an irruption in which many owls spread out farther south into the United States than usual. The typical southern range for these birds encompasses the states bordering Canada.
Learn about the patterns of Snowy Owl migration and irruptions
Diet and Foraging Habits
Snowy Owls feed primarily on small rodents. In particular, they are fond of the lemmings that live in their breeding areas. This species will also eat birds as well with waterfowl being a usual menu item.
Snowy Owls hunt on open landscapes and often times sit for hours surveying their surroundings and watching for small rodents.
Where to Find This Bird
Badgerland Birding searches for Snowy Owls along the Lake Michigan coast
Snowy Owls vary in numbers depending on how good the prior year’s nesting season was. In their normal range they can be found in open areas such as farm fields, tundra, and grasslands. The best time to look for Snowy Owls is during an irruption year when many more birds are coming down from the north and flooding into the United States. During these times, Snowy Owls can actually be quite easy to find and end up in slightly more eclectic places such as lake shores and airports.
Short-eared Owl
Short-eared Owl
Identification
Short-eared Owls are colored the same as the prairies and grasslands in which they reside. They have a light sandy colored back, wings, and tail with dark brown mottling. They have a cream colored underside with vertical stripes. This species has a white facial disk with both dark and sandy coloration just below their bright yellow eyes.
Short-eared Owls are highly maneuverable and acrobatic in flight, flying with rapid wingbeats that make them look moth-like. When flying, their flat faces are quite evident and help in separating them from other species such as Northern Harriers.
Range
Short-eared Owls are a species found across the globe in almost every continent. In North America, they winter in Northern Mexico and the Southern United States then move into the Northern Great Lakes states, Canada, and Alaska to breed in the summer.
Diet and Foraging Habits
Short-eared Owls eat small mammals such a slice, lemmings, shrews, and voles. They will also eat small to medium sized birds. Short-eared Owls are specialized hunters that acrobatically fly over open prairies keeping an eye out for ground dwelling mammals. They spend much more time in the air hunting compared to most other owl species.
Where to Find This Bird
Badgerland Birding scours a frozen marsh to find Short-eared Owls
Short-eared Owls can be found in open prairies and grasslands flying low over the landscape. The timing can be important when looking for Short-eared owls as they are crepuscular, meaning they are out most at dawn and dusk. However, there are times when they have been documented flying during the day as well.
Summary
Owls are enigmatic and beautiful birds that are always a treat to see when out in the field. Knowing the species that are expected in your state can be instrumental in identifying which one you’re looking at and understanding their behaviors. Hopefully, this article has helped to answer some questions about the owls of Ohio.
Swans are iconic birds known for their elegance and grace. But did you know there are only 7 difference species of swans in the world, and only 3 species that breed in North America?
Swans that Breed in North America (3 Species)
These species regularly breed in North America and can be found in many different locations in the United States on an annual basis.
Trumpeter Swan
Trumpeter Swan
Identification
Adult Trumpeter Swans are bright white birds with a black bill extending to the eyes. Their legs are black. They can be differentiated from Tundra Swans by having a more bell-shaped head, and a more “v-shaped” forehead when looking at the bird head on, compared to the “u-shaped” forehead of the Tundra Swan.
Range
Trumpeter Swans are common year round in select areas of North America and have a spotty wintering distribution that moves north in the summer to parts of northern North America.
Diet and Foraging Behavior
Trumpeter Swans feed mostly on aquatic vegetation such as roots and stems of aquatic plants. They can often be seen with their heads underwater and backsides up as they feed.
Find this Bird
Look for Trumpeter Swans in or near water, in marshes, or in open or grassy fields, often in large flocks. They can also be found in mixed flocks with other swan species.
Horicon Marsh is a great place to see Trumpeter Swans in the summer.
Tundra Swan
Tundra Swan (Michael Schramm/USFWS)
Identification
Adult Tundra Swans are bright white birds with a black bill extending to the eyes. Their legs are black. They can be differentiated from Trumpeter Swans by having a more slender head and “u-shaped forehead when looking at it head on, compared to a more “v-shaped” forehead and bell-shaped head of the Trumpeter Swan. Tundra Swans will sometimes have yellow markings on their bill, but these should not be used as a sole identification marker since Trumpeter Swans and other swan species can have these as well.
Range
Tundra Swans winter in eastern and western North America, and migrate through northern North America to their breeding grounds in the far north.
Diet and Foraging Behavior
Tundra Swans feed mostly on aquatic vegetation such as roots and stems of aquatic plants, as well as seeds, algae, and grains. They can often be seen with their heads underwater and backsides up as they feed.
Find this Bird
Look for Tundra Swans in or near water, in marshes, or in open or grassy fields, often in massive flocks during migration. They can also be found in mixed flocks with other swan species.
Mute Swan
Mute Swan
Identification
Mute Swans are large white birds with a long neck, black legs, orange bill, and black knob on the forehead.
Range
Mute Swans are native to Europe and Asia but have been introduced into parts of North America. Certain populations breed in North America while other individuals may be escaped pets or farm birds.
Diet and Foraging Behavior
Mute Swans feed on aquatic vegetation, mussels, worms, small fish, frogs, and other small vertebrates.
Find this Bird
Mute Swans are normally seen as individual birds or in pairs and tower over smaller geese species. They can be found in marshes, open water lakes, or small urban ponds.
Swans that Occasionally Show Up in North America (1 Species)
Whooper Swan
Whooper Swan (Jura Tone Image)
Identification
The Whooper Swan is a large white swan with black legs, and a black and yellow bill, with the yellow extending to the eye.
Range
Whooper Swans are native in parts of Europe and Asia, but sometimes show up as vagrant birds in Alaska, Canada, and the Northwestern United States. Sometimes they also escape from farms and show up as a non-countable “exotic” species.
Diet and Foraging Behavior
Whooper Swans feed on plant material such as roots, stems, leaves, and grasses. They can often be seen picking at vegetation on shore or with their backends up, feeding on water plants.
Find this Bird
Most Whooper Swans found in the United States will be escaped pets with the exception of those in Alaska, Canada, or the Northwestern United States. The circumstances of each individual siting should be evaluated as to where the bird originated from. In general, Swans are often only seen by bodies of water, and can be seen in the water or on the banks.
Swans that may be seen as Exotic Escaped Pets (3 Species)
Sometimes swans may escape from a zoo or as someone’s pet or farm animal. They can sometimes adapt to the environment and survive as exotics. If you see the following swans in the United States, they are likely an escaped exotic bird.
Black Swan
Black Swan (Photo by Jeff Hollett)
Identification
The Black Swan is a striking bird that can be identified by its all black body, and red bill with white near the tip.
Range
Black Swans are native to Australia but have show up in many other places as escaped pets or farm animals.
Diet and Foraging Behavior
Black Swans feed mostly on plant material such as algae and aquatic vegetation.
Where to Find this Bird
Black Swans can be seen near bodies of water. Occasionally, escaped birds can be seen repeatedly in the same location. In North America, they are almost always escaped exotic birds.
Coscoroba Swan
Coscoroba Swan (Wildlife Terry Photo)
Identification
The smallest of the Swans, the Coscoroba Swan can be identified by its white body, and pinkish orange bill and feet.
Range
The Coscoroba Swan is endemic to Southern South America, but may show up in North America as an escaped pet.
Diet and Foraging Behavior
Coscoroba Swans feed on mostly plant vegetation, insects, and fish.
Where to Find this Bird
In North America, keep an eye out for these birds as escaped pets or farm birds by parks, or really any area with water.
Black-necked Swan
Black-necked Swan (Wildlife Terry Photo)
Identification
Black-necked Swans are white with pink legs, a slate colored bill, black neck and head with white markings, and a red growth above their bill.
Range
Black-necked Swans are not native to North America, however some domesticated individuals have ended up at parks or urban ponds. Black-necked Swans are native to Southern South America.
Diet and Foraging Behavior
Black-necked Swans feed mostly on aquatic vegetation, fish eggs, and insects.
Where to Find this Bird
Black-necked Swans can be found in swamps, lakes, rivers, or other large bodies of water. In North America, any sightings are likely of escaped pets or birds from farms or zoos.
Have you seen any of these swans before? Let us know in the comments below, and we hope you found this information helpful!
Falcons are the stealth fighter jets of the bird world. Recording some of the fastest speeds of all winged animals, these dynamic flyers are captivating to watch.
There are three species of falcons that can be found in Illinois on an annual basis, and two that are quite rare for the state. Here are the five species of falcons that can be found in the land of Lincoln.
American Kestrel
American Kestrel
Identification
The American Kestrel is a small and colorful bird. Males have a rusty colored back as well as a lighter rusty colored underside. They have blue on their wings and the top of their head as well as black markings near their eye. Females are lighter overall with rusty orange barring on their wings, back, and tail.
Range
American Kestrels live in both South America and North America. In North America, Kestrels are migratory and reside in Mexico in winter, then move into Canada during the breeding season. Throughout much of the United States, American Kestrels can be found year round.
Diet and Foraging Habits
American Kestrels eat small creatures including insects, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and rodents. In terms of the insects they eat, some of the most commonly consumed are grasshoppers, dragonflies, and cicadas.
Where to Find this Bird
American Kestrels are a common sight along roadsides and in open fields. They can be seen on telephone poles and wires in addition to perched on dead trees and other structures in areas with few trees. Other places Kestrels can be found are urban parks, pastures, and farm fields.
Merlin
Merlin (Bill Thompson photo)
Identification
Merlins are very small members of the falcon family looking similar in size to a Mourning Dove. They have a blueish gray to black back, wings, and head, and a buffy to brown streaked underside. Merlins can differ in color based on region but always maintain a somewhat similar appearance. Most of the time they will have a white eye brow stripe.
Range
Merlins winter in Northern South America, Central America, Mexico, the Southeastern United States, and most of the Western United States. In spring they migrate north ending up in only the most Northern parts of the U.S. and much of Canada and Alaska. There is an area from the Northwestern part of the United States to the Southwestern part of Alaska where Merlins live year round. Some individuals stay all winter in Northern states as well.
Diet and Foraging Habits
Merlins primarily eat small birds such as waxwings, sparrows, and even shorebirds. In addition to birds, they also eat insects and rodents.
Where to Find this Bird
Merlins can be tricky to find as encountering one typically seems like a matter of luck. They can be found in wooded areas as well as in open areas where they will be surveying for food. Sometimes the easiest way to see them is in flight when they will be moving at high speeds.
Personal Experience: It seems like if I ever go out intentionally trying to find Merlins there aren’t any around. Each year I typically find one by chance while out birding. It seems that even though they aren’t necessarily supposed to winter in the northern U.S. that is when I see them most.
Peregrine Falcon
Peregrine Falcon (Betsy Matsubara Photo – CC by 2.0)
Identification
Peregrine Falcons are iconic birds with a dark back, wings, head, and neck. They have a light underside with dark barring and noticeable bright yellow legs. This species has interesting facial markings that some people refer to as “sideburns” but is essentially dark coloration coming down below the eye onto the cheeks of the bird.
Range
The Peregrine Falcon’s range in North America is complicated with a general pattern of wintering in the Southeastern United States and Mexico, summering in Northern Canada, and migrating throughout the rest of the continent. However, there are many places in the continental United States that Peregrine Falcons breed in during summer (such as along Lake Superior) and live year round (such as most of the Pacific Coast, and around the Great Lakes).
This species not only lives in North America, but every other continent as well with the exception of Antarctica.
Diet and Foraging Habits
Peregrine Falcons are the fastest fliers in the entire animal kingdom reaching normal speeds of around 70 miles per hour and a diving speed of around 200 miles per hour. They use this incredible speed to hunt medium sized birds such as doves and ducks, but they have been observed taking on an extremely wide array of different bird species. Peregrine Falcons will also eat fish, and mammals.
Where to Find this Bird
Peregrine Falcons have adapted well to human habitation and use skyscrapers as nesting sites. In more wild areas they will use cliffs as nest sites. Peregrine Falcons can be reliable sights in places where people have placed nest boxes specifically for the species to breed in. Often times these places have corresponding nest cams.
In Illinois, the city of Chicago is one of the best locations to find Peregrine Falcons as the open spaces along the lake and tall buildings to nest on provide fantastic habitat.
Gyrfalcons come in two different color morphs. Living in the high arctic is the white morph which essentially looks like someone took the look of a Snowy Owl and put it on a large falcon. They are pure white with black markings on their wings. The gray morph typically lives farther south and has a gray back and head with dark barring on the underside. They have dark teardrop markings underneath the eye.
Range
Gyrfalcons breed in the arctic with some migrating into the Northern United States to spend the winter. There is a population that lives in mid to Northern Canada and Alaska that most likely stay in the same area year round.
Diet and Foraging Habits
Gyrfalcons feed mostly on medium sized birds such as ptarmigans and seabirds. They will also eat mammals such as lemmings and typically dive onto prey from above.
Where to Find this Bird
Gyrfalcons are most typically found in the continental United States in winter. They like open spaces such as tundras and coast lines where they can survey for prey.
In Northern Midwestern states, this species is quite rare and seems to show up even less often than it used to. The cities of Duluth and Superior have traditionally been a places these birds turn up, but it has been a few years since a reliable individual was reported in either city.
Prairie Falcons have a light brown back, wings, and head with a white underside barred with brown. They have a different facial pattern than the Peregrine Falcon with a brown teardrop marking below the eye that contrasts the pure white of the cheeks and chin.
Range
Prairie Falcons are birds of the Western United States, living year round in most states west of Minnesota and Louisiana year round. They also live in parts of Mexico and Southwestern Canada year round. In winter, some individuals move east into more of the Great Plains states.
Diet and Foraging Habits
Prairie Falcons eat many different small mammals in addition to insects and birds. Like most falcons, they have quite a varied diet in terms of the bird species they eat.
Where to Find this Bird
True to their name, Prairie Falcons live in open spaces such as grasslands, open fields, tundra, and farmland. They nest in places with bluffs and cliffs but often are most easily seen hunting. Prairie Falcons are often on the move and cruise the open spaces looking for food. They can also sometimes be seen perched on branches or telephone poles.
Summary
Falcons are always entertaining to see, and knowing which ones to expect in the state can be a key part of correctly identifying the bird you are seeing. If you enjoyed this post, please give it a like and a comment. Also be sure to check out the Badgerland Birding Youtube Channel.
Hummingbirds are captivating creatures that buzz around backyards and flowers at a frenetic pace. While they are quite small, they sometimes travel extreme distances during migration, leading to many species showing up in places outside of their normal range.
While Illinois has records of many different rare hummingbirds showing up in the state over the years, there are really only two species that can be found in the state on a regular basis. Here is everything you need to know about those two species.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Ruby-throated Hummingbird Male – Photo by USFWS Midwest Region
Ruby-throated Hummingbird Female – Photo by Susan Young
Identification
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds look different depending on the lighting. Sometimes they can appear dark olive color, but when the sun hits them, they shine with a bright emerald green on the back, wings, head, and tail. Female Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have a white throat and underside while males have a bright shining red throat. Again, if the lighting is dark, the throat will be dark red to black looking in color.
Range
The Ruby-throated Hummingbird spends the winter in Central America and Southern Mexico. In spring, they head north and breed throughout the Eastern United States as well as some parts of Southern Canada. The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is the only naturally occurring hummingbird species that breeds in the Eastern US.
Diet and Foraging Habits
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds consume nectar from flowers, particularly from red or orange flowers. They will also eat small insects that they find near flowers or even catch them out of mid air.
Where to Find This Bird
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds can be found in forested areas, around fields, and in backyards. They frequent ornamental flowers as well as hummingbird feeders and are common in their normal range. To find them, either stake out flower beds, or keep your eyes peeled for something that looks like a very large insect buzzing through the air.
Rufous Hummingbird (Uncommon)
Rufous Hummingbird Adult Male – Photo by Alan Schmierer
Rufous Hummingbird – Photo by Bill Grossmeyer
Identification
Adult male Rufous Hummingbirds have a golden orange color on their head, back, and tail with darker colored wings. They have dark tips of the tail feathers with the exception of the outer tail feathers that are white-tipped. Adult males have a reddish pink iridescent throat and a white bib. Females and immature males are much more pale overall with a light underside and a green back, head, and tail. They still have hints of the rusty orange coloration that adult males possess but it looks like more of a light wash.
Range
Rufous Hummingbirds live in the Western half of North America. They winter in Southwestern Mexico and have a fairly lengthy migration to the Pacific Northwest and Southwestern Canada where they spend the breeding months.
Diet and Foraging Habits
Rufous Hummingbirds feed from flowers where they use their long bills to get nectar. They also eat small insects such as flies and aphids. They will catch them on the wing or pick them off of flowers and vegetation.
Where to Find This Bird
Rufous Hummingbirds live in a wide variety of habitats including forests, meadows, and backyards. This species is known to visit hummingbird feeders and can sometimes be a bully to other hummingbirds trying to get nectar.
In Illinois, Rufous Hummingbirds are rare visitors but do make an appearance on an annual basis. They are typically found during fall migration and usually by a homeowner who notices them at their hummingbird feeder. Look for a large hummingbird from August to November and leave feeders up well into late fall if you’d like to attract one.
Summary
Hummingbirds are beloved by many birders and backyard bird watchers alike. Knowing the habits, range, and key identification features of each of these species can be incredibly useful in knowing what to look for in the field. Keep in mind, Illinois has had an assortment of rare hummingbirds that show up very occasionally, so it’s possible that a bird you are trying to identify could be a vagrant species, so do not rule any of them out if your bird doesn’t fit with either of the two expected species.
Gulls are birds that prove to be controversial in the birding community. Some people despise them for how difficult they can be to identify, while others love them for the same reason.
Texas is home to a wide variety of gull species. With the Gulf of Mexico to the Southeast, there is ample habitat for gulls. Here are all of the expected gulls that can be found in Texas along with some that are rare visitors. This article also includes identification tips and information on where to find them.
Herring Gull
Herring Gull
Identification
Herring Gulls are large birds with a white body and head, gray wings, black wing tips, a thick yellow bill, and pink legs. Adult Herring Gulls have a yellow eye while juveniles have a dark colored eye as well as a dark colored bill. Sometimes, sub-adult Herring Gulls will have a mostly yellow bill with black near the tip, making them similar in coloration to a Ring-billed Gull. Juvenile Herring Gulls are darker in color ranging from dark tan, to brown, to gray depending on their cycle.
Range
Herring Gulls are extremely wide spread across the United States. They winter in the Southeastern United States, along the Mississippi River, the Gulf Coast, the East Coast, and the West Coast along the oceans. They can be found year round along the Great Lakes, the Northeastern U.S. and Southeastern Alaska. During spring they migrate through the Great Plains and Western States to get to their breeding grounds in Canada and Central Alaska.
Diet and Foraging Behavior
Herring Gulls feed on many different types of food and have a reputation of eating almost anything including trash, carrion, eggs, and even smaller birds. The majority of their diet however consists of aquatic creatures including fish, mussels, and other invertebrates. Herring Gulls are extremely opportunistic and as a result have an extremely varied diet and are therefore able thrive in wide variety of habitats.
Where to Find this Bird
Herring Gulls are one of the most abundant gull species in the state, especially in winter. Traveling to the ocean coastline in winter will all but guarantee a sighting of this particular species. For a more eclectic birding experience, searching out a landfill is also an easy way to find this species.
Ring-billed Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Identification
Ring-billed Gulls can be identified by their white head and body, gray wings, black wing tips, yellow legs, and yellow bill with a black “ring” around it. Nonbreeding adults look mostly the same as breeding adults but with tan streaking on the head and neck.
Juvenile Ring-billed Gulls are white as a base color with brown and tan mottling. Their bills are pinkish as opposed to yellow and instead of a ring, they have a dark tip of the bill, making them bi-colored.
Range
Ring-billed Gulls are extremely widespread across the United States. They winter in the southern half of the country and migrate north to the Northern half of the country and into Canada, the Great Lakes states, and the Western States to breed. Some Ring-billed Gulls stick around the whole year near the Great Lakes.
Diet and Foraging Behavior
Ring-billed Gulls are not picky about what they eat and will feed on fish, insects, worms, trash, and food given to them by people. Like other gulls they often forage near the water but this species also forages in open fields nowhere near water.
Where to Find this Bird
Ring-billed Gulls are extremely common and easy to find provided it is the right time of the year. In southern states, the winter will be the best time to see this species, and in northern states the summer will be the best. Look for Ring-billed Gulls on beaches, in parking lots and soaring overhead surveying for easy to forage food.
The Bonaparte’s Gull is a small gull species with a very thin, petit bill. They have a white body, gray wings, black wing tips, and reddish pink legs. In breeding plumage, Bonaparte’s Gulls have a black head with white eye crescents, while in nonbreeding plumage they have a white head with a black spot behind their eyes and light pink legs.
Range
Bonaparte’s Gulls winter in much of the southern United States in addition to the Bahamas, Cuba, and Northeastern Mexico. They also winter along the Northwestern coast of Mexico all the way up to the coast of Washington in the West and all the way up to Maine in the East. In spring, this species makes its way North over the United States and ends up in Canada and Alaska where they nest.
Diet and Foraging Behavior
Bonaparte’s Gulls eat a variety of different food items with most of their diet being found in or around water. Some of the things they eat include small fish and medium sized insects in addition to surprisingly small creatures such as zooplankton and tiny invertebrates. These sleek gulls often forage in flocks and dip their bills in the water to catch prey on the fly. They will also forage in both dry and flooded fields and pick through the shallow water or sub-straight.
Where to Find this Bird
Bonaparte’s Gulls can be found in flooded fields and lake shores where they often congregate in large groups. In flight, Bonaparte’s gulls are sleek and acrobatic, looking tern-like as they maneuver through the air. They will also forage and rest along ocean coastlines where they flock with other gulls.
Glaucous Gull (Rare)
Alan Schmierer Photo
Susan Young Photo
Identification
Glaucous Gulls are unique because they are one of the few gulls species that does not have black wing tips but rather white. They are the second largest gull species in the world and in some categories may outclass the larger Great Black-backed Gull such as weight. Adult breeding plumage Glaucous Gulls are very clean looking birds with a white head, white underside, gray wings, a yellow bill, and pink legs.
In nonbreeding plumage Glaucous Gulls look very similar to breeding plumage birds but have brownish streaking on their neck and head.
Juvenile Glaucous Gulls are even paler than the adults with a creamy white color covering their bodies with light brown patterning. Second winter Gloucaous Gulls can show as almost entirely white with very little brown mottling. Sub adult birds will have a pink colored bill with darker brown or black on the tip of it, making it bi-colored.
Range
Glaucous Gulls are very at home in the Arctic, with the most sightings of them taking place in Greenland, Iceland, Northern Europe, Northern Canada, and Alaska. In winter they travel south spending time in the Northeastern United States, the Northern Pacific Coast, and the Great Lakes. They can also be found inland from large bodies of water from time to time.
Diet and Foraging Behavior
Glaucous Gulls are extremely opportunistic feeders. With their large size, they can eat a wide variety of food including fish, aquatic invertebrates, eggs, other birds, carrion, and trash. In the northern part of their range Glaucous Gulls have been known to feed on the remains of polar bear kills a are also recorded as eating the chicks (and also adults) of many different sea dwelling bird species.
Where to Find this Bird
Glaucous Gulls are at home near large bodies of water such as ocean coastlines and the Great Lakes. They can be found loafing on ice or beaches with other species in the winter months (which are the best times to see these large arctic gulls). The coasts aren’t the only places to see Glaucous Gulls however as they can also be seen in inland lakes and landfills.
Great Black-backed Gull (Rare)
Great Black-backed Gull
Identification
The Great Black-backed Gull is the largest gull species in the world and even when compared with other large species such as Glaucous and Herring Gulls look noticeably larger. They have a white head, tail, and underside with a namesake black back as well as black wings and black primary feathers. Great Black-backed Gulls have a robust yellow bill and light pink legs.
Young Great Black-backed Gulls look similar to adults but with dark streaking on the head and underside as well as more of a checkered black and white pattern on the wings as opposed to the solid dark gray or black of an adult. Additionally, Great Black-backed Gulls have dark colored bills as opposed to the bright yellow of adults, but they do still have pink legs.
Range
Great Black-backed gulls are birds of the Atlantic Coasts. They can be found in many northwestern European countries as well as Iceland, Greenland, Eastern Canada, and the Eastern United States. In the U.S. Great Black-backed Gulls are seen most often in winter and typically move out of the continental U.S. during summer although there are some places along the Atlantic Coast where they are found year round.
Diet and Foraging Behavior
Simply speaking, Great Black-backed Gulls will eat anything they can fit in their most including trash, crabs, fish, eggs, carrion, and other birds. They have been known to steal food from other species and eat the chicks of other sea dwelling birds.
Where to Find this Bird
Great Black-backed Gulls are most common in winter when they can be seen loafing on docks, beaches, and ice on the Great Lakes. They can also be seen frequently at landfills. In all of these places they stand out due to their impressive size.
In Texas, this species is quite rare and is not a regular visitor in any part of the state.
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Lesser black-backed Gull (Ott Rebane Image)
Identification
Lesser Black-backed Gulls can be identified by their white head and body, dark gray to black wings, yellow bill, yellow legs, and dark primary feathers. They look similar in appearance to Great Black-backed Gulls but will be smaller overall and have yellow legs as opposed to the pink legs of the Great Black-backed Gull.
Juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gulls will be pale white or cream with black mottling on their body, head and neck. They have black bills when young and beginning of a dark back forming will typically be evident.
Range
The Range of the Lesser Black-backed Gull spans several continents including Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, and South America. Most of the sightings of this species occur in Western Europe in addition to many sightings occurring in Northern Canada and the United States. In the U.S. Lesser Black-backed Gulls winter in the Eastern half of the country with the most individuals being found near the Atlantic Ocean, but many other sightings occurring inland as well as near the Great Lakes.
Diet and Foraging Behavior
Lesser Black-backed Gulls eat almost anything ranging from fish, to crustaceans, to carrion, to plant matter. Like most other large North American Gull species, Lesser Black-backed Gulls take advantage of human habitation by eating scraps of food and garbage left by humans. They will forage in the water on the fly or walk along beaches, even flipping over rocks and sticks in hopes of finding a meal.
Where to Find this Bird
Lesser Black-backed Gulls are most commonly seen in winter, and are a fairly normal sight along the Atlantic Ocean all the way from the Gulf of Mexico to Maine. They can also be found near the Great Lakes in winter where they flock with other Northern Gull species such as Great Black-backed and Glaucous Gulls.
Iceland Gull (Rare)
Iceland Gull
Identification
Out of all The North American Gull species, Iceland Gulls are probably the most vexing when it comes to identification. This species consists of what was once two separate species; the Iceland Gull and the Thayer’s Gull. The “Iceland” type Iceland Gull is fairly easy to identify as they have gray wings and back, white head and underside, a yellow bill, and white wing tips. They are smaller and more dainty looking than Glaucous Gulls but clearly discernible from Herring Gulls due to the white primary feathers on the wings. The trouble comes mostly from the “Thayer’s” type Iceland Gulls which can be widely variable in appearance and be extremely close in appearance to Herring Gulls. Thayer’s Iceland Gulls are slightly smaller than Herring Gulls and have a thinner bill. The diagnostic white wing tips of other Iceland Gulls are not present in Thayer’s types but instead are replaced by dark wing tips with lighter undersides of the wing tips, a feature that can be very difficult to see. If unsure about the identification about a Thayer’s type Iceland Gulls, consulting an expert on the individual bird in question is the best choice.
Juvenile Iceland type Iceland Gulls have a white base color with dark mottling while juvenile Thayer’s type Iceland Gulls may be darker overall and will typically have dark wing tips.
Range
Iceland Gulls spend the summer in the Arctic Circle in Northern Canada, Iceland, and Greenland. In winter they move south into Northwestern Europe and the Northeastern United States. This species also shows up along the Great Lakes in winter.
Diet and Foraging Behavior
Iceland Gulls eat mostly fish but will also eat other marine creatures such as crustaceans, carrion, zooplankton, and trash. Like other gull species, they are extremely opportunistic and will eat eggs and young of other birds as well as plant matter.
Where to Find this Bird
Iceland Gulls are most easy to find in winter in the United States where they live on ocean shores and large inland lakes. Another less glamorous place to find them is landfills where they can be found in winter along with many other gull species.
Black-legged Kittiwake (Rare)
Black-legged Kittiwake (Nonbreeding) (Photo by Bill Grossmeyer)
Black-legged Kittiwake with Chicks (Robin Corcoran Photo)
Identification
Adult breeding plumage Black-legged Kittiwake’s have a white body and head with gray wings. They have black wing tips, a slightly curved yellow bill, and namesake black legs. Overall ,the Black-legged Kittiwake is a relatively small gull species.
In nonbreeding plumage adults look almost the same as those in breeding plumage but with black on the back of their head.
Immature Black-legged Kittiwake’s have the same white body and gray wings but have a few extra markings that adults don’t have. Juveniles will show a black spot on their head, a white stripe on their neck, and a black “M” marking on their wings that looks like a black stripe when their wings are folded. Juvenile Black-legged kittiwakes also differ from adults by having a black bill as opposed to yellow.
Range
Black-legged Kittiwakes are birds of ocean coastlines. They can be found along the ocean in Western Europe, Iceland, Greenland, the Eastern United States, Eastern Canada, the Pacific coast of the United States, Alaska, and the Eastern parts of Russia and Japan. Black-legged Kittiwakes are most commonly seen in the United States in winter but can be found in Alaska in summer, and also turn up as rarities in inland states.
Diet and Foraging Behavior
Black-legged Kittiwake’s diet largely consists of small fish in addition to other small marine creatures like jellyfish, zooplankton, and squid. This species has been known to feed near whales and boats where they they can be seen looking for scraps left behind. It’s worth noting that Black-legged Kittiwakes are not known for visiting landfills like many other North American Gull species are.
Where to Find this Bird
Black-legged Kittiwakes are rare in most inland states in the U.S. They are easier to find along the oceans but juveniles will turn up from time to time in the Great Lakes and other bodies of water. Look for a bird that looks somewhat like a non-breeding Bonaparte’s Gull or Little Gull but with the extra black markings.
Laughing Gull
Nonbreeding Laughing Gull (Alan Schmierer Photo)
Laughing Gull
Identification
Laughing Gulls are medium sized gulls with a whit underside, gray wings, dark wing tips and a relatively large, deep red, slightly curved bill. In adult breeding plumage this species has a black head with thin white eye crescents.
In nonbreeding plumage, Laughing Gulls look similar but have a darker bill, a white head, and only a small patch of black on their head.
This species can be difficult to distinguish from Franklin’s Gulls but can be done with a little knowledge about what ID features to look at. For more information on this, you can check out our post titled Franklin’s Gulls vs. Laughing Gull. You can also watch our video about the topic below.
Range
Laughing Gulls winter in Northern South America, Central America, Mexico, and some of the Southern states in the United States such as Florida. While many Laughing Gulls reside on the Southeastern Coasts of the United States year round in addition to Cuba and the Bahamas, others migrate north during breeding season ending up in the Northeastern United States and the Great Lakes.
Diet and Foraging Behavior
Laughing Gulls diet’s consist of many different food items including invertebrates, fish, squid, small fruits, carrion, and scraps left by people. They can be seen congregating in places with many humans waiting for free handouts or discarded food.
Where to Find this Bird
Laughing Gulls are extremely common along the Atlantic Coast of the United States and can be seen in high numbers on public beaches, often associating with other species of gulls and terns. To see these birds, simply head to a beach on the ocean and you will have an extremely high chance of seeing them.
Franklin’s Gull
Nonbreeding Franklin’s Gull (Andy Reago and Chrissy McClarren Photo – CC by 2.0)
Breeding Franklin’s Gull
Identification
Breeding plumage Franklin’s Gulls have a white neck and underside, gray back and wings, a black hood, and deep red bill. Some of the extra identification features about them to note are the large white spots on their folded black primary feathers, their large white eye crescents, and sometimes a pink wash on their chest and underside (other gull species can show this pink wash as well).
Nonbreeding Franklin’s Gulls look ver similar to breeding plumage birds but instead of a completely dark hood they have a partial faded looking black hood that often still shows their white eye crescents.
Range
Franklin’s Gulls have an interesting range compared to most other North American Gull species. They spend the winter along the Western coast of South America and migrate north in spring. Franklin’s Gulls are not as common along the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts as they are in states such as Texas, Kansas, Arkansas, North Dakota, and South Dakota, but they can still be found along the coasts in migration. This species spends the summer in Southcentral Canada, Montana, and North Dakota.
Diet and Foraging Behavior
While Franklin’s Gulls eat mostly invertebrates such as insects. They will also consume worms, mollusks, small fish, and other small aquatic creatures. Franklin’s Gulls have some interesting foraging habits including twirling in the water to stir up food items, as well as following farming equipment to catch insects.
Where to Find this Bird
Franklin’s Gulls are an uncommon but expected migratory bird in most states with the peak time to view them typically being the later weeks of May or first weeks of June. They are more common in the Great Plains states where they occur in fairly large numbers. Look for Franklin’s Gulls in mixed flocks of gulls and terns in farm fields and along lake shores.
In Texas, Franklin’s Gulls are regular from March to May and October to September.
Little Gull (Rare)
Little Gull (Photo by Ekaterina Chernetsova – CC by 2.0)
Nonbreeding Little Gull (Andrew Cannizzarro Photo – CC by 2.0)
Identification
The Little Gull is aptly named as it has the distinction of being the smallest gull species in the world. In breeding plumage, This species has a white underside, light gray wings, dark underwings, red legs, a black hood, and a tiny black bill.
In nonbreeding plumage Little Gulls look the same but without a full black hood and instead just a dark spot on the side of the head and black smudging on the top of the head.
Range
Little Gulls are actually more of a Eurasian species than they are a North American Species. Most of the population resides in Europe year round, moving to Northern Europe to breed. In the United States, there is a small breeding population occurs in Canada and around the Great Lakes. This species is rare in most parts of the United States.
Diet and Foraging Behavior
Unlike larger gulls, Little Gulls are more limited by the type of food they can eat simply due to their size. Their diet consists mostly of small fish, insects, and other invertebrates that can be found near water. Little Gulls behave more like terns when foraging, often hovering above the water and swooping in to catch flying insects or to scoop fish from the surface.
Where to Find this Bird
Little Gulls can only be found in a few regions of the United States. They can sometimes be found wintering on the Atlantic Coast, especially in New England. In the Midwest they can be found sparingly on the Great Lakes. Otherwise, these small gulls show up irregularly in most other parts of the continental United States and are a big-time rarity.
Sabines Gull (Rare)
Sabine’s Gull (Peter Pearsall Image)
Identification
Sabine’s gulls are a very interesting looking gull species with a white body, gray wings, and a black head. The head is not quite the same as other dark-headed gulls however as it has a darker edge to it looking like it has a ring of black separating the head and neck. The bill of the Sabine’s gull is also unique as it is black with a yellow tip. In flight, Sabine’s gulls show black primaries and white secondaries, making it look like they have two white triangles on their wings along with one large gray triangle.
Juvenile Sabine’s gulls do not have a black heads but rather smudges of grayish brown on their head, neck, and back. In flight, Juvenile Sabine’s gulls show a similar pattern to those of the adults but with the more muted brown tones instead of the gray back of the adults. Additionally, juvenile Sabine’s gulls will show a black stripe on their tail while in flight.
Range
Sabine’s Gulls spend most of their time In the arctic, breeding in Northern Canada and Alaska. During migration, this species moves along the Pacific Coast of the United States. It’s worth noting that Sabine’s gulls are also found in Western Europe. For most people in the continental U. S., the best time to see this species is during fall migration.
Diet and Foraging Behavior
Sabine’s gulls eat insects, small fish, crustaceans, and other aquatic invertebrates. They feed in a variety of places including tide pools, around fishing boats, and in snow drifts. They also feed in a variety of different ways from catching prey mid air, to foraging along the shore and picking through debris to find insects.
Where to Find this Bird
Since Sabine’s Gulls breed in the arctic tundra they are difficult to see most of the year with the exception of migration. For the best chance to see one of these gulls, a pelagic on the west coast is going to give you the best chance. Otherwise, keeping an eye out for them on lakes and rivers during migration can also turn one up.
Slaty-backed Gull (Rare)
Slaty-backed Gull
Identification
Slaty-backed Gulls have a white underside and head, namesake slate colored back, pink legs, and a yellow bill. Nonbreeding adults have dark streaking on their neck and head. The key identification feature of this species is the white markings on the wing tips leading to what many call the “string of pearls” look on the wings in flight.
Range
Slaty-backed Gulls are most common in Japan, South Korea, Eastern Russia, and Alaska.. With the exception of Alaska, they are rare in the rest of the United States, but they do show up on the Pacific Coast, the East Coast, and the Great Lakes more often than in other parts of the country.
Diet and Foraging Behavior
Slaty-backed Gulls are large bodied, oceanic predators that feed on many different food items including fish, crustaceans, carrion, trash, and really anything they can fit in their mouth. This species will eat eggs and nestlings of other bird species in addition to eating smaller seagoing bird species.
Where to Find this Bird
Slaty-backed Gulls are quite rare in the continental United States but do show up from time to time. Look for this species along the Great Lakes where they can sometimes be found in groups with other gulls and in landfills, Note that this is a species that seems to be more common around the Great Lakes than it used to be, but be aware that they can sometimes get confused with “Great Lakes Gulls” which are hybrids between Herring Gulls and Great Black-backed Gulls.
Slaty-backed Gulls are extremely rare in Texas but there are records of this species from the state.
California Gull (Rare)
California Gull (Alan Schmierer Photo)
Identification
California Gulls look very similar to Herring Gulls with a white body and head, gray wings and back, black wing tips with white spots when folded, and a yellow bill. One big difference between Herrings Gulls and California Gulls is that California Gulls have yellow legs while Herring Gulls have pinkish legs.
Nonbreeding adults look virtually the same but with more streaking on the necked head.
Range
California Gulls winter along the Pacific coast from southern Mexico to Washington state. In summer, California Gulls breed in Southwestern Canada and some of the states in the northwestern U.S. including Montana, North Dakota, Colorado, and northern California. They live year round in states like Idaho and Washington. California Gulls are migratory and will occasionally show up in states in the Midwest and Northeast. However, they are considered rare in most places east of the North and South Dakota.
Diet and Foraging Behavior
California Gulls are omnivorous and eat pretty much anything ranging from fish, to insects, to fruit, to garbage. They forage on land, in the water, and in flight.
Where to Find this Bird
California Gulls can easily be found along the coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington where they are quite common. They can also be seen inland during the spring and summer. Look for California Gulls around lakes and rivers along with more urban environments. Another place California Gulls can be found is at garbage dumps.
California Gulls are rare in Texas. They often associate with other gull species and can be hard to identify, especially if their feet aren’t visible.
Summary
Gulls can be both frustrating and exciting species to find and identify. Texas has a fairly wide variety of gulls to find, and we hope that this article helped shed some light on how to find and ID them.
Falcons are the stealth fighter jets of the bird world. Recording some of the fastest speeds of all winged animals, these dynamic flyers are captivating to watch.
There are seven species of falcons that can be found in the United States on an annual basis. Here is everything you need to know about those seven species.
American Kestrel
American Kestrel
Identification
The American Kestrel is a small and colorful bird. Males have a rusty colored back as well as a lighter rusty colored underside. They have blue on their wings and the top of their head along with black markings near their eye. Females are lighter overall with rusty orange barring on their wings, back, and tail.
Range
American Kestrels live in both South America and North America. In North America, Kestrels are migratory and reside in Mexico in winter, then move into Canada during the breeding season. Throughout much of the United States, American Kestrels can be found year round.
Diet and Foraging Habits
American Kestrels eat small creatures including insects, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and rodents. In terms of the insects they eat, some of the most commonly consumed are grasshoppers, dragonflies, and cicadas.
Where to Find this Bird
American Kestrels are a common sight along roadsides and in open fields. They can be seen on telephone poles and wires or perched on dead trees and other structures. Kestrels can also be found in urban parks, pastures, and farm fields.
Aplomado Falcon (Rare)
Aplomado Falcons
Identification
Aplomado Falcons are sleek looking Falcons with a long black and white barred tail, dark gray to black wings, and rust on their underside near their legs. This species has intricate facial patterning with white cheeks, a white throat, and white stripe behind the eye with dark gray or black in between.
Range
Aplomado Falcons live throughout much of South America with the exception of the rainforests of Brazil. In the United States, this species can only be found in the most southern part of Texas. Aplomado Falcons are generally non-migratory and will stay in the same area year round.
Diet and Foraging Habits
Aplomado Falcons eat many different small creatures including insects, lizards, rodents, and other birds. They are fast moving and hunt actively, often taking prey out of the air.
Where to Find this Bird
Aplomado Falcons are at home in desert and grasslands near coastlines. In the United States, the best place to see them is in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, but finding one isn’t always easy. There are nest boxes placed around the valley that can prove to be good places to find this species. In these areas check the nest boxes, power-lines, and fence posts to see if you can spot this colorful raptor.
Crested Caracara
Crested Caracara
Identification
Crested Caracaras are large birds sometimes referred to as “Mexican Eagles.” In spite of this nickname, these birds are actually members of the falcon family and are easily identified by their white face and neck, black crest, brown body and wings, white undertail, and bi-colored gray and orange bill. In flight, Crested Caracaras show white markings near the wing tips.
Range
Crested Caracaras live year round in most of South and Central America with the exception of much of the rainforest in Brazil. Additionally, they can be found in parts of Mexico, and the United States. In the US, Florida, Texas, and Arizona are all states that this species can be seen in.
Diet and Foraging Habits
Crested Caracaras are extremely opportunistic feeders and will eat insects, reptiles, birds mammals, and carrion. They can often be seen in places with other carrion feeders such as vultures, gulls, and blackbirds. Crested Caracaras have been known to follow farm vehicles while they are clearing fields. They will pick off the insects and rodents as they flee from the equipment.
Where to Find this Bird
Crested Caracaras can be found soaring or perched in open areas with little ground cover. They will also sit on the ground so it pays to keep an eye out both high and low. Places with consistent concentrations of food such as agricultural fields or garbage dumps are excellent places to find Crested Caracaras.
Gyrfalcons come in two different color morphs. Living in the high arctic is the white morph which essentially looks like someone took the look of a Snowy Owl and put it on a large falcon. They are pure white with black markings on their wings. The gray morph typically lives farther south and has a gray back and head with dark barring on the underside. They have dark teardrop markings underneath the eye.
Range
Gyrfalcons breed in the arctic with some migrating into the Northern United States to spend the winter. There is a population that lives in mid to Northern Canada and Alaska that most likely stay in the same area year round.
Diet and Foraging Habits
Gyrfalcons feed mostly on medium sized birds such as ptarmigans and seabirds. They will also eat mammals such as lemmings and typically dive onto prey from above.
Where to Find this Bird
Gyrfalcons are most typically found in the continental United States in winter. They like open spaces such as tundras and coast lines where they can survey for prey.
In most parts of the United States species is quite rare and seems to show up even less often than it used to. They can sometimes be found in parts of the Northern United States but tracking one down is even more difficult than it used to be since specific locations of Gyrfalcon sightings are hidden on eBird.
Merlin
Merlin (Bill Thompson photo)
Identification
Merlins are very small members of the falcon family looking similar in size to a Mourning Dove. They have a blueish gray to black back, wings, and head, and a buffy to brown streaked underside. Merlins can differ in color based on region but always maintain a somewhat similar appearance. Most of the time they will have a white eye brow stripe.
Range
Merlins winter in Northern South America, Central America, Mexico, the Southeastern United States, and most of the Western United States. In spring they migrate north ending up in only the most Northern parts of the U.S. and much of Canada and Alaska. There is an area from the Northwestern part of the United States to the Southwestern part of Alaska where Merlins live year round. Some individuals stay all winter in Northern states as well.
Diet and Foraging Habits
Merlins primarily eat small birds such as waxwings, sparrows, and even shorebirds. In addition to birds, they also eat insects and rodents.
Where to Find this Bird
Merlins can be tricky to find as encountering one typically seems like a matter of luck. They can be found in wooded areas as well as in open areas where they will be surveying for food. Sometimes the easiest way to see them is in flight when they will be moving at high speeds.
Personal Experience: It seems like if I ever go out intentionally trying to find Merlins there aren’t any around. Each year I typically find one by chance while out birding. It seems that even though they aren’t necessarily supposed to winter in the northern U.S. that is when I see them most.
Peregrine Falcon
Peregrine Falcon (Betsy Matsubara Photo – CC by 2.0)
Identification
Peregrine Falcons are iconic birds with a dark back, wings, head, and neck. They have a light underside with dark barring and noticeable bright yellow legs. This species has interesting facial markings that some people refer to as “sideburns” and are essentially dark coloration coming down below the eye onto the cheeks of the bird.
Range
The Peregrine Falcon’s range in North America is complicated with a general pattern of wintering in the Southeastern United States and Mexico, summering in Northern Canada, and migrating throughout the rest of the continent. However, there are many places in the continental United States that Peregrine Falcons breed in during summer (such as along Lake Superior) and live year round (such as most of the Pacific Coast, and around the Great Lakes).
This species not only lives in North America, but every other continent as well with the exception of Antarctica.
Diet and Foraging Habits
Peregrine Falcons are the fastest fliers in the entire animal kingdom reaching normal speeds of around 70 miles per hour and a diving speed of around 200 miles per hour. They use this incredible speed to hunt medium sized birds such as doves and ducks, but they have been observed taking on an extremely wide array of different bird species. Peregrine Falcons will also eat fish, and mammals.
Where to Find this Bird
Peregrine Falcons have adapted well to human habitation and use skyscrapers as nesting sites. In more wild areas they will use cliffs as nest sites. Peregrine Falcons can be reliable sights in places where people have placed nest boxes specifically for the species to breed in. Often times these places have corresponding nest cams that can be viewed online.
Prairie Falcons have a light brown back, wings, and head with a white underside barred with brown. They have a different facial pattern than the Peregrine Falcon with a brown teardrop marking below the eye that contrasts the pure white of the cheeks and chin.
Range
Prairie Falcons are birds of the Western United States, living year round in most states west of Minnesota and Louisiana. They also live in parts of Mexico and Southwestern Canada year round. In winter, some individuals move east into more of the Great Plains states.
Diet and Foraging Habits
Prairie Falcons eat many different small mammals in addition to insects and birds. Like most falcons, they have quite a varied diet in terms of the bird species they eat.
Where to Find this Bird
True to their name, Prairie Falcons live in open spaces such as grasslands, fields, tundra, and farmland. They nest in places with bluffs and cliffs but are most easily seen hunting. Prairie Falcons are often on the move and cruise the open spaces looking for food. They can also sometimes be seen perched on branches or telephone poles.
Summary
Falcons are always entertaining to see, and knowing which ones to expect in your state can be a key part of correctly identifying the bird you are seeing.
Falcons are the stealth fighter jets of the bird world. Recording some of the fastest speeds of all winged animals, these dynamic flyers are captivating to watch.
There are six species of falcons that can be found in Texas on an annual basis with some being common, and others quite rare. Here is everything you need to know about those six species.
American Kestrel
American Kestrel
Identification
The American Kestrel is a small and colorful bird. Males have a rusty colored back as well as a lighter rusty colored underside. They have blue on their wings and the top of their head along with black markings near their eye. Females are lighter overall with rusty orange barring on their wings, back, and tail.
Range
American Kestrels live in both South America and North America. In North America, Kestrels are migratory and reside in Mexico in winter, then move into Canada during the breeding season. Throughout much of the United States, American Kestrels can be found year round.
Diet and Foraging Habits
American Kestrels eat small creatures including insects, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and rodents. In terms of the insects they eat, some of the most commonly consumed are grasshoppers, dragonflies, and cicadas.
Where to Find this Bird
American Kestrels are a common sight along roadsides and in open fields. They can be seen on telephone poles and wires or perched on dead trees and other structures. Kestrels can also be found in urban parks, pastures, and farm fields.
Aplomado Falcon (Rare)
Aplomado Falcons
Identification
Aplomado Falcons are sleek looking Falcons with a long black and white barred tail, dark gray to black wings, and rust on their underside near their legs. This species has intricate facial patterning with white cheeks, a white throat, and white stripe behind the eye with dark gray or black in between.
Range
Aplomado Falcons live throughout much of South America with the exception of the rainforests of Brazil. In the United States, this species can only be found in the most southern part of Texas. Aplomado Falcons are generally non-migratory and will stay in the same area year round.
Diet and Foraging Habits
Aplomado Falcons eat many different small creatures including insects, lizards, rodents, and other birds. They are fast moving and hunt actively, often taking prey out of the air.
Where to Find this Bird
Aplomado Falcons are at home in desert and grasslands near coastlines. In the United States, the best place to see them is in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, but finding one isn’t always easy. There are nest boxes placed around the valley that can prove to be good places to find this species. In these areas check the nest boxes, power-lines, and fence posts to see if you can spot this colorful raptor.
Crested Caracara
Crested Caracara
Identification
Crested Caracaras are large birds sometimes referred to as “Mexican Eagles.” In spite of this nickname, these birds are actually members of the falcon family and are easily identified by their white face and neck, black crest, brown body and wings, white undertail, and bi-colored gray and orange bill. In flight, Crested Caracaras show white markings near the wing tips.
Range
Crested Caracaras live year round in most of South and Central America with the exception of much of the rainforest in Brazil. Additionally, they can be found in parts of Mexico, and the United States. In the US, Florida, Texas, and Arizona are all states that this species can be seen in.
Diet and Foraging Habits
Crested Caracaras are extremely opportunistic feeders and will eat insects, reptiles, birds mammals, and carrion. They can often be seen in places with other carrion feeders such as vultures, gulls, and blackbirds. Crested Caracaras have been known to follow farm vehicles while they are clearing fields. They will pick off the insects and rodents as they flee from the equipment.
Where to Find this Bird
Crested Caracaras can be found soaring or perched in open areas with little ground cover. They will also sit on the ground so it pays to keep an eye out both high and low. Places with consistent concentrations of food such as agricultural fields or garbage dumps are excellent places to find Crested Caracaras.
Merlin
Merlin (Bill Thompson photo)
Identification
Merlins are very small members of the falcon family looking similar in size to a Mourning Dove. They have a blueish gray to black back, wings, and head, and a buffy to brown streaked underside. Merlins can differ in color based on region but always maintain a somewhat similar appearance. Most of the time they will have a white eye brow stripe.
Range
Merlins winter in Northern South America, Central America, Mexico, the Southeastern United States, and most of the Western United States. In spring they migrate north ending up in only the most Northern parts of the U.S. and much of Canada and Alaska. There is an area from the Northwestern part of the United States to the Southwestern part of Alaska where Merlins live year round. Some individuals stay all winter in Northern states as well.
Diet and Foraging Habits
Merlins primarily eat small birds such as waxwings, sparrows, and even shorebirds. In addition to birds, they also eat insects and rodents.
Where to Find this Bird
Merlins can be tricky to find as encountering one typically seems like a matter of luck. They can be found in wooded areas as well as in open areas where they will be surveying for food. Sometimes the easiest way to see them is in flight when they will be moving at high speeds.
Personal Experience: It seems like if I ever go out intentionally trying to find Merlins there aren’t any around. Each year I typically find one by chance while out birding. It seems that even though they aren’t necessarily supposed to winter in the northern U.S. that is when I see them most.
Peregrine Falcon
Peregrine Falcon (Betsy Matsubara Photo – CC by 2.0)
Identification
Peregrine Falcons are iconic birds with a dark back, wings, head, and neck. They have a light underside with dark barring and noticeable bright yellow legs. This species has interesting facial markings that some people refer to as “sideburns” and are essentially dark coloration coming down below the eye onto the cheeks of the bird.
Range
The Peregrine Falcon’s range in North America is complicated with a general pattern of wintering in the Southeastern United States and Mexico, summering in Northern Canada, and migrating throughout the rest of the continent. However, there are many places in the continental United States that Peregrine Falcons breed in during summer (such as along Lake Superior) and live year round (such as most of the Pacific Coast, and around the Great Lakes).
This species not only lives in North America, but every other continent as well with the exception of Antarctica.
Diet and Foraging Habits
Peregrine Falcons are the fastest fliers in the entire animal kingdom reaching normal speeds of around 70 miles per hour and a diving speed of around 200 miles per hour. They use this incredible speed to hunt medium sized birds such as doves and ducks, but they have been observed taking on an extremely wide array of different bird species. Peregrine Falcons will also eat fish, and mammals.
Where to Find this Bird
Peregrine Falcons have adapted well to human habitation and use skyscrapers as nesting sites. In more wild areas they will use cliffs as nest sites. Peregrine Falcons can be reliable sights in places where people have placed nest boxes specifically for the species to breed in. Often times these places have corresponding nest cams that can be viewed online.
Prairie Falcons have a light brown back, wings, and head with a white underside barred with brown. They have a different facial pattern than the Peregrine Falcon with a brown teardrop marking below the eye that contrasts the pure white of the cheeks and chin.
Range
Prairie Falcons are birds of the Western United States, living year round in most states west of Minnesota and Louisiana. They also live in parts of Mexico and Southwestern Canada year round. In winter, some individuals move east into more of the Great Plains states.
Diet and Foraging Habits
Prairie Falcons eat many different small mammals in addition to insects and birds. Like most falcons, they have quite a varied diet in terms of the bird species they eat.
Where to Find this Bird
True to their name, Prairie Falcons live in open spaces such as grasslands, fields, tundra, and farmland. They nest in places with bluffs and cliffs but are most easily seen hunting. Prairie Falcons are often on the move and cruise the open spaces looking for food. They can also sometimes be seen perched on branches or telephone poles.
Summary
Falcons are always entertaining to see, and knowing which ones to expect in your state can be a key part of correctly identifying the bird you are seeing.
Cormorants are slender diving waterbirds with a distinctive shape and set of habits. While there are many cormorant species that live in North America, there are only two that can typically be found in Minnesota, with one being extremely abundant and the other being quite rare. Here is everything you need to know about these two species.
Double-crested Cormorant
Double-crested Cormorant
Identification
Adult Double-crested Cormorants have a dark brown to black head, neck, back, underside and wings. Juveniles will be lighter brown in color with a lighter throat and underside. Both adults and juveniles have orange by the eyes and base of the bill as well as a turquoise colored eye. Breeding adult birds have two tufts on their head that can sometimes be hard to see, but these crests are what this species is named for.
Range
Double-crested Cormorants live year round along the Pacific Coast of North America from Northwestern Mexico all the way up to the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. They also live year round in parts of Florida. This species winters in in the Southeastern United States and Northeastern Mexico. In spring, they move into the Northern United States and Southern Canada where they can be seen migrating in large flocks.
Diet and Foraging Habits
Double-crested Cormorants primarily eat fish which they catch by hunting them underwater. They will also eat other aquatic creature such as crustaceans and amphibians.
Where to Find This Bird
Double-crested Cormorants can be found in a variety of places with all of them usually being near bodies of water. Look for this species in trees lining lakes and ponds as well as in marshes. Often times, Double-crested Cormorants will congregate in large groups on islands or other places with adequate perches as they dry their wings and survey for prey.
Neotropic Cormorant (Rare)
Neotropic Cormorant – Photo by Alan Schmierer
Identification
Neotropic Cormorants are small members of the cormorant family. Adult birds are a shiny black color with white feathers on their head, back, and wings. They have a white triangle on the base of the bill known as a gular. Neotropic Cormorants have yellowish orange on the base of the bill and a turquoise colored eye. Juveniles are lighter in color overall, sporting brown coloration instead of black.
Range
Neotropic Cormorants live year-round in South America, Central America, much of Mexico, and the Gulf Coast of the United States. While much of the population is not migratory, some birds move north in spring and have a habit of turning up north of their normal range.
Diet and Foraging Habits
Neotropic Cormorants eat mostly fish, but will also consume insects, crustaceans, and amphibians. These birds are sight feeders and search for prey underwater where their streamlined bodies make them adept swimmers.
Where to Find This Bird
Neotropic Cormorants live in a wide variety of places including inland lakes, saltmarshes, and along ocean coastlines. They can often be seen perched in branches and other structures near water keeping watch for food.
In Minnesota, Neotropic Cormorants are very rare visitors and only show up sporadically. They can sometimes be found in marshes, near ponds, or along the shores of the Great Lakes. Keep an eye on large flocks of Double-crested Cormorants for a smaller looking cormorant.
Cormorants are unique, lanky birds that are a common sight near the water. Knowing the habits, range, and key identification features of each of these species can be incredibly useful in knowing what to look for in the field. Hopefully this post helped in understanding the cormorants of Minnesota.
Owls are extremely charismatic species beloved by both birders and non-birders alike. Nocturnal, mysterious, and secretive, these birds play important roles in our culture.
There are 11 species of owls that can be found in Minnesota on any given year with some being found quite frequently and others being rare visitors. Here are the owl species to be on the lookout for if you are in Minnesota.
Barn Owl (Rare)
Barn Owl – Photo by Many Wonderful Artists
Identification
Barn Owls have are a thin looking owl species with an orangey tan and gray back, head, and wings. They have a light underside and pale heart shaped face.
The call of the Barn Owl is a violent sounding scream. It’s possible that legends of creatures like banshees and screaming ghosts derived from people hearing the haunting calls of Barn Owls at night.
Range
Barn Owls reside in most of Mexico and the United States year round with the exception of some of the states in the Northern part of the country. Even in the Northern states where their range either does not extend or does not extend very far into, a few individuals of this species can still be found.
Diet and Foraging Habits
Barn Owls hunt almost exclusively at night. Due to this, they eat mostly other nocturnal animals, especially rodents. Voles, mice, shrews, and rats are all creatures that are common prey items for Barn Owls. In addition to small mammals, Barn Owls will also eat small to medium sized birds.
Where to Find This Bird
Barn Owls live in open areas with plenty of space to hunt. Some common places to find them are agricultural fields, grasslands, deserts, and even more urban environments such as cities. As their name suggests, they can be found roosting in barns as well as tree cavities and other structures.
Barn Owls are extremely rare in Minnesota and are not annual visitors but from time to time they get reported.
Barred Owl
Barred Owl
Identification
Barred Owls are bulky with round heads, white undersides with brown stripes, and brown backs. They also have white striping on their backs, and dark eyes typically looking uniform in color. Like many owl species, Barred Owls have a flat face known as a facial disk.
Barred Owls have a very distinctive call as they make a “who cooks for you” call. They are known to call even when it’s light out.
Range
Barred Owls are non-migratory and can be found year round in the Eastern United States, Southern Canada, and the Pacific Northwestern states of the US. Many of the Western states do not have resident Barred Owls in the wild.
Diet and Foraging Habits
Barred Owls eat many different types of small and medium sized creatures including mammals, other birds, amphibians, and reptiles. They have even been cited going into the water to catch fish and crustaceans. Barred Owls typically find a good vantage point and watch for potential prey items, they will then swoop down from above to catch their meal.
Where to Find This Bird
Badgerland Birding searches for a Barred Owl in an old growth forest
Look for Barred Owls in forests (conifer or deciduous) where there are plenty of tall trees to perch in and cavities to roost in. Older forests with taller trees are typically preferable. Swamps are also good places to find this species, especially in the Southeastern states.
Barred Owls are a species that will call during the daytime so listen for their classic “who cooks for you” call even when it’s light out.
Boreal Owl (Rare)
Boreal Owl – Photo by Lorri Howski
Identification
Boreal Owls are small and compact with a light underside with brown vertical striping, a brown back and wings with white spots, and a brown to black head with white speckling. They have a gray face with black outlining the top of the facial disk and black “teardrop” markings below the eyes. Unlike some other owl species that have solid black looking eyes, Boreal Owls have bright yellow eyes.
Range
Boreal Owls are non-migratory and are a species of the northern half of North America. They can be found as for north as Alaska and as far east as Canada’s Atlantic Coast. In the United Staes, Boreal Owls live in some of the mountains states of the Western US including Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, and Washington among others. They also turn up as rare visitors in some of the Midwestern and Northeastern states bordering Canada, but not on an annual basis.
Diet and Foraging Habits
Boreal Owls eat small rodents, birds, and insects with mammals being the primary staple of their diet. They will stake out places with mice, shrews, and voles around places like bird feeders and wait for the opportune time to attack. It is not uncommon for this species to return to the same hunting site regularly.
Where to Find This Bird
Boreal Owls can be found most frequently in Boreal Forests of conifers and birches. They can be incredibly difficult to find during the day as they roost in different places each day. However, they can sometimes be seen staking out bird feeders. Often times, the best way to locate this species is by listening for their calls during the late winter and early spring.
Minnesota is one of the best states in the Midwest to find Boreal Owls but they are still by no means easy to find. The Sax-Zim Bog in Minnesota is one of the premier places to see this species in the state and in years when Boreal Owls move into the lower 48 states in greater numbers, Sax-Zim Bog usually gets at least one or two of these rare birds.
Eastern Screech Owl
Red morph Eastern Screech Owl
Identification
Eastern Screech Owls are small, round looking birds with pointed ear tufts. They come in two different colors or “morphs,” with one being gray and the other being orange. Gray morph birds are very well camouflaged as they look almost exactly like bark with a light gray base color and darker patterns on the back, head, and underside. The orange version of the Eastern Screech Owl is known as a “red morph” bird and have a deep reddish orange base color with darker grayish black patterning on their back, head, and chest. Red morph birds have white coloration on their underside going from the throat down toward their legs.
Range
The aptly named Eastern Screech Owl can be found year-round throughout the Eastern half of the United States and Northeastern Mexico. They also make it into some parts of Southeastern Canada as well. The range of this species expands as far west as Montana, Texas, and Eastern Colorado.
Diet and Foraging Habits
Eastern Screech Owls eat a wide variety of small prey items including mammals, insects, crustaceans, amphibians, and reptiles.
Where to Find This Bird
Eastern Screech Owls are not at all picky about where they live. They can be found in all different types of forests including deciduous and coniferous, residential areas such as city parks, areas near rivers and streams, and edge habitat. They live almost anywhere with adequate tree cover. Often times, Eastern Screech Owls use the same roosting sites repeatedly, meaning that they are easy to find if you know where they are roosting. Look for them peaking out of tree cavities or nest boxes sunning themselves, or watch these same places and wait for them to pop out just before dusk when they usually stick their faces out of their roosting site and wait for the right time to take flight for a night of hunting.
Great Gray Owl (Rare)
Great Gray Owl
Identification
The Great Gray Owl is among the tallest owl species in the world, but it is actually surprisingly lightweight. They have a light gray base color with darker gray mottling, making them look very similar to a lichen covered tree. They are darker on their back and wings than they are on their underside. Great Gray Owls have a very large facial disk outlined with darker gray and black and white markings just below their bill.
Range
Great Gray Owls are year-round residents of Alaska and most of Canada with the most Northeastern parts of the country being outside of their range. In the United States, Great Gray Owls can be found in some of the states in the Northwest such as Washington, California, Montana, Idaho, and Oregon. In winter, they have a light migration, moving south into Utah and Wyoming as well as some of the Great Lakes states and Northeastern states. The movement of this species depends on the availability of food in their normal range.
Diet and Foraging Habits
Great Gray Owls hunt at night as well as during the day. Their preferred food source is small mammals such as lemmings, voles, and mice among others. Great Gray Owls will typically hunt by perching high off the ground and scanning the landscape for food. When they spot a prey item they will fly above it and then dive down (often into snow drifts) to catch the animal.
Where to Find This Bird
Great Gray Owls can be found in conifer forests typically in places where there are openings such as bogs. Look for them along forest edges with perches that they can use to survey the surrounding area.
In moat states in the Midwest, Great Gray Owls are extremely rare, but Minnesota gets them annually. To have the best chance of finding one, head the the Sax-sim Bog or cruise northern forest roads and keep an eye out for thee tall birds.
Great Horned Owl
Great Horned Owl
Identification
Out of all of the Owl species in North America, the Great Horned Owl is probably the one that people encounter the most. They are quite large with very noticeable ear tufts and have varying shades of brown covering their back, head, and wings. the Underside of the Great Horned Owl is lighter with a brown wash and darker brown to black horizontal barring.
Great Horned Owls of the arctic population are much more pale and even sometimes look white in color with the same barring and patterns as their southern counterparts.
Range
The Great Horned Owl is extremely widespread across North America as their range encompasses most of Alaska and Canada, the entire continental United States, and the majority of Mexico. They also live in various parts of South America too. This species is non-migratory.
Diet and Foraging Habits
Great Horned Owls eat an extremely wide variety of different animals ranging from small rodents to significantly larger mammals such as skunks and porcupines. They will also eat fairly large bird species such as ducks and even other raptor species. One interesting and gruesome habit of Great Horned Owls is to decapitate their larger prey.
Where to Find This Bird
Great Horned Owls can be found in a variety of different habitats including coniferous forests, deciduous forests, swamps, and residential neighborhoods. The easiest way to find this species is to listen for them making their call: a low “hoo hoo.” During breeding season owls can often be heard calling to one another, a practice known as “dueting.”
Long-eared Owl
Long-eared Owl
Identification
Long-eared Owls are medium sized owl species with very large ear tufts. They are brown on the back, wings, and head with orange, tan, and darker brown colors mixed in. Their underside is brown, white, and orange, giving them the appearance of the bark of a pine tree. Long-eared owls have orange facial disks outlined by dark brown.
Range
Long-eared Owls winter in Mexico and the Southern United States. In spring they move into the Northern United States and Southern Canada. There are many states in which Long-eared Owls are year-round residents such as Utah, Nevada, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, and many more.
Diet and Foraging Habits
Long-eared owls eat a variety of small rodents. They have also been known to consume birds as well. This species hunts for food in open areas where they typically capture prey on the ground.
Where to Find This Bird
Long-eared Owls are secretive birds that roost in thick tangles of brush and vegetation. They often roost in groups so if you happen to find one of these well camouflaged owls, others are most likely around. Some of their favorite trees to nest in are willows, cottonwoods, and tamaracks. Long-eared Owls can also be found by listening for their deep “hoo” calls often repeated in quick succession.
In the birding community, there is a lot of debate over whether or not the location of Long-eared Owls should be listed anywhere. There have been well documented issues with birders and photographers (mostly photographers) getting too close to roosting Long-eared Owls and scaring them away. As a result, the locations of this sensitive species is not listed on eBird and reports of them are almost never shared.
Northern Hawk Owl
Northern Hawk Owl
Identification
The Northern Hawk Owl has a brown back, wings, and tail with white spots. They have a light colored chest and underside with brown horizontal barring and a dark brown to black head with white speckling. Northern Hawk Owls have a light gray colored face outlined in black. One interesting physical trait of this species is fake eye spots on the back of the head.
Range
Northern Hawk Owls inhabit most of Alaska and Canada (in particular the Southern half). Some individuals come south in the winter and end up in the US states bordering Canada.
Diet and Foraging Habits
Northern Hawk Owls primarily feed on small rodents but also eat small to medium sized birds as well. This species hunts during the day as well as during the night.
Where to Find This Bird
Northern Hawk Owls typically reside in mixed conifer forests and can be seen hunting during the day. They will typically sit up on a high perch, scanning for prey and can be quite active. Some of the best places to see this species is edge habitat near open spaces such as bogs and meadows.
In Minnesota, the Sax-Zim Bog is is one of the best places to see this species where they typically show up on a yearly basis.
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Northern Saw-whet Owl – Photo by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Northeast Region
Identification
Northern Saw-whet Owls are a very small species with a large, round head. They have a brown back and head with white spots, a white underside, and light brown vertical stripes. They have a white facial disk and piercing yellow eyes.
Range
Northern Saw-whet Owls live year round throughout different parts of North America including Southern Canada, the Northeastern, Northwestern, and Midwestern United States in addition to select areas of Mexico. During winter, they end up filling in the other parts of the United States that they don’t inhabit the rest of the year, moving as far south as Texas and Louisiana some years.
Diet and Foraging Habits
Northern Saw-whet Owls eat small prey items such as mice. They also eat other small mammals and small birds.
Where to Find This Bird
Northern Saw-whet Owls can be found in forests ranging from deciduous to coniferous. They are notoriously difficult to find as they don’t usually use the same roost. To try and locate one, search pine stands (this bird seems to prefer roosting in conifers) and look for white washed branches. Another way to find Saw-whet Owls is to listen for their call between late winter and spring which sounds like a drawn out “toot toot” repeated in succession.
Snowy Owl
Snowy Owl
Identification
Snowy Owls are iconic and recognizable birds. Adult males range from pure white to white with a few dark brown markings. Female and immature birds are white with much more dark barring. These birds always have a white face regardless of the age of the bird.
Range
Snowy Owls breed on the tundra of the high arctic. During fall and winter they descend into Southern Canada, Alaska, and much of the continental United States. Just how far these majestic birds will go is dependent on food sources in the north. While this can be somewhat complicated, it generally boils down to the more food availability during breeding season, the more owls are successfully raised in a given year. The more owls that are raised in the north, the more they spread out, thus leading to what’s known as an irruption in which many owls spread out farther south into the United States than usual. The typical southern range for these birds encompases the states bordering Canada.
Learn about the patterns of Snowy Owl migration and irruptions
Diet and Foraging Habits
Snowy Owls feed primarily on small rodents. In particular, they are fond of the lemmings that live in their breeding areas. This species will also eat birds as well with waterfowl being a usual menu item.
Snowy Owls hunt on open landscapes and often times sit for hours surveying their surroundings and watching for small rodents.
Where to Find This Bird
Badgerland Birding searches for Snowy Owls along the Lake Michigan coast
Snowy Owls vary in numbers depending on how good the prior year’s nesting season was. In their normal range they can be found in open areas such as farm fields, tundras, and grasslands. The best time to look for Snowy Owls is during an irruption year when many more birds are coming down from the north and flooding into the United States. During these times, Snowy Owls can actually be quite easy to find and end up in slightly more eclectic places such as lake shores and airports.
In Minnesota, there are some places that typically get Snowy Owls each year. Some of the best spots include the Lake Superior coastline (especially near Duluth) and the Sax-Zim Bog. Start looking for Snowy Owls in November and keep an eye out for a small, white, snowman shape out on a break wall, at the airport, or in a farm field.
Short-eared Owl
Short-eared Owl
Identification
Short-eared Owls are colored the same as the prairies and grasslands in which they reside. They have a light sandy colored back, wings, and tail with dark brown mottling. They have a cream colored underside with vertical stripes. This species has a white facial disk with both dark and sandy coloration just below their bright yellow eyes.
Short-eared Owls are highly maneuverable and acrobatic in flight, flying with rapid wingbeats that make them look moth-like. When flying, their flat faces are quite evident and help in separating them from other species such as Northern Harriers.
Range
Short-eared Owls are a species found across the globe in almost every continent. In North America, they winter in Northern Mexico and the Southern United States then move into the Northern Great Lakes states, Canada, and Alaska to breed in the summer.
Diet and Foraging Habits
Short-eared Owls eat small mammals such a slice, lemmings, shrews, and voles. They will also eat small to medium sized birds. Short-eared Owls are specialized hunters that acrobatically fly over open prairies keeping an eye out for ground dwelling mammals. They spend much more time in the air hunting compared to most other owl species.
Where to Find This Bird
Badgerland Birding scours a frozen marsh to find Short-eared owls
Short-eared Owls can be found in open prairies and grasslands flying low over the landscape. The timing can be important when looking for Short-eared owls as they are crepuscular, meaning they are out most at dawn and dusk. However, there are times when they have been documented flying during the day as well.
Summary
Owls are enigmatic and beautiful birds that are always a treat to see when out in the field. Knowing the species that are expected in your state can be instrumental in identifying which one you’re looking at and understanding their behaviors. Hopefully, this article has helped to answer some questions about the owls of Minnesota.
Falcons are the stealth fighter jets of the bird world. Recording some of the fastest speeds of all winged animals, these dynamic flyers are captivating to watch.
There are three species of falcons that can be found in Minnesota on an annual basis, and two that are quite rare for the state. Here are the five species of falcons that can be found in the land of 10,000 lakes.
Falcons that can be Found Annually in Minnesota (3 Species)
American Kestrel
American Kestrel
Identification
The American Kestrel is a small and colorful bird. Males have a rusty colored back as well as a lighter rusty colored underside. They have blue on their wings and the top of their head as well as black markings near their eye. Females are lighter overall with rusty orange barring on their wings, back, and tail.
Range
American Kestrels live in both South America and North America. In North America, Kestrels are migratory and reside in Mexico in winter, then move into Canada during the breeding season. Throughout much of the United States, American Kestrels can be found year round.
Diet and Foraging Habits
American Kestrels eat small creatures including insects, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and rodents. In terms of the insects they eat, some of the most commonly consumed are grasshoppers, dragonflies, and cicadas.
Where to Find this Bird
American Kestrels are a common sight along roadsides and in open fields. They can be seen on telephone poles and wires in addition to perched on dead trees and other structures in areas with few trees. Other places Kestrels can be found are urban parks, pastures, and farm fields.
Merlin
Merlin (Bill Thompson photo)
Identification
Merlins are very small members of the falcon family looking similar in size to a Mourning Dove. They have a blueish gray to black back, wings, and head, and a buffy to brown streaked underside. Merlins can differ in color based on region but always maintain a somewhat similar appearance. Most of the time they will have a white eye brow stripe.
Range
Merlins winter in Northern South America, Central America, Mexico, the Southeastern United States, and most of the Western United States. In spring they migrate north ending up in only the most Northern parts of the U.S. and much of Canada and Alaska. There is an area from the Northwestern part of the United States to the Southwestern part of Alaska where Merlins live year round. Some individuals stay all winter in Northern states as well.
Diet and Foraging Habits
Merlins primarily eat small birds such as waxwings, sparrows, and even shorebirds. In addition to birds, they also eat insects and rodents.
Where to Find this Bird
Merlins can be tricky to find as encountering one typically seems like a matter of luck. They can be found in wooded areas as well as in open areas where they will be surveying for food. Sometimes the easiest way to see them is in flight when they will be moving at high speeds.
Personal Experience: It seems like if I ever go out intentionally trying to find Merlins there aren’t any around. Each year I typically find one by chance while out birding. It seems that even though they aren’t necessarily supposed to winter in the northern U.S. that is when I see them most.
Peregrine Falcon
Peregrine Falcon (Betsy Matsubara Photo – CC by 2.0)
Identification
Peregrine Falcons are iconic birds with a dark back, wings, head, and neck. They have a light underside with dark barring and noticeable bright yellow legs. This species has interesting facial markings that some people refer to as “sideburns” but is essentially dark coloration coming down below the eye onto the cheeks of the bird.
Range
The Peregrine Falcon’s range in North America is complicated with a general pattern of wintering in the Southeastern United States and Mexico, summering in Northern Canada, and migrating throughout the rest of the continent. However, there are many places in the continental United States that Peregrine Falcons breed in during summer (such as along Lake Superior) and live year round (such as most of the Pacific Coast, and around the Great Lakes).
This species not only lives in North America, but every other continent as well with the exception of Antarctica.
Diet and Foraging Habits
Peregrine Falcons are the fastest fliers in the entire animal kingdom reaching normal speeds of around 70 miles per hour and a diving speed of around 200 miles per hour. They use this incredible speed to hunt medium sized birds such as doves and ducks, but they have been observed taking on an extremely wide array of different bird species. Peregrine Falcons will also eat fish, and mammals.
Where to Find this Bird
Peregrine Falcons have adapted well to human habitation and use skyscrapers as nesting sites. In more wild areas they will use cliffs as nest sites. Peregrine Falcons can be reliable sights in places where people have placed nest boxes specifically for the species to breed in. Often times these places have corresponding nest cams.
In Minnesota, the city of Minneapolis is one of the best locations to find Peregrine Falcons.
Gyrfalcons come in two different color morphs. Living in the high arctic is the white morph which essentially looks like someone took the look of a Snowy Owl and put it on a large falcon. They are pure white with black markings on their wings. The gray morph typically lives farther south and has a gray back and head with dark barring on the underside. They have dark teardrop markings underneath the eye.
Range
Gyrfalcons breed in the arctic with some migrating into the Northern United States to spend the winter. There is a population that lives in mid to Northern Canada and Alaska that most likely stay in the same area year round.
Diet and Foraging Habits
Gyrfalcons feed mostly on medium sized birds such as ptarmigans and seabirds. They will also eat mammals such as lemmings and typically dive onto prey from above.
Where to Find this Bird
Gyrfalcons are most typically found in the continental United States in winter. They like open spaces such as tundras and coast lines where they can survey for prey.
In Northern Midwestern states, this species is quite rare and seems to show up even less often than it used to. The cities of Duluth and Superior have traditionally been a places these birds turn up, but it has been a few years since a reliable individual was reported in either city.
Prairie Falcons have a light brown back, wings, and head with a white underside barred with brown. They have a different facial pattern than the Peregrine Falcon with a brown teardrop marking below the eye that contrasts the pure white of the cheeks and chin.
Range
Prairie Falcons are birds of the Western United States, living year round in most states west of Minnesota and Louisiana year round. They also live in parts of Mexico and Southwestern Canada year round. In winter, some individuals move east into more of the Great Plains states.
Diet and Foraging Habits
Prairie Falcons eat many different small mammals in addition to insects and birds. Like most falcons, they have quite a varied diet in terms of the bird species they eat.
Where to Find this Bird
True to their name, Prairie Falcons live in open spaces such as grasslands, open fields, tundra, and farmland. They nest in places with bluffs and cliffs but often are most easily seen hunting. Prairie Falcons are often on the move and cruise the open spaces looking for food. They can also sometimes be seen perched on branches or telephone poles.
Summary
Falcons are always entertaining to see, and knowing which ones to expect in the state can be a key part of correctly identifying the bird you are seeing. If you enjoyed this post, please give it a like and a comment. Also be sure to check out the Badgerland Birding Youtube Channel.
