Bird of the Week

Swamp Sparrow, Melospiza georgiana Bill Rowe The New World sparrows, family Passerellidae, are a diverse and important part of our bird life, with 19 species regular in Missouri—some in summer, some in winter, some mainly migrants, and some year-round. The Swamp…

Merlin, Falco columbarius Bill Rowe Worldwide, falcons are recognizable by their long, pointed wings, their dashing flight, and their laser focus on pursuing their prey. These qualities have inspired the sport of falconry for millennia, and now they elicit the same…

Green-winged Teal, Anas crecca Bill Rowe You’re watching a wetland, trying to see the ducks hidden in the grass, when an eagle swoops over the area and flushes them all up, the bigger ones along with a dense flock of little…

Hairy Woodpecker, Dryobates villosus Bill Rowe As you hike through any extensive woodland, sooner or later you will hear a loud, sharp peek! or speek! or sometimes a shrill, fast rattle—either way, a sure sign of a Hairy Woodpecker. And you think, maybe…

White-breasted Nuthatch, Sitta carolinensis Bill Rowe Of the birds that we think of as being year-round residents, some actually indulge in a lot of movement, migrating in or out, shifting their winter roosting grounds, or otherwise being unpredictable—like the American Robin…

Lesser Black-backed Gull, Larus fuscus Bill Rowe Out of the 19 species of gulls ever seen in the St. Louis area, we’ve covered the four that have always been considered the “regulars”: Ring-billed, Herring, Bonaparte’s, and Franklin’s. Now we’ll look…

Lesser Scaup, Aythya affinis (pair shown above) Greater Scaup, Aythya marila (see below) Bill Rowe If you’re birding in November/December, enjoying waterfowl migration, and you spot some ducks out on a lake that look “black at both ends and white…

Sharp-shinned Hawk, Accipiter striatus Bill Rowe The Sharp-shinned Hawk is the smallest of our trio of accipiters—hawks that specialize in hunting other birds—and distinguishing it from Cooper’s Hawk, the middle-sized accipiter, is a famous problem (see Identification). It helps a little…

Purple Finch, Haemorhous purpureus Bill Rowe If you are walking the woods any time from October to April, watch for plump little birds giving a high sharp pik note as they fly over, or quietly feeding on seeds in the crown of a…