Bird of the Week

Purple Martin, Progne subis Bill Rowe For some plants and animals, spring begins in February and proceeds through all of March; but if we take the vernal equinox (typically March 21) as the official change-of-season, the Purple Martin becomes the perfect…

Ring-necked Duck, Aythya collaris Bill Rowe Ducks, ducks, ducks… We are firmly in the middle of duck migration at this point, as it begins very early, in February, with many species reaching their peak during March. These include the diving ducks…

Northern Flicker, Colaptes auratus Bill Rowe In late winter and early spring, our local resident songbirds (such as Song Sparrows and Red-winged Blackbirds) being practicing their songs, following their instinctive urge to claim a territory and find a mate. One of…

Peregrine Falcon, Falco peregrinus Bill Rowe We’ve covered several cosmopolitan birds, like the Barn Swallow and the Mallard, and the Peregrine Falcon is right up there with those two—not as numerous or commonplace, but just as widespread, found on every continent…

Herring Gull, Larus argentatus Bill Rowe Cool weather brings us Herring Gulls from the north, and winter weather, especially a snow-and-ice situation, brings more of them. This big gull nests all across Canada and down into the northern states, like our…

Common Redpoll, Acanthis flammea Bill Rowe This article is a “heads up” to keep your eye out for Common Redpolls over the next few weeks. They are the rarest of a trio of little finches that come to our feeders and…

Fox Sparrow, Passerella iliaca Bill Rowe By way of convincing you that sparrows are well worth your attention, here is one of the most eye-catching and readily identified of the 21 or so species that occur in Missouri each year (the…

Canvasback, Aythya valisineria Bill Rowe North America’s ducks come in a wide assortment of shapes, colors, and sizes; here in the Midwest, late fall, winter, and early spring are the prime times for enjoying the greatest variety of ducks before most…

Red-headed Woodpecker, Melanerpes erythrocephalus Bill Rowe The stunningly handsome Red-headed Woodpecker has been a favorite American bird for as long as anyone has kept written records, and no doubt for millennia among indigenous peoples. It is very much a bird of…

Brown Creeper, Certhia americana Bill Rowe If you happen to see what appears to be a mouse on a tree trunk, keep looking: if it’s going up the trunk, spiraling around, and then, as it gets near the top, dropping…