Sparrows and Other Small
Birds
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Brown Thrasher
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They are able to call in up to 3000 distinct songs
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This bird is omnivorous, eating
insects, berries, nuts and seeds, as well as earthworms, snails and sometimes
lizards
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The bird is more likely to be heard
than seen, not only because of the rattling of leaves, but also because of its
call, a sharp lip-smacking type sound

Ovenbird
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The nest, the "oven", is a domed
structure placed on the ground, woven from vegetation and with a side entrance
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These birds mainly eat insects,
spiders and snails, also seeds in winter
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The Ovenbird is vulnerable to nest
parasitism by the Brown-headed Cowbird, but its numbers appear to be stable.

Louisiana Waterthrush
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These birds are terrestrial
feeders, seeking insects, molluscs and crustaceans amongst the leaf litter
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Louisiana Waterthrushes nest in a
rock crevice or amongst tree roots, laying 4-6 eggs in a cup nest
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The breeding habitat is wet
woodlands near running water

Summer Tanager
- The
only entirely red bird in North America
- The
Summer Tanager is considered a bee and wasp specialist
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These birds are often out of sight,
foraging high in trees, sometimes flying out to catch insects in flight.

Scarlet Tanager
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These birds are declining due to forest fragmentation
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The male molts its feathers depending on the season. In the breeding season
it is scarlet and in the non-breeding season, more olive colored.
- It
captures insects by gleaning and grabbing them while hovering. It will also
hawk flying insects. It beats its prey against branches to kill it.

Chipping Sparrow
- Instead
of having simple molts like most birds and changing its body feathers once or
twice a year, the Chipping Sparrow may change the feathers of its face and
throat up to six times in one year
- The
nest of the Chipping Sparrow is of such flimsy construction that light can be
seen through it
- It eats
grass and other small seeds, small fruits, and insects

Field Sparrow
- The
Field Sparrow often feeds directly on fallen seeds. It may fly to the top of
grass stalks, let its weight carry the stems to the ground, and then begin
removing the seed
- The
male Field Sparrow starts singing as soon as he gets back in the spring. He
sings vigorously until he finds a mate, but after that he sings only
occasionally
- It has
a simple, yet distinctive song of repeated clear whistled notes on one pitch
that increase in rate until they make a trill

Fox Sparrow
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The fox sparrow comes in form different forms: a red form, a sooty form, a
slate-colored form, and a large-billed form
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These birds forage by scratching
the ground
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They nest either in a sheltered
location on the ground or low in trees or shrubs

Song Sparrow
- Males
that use more learned components in their songs and that better matched their
song tutors (the adult bird they learned their songs from) are preferred by
females
- The
Song Sparrow is found throughout most of North America, but different
populations in different areas can look surprisingly different
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They nest either in a sheltered
location on the ground or in trees or shrubs

Swamp Sparrow
- The
Swamp Sparrow has longer legs than other members of its genus; this adaptation
allows it to wade in shallow water to forage
- The
Swamp Sparrow sometimes sticks its head under water to try to capture aquatic
invertebrates
- The
next in cattails, grasses, shrubs, or on the ground

White-Throated Sparrow
- The
White-throated Sparrow comes in two color forms: white-crowned and tan-crowned
- The two
color forms of the White-throated Sparrow are determined by genetic
differences, and are unique among birds. Oddly, individuals almost always mate
with a bird of the opposite morph
- It
feeds primarily on ground by scratching in litter with both feet they also
hawk insects from a perch.

White-Crowned Sparrow
- Because
male White-crowned Sparrows learn the songs they grew up with and do not
travel far from where they were raised, song dialects frequently form. Males
on the edge of two dialects may be bilingual and able to sing both dialects
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There are five currently recognized
subspecies of white-crowned sparrow, varying in migratory behaviour and
breeding habitat
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These birds forage on the ground or
in low vegetation, but sometimes make short flights to catch flying insects

Dark-Eyed Junco
- Juncos
are the "snowbirds" of the middle latitudes
- The
Dark-eyed Junco includes six forms that were once considered separate species
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Some forms of birds have longer wings than others, the ones with longer wings
often migrate longer differences

Eastern
Meadowlark
- The
Eastern Meadowlark is not a lark but belongs to the same family as blackbirds
and orioles
- The
nest, constructed by female alone, is built on the ground of grasses woven
into surrounding vegetation. The structure varies; the nest often has an arch
or roof, and sometimes has a runway leading to the opening
- There
are up to 17 subspecies of eastern meadowlark

Carolina Chickadee
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The birds hop along tree branches searching for insects, seeds, and berries,
sometimes hovering or hanging upside down.
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They sometimes hammer seeds on trees to open them and often store them for
later.
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They can intentionally lower their body temperatures so they induce
hypothermia called torpor. This helps them conserve energy in the winter.

Tufted Titmouse
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They forage actively on branches, and sometimes on the ground, eating insects,
seeds, nuts, and berries, which they store for later
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Their range is expanding northward, perhaps due to an increase in food due to
bird feeders
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The make their nests in natural cavities or old woodpecker nests in trees

Red-Breasted Nuthatch
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They forage on the trunk of trees, often descending headfirst to catch insects
in flight
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Their call is like a tin trumpet
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These birds are often permanent
residents, but they regularly migrate into the southern United States if the
food supply fails.

White-Breasted Nuthatch
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The bird exibits a weird behavior
called “bill sweeping” where it it picks up a piece or fur, plant, or insect,
and uses it to sweep around its nest cavity, which is believed to remove their
scent
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Their principle diet consists of
insects and a few seeds
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They forage on the trunk of trees, often descending headfirst to catch insects
in flight

Brown-Headed Nuthatch
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This bird is frequently observed
using a small piece of bark as a tool to dig for insects
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It possesses a sharp nail-like beak
that it uses to pound open seeds
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This bird is bold and inquisitive

Brown Creeper
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They forage on tree trunks,
creeping slowly with their bodies flattened against the bark
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They mainly eat insects, but
sometimes seeds in winter
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The bird is camouflagued and
resembles tree bark

Carolina Wren
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This bird is the second largest
after the cactus wren
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The birds are sensitive to cold
weather, so after severe winters their populations decline
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Carolina Wrens eat insects, found
in leaf litter and on trees, small lizards, tree frogs, seeds, and berries

Golden-Crowned Kinglet
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The forage in trees for insects, insect eggs, and spiders
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They tend not to fear human
approach
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The birds are migratory to the
United States, although there are some permanent residents

Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
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The male has a red patch on his crown which is only visible when he is
agitated
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There may be as many as twelve eggs
in a single breeding session
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They eat mainly small insects,
spiders, berries, and tree sap

Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher
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They eat insects, insect eggs, and
spiders
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They build a cup nest similar in
construction to a hummingbird’s
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These birds migrate to the Southern
United States, Central America, and South America

Wood Thrush
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These birds are omnivorous, feeding
on soil invertebrates and larvae and sometimes fruit
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They normally defend their
territory without physical contact, but during high-intensity encounters or
nest defense physical interactions with the feet and bill have been observed.
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Wood thrushes are monogomous, but
they find a new mate each year