Tern (Forster's)

One of several medium-sized terns that is similar in appearance, the Forster's Tern breeds primarily in marshes and winters along the coasts. The comma-shaped black ear patch in winter plumage is distinctive, but some other plumages are very confusing.

Forster's Tern is the only tern restricted almost entirely to North America throughout the year.

Spawning common carp are so vigorous that they can dislodge Forster's Tern eggs from floating nests.

Forster's and Black terns breed near each other in marshes. Wandering semi-pre social young may account for observations of each species feeding the other's young.

Photographed at Etobicoke Creek, Etobicoke, ON

Swallow (Barn)

The Barn Swallow is the most abundant and widely distributed swallow species in the world. It breeds throughout the northern hemisphere and winters in much of the southern hemisphere.

The long tail of a Barn Swallow may indicate the quality of the individual bird. Females prefer to mate with males that have the longest and most symmetrical tails.

An unmated male Barn Swallow may kill the nestlings of a nesting pair. His actions often succeed in breaking up the pair and afford him the opportunity to mate with the female.

Female Barn Swallows favour males that have a darker reddish chest colour

Photographed at Etobicoke Creek, Etobicoke, ON

Woodpecker (Downy)

The smallest and most common woodpecker, the Downy Woodpecker is found throughout most of North America from Alaska to Florida. It lives in a variety of habitats from wilderness forests to urban backyards, and comes readily to bird feeders. Beef suet will attract a Downy to any feeding station.

Downy Woodpeckers have black and white plumage, plain white back and a small pointed bill. Their size is 6 to 7 inch in length with a wingspan of 10 to12 inches. Male are with a red patch on the back of the head while females are with a black patch.

This woodpecker is valuable to humans, their food consisting of some of the worst insect foes of orchard and shade trees. Male and female Downy Woodpeckers may stay in the same areas in winter, but they divide up where they look for food. The male feeds more on small branches and weed stems, and the female feeds more on large branches and the trunks of tree.


Photographed in the wild, Etobicoke, ON

Starling (European)

Beginning with 100 individuals introduced into Central Park in New York City in the early 1890s, the European Starling has become one of the most numerous birds on the North American continent. Its spread is believed to have come at the expense of many native birds that compete with the starling for nest holes.

 

The male tends to be larger and more iridescent, but some females can be larger, glossier, and have longer feathers than some males.

 

During breeding when they have yellow bills, the base of a male's lower mandible is blue-gray, while the female's is pinkish. The male's eyes are a uniform deep brown, but the female has a narrow, lighter colour ring around the outer edge.

Photographed in the wild, Etobicoke, ON

Sparrow (House)

The house sparrow was introduced to North America in the early 1850s from England. During the past century they have become the most abundant of small birds and can be found all over.

These birds return to their birthplace after every migration (a characteristic known as philopatric). Because of this, local populations have adapted to the colour of their habitat resulting in 15 distinct subspecies.

Male House Sparrow has black-streaked brown upper parts and pale gray under parts. The wings are brown with a single white bar. The cheeks and crown are pale gray, contrasting with a black throat, upper breast, and bill.

Female House Sparrow lacks the black throat, is paler overall and has a buff eye stripe. The bill is pale buff.

Photographed in the wild, Etobicoke, ON

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker drilling

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Sit back and find a good spot to start tapping. When he started he worked on that tree for about five minutes. He should of got the headache not me. (Etobicoke, ON)

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Breeding Male: Medium-sized woodpecker with black-and-white mottled upper parts, white rump, and yellow-washed white under parts. Red throat has black border. Head has red crown and black-and-white striped face and neck. Wings are dark with large white shoulder patches. Tail is black with black-barred, white center stripe. Female has white throat. Juvenile is browner and lacks bright head and throat pattern.

Sapsuckers get their name from the small, regularly spaced, sap wells they drill in tree trunks. The birds lick-up the oozing sap with their brush-like tongues. They also eat the insects that are attracted to the sap. The birds will continuously return to the same tree.

Photographed in the wild, Etobicoke, ON

Robin (American)

Our largest thrush (approximately 10 inches in length), the American Robin is found throughout North America, from extreme northern Canada and as far south as Guatemala. This common and well-known bird is noted for its habit of feeding in lawns where it finds earthworms (by sight, not sound), and for its cheery voice.

Robins are often one of the first birds to sing in the morning, singing long choruses of rhythmic paired phrases of two or three syllables that alternately rise and fall in pitch. The dawn singing is reprised at dusk and occasionally throughout the day.

Photographed in the wild, Toronto, ON

Kingfisher (Belted)

A common waterside resident throughout North America, the Belted Kingfisher is often seen hovering before it plunges headfirst into water to catch a fish. It frequently announces its presence by its loud rattling cry.

The Belted Kingfisher is one of the few bird species in which the female is more brightly colored than the male.

During breeding season the Belted Kingfisher pair defends a territory against other kingfishers. A territory along a stream includes just the streambed and the vegetation along it, and averages 1 km (0.6 mi) long.The nest burrow is usually in a dirt bank near water. The tunnel slopes upward from the entrance, perhaps to keep water from entering the nest. Tunnel length ranges from 30 to 250 cm (1 to 8 ft).

Photographed in Etobicoke, ON

Junco (Dark-eyed)

A widespread and common small sparrow, the Dark-eyed Junco is most familiar as a winter visitor. They will visit bird feeders, but mostly forage on the ground beneath the feeding tray. They prefer open woods, undergrowth, roadsides and brush. Their summer diet is mostly insects and their young are fed almost entirely on insects

Juncos come in several distinctly different looking forms, but all are readily identified as "juncos" by their plain patterning, dark hood, and white under tail feathers. This bird may also be referred to as a “Slate-coloured Junco”

The nest is almost always on the ground, well hidden under overhanging grass or trees. It is built mostly by the female, and is an open cup of grass, weeds, and leaves, lined with fine grass and sometimes hair and feathers.

 

Photographed in the wild, Etobicoke, ON

Jay (Blue)

Of the 40 plus species of jays found worldwide, eight occur in North America. The Blue Jay’s scientific name is derived from Greek and Latin and means, "crested, blue chattering bird".

The Blue Jay belongs to the crow family and if you hear one you can believe it. The Blue Jay can be recognized from a distance by its apparently effortless flight. It flies with the body and tail held level, with slow, easily discernible wing strokes, which nevertheless carry it along at a good speed

The Blue Jay frequently mimics the calls of hawks, especially the Red-shouldered Hawk. It has been suggested that these calls provide information to other jays that a hawk is around, or that they are used to deceive other species into believing a hawk is present.

Photographed in the wild at
Etobicoke, ON
Cape Coral, FL
Naples, FL

Heron (Black-crowned Night)

Black-crowned Night-Herons do not fit the typical body form of the heron family. They are relatively stocky with shorter bills, legs and necks than their more familiar cousins the egrets and "day" herons.

Their resting posture is normally somewhat hunched but when hunting they extend their necks and look more like other wading birds.

Adult Black-crowned Night-Herons have black caps and backs, pale grey wings, white under parts, red eyes and yellow legs. Two or three long white plumes, erected in greeting and courtship displays, extend from the back of the head.

Photographed at Reid Zoo, Tucson, AZ
and in the wild in Etobicoke, ON
and at Black River, Jamaica

Gull (Ring Billed)

A familiar parking lot gull, the Ring-billed Gull breeds primarily inland in North America. It can be found along the coasts, but many of these "seagulls" never see anything except fresh water all their lives.

The adult Ring-billed Gull is a medium-sized gull, measuring 45 cm from bill to tail, having a 50-cm wingspan and weighing about 0.7 kg. Its white head, neck, underside and tail contrast with its grey wings (or back when the bird is at rest). The wing-tips are black with white spots and the legs and feet are yellow-green. A black ring encircles its yellow bill near the tip hence the name ring-billed.

Many, if not most, Ring-billed Gulls return to breed at the colony where they hatched. Once they have bred, they are likely to return to the same breeding spot each year, often nesting within a few meters of the last year's nest site. Many individuals return to the same wintering sites each winter too.

photographed in the wild, Etobicoke, ON

Grackle (Common)

A familiar sight on suburban lawns, the Common Grackle can be recognized by its iridescent purple and bronze plumage and long, keel-shaped tail. Commons have Yellow Eyes as to the Boat-tail which has dark eyes. It's expanding its range into the far West, but is most common in the East.

The Common Grackle commonly engages in allowing ants to crawl on its body and secrete formic acid, possibly to rid the body of parasites. In addition to ants, it has been seen using walnut juice, lemons and limes, marigold blossoms, choke cherries, and mothballs in a similar fashion.

This bird is as familiar as the Starling in Canada and also considered a noisy pest in rural areas.

Photographed in the wild, Etobicoke, ON

Flicker (Northern yellow-shafted)

A common ant-eating woodpecker of open areas, the Northern Flicker has two color forms found in different regions. The yellow-shafted form is common across the eastern and northern parts of North America, while the red-shafted form is the one found in the West.

The red-shafted and yellow-shafted forms of the Northern Flicker formerly were considered different species. The two forms hybridize extensively in a wide zone from Alaska to the panhandle of Texas. A hybrid often has some traits from each of the two forms and some traits that are intermediate between them. (Etobicoke, ON)

Duck (Mallard)

One of the most familiar of ducks, the Mallard is found throughout North America and all across Eurasia. Where it does not occur naturally, it often has been introduced. It is found in all kinds of wetlands and is a familiar inhabitant of urban park ponds. Below a pair seems to be skating on the icy pond

The Mallard is the ancestor of nearly all domestic duck breeds (everything except the Muscovy Duck). Many of the domestic breeds look like the wild birds, but usually are larger. They are variable in plumage, often lacking the white neck ring or having white on the chest.

Ice skating makes it harder to take off

Mallard pairs form long before the spring breeding season. Pairing takes place in the fall, but courtship can be seen all winter. Only the female incubates the eggs and takes care of the ducklings.

Photographed on the Etobicoke creek in Toronto, ON

Dove (Rock) Pigeon

A common sight in urban areas throughout the world, the Rock Pigeon was introduced into North America in the early 1600s. City buildings and their window ledges mimic the rocky cliffs used by wild pigeons.

There may be as many as 28 pigeon color types, called "morphs. Pigeons also have colourful neck feathers. These iridescent green, yellow, and purple feathers are called "hackle." Adult males and females look alike, but a male’s hackle is more iridescent than a female’s.

People raise all kinds of fancy pigeons. The breeds have names, such as rollers, tumblers, and fantails, which reflect the way the birds fly or the way they look. Sometimes, people take their fancy pigeons to compete in shows.

Photographed in the wild, Toronto, ON

Chickadee (Black-Capped)

Named for its distinct “Chick-a- Dee-Dee-Dee” trademark call and defined black cap. Their call is to keep in touch with others in their flock. The under part is a light golden colour. Photos taken in Etobicoke & Gravenhurst, ON

Very common to back yard feeders and have been known to eat out of patient hands with sunflower seeds. Enjoys suit blocks mixed with seeds in the winter months

The Black-Capped Chickadee hides seeds and other food items for later recovery. Each item is placed in a different spot and a bird can remember thousands of hiding places.