Loggerhead Shrike

     Today's featured feathered friend is the Loggerhead Shrike.  Although they lack the size, strong feet and talons of a raptor, this striking songbird has a raptor-like attitude.  They capture and consume lizards, mice and smaller birds as a part of their diet.  They impale their prey on thorns or barbed-wire fences, ripping them apart with their thick, hooked bill. 

     Loggerhead Shrikes are 9 inches in length with a 13 inch wingspan, weighing only 1.5 ounces.  They have gray heads and backs,  white underparts, with black wings and tails.  They have a white patch on each wing and their outer tail feathers are white.   A black face mask gives them a distinctive "bandit" look.  Adult females are slightly darker than males.  Juveniles are similar to adults but are a paler gray.  Their coloring is similar to that of the Northern Mockingbird and the Northern Shrike.

     Of the 31 Shrike species worldwide, the Loggerhead is the only one endemic to North America, meaning, they can't be found anywhere else on earth.  Enjoy these photos of the feisty Loggerhead Shrike.....tweet.....tweet!! 

 

(Taken 2/10/13, Ft. Desoto Park, St. Petersburg FL)

 

(Taken 5/1/13, The Celery Fields, Sarasota FL)

 

(Taken 11/8/12, Bluefield Ranch Natural Area, St. Lucie County FL)

 

 

(Taken 12/13/12, Laurel FL)

  http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Loggerhead_Shrike/id

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loggerhead_Shrike

Great Crested Flycatcher

     Today's featured feathered friend is the Great Crested Flycatcher.  It is among the most abundant of the flycatcher species, which includes Pewees, Phoebes and Kingbirds.

     Males and females are similar in appearance.  This medium-sized flycatcher has a slim body, a large head with a big bushy crest and a large bill.  It has warm brown upperparts, a gray lower face, throat, and upper breast with a bright yellow belly.  They measure about eight inches in length, weigh almost 1.5 ounces and have a wingspan of around 13 inches.  They also have two narrow white wing bars on each wing.

     Like most flycatchers, their diet is predominantly insects, but they also eat fruits and berries.  They usually hunt at tree top levels (the canopy).  They will perch on a limb, fly out to catch an insect in mid-air and then return to the same perch.  They are rarely found on the ground.

     On it's summer range, they can be seen from the east coast to the Rocky Mountains and in the southern parts of several Canadian provinces.  In the winter, they migrate south to Mexico, Cuba, Central America, the Caribbean and the northernmost parts of South America.

     Enjoy these photos of the Great Crested Flycatcher.....tweet.....tweet!!  

 

Great Crested Flycatcher
(Taken 4/19/13, Coquina Baywalk at Leffis Key Preserve)\
(Anna Maria Island FL)

 

Great Crested Flycatcher
(Taken 3/21/12, in our neighborhood)

 

Great Crested Flycatcher
(4/28/13, Our Backyard)

 

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Crested_Flycatcher/id

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Crested_Flycatcher

Carolina Wren - A Little Bird with A Big Voice

     Today's featured feathered friend is the Carolina Wren, the state bird of South Carolina.  They are heard in our backyard almost every day, but they are rarely seen.  This shy bird is only 5/1/2 inches in length and weighs just over half an ounce.  What it lacks in size, it makes up for in voice, delivering an amazing number of decibels.  It's loud, teakettle-teakettle-teakettle call, can be heard all across the eastern half of the United States.  Although females also vocalize, only the male sings the loud song.

     Carolina Wrens are small, chunky birds with a round body and a long tail that is often cocked upward.  They are bright reddish-brown above and warm buffy-orange below.  They have a long white eyebrow stripe, a white chin and throat, with a long, slender, down-curved bill.  Males and females are similar in appearance. 

     Carolina Wrens do not migrate.  As a result, their numbers decline dramatically during severe winters.  However, they are prolific breeders and with as many as three broods per year, their numbers return to normal levels rather quickly.
     Enjoy these photos, all taken in our backyard.....tweet.....tweet!!

  

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Carolina_Wren/id

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolina_Wren