Mind of a Scientist, Heart of an Explorer: Concerning Passerines (Part 1)

It is 6:45am. I sheepishly put on my waders and shuffle out the door, a thermos full of coffee in hand. The sun is quickly rising, and despite the cold winter air, sparrows and cardinals are chipping, a Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) calls a raspy “Chat” again and again, and farther in the distance Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis) softly call quivering “Tu-a-wee”s. Morning is well underway, and the birds are much more awake than I am. I am on my way to observe ducks as part of my current job in east-central Texas, but ironically that isn’t what I am going to discuss today. No, I will not be discussing the comparatively large and colorful Green-winged Teal (Anas carolinensis) and Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) drakes, but rather those small birds chipping and calling in the bushes. So small that they can easily go unnoticed and so do by many.

Passerines, or the perching birds, include all birds belonging to the order Passeriformes. The most recognizable trait binding group members together is their feet; 3 toes face forward and one back (known as anisodactyly), enabling them to grab onto limbs and perch (hence the namesake) (Frank B. Gill- Ornithology (textbook)). Passeriformes is by far the largest bird order, containing over 50% of all species. It is incredibly diverse, with members inhabiting all continents except Antarctica, filling a variety of ecological niches, and being very different in size, shape, and color(s) (The Institute for Bird Populations- http://www.birdpop.org/index.html).

(From www.glutenberg.org)

Jays, crows, ravens, magpies, and nutcrackers, of the family Corvidae, include some of the largest passerine species. These are also some of the most intelligent species on the planet; they show incredible problem solving skills both in natural systems and experimental setups (New Caldonian Crows (Corvus moneduloides) not only use tools, but construct and enhance them over generations, Clark’s Nutcrackers (Nucifraga Columbiana) cache (store) up to 30,000 seeds each fall and then remember the locations of most of those seeds the following spring, Blue Jays (Cyanocitta cristata) mimic hawk calls to scare away other birds (I have seen this and I can almost guarantee that if you have a bird feeder with regular resident Blue Jay visitors, you can observe this for yourself if you watch closely enough!), crows dwelling in cities have been observed using moving vehicles to crush seeds in intersections by learning and monitoring traffic light cycles, and of course there are numerous intelligence tests that have been performed and are being performed on Corvids (follow this link to see one of the more famous examples: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01r0md3). They live in a variety of habitats- from montane areas to inside cities, are often non-migratory, and most species are omnivorous with a broad diet. The largest, the Common Raven (Corvus corax), is also the largest passerine species at 2.6 lbs (1.2 kg) with a 53 inch wingspan.

A few examples of Corvids are shown below:

Gray Jay (Perisoreus canadensis)

Black-billed Magpie (Pica pica)

Clark's Nutcracker

Common Raven

As a sidenote, during my time in Alaska this past summer, I regrettably had some fledgling American Robins (Turdus migratorius) hit my house windows. A Common Raven must have been observing this as I had, because it swooped in and grabbed a robin stunned from hitting a window, looking over at me before flying off with its meal! I also was called to retrieve a dead raven that had been hit on the Alaska Peninsula Highway. Several other ravens sat on a telephone pole several hundred meters away, watching me and making strange, mournful calls before flying away as I approached the dead raven. If it is not completely obvious at this point, Corvids are my favorite group of birds! They are a very interesting group as discussed above, and more easily noticed because of their large size and loud, harsh voices.

Common Raven with dead American Robin fledgling outside of my house.

On the opposite end of the spectrum are the Wood-Warblers, of family Parulidae. They are all small songbirds, with the American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla), for instance, weighing only 0.29 oz (8.3 g). They have higher pitched voices often in short songs, such as the “Sweet sweet sweet ti ti ti to soo” (many birders remember “Sweet sweet I am so sweet”) of the Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia). Most are highly specialized in habitat and diet, and are summer migrants from South America (Neotropical). Contrary to the Corvids, if you want to see most of the Parulids you’ll have to put forth more effort and visit parks or private areas that are less disturbed by humans and meet their habitat qualifications, and look very closely. Despite the bright and often contrasting colors, Parulids are often moving quickly through the canopy and are easy to miss because of this and their small size.

Yellow Warbler male (you can tell by the bright yellow and extensive red breast streaks)

Same male Yellow Warbler

Juvenile Yellow Warblers (females also typically look like this, note absense of red streaking)

American Redstart male

Wilson's Warbler (Cardellina pusilla)

There are 29 other families of Passerines occurring in North America, and if I discussed all of them, this would be a book rather than a blog! Above I’ve covered diversity, some biology, and ecology of two very different families. Next, I’ll begin a discussion of ordinary phenomena in the lives of these birds (extending into my next blog which will be posted later) and what insight and simple joy you can gain by looking and listening a little closer. I’ll finish with a discussion of my own experiences and what I feel like is a good starting point for beginning birders who will hopefully be inspired by this blog.

Daily, there are temporal and spatial changes in vocalizations among birds. Especially in breeding season in the spring but also in the winter, passerines will be singing species-specific songs from the treetops in the early morning, compromising the dawn chorus. If you know how a species sounds, you are alerted to its presence without even seeing the individual! Later on in the day you might hear short chips closer to the ground as birds forage, or maybe just quiet. Some birds will sing again before sunset, but the chorus will not be as strong as that of dawn. You will also hear different birds singing if you are in different habitats, and they will likely stop singing and make sharp alarm and scolding calls as you and/or another predator species approaches. Seasonally, you will see different birds and hear different songs as migrants move between their breeding and wintering grounds. Every spring I look forward to the creative, integrative songs and “meeeew” call of the mimicking Gray Catbird (Drumetella carolinensis) (In the family Mimidae along with the Northern Mockingbird), as well as the ethereal and soft songs of the Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina) (in the family Turdidae along with the American Robin (Turdus migratorius)) in deep forests (This is my personal favorite bird song, and you can hear it by following this link and scrolling down: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/wood_thrush/sounds).

I haven’t read the whole book (I borrowed it and then returned it before leaving Alaska), but Jon Young’s book, What the Robin Knows, discusses in greater detail how to interpret different bird sounds, postures, and movements. They give clues to what else is happening in the area- maybe a fox is hidden nearby, maybe several birds are performing dominance or mating displays, maybe a hawk is flying overhead, maybe a large food source is nearby, maybe a pair or mother and fledglings are communicating to each other, the list goes on. Not only can you enjoy watching different species fly about, and admire their beauty and diversity, but you can learn greater insights into the world around you, if only you pay more attention to those little birds chirping in the bushes.

I encourage you, if you do not already do so regularly, to closely watch the birds in your own backyard. Grab a pair of binoculars, look up at trees and in bushes. You’ll likely see a plethora of different kinds of birds that you previously did not know were present. It’s a delightful and complicated world, with loads to teach! I have much to learn and I know I will never stop learning! I hope the above has your feathers a little ruffled (pun intended); thinking about the world of passerines that can be easily overlooked. In my next blog, I’ll introduce you to some of the more common bird species and families, along with some of their characteristic behaviors and associated meanings, where to find them, and some tricky surprises to look out for. I’ll tell a few stories and hope you’ll share yours. In the meantime and beyond, we can all continue to sharpen our senses and take the time to walk outside and look and listen. It’s cold winter weather, but passerine colors contrast boldly and beautifully with the snow! Until next time!

-Jess

A few pictures of some of our most common eastern birds in winter (sorry to any western viewers of this blog, I haven't spent a winter out there yet!), these were taken with my old point-and-shoot camera, so they are not as good as my more recent pictures taken with my SLR.