Field Notes

The Northern Harrier is the only member of the genus, Circus, found in North America, where it occurs in all continental states and Canadian provinces. All the harriers are very similar structurally, being lean and long. They have long, rounded wings, long tails, and a characteristic “facial disk... read more »

For better and for worse, humans can have a huge impact on the lives of birds. One positive impact for Belted Kingfishers is that some road building and digging of gravel pits has created banks where the birds can nest and thus allowed the expansion of their breeding range.* But increased... read more »

The nest of nests, the ideal nest, is unquestionably that of the Baltimore Oriole.        ~ John BurroughsMaybe. But all the orioles found in the United States – nine species in all – have pretty cool nests. Check these out!Baltimore Oriole    ... read more »

You may have heard the story of the Brown-headed Cowbird evolving its habit of "nest parasitism," due to the bison, wandering the prairies. BirdNote science advisor, Dennis Paulson, has a different take on the matter. He writes:The bison story obviously has great currency, as I’ve heard it from... read more »