Category: Birdwatching

_{This YouTube video was produced by the American Bird Conservancy.}

The handsome little Black Phoebe (Sayornis nigricans) is a common and conspicuous flycatcher of the western Americas, typically seen near the water, singly or in pairs. Like its close relative, the Eastern Phoebe, it perches in an erect posture and frequently pumps its tail in an up-and-down motion.

Black Phoebes associate closely with water, whether it be slow-flowing streams, rushing rapids, ephemeral or permanent ponds, ocean and lake shores, irrigation ditches, or even water tanks.

The Black Phoebe belongs to the largest bird family in the Americas, the Tyrannidae, or

_{This YouTube video was produced by the American Bird Conservancy.}

The Rough-legged Hawk (Buteo lagopus) is a raptor that breeds in Arctic and high subarctic regions around the world, migrating to more southerly regions each year to delight intrepid winter birders. The name “Rough-legged” refers to this raptor’s fully feathered legs, a feature shared by the Ferruginous Hawk and Golden Eagle.

Besides its feathered legs, the Rough-legged Hawk also has a noticeably small beak. These features illustrate a biological principle known as Allen’s Rule, which states that the appendages of endothermic (warm-blooded) animals in colder climates are relatively smaller than

_{This YouTube video was produced by the American Bird Conservancy.}

The Bell’s Vireo (Vireo bellii) is a small, active species that birder and author Pete Dunne describes as “a brush-hugging gremlin in vireo’s clothing.” Widely distributed across the central and southwestern United States, this busy denizen of the underbrush, like its close relative the White-eyed Vireo, is more often heard than seen, betraying its presence with incessant, chattering songs and calls. A quick glimpse of the singer reveals a drab-colored, short-winged little bird with a relatively long tail that always seems to be in motion.

Four subspecies of Bell’s Vireo