Eastern Meadowlark

Scientific Name: Sturnella Magna

Population Estimate: 10M

Range / Habitat: The eastern meadowlark is one of the most widely distributed species of songbird. It is native to North and Central America, with its range extending into South America.  It is present throughout the year in much of eastern North America, Central America and the north of South America, breeding from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, south to the north-east of Brazil.

Field Notes: Distinctive, medium-sized songbird often found on perches. Dappled brown and black upperparts with bright yellow neck, chest, belly and forehead. Black bib. Characteristic song with slurred, flute-like whistles. Can overlap with Western Meadowlark in places, where best differentiated by voice. The feathers on its back are a mixture of browns and blacks, with an overlaid pattern of darker streaks and bars. Its underparts are bright yellow and there is a black ‘V’ across the chest.

Personal Notes:

Bald Eagle

Scientific Name: Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Population Estimate: 300K

Range / Habitat: Found in wooded areas near water, breeding in Alaska, Canada, and parts of the upper midwest. Winters throughout the rest of the US, down into Mexico.

Field Notes: Large bird with hooked bill often seen soaring. Adults unmistakable with white head and tail. Juveniles are as large but mottled brown and white. In years two and three they develop an eyestripe as in the top photos. Adult plumage attained in the fourth year. Golden Eagle similar size and coloration as a juvenile Bald Eagle but with wrist spots in the juvenile and pale trailing edge in the adult.

Personal Notes: A dramatic and imposing bird, we saw a Bald Eagle feasting on the same carcass as several Common Raven in northern Minnesota and the eagle was easily twice as large. We are fortunate to see many of these birds Minnesota as it has the largest population of Bald Eagles of any state after Alaska.

Red-tailed Hawk

Scientific Name: Buteo jamaicensis

Population Estimate: 2M, Least Concern status

Range: Year-round throughout the United States and most of Mexico. Summers extends into Canada and Alaska.

Field Notes: The most common hawk in the United States. There are so many morphs it makes my head spin (see the Field Marks section on the Cornell site). The most reliable field note seems to be the red tail as in the top two photos above. I'm sure there are other ways to differentiate hawks, both in flight and while perched, but I just don't know them yet. I'll get back to you when I do.

Personal Notes: We have tracked many of these birds thinking they were something "different" only to find they were, while still majestic, the Red-tailed Hawk. As an aside, if you see it perching along the freeway in the United States, it's a Red-tailed Hawk. Really. Don't keep going back and forth on the freeway....

Ring-billed Gull

Scientific Name: Larus delawarensis

Population Estimate: 2.6M

Range: Summers in the northern US and into Canada. Winters along both US coasts, in the southern US and into Mexico.

Field Notes: Medium-sized gull with white head and light grey mantle. Bill yellow with black ring (or tip) at all ages. Legs are yellow. Mew Gull with darker mantle and thinner bill without black ring.

Personal Notes: Common gull in Minnesota in the summer. Amazing seeing thousands of these gulls migrating through Missouri on New Year's Day.