When it comes to raising a family, American Robins have got it down. Approximately eight days after the male and female mate, the female builds the nest. A few days later, she lays eggs. She sits on the eggs for 18 hours a day, and the eggs hatch in about three weeks. Both parents feed the…

Roger Tory Peterson, the best known American figure of 20th Century birdwatching, offered help on birding by ear. Whenever he could, he provided a catchphrase to identify a bird's song. "Witchety-witchety-witchety" captures the song of this Common Yellowthroat. The California Quail seems…

If you're near High Island, Texas in the spring, you might witness a "fallout," one of the great spectacles of bird migration. Thousands of birds, including Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, orioles, Painted Buntings, and warblers of all kinds, as well as tanagers and Indigo Buntings, like this one…

El saltarín barbiblanco vive en Trinidad y en gran parte de Sudamérica. Los machos cortejan a las hembras con chasquidos de alas que suenan como petardos. Un grupo de machos revolotea rápidamente de un tallo delgado y sin hojas a otro, apenas a unos 30 centímetros del suelo. Cuando el…

The male Ruffed Grouse stands on a resonant fallen log in the shelter of a brushy thicket, thumping the air with his wings. He raises them and, cupping them forward, beats the air. He's slow at first, then faster, creating a reverberating drum roll. This announces his territory and his…

En la primavera, millones de pájaros cantores, como este chipe peregrino, migran al norte atravesando el Golfo de México desde Yucatán hasta el sureste de Estados Unidos. Cuando las aves se encuentran con tormentas o vientos en contra, muchas de ellas morirán. ¿Para qué arriesgarse a morir…

There’s just something about penguins. Pleasantly plump, they stand upright and teeter like toddlers. Although often depicted in black and white, most are actually more colorful. Seven species have long, jaunty golden feather tufts above their eyes. King Penguins and Emperor Penguins have…

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are the only hummingbirds that nest in the Eastern states. Most Ruby-throats spend the winter in Central America. By March, some males are already returning to the Southeast. But it's well into April before they reach the northern states. Female hummingbirds…

La plañidera cenicienta es una pequeña ave gris cenizo que vive en el bajo dosel del bosque de la cuenca amazónica. Y ha llevado la mimetización al siguiente nivel: Cuando se ve desde arriba, acostado solo en su nido en forma de copa, su polluelo es casi idéntico a una oruga altamente…

The month of April inspires poets, sometimes with contradictory results. Poet TS Eliot describes April as "the cruelest month." Shakespeare strikes an upbeat note, writing, "April hath put a spirit of youth in everything." Let April speak for itself. Listen to the birds.