The Birding Pro's Field Guides

11/04/2022

Bird of the Month: Rufous Hummingbird

This hummingbird is most often found in the western U.S., particularly during the warmer months, though a few wintering individuals are known to remain along the Gulf Coast during the winter. The Rufous is smaller than the length of a single credit card, and weighs slightly more than a dime.

06/03/2022

Bird of the Month: American Robin

The gregarious American Robin is often considered to be the harbinger of spring, with individuals beginning to sing their cheery, undulating songs as warmer weather approaches. As Emily Dickinson once wrote, "the robin is the one that interrupts the morn."

11/10/2021

Bird of the Month: House Finch

The visually arresting House Finch is a fixture of backyard feeders throughout the continent, particularly in cities and suburbs with open woods. Though only native to western North America, this species has swiftly colonized the East following releases from the illegal pet trade circa 1940.

13/09/2021

Bird of the Month: Caspian Tern

The gull-like Caspian is not a gull at all--in fact, it is the largest member of the tern family, a group of fish-catching birds which inhabits both oceanic coastlines and inland bodies of water. Upon sighting its preferred piscine prey, this species hovers before plunge-diving into the water headfirst.

09/08/2021

Bird of the Month: Great Egret

This large (nearly 40 in. long) and striking member of the heron family is found all throughout the continental United States, particularly in the warmer months. Watch this bird remain motionless in the marshy shallows with deftly coiled neck, ready to strike any fish that dares pass its way.

14/06/2021

Bird of the Month: Eastern Bluebird

This bird of open country is common across much of eastern and central North America, particularly in the Southeast. Though known to visit mealworm feeders, this species is perhaps best noticed as it sits on a conspicuous perch: scanning for potential invertebrate prey.

22/05/2021

Bird of the Month: Northern Flicker

This woodpecker is native to much of North America, and possesses a unique party trick--unlike other woodpeckers, which tend to stick to the trees, this species often descends to the forest floor in search of anthills to probe and pillage.

13/04/2021

Bird of the Month: Green Jay

This species of jay is the tropics' answer to suburban America's omnipresent Blue Jay. Individuals are found in Central and northern South America, with a range extending through the southern tip of Texas. If you live south of San Antonio, keep an eye on the feeders for this vividly appointed corvid!

21/03/2021

In the Sunday edition of this week's Akron Beacon Journal, book critic Barbara McIntyre reviews one of our recent releases, Birds of Greater Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Buffalo. For more information, feel free to click below:

In “Birds of Greater Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Buffalo,” Cleveland ornithologist Marc Parnell offers a new method of bird identification, the “birding by comparison approach."

10/03/2021

Bird of the Month: Atlantic Puffin

The Atlantic Puffin only graces terrestrial observers with its presence during the spring and summer breeding seasons, with individuals spending their days in the open ocean throughout the remainder of the year.

16/02/2021

Species of the Month: Northern Mockingbird

This species' Latin name, Mimus Polyglottos, literally translates as "mime of many languages." Individuals have been known to accurately imitate sirens, wind chimes, and the songs of other birds, an extraordinary talent which has captivated naturalists for centuries.

26/01/2021

Species of the Month: Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Between bouts of hovering, these diminutive birds often rest at a perch--plotting their next expedition!