Vol. 44 // Can you guess the age of the oldest wild bird? 👵

This is your friendly reminder that it’s summer in Australia right now. (via @birdsofoz)

Bird of the Week: The Snow Bunting

Photo by Hal Trachtenberg (Flickr)

Found in North America

Hear Their Calls

These past couple of weeks may have been a snowy winter wonderland for some of you, which is actually the perfect time to spot the Snow Bunting. This is the season these small black and white birds gather in the hundreds on snowy fields and near bodies of water throughout Canada and the northern United States. 

They forage along the ground looking for seeds and insects and nest in pairs in protected (and chilly) spots, such as holes in the ground or cracks in rocks. Males arrive to the breeding grounds early, sometimes in subzero temperatures, to stake out the best spots.

Fun fact: Snow Buntings’ coloring changes depending on whether or not it’s breeding season. In summer, they return to barren tundras to nest, and they have mostly brown backs with white heads. But in winter, their back feathers turn black, and they have a distinctive look as they flit through the snow.

Photo by Tom Murray (Flickr)

Photo by National Marine Sanctuaries (Flickr)

👂 Listen up 
Flying Colors original content: The fascinating tech behind Merlin, the bird ID app
Simply hold your phone in the air to ID the birds you hear around you, and learn to identify birds by their calls.

👵 Read
The long, wondrous life of Wisdom the Albatross
At 71, the oldest known wild bird in the world has quite the story.

🪶 Can you relate?
POV: Birding with my Dad
Tell the truth: Are you more of a Dad or an innocent bystander along for the birding ride?

🎯 Learn
Birdwatching is going high-tech thanks to this new tool
Birdflow forecasts birds’ migrations based on data reported to eBird on their past locations, which could give birders a leg up.

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