European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) First brought to North America by Shakespeare enthusiasts in the nineteenth century, European Starlings are now among the continent’s most numerous songbirds. They are stocky black birds with short tails, triangular wings, and long, pointed bills. Though they’re sometimes resented for their abundance and aggressiveness, they’re still dazzling birds when you get a good look. Covered in white spots during winter, they turn dark and glossy in summer. For much of the year, they wheel through the sky and mob lawns in big, noisy flocks. This information, and more, can be found at The Cornell Lab of Ornithology. [D]

Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) [D]

Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) [D]

Barber Park - Boise, Idaho [D]

Barber Park - Boise, Idaho [D]

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) [male & female] One of the most familiar of ducks, the Mallard is found throughout North America and all across Eurasia. Where it does not occur naturally, it often has been introduced. It is found in all kinds of wetlands and is a familiar inhabitant of urban park ponds. Mallard pairs are generally monogamous but paired males actively pursue forced extra-pair copulations. Copulation between members of a pair usually takes place in the water after a long bout of elaborate displays. Forced copulations are not preceded by displays, and several males may chase a single female and mate with her. Both the female and male Mallards have distinct purple speculum edged with white, prominent in flight or at rest (though temporarily shedded during the annual summer moult). [D]

Barber Park - Boise, Idaho [D]

Barber Park - Boise, Idaho [D]

Barber Park - Boise, Idaho [D]

American Robin (Turdus migratorius) The quintessential early bird, American Robins are common sights on lawns across North America, where you often see them tugging earthworms out of the ground. Robins are popular birds for their warm orange breast, cheery song, and early appearance at the end of winter. Though they’re familiar town and city birds, American Robins are at home in wilder areas, too, including mountain forests and Alaskan wilderness. This information, and more, can be found at The Cornell Lab of Ornithology. [D]

American Robin (Turdus migratorius) [D]

American Robin (Turdus migratorius) [D]

Barber Park - Boise, Idaho [D]

Barber Park - Boise, Idaho [D]

Barber Park - Boise, Idaho [D]

Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) One of the most abundant birds across North America, and one of the most boldly colored, the Red-winged Blackbird is a familiar sight atop cattails, along soggy roadsides, and on telephone wires. Glossy-black males have scarlet-and-yellow shoulder patches they can puff up or hide depending on how confident they feel. Females are a subdued, streaky brown, almost like a large, dark sparrow. In the North, their early arrival and tumbling song are happy indications of the return of spring. This information, and more, can be found at The Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Barber Park - Boise, Idaho

Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)

Barber Park - Boise, Idaho

Barber Park - Boise, Idaho

Barber Park - Boise, Idaho

Barber Park - Boise, Idaho

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) [male & female] The Wood Duck is one of the most stunningly pretty of all waterfowl. Males are iridescent chestnut and green, with ornate patterns on nearly every feather; the elegant females have a distinctive profile and delicate white pattern around the eye. These birds live in wooded swamps, where they nest in holes in trees or in nest boxes put up around lake margins. They are one of the few duck species equipped with strong claws that can grip bark and perch on branches. This information, and more, can be found at The Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) [male]