Tufted Puffins

I want to go to Alaska to see:

1. Tufted Puffins
2. Aurora Borealis

Mainly, for the puffins... definitely in the running for the cutest bird. Here is the pic I took at the Long Beach Aquarium:

State Birds

CALIFORNIA STATE BIRD

(national geographic)

California Quail

Callipepla californica

NEW YORK and MISSOURI STATE BIRD

(Louisville Audubon Society)

Eastern Bluebird
Sialia sialis

HAWAII STATE BIRD

(www.kilaueaadventure.com)

Nene (aka Hawaiian Goose)

Branta sandvicensis

MASSACHUSETTS STATE BIRD

Black-capped Chickadee

Poecile atricapilla

Northern Cardinal

Northern Cardinal
Cardinalis cardinalis

Range: From southern Canada through the East half of the USA, into the Southwest a bit, eastern Mexico, south to northern Guatemala and Belize
Habitat: woodlands, gardens, shrubland, swamps
Food: seeds, grains, fruit
Migration: None
Sexual Dimorphism: Males brighter red, female is dull red-brown
Reproduction: Sometimes mated male and females sing together before nesting.

Who loves phylogeny? Me!

Super confusing, incomplete and probably wrong

Birds are believed to have evolved from therapod dinosaurs in the Jurassic Period (150 - 200 million years ago) and the first known bird was archaeopteryx (now extinct).

Greater Prairie Chicken

Greater Prairie Chicken
Tympanuchus cupido

Range: North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, and Minnesota
Habitat: Prairies, tall grass, some times farm land
Food: primarily seeds and fruites, during summer insects and plants
Migration: None
Reproduction: Males display together by inflating air sacs in neck, raising ear feathers, stuttering around and hooting or booming

Yes, there is a Prairie Chicken Capital - it is Rothsay, Minnesota and it contains the worlds largest Prairie Chicken statue
http://www.worldslargestthings.com/minnesota/prairiechicken.htm

Bird Facts

• Longest and fleshiest tongue: Flamingos. Oh yeah.
• (thanks rachel)
  

• Largest Bird: Ostrich (up to 9 ft) (eyes bigger than brain)
  
• Smallest Bird: Bee Hummingbird
  

• Longest Migration: Arctic Tern

• Fastest Swimming Bird: Gentoo Penguin
• Fastest Flying Bird: Peregrine Falcon (124 mph?)
• Fastest Land Bird: Ostrich (up to 45 mph)

• Most Abundant Bird: Red-billed Quelea (Africa)

• Largest Wingspan: Wandering Albatross

• Largest egg: Ostrich
• Smallest egg: Hummingbird

• Emus cant walk backwards

Flightless Birds

1. Emu
2. Ostrich
3. Kiwi
4. Rhea
5. Penguin
6. Cassowary
7. Some Grebes
8. Some Comorants
9. Some ducks and teals
10. Some rails
11. Kakapo Parrot
    

Birdievolution

Recently, a paper came out which analyzed a T rex protein, collagen, and found that it was most closely related to birds!

Life List

1. Acorn Woodpecker
2. Allen’s Hummingbird
3. American Avocet
4. American Bittern
5. American Coot
6. American Crow
7. American Goldfinch
8. American Kestrel
9. American Robin
10. American Wigeon
11. Anna’s Hummingbird
12. Barn Swallow
13. Belted Kingfisher
14. Black Duck
15. Black Guan (4/07 Monteverde, Costa Rica)
16. Black Oystercatcher
17. Black Phoebe
18. Black Vulture (4/2/07 Arenal, Costa Rica)
19. Black-capped Chickadee
20. Black-crowned Night Heron
21. Blackpoll Warbler
22. Blue Jay
23. Blue-grey Tanager (4/2/07 Arenal, Costa Rica)
24. Boat-billed Heron (4/07 Cahuita, Costa Rica)
25. Brant
26. Brewer’s Blackbird
27. Brown Creeper
28. Brown Pelican
29. Brown-headed Cowbird
30. Buff-fronted Quail-Dove (4/07 Monteverde, Costa Rica)
31. Bufflehead
32. Bushtit
33. California Quail
34. California Towhee
35. Canada Geese
36. Cattle Egret
37. Cedar Waxwing
38. Chestnut-backed Chickadee
39. Chestnut-mandibled Toucan (4/2/07 Arenal, Costa Rica)
40. Common Grackle
41. Dark-eyed Junco
42. Double-crested Cormorant
43. Downy Woodpecker
44. Eastern Phoebe
45. European Starling
46. Evening Grosbeak
47. Fiery-billed Aracari (4/07 Manual Antonio, Costa Rica)
48. Golden-crowned Sparrow
49. Gray-headed Chachalaca (4/07 Monteverde, Costa Rica)
50. Great Blue Heron
51. Great Egret
52. Greater Yellowlegs
53. Great-tailed Grackle (4/2/07 Arenal, Costa Rica)
54. Green Heron
55. Hooded Merganser
56. House Finch
57. House Sparrow
58. Killdeer
59. Magnificent Frigatebird
60. Mallard
61. Montezuma Oropendola (4/2/07 Arenal, Costa Rica)
62. Morning Dove
63. Muscovy duck
64. Mute Swan
65. Northern Cardinal
66. Northern Flicker (yellow-shafted)
67. Northern Mockingbird
68. Northern Shoveler
69. Pale-billed Woodpecker (4/07, Costa Rica)
70. Phainopepla
71. Red Crossbill
72. Red-crowned Parrot
73. Red-shouldered Hawk
74. Red-tailed Hawk
75. Red-winged Blackbird
76. Resplendant Quetzal (4/07 Monteverde, Costa Rica)
77. Ring-necked Duck
78. Rock Dove
79. Ruddy Duck
80. Rufous-naped Wren (4/07 Montezume, Costa Rica)
81. Scarlet-rumped Tanager (4/2/07 Arenal, Costa Rica)
82. Scarlet-thighed Danis (4/2/07 Arenal, Costa Rica)
83. Snowy Egret
84. Snowy Plover
85. Song Sparrow
86. Spotted Dove
87. Spotted Towhee
88. Squirrel Cuckoo (4/07 Cahuita, Costa Rica)
89. Stellar’s Jay
90. Swallow-tail Kite (4/2/07 Arenal, Costa Rica)
91. Three-waddled Bellbird (4/07 Monteverde, Costa Rica)
92. Townsend’s Warbler
93. Tricolored Heron (4/07 Cahuita, Costa Rica)
94. Tufted Flycatcher (4/07 Monteverde, Costa Rica)
95. Tufted Tit Mouse
96. Turkey Vulture
97. Western Gull
98. Western Scrub Jay
99. White-breasted Nuthatch
100. White-crowned Sparrow
101. White-throated Magpie-Jay (4/07 Montezuma, Costa Rica)
102. White-throated Robin (4/07 Monteverde, Costa Rica)
103. Wood Duck
104. Yellow Warbler (4/2/07 Arenal, Costa Rica)
105. Yellow-rumped Warbler