Birds of New Hampshire & Vermont Field Guide. Stan Tekiela
lacks its long tail. The male Brown-headed Cowbird is the same size, but it has a brown head and longer tail.
Stan’s Notes: A great songster, this bird can mimic other birds and sounds. Often displaces woodpeckers, chickadees and other cavity-nesting birds. Can be very aggressive and destroy eggs or young of other birds. Jaws are designed to be the most powerful when opening; the birds can pry crevices apart to locate hidden insects. Bill changes color with the seasons: yellow in spring, gray in autumn. Gathers in the hundreds in autumn. Not a native bird, it was introduced to New York City in 1890-91 from Europe.
male
Red-winged Blackbird
Agelaius phoeniceus
YEAR-ROUND
SUMMER
| Size: | 8½" (22 cm) |
| Male: | Jet-black bird with red and yellow shoulder patches on upper wings. Pointed black bill. |
| Female: | heavily streaked brown bird with a pointed brown bill and white eyebrows |
| Juvenile: | same as female |
| Nest: | cup; female builds; 2-3 broods per year |
| Eggs: | 3-4; bluish green with brown markings |
| Incubation: | 10-12 days; female incubates |
| Fledging: | 11-14 days; female and male feed young |
| Migration: | complete, to southeastern New Hampshire, southern states, Mexico and Central America |
| Food: | seeds, insects; will come to seed feeders |
| Compare: | Slightly larger than the male Brown-headed Cowbird, but is less iridescent and lacks the Cowbird’s brown head. Differs from all other blackbirds due to the red and yellow patches on its wings (epaulets). |
Stan’s Notes: One of the most widespread and numerous birds in New Hampshire and Vermont. It’s a sure sign of spring when these birds return to the marshes. Flocks with as many as 10,000 birds have been reported. Males arrive before females and defend their territories by singing from the top of surrounding vegetation. Male repeats his call from cattail tops while showing off his red and yellow wing bars (epaulets). Female chooses a mate and often nests over shallow water in thick stands of cattails. Can be aggressive when defending the nest. Feeds mostly on seeds in fall and spring, switching to insects in summer.
Common Grackle
Quiscalus quiscula
YEAR-ROUND
SUMMER
| Size: | 11-13" (28-33 cm) |
| Male: | Large black bird with an iridescent blue black head, a purple brown body, long black tail, long thin bill and bright golden eyes. |
| Female: | similar to male, only duller and smaller |
| Juvenile: | similar to female |
| Nest: | cup; female builds; 2 broods per year |
| Eggs: | 4-5; greenish white with brown markings |
| Incubation: | 13-14 days; female incubates |
| Fledging: | 16-20 days; female and male feed young |
| Migration: | complete to partial migrator in New Hamp-shire and Vermont; moves around in search of food |
| Food: | fruit, seeds, insects; comes to seed feeders |
| Compare: | European Starling is much smaller with a speckled appearance, and has a yellow bill during breeding season. Male Red-winged Blackbird has red and yellow wing markings (epaulets). |
Stan’s Notes: Usually nests in small colonies of up to 75 pairs but travels with other blackbird species in large flocks. Known to feed in farmers’ fields. The common name is derived from the Latin word graculus, meaning “to cough,” for its loud raspy call. Male holds its tail in a vertical keel-like position during flight. The flight pattern is usually level, as opposed to an undulating up-and-down movement. Unlike most birds, it has larger muscles for opening the mouth (rather than for closing it) and prying crevices apart to locate hidden insects.
American Coot
Fulica americana
MIGRATION
SUMMER
| Size: | 13-16" (33-40 cm) |
| Male: | Slate gray to black all over. White bill with a dark band near the tip. Green legs and feet. A small white patch near the base of the tail. Prominent red eyes. A small red patch above the bill between the eyes. |
| Female: | same as male |
| Juvenile: | much paler than adult, with a gray bill and same white rump patch |
| Nest: | cup; female and male build; 1 brood per year |
| Eggs: | 9-12; pinkish buff with brown markings |
| Incubation: | 21-25 days; female and male incubate |
| Fledging: | 49-52 days; female and male feed young |
| Migration: | complete, to southern states, Mexico and Central America |
| Food: | insects, aquatic plants |
| Compare: | Smaller than most other waterfowl. This is the only black water bird or duck-like bird with a white bill. |
Stan’s Notes: An excellent diver and swimmer, typically seen in large flocks on open water. Not a duck, as it doesn’t have webbed feet, but instead has large lobed toes. When taking off, scrambles across the surface of water with wings flapping. Bobs head while swimming. Anchors its floating nest to plants. Huge flocks of up to 1,000 birds gather for migration. The unusual common name “Coot” is of unknown origin, but in Middle English, the word coote was used to describe various waterfowl–perhaps it stuck. Also called Mud Hen. A favorite food of Bald Eagles.
Fish Crow
in flight
American Crow
Corvus brachyrhynchos
YEAR-ROUND
SUMMER
| Size: | 18" (45 cm) |
| Male: | All-black bird with black bill, legs and feet. Can have a purple sheen in direct sunlight. |
| Female: | same as male |
| Juvenile: | same as adult |
| Nest: | platform; female builds; 1 brood per year |
| Eggs: | 4-6; bluish to olive green with brown marks |
| Incubation: | 18 days; |