Laura Kienlen Andy Bushell Birds of Minnesota Laura Kienlen Andy Bushell

21 Common Birds Common Loon (Gavia immer) Food Sources: Fish and aquatic insects Interesting Fact: Name comes from the Swedish word lom, meaning “lame” because the bird’s legs are set so far back that they walk awkwardly on land. They are very sensitive during nesting and they will abandon their nest.

21 Common Birds Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) Food Sources: Small fish, frogs, insects, and snakes. Interesting Fact: The Great Blue Heron flies holding its neck in an “S” shape and barks like a dog when it is startled.

21 Common Birds Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) Food Sources: Aquatic plants, insects, and seeds. The Canada Goose was eliminated from Minnesota in the 1930s and early 1940s and had to be reintroduced and adapt to our environment.

21 Common Birds Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) Food Sources: Seeds, plants, aquatic insects, can be seen at feeders with corn. The Mallard is the most abundant and widespread waterfowl, with its estimated world population now at 29,000,000 to 30,000,000.

21 Common Birds Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) Food Sources: Aquatic insects, plants, seeds. The Wood Duck was nearly extinct around 1900 due to overhunting. Young stay in nest for 24 hours after hatching, then jump from up to 30 feet to the ground or water to their mother.

21 Common Birds Red-Tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) Food Sources: Mice, birds, snakes, insects, mammals. The Red-Tailed Hawk returns to the same nest every year, and obtains the red feather on their tail in their second year of life.

21 Common Birds Osprey (Pandion halietus) Food Source: Fish The Osprey is the only raptor that plunges feet first into the water to catch fish and carries its fish in a head-first position for better aerodynamics.

21 Common Birds Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) Food Source: Fish, carrion, birds (mainly ducks). Sometimes Bald Eagles nests can weigh up to 1,000 pounds. Minnesota has one of the largest breeding populations in the lower 48 states.

21 Common Birds American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) Food Source: Fruit, insects, mammals, fish, carrion, seed/suet feeders. American Crows collect and store bright , shiny objects in the nest. They are able to mimic other birds and human voices.

21 Common Birds Red-Headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) Food Source: Insects, nuts, fruit, seed/suet feeders. This Woodpecker uses dead and rotten trees to nest in as it is not as well adapted for drilling holes.

21 Common Birds Ring-Necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) Food Source: Insects, seeds, fruit. This bird was originally introduced to the United States from China in the late 1800s.

21 Common Birds Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) Food Source: Insects, seeds, fruit. Wild Turkeys are strong fliers that can reach speeds of 60 mph. Their eyesight is three times better than the eyesight of humans.

21 Common Birds American Robin (Turdus migratorius) Food Source: Insects, fruit, berries, earthworms. A group of this bird is commonly known as a “worm” and they have been seen in water up to their belly trying to catch small fish.

21 Common Birds Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) Food Source: Insects, fruit The Eastern Bluebird’s numbers have declined because of competition from starlings and house sparrows.

21 Common Birds Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) Food Source: Seeds, insects, fruit, seed feeders Male Cardinals that have a brighter red color feed at higher rated and have greater reproductive success.

21 Common Birds American Goldfinch (Carduelis tristis) Food Source: Seeds, insects, seed feeders The American Goldfinch changes from winter plumage to breeding plumage by a complete molt of its body feathers. It is the only member of its family to have this second molt in the spring; all the other species have just one molt each year in the fall.

21 Common Birds Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) Food Source: Insects, prefers beetles, wasps and flies. The Barn Swallow builds a mud nest that uses up to 1,000 beak loads of mud and drinks while it is in flight.

21 Common Birds Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) Food Source: Insects, seeds, fruit, carrion, nuts, ground feeders with corn. Extremely intelligent bird that will mimic a hawk to scatter birds at a feeder. Their feathers don’t have blue pigment, the refracted sunlight casts blue light.

21 Common Birds Northern Oriole (Icterus galbula) Food Source: Insects, fruit, nectar The Baltimore Oriole hybridizes extensively with the Bullock's Oriole where their ranges overlap in the Great Plains. The two species were considered the same for a while and called the Northern Oriole, but recently, they were separated again.

21 Common Birds Ruby Throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) Food Source: Nectar, insects The only bird that is able to fly backward. The wings flap 50-60 times each second, their heart pumps 1,260 beats per minute, and it breathes 250 times per minute.

21 Common Birds Common Raven (Corvus corax) Food Source: Insects, fruit, small animals, carrion. Common Ravens have been seen flying upside down for nearly one kilometer and are considered to be the most intelligent of all birds.

Works Cited http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/staticfiles/NGS/Shared/StaticFiles/animals/images/800/common-loon.jpg picture 2/27/09 http://www.alaska-in-pictures.com/data/media/4/mature-bald-eagle-group_847.jpg picture 2/27/09 http://www.majestyofbirds.com/w_Cooper'sHawkdiving_lrg.jpg picture 2/27/09