The Institute for Bird Populations

Photo of a Townsend's Solitaire perched at the top of a juniper by Charles Gates. Text on the photo says "Unsolicited Bird Fact: If Townsend's Solitaires drank cocktails, their drink of choice would probably be a gin and tonic. During the winter they eat almost exclusively juniper berries. During the breeding season, solitaires move into higher elevation (or latitude) coniferous forests where they feed primarily on insects. If we knew anything we'd make a gin and name it after these elegant birds.

Did you ask for a bird fact? No, but you're getting one whether you like it or not. 🪶

Photo of an Osprey perched above a nest on a platform with powerlines in the background.

Our comms specialist saw her FOY (first-of-the-year) Osprey in western Colorado today. Have you seen any FOY migratory birds yet? 🪶

That makes a little more sense. We could see them poking their bills in cow-pies for bugs maybe.

Graphic with old parchment background and the following text: YE OLDE FOLK NAMES FOR NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS PART 2 The answers: 1. Baldpate= American Wigeon 2. Bog-pumper=American Bittern 3. Cherry-bird= Cedar Waxwing 4. Chewink= Eastern/Spotted Towhee 5. Red-eyed Greenlet= Red-eyed Vireo 6. Ground-Robin=Eastern/Spotted Towhee 7. Hairbird= Chipping Sparrow 8. Hell-diver= Horned Grebe 9. Shite-poke= Green Heron 10. Log-cock= Pileated Woodpecker

The answers to yesterday's Ye Olde Bird Names quiz 🪶

Cormies are so beautiful close up. The first time I really saw a double-crested's eyes, I think I gasped, because they are so rarely presented as pretty birds. You look this good, you can have all the fish.

Graphic with old parchment background and the following text: YE OLDE FOLK NAMES FOR NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS PART 2 Can you ID these species? 1. Baldpate 2. Bog-pumper 3. Cherry-bird 4. Chewink 5. Red-eyed Greenlet 6. Ground-Robin 7. Hairbird 8. Hell-diver 9. Shite-poke 10. Log-cock We'll post the answers tomorrow.

Another edition of folknames for birds 🪶

This one was definitely tricky! No winner this week- we'll try to be a little nicer next week! You all are just so good at this, we have to test your limits 🪶

Photo of a Lark Bunting standing on pinkish gravel by Mick Thompson.

🪶 The answer to this week's #BitOBird quiz is....Lark Bunting! Congrats to our winner! Don't worry if you missed it this week, we'll post another quiz next Monday at 11am ET/10am CT/9am MT/8am PT.

The clue for the #BitOBird game: a close-up photo of a portion of a bird.

Here's the clue for this week's #BitOBird game! Can you ID this bird from just this little bit? (Note: we stick to North American birds, if not we’ll tell you.) 1st to reply w/ the correct answer gets bird nerd bragging rights. If you're stumped, we'll post the answer in 2 hrs 🪶

Photo by Judy Gallagher of a Palm Warbler eating a bit of a Dorito chip off a sidewalk. Text on the graphic says: Hope you enjoy good snacks with friends this weekend. This "chipe" is enjoying a chip! IN MExico, THE PALM WARBLER IS KNOWN AS '"CHIPE PLAYERO"

🪶Hope you have some fun this weekend!

Photo of a Varied Thrush calling by Byrant Olsen. Text on graphic says: New Ways Of Listening To Birds Create Opportunities For Understanding Bird Ecology & Pose Challenges IBP researchers outline methodology for analyzing passive acoustic monitoring data to learn more about seasonal timing of bird behavior.

🪶New bioacoustics research from IBP! Read about it in our latest blog post and download the open access paper here=> https://bit.ly/4sixzOt

YE OLDE FOLK NAMES FOR NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS The answers: 1. Snowbird= Dark-eyed Junco 2. Raincrow=Yellow-billed Cuckoo 3. Fool Hen = Spruce Grouse 4. Thistlebird= American Goldfinch 5. Labrador Twister= American Woodcock 6. Lawyer=Black-necked Stilt 7. Ol' Cranky= Great Blue Heron 8. Holstein Pheasant= Black-billed Magpie 9. Meadow Chippy= Seaside Sparrow 10. Smutty-nosed Coot= Black Scoter

The answers to yesterday's post 🪶

A small yellow bird is held in a human hand with a gray wing extended.

A fine net is extended between two metal poles in an oak woodland.

A brownish gray bird with white spots on the back, is held in a human hand with one blue wing extended.

A blue bird with an orange breast and white belly is held on it's back in a human hand. One foot is extended while the leg diameter is measured with a tool. A toolbox with bird banding tools is in the background.

Long term bird banding tells us which #birds are present & pop. & demography trends. Since 2021 we've banded birds in the #Baraboo Hills. Data go to @instbirdpop.bsky.social supporting knowledge of local & regional birds.
***Birds handled by trained researchers w/ federal Bird Banding Lab permit

An X-ray of a penguin showing the knees much higher up than you'd think

Turns out penguins do have knees. They're just not where you think they ought to be.

(Can you tell I'm trying to distract you from our collective sense of impending doom by putting out the most random content imaginable?!)

Old style parchment background with the following text: YE OLDE FOLK NAMES FOR NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS Can you ID these species? 1. Snowbird 2. Raincrow 3. Fool Hen 4. Thistlebird 5. Labrador Twister 6. Lawyer 7. Ol' Cranky 8. Holstein Pheasant 9. Meadow Chippy 10. Smutty-nosed Coot We'll post the answers tomorrow.

🪶Some bird fun for Monday

"But as the feathers age, those tips wear off, and the more brilliant coloring emerges, often in time to look especially attractive when breeding season arrives. " 2/2 🪶

🪶 Nobody guessed it! We chose this photo because it was interesting how much gray and buff was on the body coverts. Our banding queen Dani K. says "sometimes birds have lighter tipping to their feathers when they grow in, e.g., robins or starlings...1/2"

Photo of a male Northern Cardinal in the snow by Rob Kleine.

🪶 The answer to this week's #BitOBird quiz is....Northern Cardinal! Congrats to our winner! Don't worry if you missed it this week, we'll post another quiz next Monday at 11am ET/10am CT/9am MT/8am PT.

The clue for the #BitOBird game: a close-up photo of a portion of a bird.

Here's the clue for this week's #BitOBird game! Can you ID this bird from just this little bit? (Note: we stick to North American birds, if not we’ll tell you.) 1st to reply w/ the correct answer gets bird nerd bragging rights. If you're stumped, we'll post the answer in 2 hrs 🪶

Photo of a Song Sparrow standing on snowy ground with a mini bottle of Smirnoff vodka at it's feet.

🪶 Make good choices friends!

🪶

After a Devastating Bird Flu Outbreak, Scotland's Seabirds Are Slowly Recovering—and So Are the Scientists Who Witnessed Their Decline The world’s largest colony of northern gannets was decimated by bird flu in 2022. Now, as their numbers climb again, researchers are collecting data to understand the virus’ lasting effects

My story for @biographic.bsky.social on the aftermath of HPAI in Northern Gannett colonies was picked up by Smithsonian Magazine! A nice thing to see while resurfacing briefly during another round of kid sick days...

Chart featuring the heads of ten Northern Flickers. Text at top reads "October 2025-February 2026 intergrade and aberrant Northern Flickers". Each individual flicker is illustrated with its unique head pattern, including moustache color, face color, crown color, and presence or absence of red on the nape. Each bird also has a date it was first recorded (month and year), is marked male or female, and has a swatch showing the underwing color. There are five females and five males and each one of them is distinctly identifiable because of its combination of traits.

Here's this winter's full cast of characters! Lots of new intergrade N. Flickers at my backyard feeders this year, not so many returning from previous years, though there are a few. "Yellow" has been an especially unusual standout.

See reply for what makes these birds special.

🎨🪶🧪 #BirdArt #SciArt

Close-up photo of the head of a Costa's Hummingbird by Mick Thompson.

🪶A stunning portait of a Costa's Hummingbird by Mick Thompson. These gem-like birds live in the fast lane w/ a resting ❤️ rate of 500-900 beats per min & 200-300 breaths per min. To get a sense of how fast 500 beats or 300 breaths per min is, play w/ this online metronome: www.onlinemetronome.app

I remember first hearing about Wisdom when I started working with seabirds. One of my coworkers had worked on Midway and seen her. She was barely 50 then. That she has survived for two more decades, laid more eggs, fledged more chicks, never ceases to give me hope in the resilience of nature.

One of my favorite things to read every year is that Wisdom has returned to Midway. Have a great season, Queen.

She’s Back! Wisdom The Incredible Laysan Albatross Has Returned The world’s oldest known wild bird, Wisdom, the Laysan albatross, has returned to Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge to nest.

75 years old! 🪶🪶 Wisdom the Laysan Albatross has returned to Midway Atoll.
medium.com/discourse/sh...

Puffin aged 34 dies after being washed up in stormy weather Staff at an Aberdeenshire rescue centre were able to trace its history thanks to a ring on its foot.

“A Puffin aged 34 has died after being washed up on an Aberdeenshire beach in stormy weather”.

(The longevity record for Puffin is 42 years 21 days, a Skomer bird ringed as an adult and seen alive - colour rings read - in 2019).

#Seabirds

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

This is why I tag you!

Photo of a Ruffed Grouse by Eugene Beckes, with a zoomed in inset photo of the birds toes showing protrusions on the edges of its toes. Text on the graphic says: Unsolicited Bird Fact- Ruffed Grouse grow their own snowshoes! In the fall "toothlike pectinations" grow from the scales on the sides of their toes. These help distribute their weight and help keep them from punching through the snow's surface. In the spring, the pectinations fall off. Label for inset photo: Grouse "snowshoes" AKA "pectinations" make their toes look like millipedes

Did you ask for a bird fact? No, but you're getting one whether you like it or not. 🪶