SEARCH FOR LOST BIRDS - Key Persons
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- Southwest Regional Director
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- Digital Marketing Manager
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- Director of Conservation Partnerships
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- Southern Great Plains Science Coordinator
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- Director of Alliance for Zero Extinction and Key Biodiversity Area Programs
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- Associate Director, Impact Investment in Latin America & Caribbean
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- Bird Collision Glass Testing Program Coordinator
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- Lower Mississippi Valley Joint Venture Science Coordinator
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- Grants & Finance Coordinator
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- Southwest Riparian Partner Biologist
Barn Swallows usually produce two broods per season. Fledglings from the first hatching, sometimes joined by unrelated swallows, may join in to help raise the second brood. These birds are aggressive nest defenders and will mob potential predators that approach too closely.
In an interesting symbiosis, Barn Swallows sometimes nest just below Osprey nests. As the Osprey defends its own nest and young from predators, it also provides protection for the swallows. In turn, the Barn Swallow's high-pitched, twittering alarm calls likely alert the Osprey to intruders.
Although still abundant and widespread, Barn Swallow populations in the United States and Canada have shown a cumulative decline of 38 percent since 1970, according to the Partners in Flight 2016 Landbird Conservation Plan.
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- Appalachian Mountains Joint Venture Science Coordinator
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- Brazil Conservation Program Coordinator
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- Contract Database Manager
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- Oceans and Islands Director
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- Brazil Conservation Program Coordinator
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- Bird City Americas Director & Glass Collisions Program Manager
At first blush, the Rusty Blackbird's growing scarcity makes no sense. After all, much of the bird's breeding range in the boreal forest is remote and roadless, so human impact seems a less likely factor than in areas with cities and suburbs.
Job Titles:
- Lost Birds Project Coordinator
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- Central Hardwoods Joint Venture Science Coordinator
"Like others of its tribe, the Carolina Wren is the embodiment of tireless energy and activity," wrote ornithologist Arthur Cleveland Bent, "seldom still for a moment, as he dodges in and out of the underbrush or creeps over and around a pile of logs."
The Carolina Wren is a familiar backyard bird, like the Northern Cardinal and Downy Woodpecker, although it is more often heard than seen. For those interested in learning how to identify birds by voice, the Carolina Wren provides interesting lessons. Here's one: Although only males sing, the females provide backup.
The Carolina Wren is the largest wren species found in eastern North America. There are ten recognized subspecies, differing slightly in plumage color and detail. All can be identified by rich reddish brown and buff plumage, accented by a white stripe over the eye.
Once she lays eggs (usually four of them), the female incubates her clutch alone, sitting tight on her nest even if an intruder draws near. Both male and female feed the blind, helpless young, which mature quickly and are ready to leave the nest about two weeks after hatching. Fledglings may stay together for the rest of the season, while the parent birds get to work raising another brood. Although Carolina Wrens often raise two broods (or three in the South) in a breeding season, their nests are often parasitized by Brown-headed Cowbirds.
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- Glass Collisions Program Director
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- Vice President of Communications
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- California Central Coast Joint Venture Conservation Coordinator
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- Chief Financial & Operations Officer
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- Vice President of Threatened Species
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- Director of Information Technology
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- Kirtland 's Warbler Program Director and Conservation Specialist
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- Senior Conservation Scientist
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- Grant & Contract Subaward Specialist
In North America, one of the Peregrine Falcon's folk names is "duck hawk." As with other birds of prey such as the Red-tailed Hawk or Great Horned Owl, the female Peregrine Falcon is noticeably larger than the male, and females often hunt Blue-winged and Green-winged Teal and other duck species. A male Peregrine is called a "tiercel." This word derives from the old English word "tierce," meaning one-third, and refers to the size disparity between the sexes.
Pigeons and doves are other preferred Peregrine targets, particularly in suburban and urban areas. Like the Cooper's Hawk, the Peregrine Falcon also captures shorebirds and songbirds. It is quick to take advantage of prey that is abundant and available, also catching bats, other small mammals, lizards, and even insects.
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- Vice President, Southeast Region
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- International Conservation Project Officer
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- Vice President of Development
Although the Lark Bunting is still a common across most of its range, it is classified as a "Common Bird in Steep Decline" by Partners in Flight, with an 86 percent population loss noted from 1970-2014. In general, grassland birds in North America, including Northern Bobwhite and Bobolink, have experienced large population declines in the past 40 years.
Since grasshoppers make up a significant portion of the Lark Bunting's diet, pesticides are thought to have played a role in their decline, particularly on their breeding grounds. Large numbers of these birds also drown in water tanks used for livestock, particularly in drought years.
Predation of Lark Buntings at stock tanks by domestic cats can be high. The species is also vulnerable to collisions.
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- Communications and Media Manager
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- Director of International Programs and Partnerships
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- Director of Invasive Species Programs
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- Director of Government Relations, Birds and Pesticides Campaign
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- Deputy Director of Development
Indigo Buntings, like their close relatives the Painted and Varied Bunting s, alter their diet seasonally. They feast on spiders and small insects during the summer, getting the extra protein they need for successful nesting, then eat seeds, buds, and berries during migration and in winter. The buntings can be beneficial to farmers, as they eat many insect pests and weed seeds.
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- Director of Major Gifts and Planned Giving
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- Vice President and CHJV Coordinator
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- Conservation Delivery Specialist
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- Director of Conservation Advocacy and Director of the Bird Conservation Alliance
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- Northwest Regional Director
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- Northern Plains Conservation Specialist
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- Communications Specialist for AMJV
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- Rio Grande Joint Venture Assistant Coordinator
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- Central Regional Director
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- Bird City Americas Coordinator
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- Director of Threatened Species Outreach
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- Director of Public Relations
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- Director of Digital Communications
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- Rio Grande Joint Venture Coordinator
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- Texas Coastal Outreach Coordinator
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- Oaks and Prairies Joint Venture Conservation Delivery Specialist
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- Northern Great Plains Program Manager
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- GIS Specialist - Atlantic Coast Joint Venture
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- Kirtland 's Warbler Program Coordinator
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- Coastal Program Coordinator - TX
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- Conservation Delivery Coordinator
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- Northwest Program Officer
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- Grants & Finance Coordinator
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- Great Lakes Private Lands Director
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- International Project Officer
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- Director of Migratory Bird Habitats in Latin America and the Caribbean
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- Vice President, Regional Operations
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- Northern Great Plains Conservation Specialist
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- Wildlife Habitat Specialist
During nesting season, a male Peregrine establishes a territory, then courts a passing female with acrobatic aerial displays, including dives, loops, and rolls. The male also passes food to the female on the wing, the female rolling over mid-air to accept it from his talons. Once mated, the female Peregrine chooses a nest site on a high, remote cliff or ledge. This simple "scrape" is merely a shallow depression in the rocks and soil, sometimes fringed with twigs and grass. Peregrine Falcons have adapted well to city living, and will nest on tall buildings and bridges in addition to rocky cliffs.
Job Titles:
- Golden - Winged Warbler Public Lands Coordinator
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- Gulf Conservation Program Manager
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- OPJV Conservation Coordinator
Nonbreeding or "fall" Rusty Blackbirds are easiest to identify because they sport rust-tinged body and wing feathers, plus broad, dark masks punctuated by their piercing yellow eyes. In this plumage, the female is most striking, with straw-colored buff on her head and breast. The male is darker but still has rust feathers on wings and head.
In breeding plumage, the male is more colorful than the female, donning glossy purplish plumage that recalls the Common Grackle, except that the Rusty Blackbird's tail is shorter and rounded, not graduated, and its bill is shorter and thinner. The breeding female Rusty Blackbird is flat brown overall with subtle barring and, of course, those yellow eyes.
Away from the East Coast, the Rusty Blackbird's range overlaps with that of the closely related and very similar Brewer's Blackbird. The Brewer's Blackbird is far more likely to be seen away from water and near people - on lawns, in parking lots, on farms and feed lots, and in neighborhood parks. Sometimes, though, these species occur in the same areas, and visual identification can be a challenge.
The Brewer's Blackbird has basically the same size and shape as the Rusty Blackbird, except:
In breeding plumage, male Brewer's Blackbirds are much glossier purple. In nonbreeding plumage, most male Brewer's Blackbirds remain somewhat glossy, although some recall Rusty Blackbirds, but lack any rust in the wings.
Female Brewer's Blackbirds have a brown-gray coloration similar to that of female Rusty Blackbirds, but they almost always have dark eyes.
Like the Saltmarsh Sparrow and other ground-nesting species, the Sierra Madre Sparrow is secretive, preferring to run rather than fly. During breeding season, however, males perch on tall grass stalks and other conspicuous places, sounding off in a burry, see-sawing song.
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- Human Resources Coordinator
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- Vice President, US and Canada
The trim little Sierra Madre Sparrow was first discovered in 1889 in the state of Jalisco, Mexico. It resembles a smaller Song Sparrow with more rust color in the wings and tear-drop-shaped spots on its underside, instead of the Song Sparrow's blurry streaks. Both species show a blackish central breast spot.
Like other grassland species such as the Eastern Meadowlark and Sprague's Pipit, the Sierra Madre Sparrow forages on the ground for a variety of insects and seeds. It has been observed feeding in agricultural fields, as well as in nearby pine forest edges.
Unlike many of its more elusive relatives, the Song Sparrow is common in suburban and even urban areas. In brightly lit urban areas, some Song Sparrows will sing through the night, apparently thinking the sun is just about to rise!
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- Grants & Finance Database Coordinator
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- Birds, Not Mosquitoes Project Coordinator
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- Appalachian Mountain Joint Venture Coordinator
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- General Counsel
- Vice President
The Wood Duck is an omnivore, eating a variety of aquatic plants, nuts, and seeds, as well as aquatic insects, snails, tadpoles, and salamanders. Its narrow bill allows it to deftly pick up plants or prey from water, land, or vegetation; an expandable esophagus allows it to swallow multiple acorns, a favorite food. One Wood Duck's esophagus reportedly held 30 acorns!
In Florida, Wood Storks breed during the late winter dry season, when their fish prey are concentrated in shrinking pools. They regularly fly up to 12 miles from the nesting colony while foraging and will go much farther during droughts in search of food.
Wood Storks have a specialized style of feeding, relying on touch to catch fish. A group feeds by slowly wading through the water with open bills; when a bird's bill touches a fish, it quickly snap it shut to secure the meal.
Although not considered true migrants, juvenile Wood Storks disperse northward after the breeding season, and adults move in response to food availability. They are impressive fliers, with flocks soaring as high as 6,000 feet on warm air thermals.
Wood Stork occurs at several reserves in ABC's Latin American Bird Reserve Network; Barba Azul Reserve in Bolivia is a particularly good place to spot them.
"On my last trip to Barba Azul, I saw flocks of Wood Storks congregating in the wetlands," said ABC's Dan Lebbin. "Most were juvenile birds following a few adults, who were adeptly capturing red-bellied piranhas out of shallow lagoons and gulping them down."
The robust, long-legged Wood Thrush is closely related to the American Robin and thrushes of the genus Catharus, such as the Bicknell's Thrush and Swainson's Thrush. Its scientific name, Hylocichla mustelina, translates roughly as "weasel-colored woodland thrush," a reference to this bird's rich red-brown head, back, wings, and tail. A few of its more evocative folk names include Song Thrush, Swamp Angel, and Wood Robin.
Once a familiar summer sound throughout eastern U.S. forests, the Wood Thrush's haunting, flute-like song is, sadly, heard in fewer places these days. How do Wood Thrushes create such beautiful songs?
Wood Thrushes are seasonally monogamous, meaning a pair will stay together for the duration of one breeding cycle. However, extra-pair copulation is common, and up to 40 percent of a female's young may not be fathered by its mate! This breeding strategy likely promotes greater genetic diversity in the young, while assuring that a steady male remains to help feed the chicks and defend territory.