Why Is That Cardinal Bald? Head Molt in Cardinals and Blue Jays
A cardinal or blue jay with a completely bare black head in late summer is almost certainly going through a normal molt. Most birds replace head feathers gradually, but some…
Backyard Birds
Identification guides for the birds that turn up in American yards — what they look like, where they live, and what brings them to a feeder.
The Great Backyard Bird Count: How to Take Part
The Great Backyard Bird Count runs over four days in mid-February, Friday through Monday. You watch birds for at least fifteen minutes on one or more of those days, count…
Black-capped Chickadee: How to Attract Them and Why They’re Remarkable
Black oil sunflower in a tube feeder, suet in winter, and a nest box with a 1⅛ inch entrance hole. Chickadees are usually the first birds to find a new…
American Goldfinch: How to Attract Them Year-Round
Offer fresh nyjer in a small-port feeder or mesh sock, or sunflower chips, and keep it clean. The single most common reason a goldfinch feeder stops working is stale nyjer…
Blue Jay: How to Attract Them (And Why They’re Worth Having)
Offer whole peanuts in the shell or striped sunflower on a platform or tray feeder — jays need somewhere to stand and something substantial to carry off. They usually find…
Small Brown Birds: How to Tell Them Apart
Stop looking at the brown. Check the bill first — short and conical means a seed-eater, thin and pointed means a wren. Then check the breast: cleanly streaked, blurrily streaked,…
Northern Cardinal: How to Attract Them to Your Yard
Cardinals want somewhere to stand while they eat. Offer black oil sunflower or safflower on a hopper or platform feeder rather than a tube, keep dense shrubs within reach for…
Common Backyard Birds of North America: How to Identify What’s at Your Feeder
Work through four things in order: size compared to a familiar bird, bill shape, color pattern, and behavior. Color is the clue everyone reaches for first and the one that…