Perchers

More than half of all birds belong to the order Passeriformes, sometimes referred to as the "Perching Birds", or even less accurately "Songbirds". I started this page as a place for all Passeriformes photos, but when the number of photos grew too large I decided to subdivide a bit more. I've therefore pulled out the warblers and given them a page of their own, and likewise the perchers that commonly visit our feeders also now get a page of their own.

This is an easily recognized bird: an American Robin (Turdus migratorius).

This is a Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) - a small species with a surprisingly loud voice.

Here are a couple of male Orioles: an Orchard Oriole (Icterus spurius) on the left, and a Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula) on the right.

The state bird of Texas: the Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottis). They're quite territorial, and like to sit on tall structures while using their large musical repertoire to either impress or intimidate other Mockingbirds.

These are American Redstarts (Setophaga ruticilla). That's a male on the left, and a female on the right.

This is an Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe). They are constantly bobbing their tails, and dart momentarily off to catch insects on the wing before returning to the same perch.

These are male (top) and female (bottom) Summer Tanagers (Piranga rubra).

I'm not certain, but I believe this might be a Least Flycatcher (Empidonax minimus), somewhat similar to the Eastern Phoebe shown above.

This is an Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea).

Here is a flock of Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum) that stopped for water at our pond. They get their name from the wingtip structure that looks like a drop of red wax (visible on several of these birds if you click on the picture to zoom in).

Here's another blue bird, a relative of our red Cardinals. It's called a Blue Grosbeak (Passerina caerulea). They're migrants, and this picture was taken early in the migration season when the full blue coloration had only just started coming in.

This is a Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis), a species that gets its name from the fact that their calls sometimes sound like a cat's mewing.

This is a European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris). It's not native to the Americas; it was deliberately brought over by people who thought that every bird mentioned in any of Shakespeare's plays ought to live here. They have adapted well to human civilization, and can now be found in large flocks in nearly every American city.

This is a Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus). They're also called Butcherbirds, a name they acquired due to their occasional habit of hanging prey (insects and lizards) on thorns or barbed wire for later eating.

Here is another all-black bird, much larger than Starlings or Grackles (pictured on my "Feeder Perchers" page). It's an American Crow (Corvus brachyrhyncos). I very rarely see Crows at my house, though they are very common in Seabrook.

Here is a Swainsons Thrush (Catharus ustulatus). Thrushes are usually heard rather than seen, since they like to hide in the dark underbrush of forests.

These are male and female Red-Winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus). Only the adult males live up to the name; the females have brown camouflage coloration to blend in with the marsh grasses where they make their nests.

This little fellow is a Ruby-Crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula). The lighting is terrible in this photo, but if you click to zoom in you can just barely see a tiny but bold patch of red right at the top of the head. It's usually not visible; I got lucky with this photo.

Not a great photo, but good enough to see the distinctive markings that definitely identify this as a Rose-Breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus).

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