# teambird birdabcs

For X: Xantus' Hummingbird.

I had to finally draw an extant species I've never seen before, but X didn't give me a lot of options. Since I didn't have a hummer in here yet, I had to fix that! And now I have to take a trip to Baja California to see one too!

10 34
2021-12-12

It's time, with W: White-throated Magpie-Jay

Widespread in Central America. Every bit as common, noisy, and mischievous as their Blue Jay cousins, and I never, ever get tired of seeing them. What a stunning corvid.

9 24
2021-12-11

Warning: extreme cute levels incoming for V: Varied Tit

Seeing one was a real highlight of my trip to South Korea in 2019. These colorful members of the tits (chickadees in North America) are pretty hard to beat. I love when common birds are so lovable.

11 35
2021-12-10

A true oddity for U today: Upland Sandpiper

Definitely a sandpiper, but it's found primarily in the midwestern prairies rather than on coastlines. I've only ever seen one, out on a big plain near the Mississippi River delta.

Also they have huge anime eyes.

3 13
2021-12-09

Today on T, Tinian Monarch (Ch: chichirikan tinian)

After WWII, only 40-50 of these birds remained but they've rebounded successfully. Once found only on Tinian, they now also breed in Guguan where a backup population has been established for conservation.

2 10
2021-12-08

Today's S, for Sandhill Crane

I got a little carried away and had to stop myself from turning this into an actual painting, but I think that hints at how beautiful I find these birds to be.

2 13
2021-12-07

Today for R, for Red Crossbill.

These finches have unusual bills for prying open pine cones to get at the seeds. Why no red on this bird? Because this is a female! Often, birds are named after adult male coloration, which can be very confusing!

3 20
2021-12-06

Today's is Q.

Qiliania, from prehistoric China, was tiny (about the size of a small sparrow) with long legs. One of the Enantiornithes, an ancient lineage of birds with clawed wings and toothy snouts.

And she's doin a big stretch. Bird yoga, anyone?

6 23
2021-12-05

Today for we have P, for the Pacific Kingfisher. As a type of forest kingfisher, they eat lizards, insects, small birds and small mammals more than they eat fish, and if you've worked in their habitat you can hear this image.

3 22
2021-12-04

All right you folks prefer cute over metal, don't you? So today's should be right up your alley. For O: Oregon Junco, a western subset of Dark-eyed Juncos that are the year-round epitome of round and cute. This one is taking a vigorous bath in a puddle.

13 37
2021-12-03

For today, N: Northern Shrike

Shrikes are predatory songbirds that hunt mice, lizards, smaller birds, and other prey just as successfully as the falcons far back in their ancestry. This one has caught a young Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler.

3 23
2021-12-02

Let's spin back to the other side of the Pacific again for today's M

The Mariana Fruit-Dove (Chamoru: paluman totot) is a genuine rainbow of color. It is a welcome sight in the rainforests of the Northern Mariana Islands + is the region's official bird.

5 26
2021-12-01

Today's is is L: Long-tailed Manakin

It takes around five years for males to obtain their adult colors. In this time, they partner with another male and practice their coordinated song and dance routine to impress a female - who only mates with one of them.

8 27
2021-11-30

For K: Killdeer.

This is in honor of one ridiculous Killdeer chick I attempted to photograph years ago. I'd say it was a failure but it's a memorable one. They're such goofy cotton balls with legs that NEVER STOP GOING.

9 40
2021-11-29

Another J is for the ever-adorable Java Sparrow. This is the first bird in this series that I've only seen outside its native range, as they've been introduced to the Hawaiian Islands. They're an endangered species in their home islands in Indonesia.

20 57
2021-11-28

Happy Friday! Today's is I for 'I'iwi!

We're back in the Pacific islands for this charismatic little Hawaiian bird, seen here foraging on ʻōhiʻa lehua.

7 25
2021-11-27

Leaving North America behind for tonight!

G: this is the Golden White-Eye (Chamoru: canario), found only on Saipan and Aguijan in the Northern Mariana Islands. I'm fortunate to have banded many individuals of this critically-endangered species.

5 18
2021-11-25

Today's is D! A little bit of Dunlin simplicity and elegance for your twitter feeds today.

7 27
2021-11-22

Today's is C.

And I just need you all to know that Cooper's Hawks are not always the fierce predators you might imagine, because they have a whole lot of derp lurking in that little murderbrain too.

9 48
2021-11-21

Okay, I'm going to keep these to really, really quick little 30min sketches or I'll never finish them all, but I'm excited to start on ! Beginning with American Robin. Flocks numbering in the thousands of these have flooded town here lately.

14 79
2021-11-19