[APWG] Happy Holidays Part 2 The 12 Birds of Christmas

Mon Dec 25 11:11:57 CST 2017

https://www.care2.com/greenliving/the-12-birds-of-christmas.html

On the 12th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me.fun bird facts! To
celebrate the holidays this year, here are some interesting tidbits about 12
different birds found in Canada, some of which are featured in the
<http://www.metrolyrics.com/12-days-of-christmas-lyrics-christmas-song.html>
12 Days of Christmas song:

A GREY PARTRIDGE IN A PEAR TREE

The grey partridge is native to Eurasia, but was introduced to North America
in the 1790s. Don't let the song fool you: grey partridges don't actually
perch on pear trees - or any trees for that matter. Instead, they prefer to
stay on the ground.

TWO MOURNING DOVES

Mourning doves are one of North America's most abundant bird species, with
an estimated population of six million in Canada. In winter, they often
visit bird feeders, which in turn can attract Cooper's hawks and other birds
of prey that feed on them.

THREE GREATER PRAIRIE CHICKENS

Male greater prairie chickens are known for their elaborate - and unusual -
mating dances. After gathering at communal courtship display areas, called
leks, males have group "dance-offs" to attract females. Their dances consist
of raising their feathers above their heads, inflating their orange throat
sacs and moaning deeply.

FOUR RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS

The original 12 Days of Christmas song mentions "colly birds," an Old
English term for "blackbirds." During the breeding season, male red-winged
blackbirds, one of the most common North American blackbird species, are
highly territorial, chasing away other males and attacking intruders.

FIVE GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLERS

The
<http://www.natureconservancy.ca/en/what-we-do/resource-centre/featured-spec
ies/golden-winged_warbler.html> golden-winged warbler has experienced one of
the largest population declines of any songbird species - around 68 per cent
between 1966 and 2014. A major cause of this has been increased mating
between golden- and blue-winged warblers, resulting in hybrid offspring that
are sometimes called Brewster's and Lawrence's warblers.

SIX CANADA GEESE A LAYING

Canada geese are known for their distinct V-shaped flying formations. This
pattern helps them to better coordinate their movements, such as when
changing direction or speed.

Love This? Never Miss Another Story.

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

SEVEN TRUMPETER SWANS A SWIMMING

The
<https://www.natureconservancy.ca/en/what-we-do/resource-centre/featured-spe
cies/trumpeter_swan.html> trumpeter swan got its name from its low-pitched,
trumpet-like call. Weighing between 7.7 kilograms and 12.7 kilograms, it is
North America's heaviest bird species.

EIGHT BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS A MILKING

Brown-headed cowbird (Photo by Stephen Davis)

The
<https://www.natureconservancy.ca/en/what-we-do/resource-centre/featured-spe
cies/brown-headed_cowbird.html> brown-headed cowbird is North America's most
common brood parasite: females lay eggs in other birds' nests instead of
constructing their own. When the cowbird chicks hatch, the "foster" parents
feed them at their own offspring's expense.

NINE GREATER SAGE-GROUSES DANCING

Like male greater prairie chickens, male
<https://www.natureconservancy.ca/en/what-we-do/resource-centre/featured-spe
cies/sage-grouse.html> greater sage-grouses have
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLnbiTkj1TQ> intricate mating dances. They
inflate and deflate their throat sacs to make popping noises, throw their
heads back, spread their wings and fan their tails.

TEN AMERICAN WOODCOCKS A LEAPING

On spring nights, male American woodcocks repeatedly make buzzy "peent"
calls and then  <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta1fxy0MR2c> fly in upward
spirals to attract females. They then zigzag downward while chirping and
land right near a female, if one is present.

ELEVEN PLOVERS PIPING

Piping plover (Photo by Natural Resources Canada)

Male
<https://www.natureconservancy.ca/en/what-we-do/resource-centre/featured-spe
cies/piping_plover.html> piping plovers with shared territory boundaries do
parallel-run displays, where one bird runs a short distance and stops, then
the other runs past the first and stops. They keep doing this until they've
run out of space, then they chase one another back to the starting point.

TWELVE
<https://www.natureconservancy.ca/en/where-we-work/ontario/featured-projects
/backus-woods/interpretive-features/ruffed-grouse.html> RUFFED
GROUSESDRUMMING

To attract mates and defend their territories,
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0obByQW23k> male ruffed grouses "drum" the
air by quickly flapping their wings in front of their bodies while standing
on logs.

Greater sage-grouse (Photo by Gordon Sherman C Audubon Canyon Ranch)

Sadly, some of these birds are at-risk species - namely the greater prairie
chicken, golden-winged warbler, greater sage-grouse and piping plover.

You can help these species by participating in bird counts that provide
valuable data to inform conservation work. Earlier this month, the Nature
Conservancy of Canada hosted Christmas bird count events. If you missed
these events, it's not too late: Bird Studies Canada has
<http://www.birdscanada.org/volunteer/cbc/> Christmas bird counts planned
across Canada up until Friday, January 5, 2018.

This post was written by Adam Hunter and originally appeared on the Nature
Conservancy of Canada's blog,
<https://www.care2.com/greenliving/%20http:/www.natureconservancy.ca/en/blog
/the-12-birds-of-christmas.html> Land Lines.

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