Today we are going to talk about a couple of the most common types of birds that you may see at your feeders. I am going to place just a list of birds below that you may commonly see at your feeders or in your yard pretty much al year around in the Northeast. We won’t go over all today but just the most common. This again doesn’t mean you will see all of these birds, as it depends on your location

1 House Sparrow – This small brown bird is actually a bird that was introduced into the US in 1851. Since then it has become quite numerous, especially in cities where it is ability to adapt has led to the increase of the species. The male has a black bib on the chest and back is brown with brown and black pattern on the wings. Side of the head is brown with grey on top. The female is a much more subdued brown with a lighter eye-line above its eye.

2. Black-capped Chickadee. This cute little bird is small (only about 5 inches) but has a huge personality. It will be one of the first birds to find your feeders and once it gets used to you may even seem unafraid, so much so that some people have been able to lure them to eat out of their hand. Hence its name, it has a small black cap on top of its head, white cheeks and black throat, a grey body with tannish sides. Male and females look the same. They love suet and sunflower which they hammer with their short stocky bill. Parts of their call will remind you of their name “Chickadee dee dee”.

3. Mourning Doves. Many times, the coo of the mourning dove is mistaken for an owl. This is a very widespread bird and most times they are found on the ground under bird feeders picking up seeds that have fallen. You may see them perched on telephone wires where you can see that they have slender long tails and a plump body. They are close to the size of a robin and a grey/tan buff color above with black spots on their wings. When they take off to fly, their wings often create a whistling sound.

4. Bluejays. Bluejays are striking birds with a crest and a rounded long tail. They are larger than a robin but smaller than a crow. I tend to see them as bully birds since they can scare off other feeder birds and, in the spring, may even raid other birds’ nest and kill their young. The shades of blue contrasted with black and white definitely make the bird stand out in a crowd. They have a repertoire of calls and can be quite noisy especially when they have spotted a hawk or an owl. They will eat peanuts, sunflower, suet and also are a fan of acorns. Although noisy in their calls it seems they fly silently in the air, sometimes they are seen in small flocks.

5. Starlings The European Starling was brought to the US  in 1890. 100 birds were let loose in central park and now they have become a dominant bird in the US. The population of over 200 million can be seen from
Alaska to Mexico. From a distance they look all black but up close you can see the iridescent colors of green and purple. In winter newer feathers have white on the tips that give the winter starling the appearance of spots or stars. These white spots wear off come the spring and summer. They are the size of a robin and have short tails with a long sharp slender beak. They tend to travel in large groups, and you may see their murmuration’s as they gather in flocks in the fall. The large groups can wipe out your feeders quickly when they land in your yard. Also, they are noisy and have a very large variety of songs and calls as they are a well know mimic and often mimic the calls of other birds.