Winter Birds in Massachusetts
Migration is the cyclic or periodic travel of an animal as it eventually returns to its original place of departure. It’s normally seasonal and most birds follow a yearly cycle. These migration patterns create a variation in resident birds in any given location throughout the year. With average lows of 16°F (-8°C) in the winter months between December to February and an average snowfall of 51 in (130 cm) some birds that live in Massachusetts in the summer can’t survive in the winter and thus, will migrate south for the winter. Other birds that prefer the colder climates will actually migrate south to Massachusetts in the winter and then back north during the summer months. Since all birds prefer different habitats only a small sample of what can be found in Massachusetts in the winter is shared here.
Female Red Bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes Carolinus)
The Red Bellied Woodpecker is a medium sized woodpecker mainly located in the eastern United States as far north Canada and as far south as Florida. Their name is quite misleading because the main red portion of their plumage (a bird’s feathers collectively) is their head with only a slight red wash on its belly that’s rarely seen. Adults are mainly light gray on the face and underparts with black and white barred patterns on their back, wings and tail. Adult females have a red patch on the nape and another above their bill with a grey patch in between while males have a solid red cap going from the bill to the nape.
Male Red Bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes Carolinus)
The Red Bellied Woodpecker population is thought to be steady or growing and it is current (as of 2022) listed as increasing by the ICUN (International Union of Conservation of Nature). They depend on dead or dying wood for their nests. The male will take the initiative to search out and excavate serval nests sites then looking for the females approval through mutual tapping. These nests play an important part in the forest communities by providing shelter for other species such as squirrels or bats once abandoned by the woodpecker.
Male Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis Cardinalis)
The Northern Cardinal is a midsized songbird with a body length of 8.3-9.1 in (21-23 cm). The male is best known for its bright red color, its black face mask and its distinctive crest (which is pointed up on this Cardinal). They can be found in southeastern Canada, throughout the United States and as far south as Guatemala. Unlike other Cardinal species, the Northern Cardinal doesn’t migrate which is why you can see them in Massachusetts in the winter. They’re very territorial, especially in the spring and summer and will occasionally attack their own reflection in mirrors, windows and shiny bumpers. They mark their territory through their song and will actively attack intruding males. Another interesting fact is that seven different states in the US (Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia) have named the Cardinal its state bird.
Female Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis Cardinalis)
The Female Northern Cardinal can be identified by its pale brown color with warm reddish tinges in the wings and tail and a grey/black mask. Their bill is cone-shaped, coral colored, short and thick to allow them to crush seeds and extract their main source of food. Their beaks have special features that make cracking easier; the edges of the lower beak fit into special grooves in the upper beak. They use their tongue to maneuver seeds into the groove.
Females will normally have from 2-5 eggs and 2-3 broods per year from March to August. Incubation is almost always done by female alone and takes from 12-13 days. Both parents will feed the nestlings and young will leave nest about 9-11 days after hatching. The male may continue to feed fledglings while the female begins her next nesting attempt.
Northern Flicker (Colaptes Auratus)
The Northern Flicker is a medium sized, brown woodpecker that’s native to most of North America, Central America, Cuba and the Cayman Islands. In eastern North America their tails are yellow-shafted while in western North America their tails are red-shafted. Males, like the one pictured here, can be identified by a black or red mustache stripe that runs from their beak all the way to the edge of their cheek. They have two traits that aren’t common to other woodpecker species. They’re migratory, migrating south in the winter and they’re the only woodpecker that predominantly feeds off the ground, feeding mostly on ants and larva, hammering at the soil the way other woodpeckers drill into wood. Thier call is a sustained laugh, ki ki ki ki but they also use their beak to drum on various materials as a form of communication and defense.
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta Cristata)
Blue Jays are large songbirds that can be found in southern Canada and the US east of the Rocky Mountains. They’re known for their intelligence and complex social systems with tight family bonds. They have bright blue colors on top and white to gray on its throat, chest and belly. They have a gray-blue crest on their head and black and white bars on its wings and tail. The black bridle across the face, nape, and throat varies extensively and may help Blue Jays recognize one another. The pigment in Blue Jay feathers is melanin, which is normally brown. The blue color is caused by scattering light through modified cells on the surface of the feather barbs.
Blue Jays make a variety of musical sounds, and they can do a remarkable imitation of the scream of a Red-shouldered Hawk. They lower their crests when they are feeding peacefully with family and flock members or tending to nestlings.
European Starling (Sturnus Vulgaris)
European or Common Starlings are about 8in (20cm) long, weigh between 2.1-3.4oz (60-96g) and can be found throughout North America. They turn from spotted and white to glossy and dark each year without shedding their feathers. The new feathers they grow in fall have bold white tips which is what gives them their spots. By spring, the tips wear away, leaving the the feather dark and iridescent brown. Brought here in the 1890’s when 100 birds were intentionally released in Central Park, NY there is now an estimated 200 million in North America. They are great vocal mimics: individuals can learn the calls of up to 20 different species including the Eastern Wood-Pewee, Killdeer, meadowlarks, Northern Bobwhite, Wood Thrush, Red-tailed Hawk, American Robin, Northern Flicker, and many others. When flying, they can get up to speeds of 48 mph.
Male Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates Pubescens)
Adult downy woodpeckers are the smallest of North America's woodpeckers, but there are many smaller species elsewhere around the world. They can be found in a wide variety of habitats, including wilderness areas, second-growth woods and suburban yards, but generally favors deciduous trees. The total length of the species ranges from 5.5-7.1in (14-18cm), the wingspan from 9.8-12.2in (25-31cm) and body mass ranges from 0.71-1.16oz (20-33g). Males are small with a short bill with white below, upper parts are mostly black with a white back and bold white spots in the wings. Their head is striped black and white with a red nape.
Female Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates Pubescens)
Female Downy Woodpeckers are similar to males with the exception that females lack the red spot on their nape. They are also often confused with the Hairy Woodpecker because both birds dawn the same colors and patterns. They can, however, be easily distinguished by looking at their size, bill and markings. Downy Woodpeckers are much smaller in size at 6-7in (15-18cm) vs 9-11in (23-28cm). Their bills are smaller as well with a bill that’s only about 1/3 the length of their head vs a 1:1 ratio on Hairy Woodpeckers. Last, their tail feathers are spotted white while Hairy Woodpeckers have all white tail feathers.
Male and female Downy Woodpeckers divide up where they look for food in winter. Males feed more on small branches and weed stems, and females feed on larger branches and trunks. Males keep females from foraging in the more productive spots.
Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus Bicolor)
Tufted Titmouse are non-migratory songbirds that can be found in the eastern United States. Its habitat is deciduous and mixed woods as well as gardens, parks, and shrublands. They have large black eyes, small, round bills, white front, and grey upper body outlined with rust colored flanks. Other characteristics include their black foreheads, and the tufted grey crest on their heads. They nest in tree holes (and nest boxes), but they can’t excavate their own nest cavities. Instead, they use natural holes and cavities left by woodpeckers. Their species’ dependence on dead wood for their homes is one reason why it’s important to allow dead trees to remain in forests rather than cutting them down. Frequently one of their young from that year remains with them, and occasionally other juveniles from other places will join them.
Mourning “Turtle” Dove (Zenaida Macroura)
Mourning Doves are one of the most abundant birds in the U.S. with an estimated population of 350 million. They eat roughly 12 to 20 percent of their body weight per day, or on average 71 calories. Their diet is almost exclusively seeds, but the young are fed crop milk (secretion from the lining of the crop of parent birds). Their plumage is light gray-brown and pinkish below. Their wings have black spotting, and the outer tail feathers are white, contrasting with the black inners. Below their eye is a distinctive crescent-shaped area of dark feathers. Mourning Doves can drink brackish spring water (up to almost half the salinity of sea water) without becoming dehydrated, which is likely why they can survive in the desert. They are generally monogamous, with two squabs or “young” per brood and up to six broods per year. Both parents incubate and care for the young.
Black Capped Chickadee (Poecile Atricapillus)
The Black Capped Chickadee is a small, nonmigratory, North American songbird that lives in deciduous and mixed forests and is the state bird of Maine and Massachusetts. It’s part of the Family Paridae that includes tits, chickadees and titmouse. Unlike other birds they can excavate nesting and roosting holes entirely on their own in rotted wood. They also virtually always sleep in their own individual cavities even when temperatures are far below zero. Every autumn they allow their brain neurons containing old information to die, replacing them with new neurons so they can adapt to changes in their social flocks and environment even with their tiny brains. The more dee notes in a chickadee-dee-dee call, the higher the threat level.
Flicker Fending off a Red Bellied Woodpecker
Birds will generally fight for territory, mating, food or to fend off predators. Most fighting is also done by the males and in the spring when birds migrate back to their summer homes. During this time birds are fighting for territory, nesting sites and mates so they can be seen fighting more in the spring than other times of the year. Just like with humans, different individual birds can have different tolerances for anger and other emotions, and one bird may be far more easygoing than another under the same circumstances. They show their anger in different ways including color changes, posture, sound, motion and attacks. Depending on the bird species and how effective each behavior is against the perceived threat, birds may use more than one angry behavior at a time to try to discourage intruders. In this case, a Northern Flicker is fending off a Red Bellied Woodpecker to protect its’ food source.
