TRICOLORED HERON

1368                  TRICOLORED HERON               Egretta tricolor

USA     15

The tricolored heron formerly known as the Louisiana heron, is a small species of heron native to coastal parts of the Americas. The species is more solitary than other species of heron in the Americas and eats a diet consisting mostly of small fish. Tricolored herons breed in swamps and other coastal habitats and nests in colonies, often with other herons, usually on platforms of sticks in trees or shrubs. In each clutch, three to seven eggs are typically laid. The tricolored heron is the second most coastal heron in the United States.

The species' range follows the northeastern United States, south along the coast, through the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, to northern South America as far south as Brazil. In the Pacific region, it ranges from Peru to California, but it is only a nonbreeding visitor to the far north.

SNOWY EGRET

1367                   SNOWY EGRET               Egretta thula

USA            14

The snowy egret is a small white heron. The snowy egret is native to North, Central and South America. It is present all year round in South America, ranging as far south as Chile and Argentina. It also occurs throughout the year in the West Indies, Florida and coastal regions of North and Central America. Elsewhere, in the southern part of the United States, it is migratory, breeding in California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. It is found in wetlands of many types; marshes, riverbanks, lakesides, pools, salt marshes and estuaries. It is not found at high altitudes nor generally on the coast.

BROWN PELICAN

1366                  BROWN PELICAN              Pelecanus occidentalis

USA             13

The brown pelican is a bird of the pelican family, Pelecanidae, one of three species found in the Americas and one of two that feed by diving into water. It is found on the Atlantic Coast from New Jersey to the mouth of the Amazon River, and along the Pacific Coast from British Columbia to Peru, including the Galapagos Islands. The nominate subspecies in its breeding plumage has a white head with a yellowish wash on the crown. 

The brown pelican mainly feeds on fish, but occasionally eats amphibians, crustaceans, and the eggs and nestlings of birds. It nests in colonies in secluded areas, often on islands, vegetated land among sand dunes, thickets of shrubs and trees, and mangroves.

AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN

 

1365                  AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN                     Pelecanus erythrorhynchos

USA              12

The American white pelican is a large aquatic soaring bird from the order Pelecaniformes. It breeds in interior North America, moving south and to the coasts, as far as Costa Rica, in winter.

PIED-BILLED GREBE

 

1364                PIED-BILLED GREBE              Podilymbus podiceps

USA             11

The pied-billed grebe is a species of the grebe family of water birds primarily found in ponds throughout the Americas. Other names of this grebe include American dabchick, rail, dabchick, Carolina grebe, devil-diver, dive-dapper, dipper, hell-diver, pied-billed dabchick, pied-bill, thick-billed grebe, and water witch

COMMON GALLINULE

 

1363           COMMON GALLINULE                Gallinula galeata

USA                10

The common gallinule is a bird in the family Rallidae. It was split from the common moorhen by the American Ornithologists' Union in July 2011. It lives around well-vegetated marshes, ponds, canals, and other wetlands in the Americas. The common gallinule is one of the most conspicuous rail species in North America, along with the American coot.

LITTLE BLUE HERON

 

1362                 LITTLE BLUE HERON                Egretta caerulea

USA              9

The little blue heron is a small heron of the genus Egretta. It is a small, darkly colored heron with a two-toned bill. Juveniles are entirely white, bearing resemblance to the snowy egret. During the breeding season, adults develop different coloration on the head, legs, and feet. They have a range that encompasses much of the Americas, from the United States to northern South America. Some populations are migratory. Climate change will probably cause their distribution to spread north. They can be found in both saltwater and freshwater ecosystems. Their preference for either one depends on where they live.

DOUBLE BRESTED CORMORANT

 

1361                  DOUBLE CRESTED CORMORANT                 Nannopterum auritum

USA              8

The double-crested cormorant is a member of the cormorant family of water birds. It is found near rivers and lakes and in coastal areas and is widely distributed across North America, from the Aleutian Islands in Alaska down to Florida and Mexico.  Five subspecies are recognized. It mainly eats fish and hunts by swimming and diving. Its feathers, like all cormorants, are not waterproof, and it must dry them out after spending time in the water. Once threatened by the use of DDT, the numbers of this bird have increased markedly in recent years.            

MALLARD

(*141)                          MALLARD                  Anas platyrhynchos

USA               6

The mallard  or wild duck is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa. It has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, the Falkland Islands, and South Africa. Mallards live in wetlands, eat water plants and small animals, and are social animals preferring to congregate in groups or flocks of varying sizes.

Males (drakes) have green heads, while the females (hens) have mainly brown-speckled plumage. Both sexes have an area of white-bordered black or iridescent purple or blue feathers called a speculum on their wings; males especially tend to have blue speculum feathers. 

The non-migratory mallard interbreeds with indigenous wild ducks of closely related species through genetic pollution by producing fertile offspring.

AMERICAN ROBIN

 

1359                    AMERICAN ROBIN                Turdus migratorius

USA                      5

The American robin is a migratory bird of the true thrush genus and Turdidae, the wider thrush family. It is named after the European robin because of its reddish-orange breast, though the two species are not closely related, with the European robin belonging to the Old World flycatcher family. The American robin is widely distributed throughout North America, wintering from southern Canada to central Mexico and along the Pacific coast.

ANHINGA

1358                     ANHINGA                    Anhinga anhinga

USA                   4

The anhinga, sometimes called snakebird, darter, American darter, or water turkey, is a water bird of the warmer parts of the Americas. The word anhinga comes from a'ñinga in the Brazilian Tupi language and means "devil bird" or "snake bird". The origin of the name is apparent when swimming: only the neck appears above water, so the bird looks like a snake ready to strike. They do not have external nares (nostrils) and breathe solely through their epiglottis.

The anhinga is placed in the darter family, Anhingidae, and is closely related to Indian (Anhinga melanogaster), African (Anhinga rufa), and Australian (Anhinga novaehollandiae) darters. Like other darters, the anhinga hunts by spearing fish and other small prey using its sharp, slender beak.

GREAT BLUE HERON

1357                     GREAT BLUE HERON                 Ardea herodias

USA                3

The great blue heron is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North and Central America, as well as far northwestern South America, the Caribbean and the Galápagos Islands. It is occasionally found in the Azores and is a rare vagrant to Europe. An all-white population found in south Florida and the Florida Keys is known as the great white heron. 

GREAT EGRET

(214*)                    GREAT EGRET               Ardea alba

USA                2

The great egret, also known as the common egret, large egret, or (in the Old World) great white egret or great white heron, is a large, widely distributed egret. The four subspecies are found in Asia, Africa, the Americas, and southern Europe. 

KILLDEER

Photographed in Sarasota, February 2025

  1356                             KILLDEER                         Charadrius vociferus

USA                     1

The killdeer is a large plover found in the Americas. It gets its name from its shrill, two-syllable call, which is often heard.  Three subspecies are described. 

The nonbreeding habitat of the killdeer includes coastal wetlands, beach habitats, and coastal fields. Its breeding grounds are generally open fields with short vegetation (but locations such as rooftops are sometimes used); although it is a shorebird, it does not necessarily nest close to water.

EMERALD DOVE

 

Photographed at Cat Tien National Park, Vietnam, May 2024.

(643*).                EMERALD DOVE                   Chalcophaps indica

VIETNAM                  26

The common emerald dove, also called Asian emerald dove and grey-capped emerald dove, is a widespread resident breeding pigeon native to the tropical and subtropical parts of the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. The dove is also known by the names of green dove and green-winged pigeon.

SIAMESE FIREBACK

Photographed at Cat Tien National Park, Vietnam, May 2024.

1354                   SIAMESE FIREBACK                Lophura diardi

VIETNAM                   25
 

The Siamese fireback (Lophura diardi), is also known as Diard's fireback. The Siamese fireback is distributed to the lowland and evergreen forests of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam in Southeast Asia. This species is also designated as Thailand's national bird.

BLUE-WINGED PITTA

Photographed at Cat Tien National Park, Vietnam, May 2024.

1353             BLUE-WINGED PITTA               Pitta moluccensis

VIETNAM             24

The blue-winged pitta (Pitta moluccensis) is a passerine bird in the family Pittidae. The blue-winged pitta is regularly found in Brunei, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, and has been found to be vagrant in Australia, Christmas Island, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Habitat is lowland subtropical and tropical forests.