/r/Ornithology
Welcome to Ornithology, a subreddit dedicated to the scientific study of wild birds.
This is a place to discuss wild birds in a scientific context — their biology, ecology, evolution, behavior, and more.
Welcome to Ornithology, a subreddit dedicated to the scientific study of wild birds.
This is a place to discuss wild birds in a scientific context — their biology, ecology, evolution, behavior, and more.
RULES:
No posts about pet birds.
No posts or comments supporting harming birds.
Keep comments and posts civil and non-toxic.
For bird ID posts: r/whatsthisbird.
Everything you need to know about:
Other Bird Subreddits:
/r/Ornithology
Even if it is water, look at all the stains on the pavement around it. Wouldn’t it be contaminated with oils from cars and other things. I assume birds like this drink from puddles in parking lots a lot. Wouldn’t it make them sick or though. They’re so tiny it seems like drinking just a little bit of that gross puddle water could kill them. Can they tell the difference between a puddle of oil or of water?
I live in OC, CA. There is a pair of california gnatcatcher (I believe) recently comes to my garden. I don't know where they nesting, but they often look for food in my garden soils, and singing on my tree before sunset.
I'm thinking to plant some flowers and plants so that they can enjoy their time here. I asked GPT for some advices. It says these kind of birds eat insects, spiders and berries. It gives a list of plants good for such birds. Are these good plants/flowers for birds ? What you guys think ?
hi, i have a wren pair that built their nest on my porch just under the edge of my grill. it’s quite lovely watching them but there are crows trying to get at the eggs. mom and dad have successfully managed to fight them off but i was curious if there was a way i could move it into a nesting box? the box would replace the junk the nest is currently on but instead of being exposed, the opening would keep bigger birds at bay. i know that moving the nest isn’t supposed to be done unless it’s absolutely necessary because they could abandon it which is why i haven’t done anything but just curious if there’s anyway to make this happen?
they aren’t too scared of me obviously considering they built it on my porch that i’m out on very often. i’ve been leaving very small amounts of food and water out for her and dad which they’ve been eating.
thanks in advance :)
There's a loggerhead shrike with a nest of 4 eggs on a palm tree about 6 feet away from my front door and I've grown pretty emotionally attached to the nest and really want to help.
Unfortunately the branch the nest is on isn't very safe for the nest, strong winds have very close to making the nest falI. I got a ladder and secured it pretty good with some bungie cords so the branch can withstand the strong winds a bit better and it seems to be working.
Is there anything I could/should do to help further? I really want them to prosper.
I was out walking my dog today in Libertyville, IL, when I saw two large raptors flying above the neighboring marsh. At first, I thought they were hawks. Then, I noticed distinct white markings on the heads and tail. Anyone able to tell from my extremely poor video if these are Bald Eagles? It’s been my dream to encounter them in the wild for years!
Am I going crazy or is this what I think it is?
Recently we’ve had an influx of smaller birds due to mating season and new feeders. As has happened before, it’s attracted a Cooper’s Hawk. And as before, I’m curious why it calls so much and so loudly. I haven’t seen it up close so I don’t know whether it’s a juvenile, if that makes a difference. We have had dorky young’uns around here in previous years.
It just seems like announcing your presence to all the prey in the area would be counterproductive. Unless it’s calling for another reason? Informing the local population that there’s a hot new restaurant? Trying to find a mate? Or both?
Heard a call I've never heard before and quickly hopped out of my car to take a pic with my phone! Pretoria, South Africa
Omg you all! It has been 46 days since my owl became widowed. And here tonight I was trying to sleep after having had a bad day. Out of no where I hear two owls outside my window talking to each other!
That means my widowed owl left, found a mate and brought them back home! I hadn’t heard a peep since the third night after the death (they were calling out for their mate for the first three nights). But tonight the two are calling back and forth non stop! I couldn’t be happier to hear this! I can’t wait to spot them during the day. I hope they are nesting! Here is the original post:
Sitting on my balcony and notice one dove hop on the back of another. I thought maybe they were fighting at first but I think maybe they were fuckin.
This bird (I believe it’s a Robin, this is Eastern Tennessee) does this all day until someone walks into the kitchen and or goes to the door. Started about a week ago. Anyone know why or have a hypothesis? If this is the wrong sub please direct me to the right one. Thank you
Hi all! A pigeon just flew into my bedroom window (again) and I'd like to install something to prevent further incidents. The problem is, the solutions I've found online generally require you to attach something to the window's exterior, which I can't do, since my bedroom is on the first floor and there's no roof below it. We do have a ladder, but I'm afraid of heights - is there a solution that I can deploy from inside my room?
I am looking for this bird I saw a video on tiktok of a few years ago that was small enough to climb between the stalks of tall lily pads to hide under in order to hunt? I don't think it was a jacana bc I can't find videos of them doing that specific behavior. It wasn't walking on them it was carefully gripping the stems to use the lily pad as cover in order to hunt fish. (Starting to get worried I dreamt this but I'm 85% sure this was a real video of a real bird that I saw in like 2021 so it probably wasn't AI)
I'd try r/whatsthisbird but the it's private? Or maybe I'm just reddit illiterate
There are lists everywhere about the most dangerous species of bird you can encounter, but what in your opinion are the most aggressive? I.e. a pit bull may be more dangerous than a chihuahua pound for pound but a chihuahua may be way more aggressive
Are Eurasian hoopoes rare?
There's two or so families of American Crows that I've befriended in the neighborhood over the past few years.
Their behavior and intelligence is constantly surprising and delighting me:
They steal pieces of tiles from roofs and place it on the grass. They periodically flip these tiles over to check for bugs hiding from the sun.
they've given us multiple gifts (and stopped when we started feeding other family groups).
there's crows with deformities, and possibly one that is developmentally delayed, that are cared for by their family.
Crows with visible illness (mainly avian pox in this area) are immediately and violently chased away from gatherings
Now that it's nesting season and I'm seeing my buddies less, I want to spend the time learning as much as I possibly can about them to better communicate with and understand them.