Pacific Bird

PACIFIC BIRD PRODUCT VIDEO!!!

Last year, we began receiving numerous requests for an in-store video that further explains and showcases our products and their many benefits. We have, since, constructed an informative and enjoyable video, and are eager to share it with you!

This video explains how best to integrate Pacific Bird products into your birding buffet and provides some background information on our company. Our hope is that this video will help show others the many joys that insect-based wild bird feeding and Pacific Bird products can bring. We look forward to hearing from you and wish you much color and song this season.

Happy birding!

Danielle & Michelle

Common Name: Crimson Sunbird; Yellow-backed Sunbird; Eastern Crimson Sunbird; Goulpourah Sunbird; Scarlet-throated Sunbird; Scarlet-breasted Sunbird.

Latin Name: Aethopyga siparaja

Range: Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, Phillipines, and India.

Habitat: Mainly tropical forests.

Diet: Mostly nectar, occasionally insects.

Conservation Status: Least Concern.

Interesting fact: The Crimson Sunbird is the national bird of the Republic of Singapore.

Happy Birding!

Danielle + Michelle

What this little bird lacks in color, it sure makes up for in stamina! The Red Knot has one of the longest yearly migrations of any species—up to 9,300 miles—flying from the northern tundra to Tierra del Fuego on the southern tip of South America. Keep reading to learn more about this marvelous bird…

Common Name: Red Knot; Knot

Latin Name: Calidris canutus

Range: Very wide range, including coastal areas of North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa.

Habitat: Summers in the Arctic Tundra. Winters in tropical or temperate coastal areas around the world.

Diet: Mostly marine invertebrates, mollusks, and crustaceans.

Conservation Status: Least Concern.

Red Knots depend on several critical factors and natural relationships to complete their migratory journeys successfully. Click here to watch a well-made documentary about the magnificent trek of the Red Knot.

Happy Birding!

Danielle + Michelle

A birding trip is always made worthwhile when spotting a Northern Shoveler! In addition to its unique bill, which is unmistakably named for its spoon-like shape, the males possess a very richly hued, hard-to-miss, elegant plumage. Additionally, the very large range of this bird makes it both fairly accessible and easily identifiable!

Common Name: Northern Shoveler; Shoveler

Latin Name: Anas clypeata

Range:  Summers across most areas of North America and northern regions of Asia and Europe. Winters in parts of southern Europe, Africa, the Indian subcontinent, Asia and South America.

Habitat: Freshwater and saline wetlands.

Diet: Mainly aquatic invertebrates. Also eats some seeds.

Conservation Status: Least Concern

Did you know?

A group of ducks is known as a team, a flush, a brace, a paddling, or a raft of ducks!

Happy Birding!

Danielle + Michelle

Look Familiar?

That’s right, it’s Kevin! Well sort of—the colorful, beloved character from Disney-Pixar’s Film “Up” was actually based on this week’s featured bird: the Himalayan Monal!

Common Name: Himalayan Monal; Impeyan Monal; Impeyan Pheasant; Danphe

Latin Name: Lophophorus impejanus

Range: Found in regions of the Himalayan Mountains.

Habitat: Habitat changes depending on season. Always remains between 2,100 to 4,500 meters above sea level.

Diet: Mainly roots and insects.

Conservation Status: Least concern.

An interesting fact…

The Himalayan Monal is heavily tied to local folkore and thus, is recognized as the National Bird of Nepal.

We sure hope to see this beauty one day!

Happy Birding!

Danielle + Michelle

The Ruby-crowned Kinglet is one of North America’s smallest birds. You would think that the cherry crest would be this bird’s most obvious identifier; however, it’s not. Unfortunately, the male usually keeps its beautiful red crown hidden. This means that it is usually the olive-green coloring, wing bars, black legs, yellow feet, and continually moving wings that give it away. Oh, and don’t forget those lovely bold, incomplete white eye-rings!

Common Name: Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Latin Name: Regulus calendula

Range: A migratory bird, the Ruby-crowned Kinglet’s range extends from northwest Canada and Alaska south to Mexico.

Habitat: Spruce-fir forests, mixed woods, and meadows.

Diet: Ruby-Crowned Kinglets prey on spiders, pseudoscorpions, and many types of insects, including aphids, wasps, ants, and bark beetles.

Conservation Status: Least Concern

Click here and you will be directed to a website where you can listen to the call of a Ruby-crowned Kinglet.

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Birding!

Danielle + Michelle

The Whimbrel is a shorebird abundant throughout most of the world.  It was one of the first shorebirds I came to know. In fact, the Whimbrel was the first bird that made me stop and really appreciate widespread migratory species.  You see, like most birders, I love the thrill of going to foreign places and having the opportunity to spot new and exciting species. However, I just find something really special about seeing those familiar birds that exist both at home and in places otherwise foreign to us.  For me, there is something warm and fuzzy about seeing a familiar face while abroad.  It’s like spotting an old friend while on vacation!  It’s even nicer in places where identification is challenging due to my unfamiliarity with local species.  It makes me want to shout “I know you!” Whimbrels, no matter where I am, never fail to bring about a childlike smile across my face and make me feel right at home…

As one of the most widespread of the curlews, the Whimbrel, a fairly large wader, is mainly grey/brown.  Its’ back and rump are white and it has a long curved bill. The Whimbrel’s central crown stripe, strong supercilia and smaller size help to differentiate   it from the larger curlews.

Common Name: Whimbrel

Latin Name: Numenius phaeopus

Range: This migratory species winters on coasts in Africa, South America, Asia, Australasia and southern North America. It breeds in America, Asia, Europe and across and the subarctic North.

Habitat: Breeds in various tundra habitats.  In migration, Whimbrels tend to frequent various coastal and inland habitats, like fields and beaches. They winter in tidal flats and on shorelines.

Diet:  Whimbrels mainly feast on marine invertebrates; however, they’ll also eat insects and berries.  In many regions, the primary winter food of the Whimbrel is crab.

Conservation Status: Least concern

 Did You Know…???

• Four distinct subspecies of Whimbrel are recognized: one breeds in North America, one from Iceland to northwest Siberia, one in southern Russia, and one in eastern Siberia.

Happy Birding!

Danielle + Michelle

I have been fortunate to spot this beautiful wading bird in Europe several times. This gregarious sandpiper is a migratory bird that can be found throughout Europe, Africa, southern Asia and Australia.

With a fairly distinctive appearance, the Ruff has a relatively small head, medium-length bill, longish neck and prominent body. Its long legs are usually yellow or orange. Generally, the male is much larger than the female and develops elaborate breeding plumage.

Common Name: Ruff

Latin Name: Philomachus pugnax

Range: The Ruff is a migratory species.  It breeds in the wetlands of colder regions of northern Eurasia, and mainly spends the northern winter in Africa.

Habitat: Marshes, wet meadows, damp grasslands, and deltas with shallow water.

Diet: Ruffs feed on terrestrial and aquatic insects such as beetles and flies.  Additionally, they will gladly feast on grasshoppers, crustaceans, spiders, mollusks, worms, frogs, and small fish, as well as the seeds of rice and other cereals, grasses and plants.

Conservation Status: Least Concern

Fun Fact!

The name Ruff is derived from the exaggerated collar fashionable during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.  As you can see, this decorative neckwear resembles the male bird’s ornamental neck feather.

Happy Birding!

Danielle + Michelle

This weekend, Danielle and I will be attending the Wild Bird Feeding Industry Annual meeting and welcoming our colleagues to sunny California! We are incredibly excited to visit with some familiar faces, meet some new folks, hear some great, informative talks, do some desert birding in Palm Springs, and of course, talk birds!

Common Name: California Quail

Latin Name: Callipepla californica

Range:  Along the West of the United States

Habitat: Chaparral, sagebrush, oak woodlands, and foothill forests of California and the Northwest. City parks, suburban gardens and agricultural areas.

Diet: Mainly seeds.

Conservation Status: Least Concern

California Quail Quiz:

1.) When did the California Quail become the official state bird?

a.) 1962         b.)1931          c.)1892           d.)1985

2.) A group of California Quails is called:

a.) A flock       b.) A parliament        c.) A covey      d.) A herd

3.) The California Quail is also known as all except:

a.) Valley Quail      b.) California Partridge      c.) Catalina Quail     d.)Black-crowned Quail

Please scroll down for answers.

Happy Birding!

Michelle + Danielle

Answers:

1.)  B

2.)  C

3.)  D