Something a little different today as it’s a species I’ve never seen in the flesh and wasn’t aware of its existence until today! I’ve been watching a few YouTube webcams of bird feeders in America and had no idea what birds were frequenting them which hadn’t bothered me as I quite like the idea of not knowing things (there is so much to learn about in this world!). But I thought today I’d see if I can get at least one of them identified. My physical bird total for the USA is two species, both seen during a layover at Miami Airport in 2018, a House Sparrow, which even now are singing in my garden in the UK as I write this, and a bird I had to jot down and do a crude drawing of; this turned out to be a Boat-tailed Grackle. My knowledge of American birds is pretty terrible. So, a challenge. And I hope I’ve got the ID right!
What: Tufted Titmouse Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766)
When: 28th January 2020
Where: Somewhere called ‘Sapsucker Woods’in New York, owned by Cornell Ornithological Lab.
Who saw it? Me on YouTube and whoever else was watching the livestream.
How was it recorded? It wasn’t. I wasn’t physically there to see it.
Is it bigger than a (European) blackbird? No, according to my book (Sibley, 2003) it’s 6.5″ long (16.5cm) whereas a a blackbird is between 9″ and 11″ (23cm – 29cm) long.
What is it? An endemic (which means occurs in here and nowhere else), or almost so, bird of central and eastern USA. It is grey/blue in colour with a noticeable dark black eye, a crest on its head and a orange patch under the wings. Lives in deciduous woods and in non-migratory, seems to frequent bird feeders.
A fact I have learned about this species: All the above facts are new to me! It’s loosely related to Eurasian Tits (Blue tits, great tits etc.).
Is it charismatic in my opinion? Not a clue. If it’s anything like the Tits I see in the UK then probably. My American readers would know more for sure!
A Species a Day 
Reblogged this on Wolf's Birding and Bonsai Blog.
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