In our house, we’re a bird family. Grandfather’s stone bird bath and mom’s bird house collection have left me curious and sensitive to these small and colorful migrating animals.
On Sunday, the Newton Arboretum and Project AWAKE hosted a presentation from biologist Doug Harr, former Iowa Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Diversity (Nongame) Program coordinator and current president of Iowa Audubon Society about local birds, their characteristics and how to attract them to your yard.
Did you know the origin of Audubon comes from John James Audubon, a 1800s French-bored naturalist and painter? Audubon is noted for his extensive studies documenting American birds and detailed illustrations of birds in their natural habitats.
Anyway, the most popular bird in American is the Cardinal with a rich red feather, although the Baltimore Oriole and Blue Jay aren’t far behind.
Birds need food, shelter and water. A variety of bird food and shelter options are important to bring in a variety of birds, and the sound of moving water, like a fountain, is the more attractive to birds than sitting at water, like a bath.
Iowa is part of the Mississippi Flyway bird range with the river as a migration route for 60 percent of North America’s birds, however, climate change is minimizing seasonal ranges, shrinking, shifting and sending birds farther north or south.
Other bird information:
• The smallest bird egg belongs to the hummingbird and is the size of a pea with a nest the size of a dime. The largest bird egg, from which the ostrich, is the size of a cantaloupe.
• Owls cannot swivel their eyes but instead move their heads at 360 degrees. They live on every continent except Antarctica. Soft fringes on their wings make their flight essentially silent.
• Male birds tend to have the more glamorous feather shape, coloration, songs and dances. Female birds choose their mate based on how attractive they find them.
• Cats are the number one cause death for birds. In the continental U.S. alone, between 1.4 billion and 3.7 billion birds are killed by cats annually. Windows are the second leading cause of death.
• Flamingos pair for a lifetime. Some stay with their mates for 50 years or more.
• The American Goldfinch is the state bird of Iowa, adopted into legislation in 1933. The Northern Cardinal is the most popular state bird being the bird in seven states: Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia.
• It takes two days of non-stop direct flight for a hummingbird to fly over the Caribbean Sea in migration. The hummingbird is also the only bird that can fly backwards.
• A group of crows is called a murder or congress. A group of owls is called a parliament, wisdom or study. A group of flamingos is called a flamboyance. A group of finches is called a charm. A group of gulls is a colony. A group of jays is called a band or a party.
• The Red-headed Woodpecker is the bird of choice of the Iowa Audubon logo because they are common summer residents of Iowa’s savannas, overgrown pastures and farm groves. Red-headed Woodpeckers are declining throughout their range and represent habitat concerns of the organization.
Thank you to Project AWAKE for your preservation and education and to Harr for sharing your experience and expertise with us in Newton.
Contact Kate Malott
at kmalott@newtondailynews.com