Marin CA: Marsh Wren - Cistothorus palustris

The cattails around Pond #1 at Las Gallinas (San Rafael, California) provide rich habitat for a thriving population of Marsh Wrens. This year there seems to be a singing male singing on territory about every 15-20 yards as you walk along the levee. Better still, the exuberant males climb high to make sure their voice is heard, even over the incessant mindless honking of Canada Geese, as seen here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vf2pZrO7YlQ

Marsh Wren - a male singing on territory. Some softness from wind and motion.

This view of the Marsh Wren gives us a good look at the bill.

Windy conditions soften these photos a bit, but those selected show some features reasonably well. The streaks on the back clearly separate Marsh Wren from Bewick's Wren, which sometimes forages near the marsh but is more like seen in nearby trees. Both species have the distinct white line about the eye (supercillium). Marsh Wren tends to cock its tail more upright, sometimes even past 90 degrees. Front view shows the whitish underparts. The bill is said to be longer than the similar Sedge Wren, Cistothorus platenis, a cousin seen in eastern marshes. Marsh Wren was once called "Long-billed Marsh Wren" to set it off from the Sedge Wren in eastern marshes (then "Short-billed Marsh Wren"), where both species may be found.

Marsh Wren nest - Often easy to spot. The male will build many of them in his territory.

Marsh Wrens eat insects, are sedentary in many areas of the west, migratory elsewhere. Our western birds have the most varied gurgling/chittering song repertoire, which can include 100+ variations, and are more likely to be polygynous. The male Marsh Wren builds the nest, including some "dummy" nests. Many are visible right now.

Found a new (to me) source that is very helpful: http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/i7250id.html

Taxonomy:

Order: Passeriformes - Perching Birds - 5,000+, i.e. more than 50% of all avian species

Family: Troglodytidae - Wrens - about 80 species worldwide, including 10 in the U.S. (the latest is the Pacific Wren, split from the Winter Wren).

Genus: Cistothorus - 4 species. Besides our Marsh and Sedge Wrens there is Apolinar's Wren in Columbia and the Paramo Wren of nw Venezuela.

Species: Cistothorus palustris - Marsh Wren. Range includes southern Canada, and most areas of U.S. and Mexico, wherever you find a marsh. About 15 subspecies, including our C.p. aestuarinus. Some speculate that the species may be split into Eastern and Western Marsh Wrens, much like Winter Wren was split.

Trinidad: Scarlet Ibis - Eudocimus ruber

Trinidad-Tobago gained its independence from the United Kingdom in 1962, and selected the Scarlet Ibis as the symbol for Trinidad and the Rufous-vented Chachalaca for Tobago. Both species are featured on the T-T Coat of Arms, along with hummingbirds. An evening visit to the Caroni Swamp on the west coast of Trinidad capped our 5 days visit. We viewed a few Scarlet Ibis feeding on mudflats in front of the visitor center, 50+ yards away. One of them kept picking up what looked like an eel, but I didn't see if it was ingested. The climax of the trip was a boat ride to view the birds as they flew in by scores and hundreds to a communal roost in the mangrove swamp. Indescribable - you'll just have to go and see for yourself.

The Scarlet Ibis gets it color from red compounds (carotenoids) in the crustaceans and insects that it ingests, much like Flamingos. S. Moss, in his book Remarkable Birds, described the color as a "vivid orange-red, almost luminous in quality". Vivid, for sure! The bird's feathers are all the same bright red, except for the black tips of the outer 4 primaries, just visible here near the tail and seen better in flight. The Scarlet Ibis eats mostly insects and crustaceans, but is known to take small fish, frogs and snakes. The species is usually migratory, and ranges from the Caribbean Islands down through northern South America, especially in Colombia and Venezuela and near the coast of northern Brazil. The bill and legs are red too, although the bill becomes black-tipped in alternate plumage. The male is somewhat bigger, with a longer bill. I suspect this individual is a male, as the bill is surely impressive.

Taxonomy

Order: Pelicaniformes - Only 3 families now: Pelicans, Herons, Ibises/Spoonbills. Lots of changes here, as many families have been removed from Pelicaniformes (Boobies, Tropicbirds, Cormorants, etc.) while other like the Herons were taken from Ciconiiformes and moved into Pelicaniformes.

Family: Threskiornithidae - Ibises (27), and Spoonbills (6). 11 Ibises seen in the New World.

Genus: Eudocimus - Only 2 species here, the Scarlet Ibis and the White Ibis, Eudocimus alba. The White Ibis is such a close relative of the Scarlet that some authorities list them as "conspecific", i.e. 2 races within the same species. The birds are identical except for the scarlet feathers, and they successfully interbreed where their ranges overlap. Each species does have a preference when it comes to pair formation, referred to as "assortive" mating, so that within mixed colonies most pairs produce young of one or the other color.

Species: Eudocimus ruber - Scarlet Ibis. The Scarlet Ibis is sometimes seen in the Florida Everglades, where it was introduced years ago. It is also kept successfully kept as a captive bird, where it lives as long as 30 years. Wild birds live about 16 years, if they are lucky. Even today they are taken illegally as food in some areas, but are protected virtually everywhere.

Trinidad: Southern Lapwing - Vanellus chilensis

On several occasions our group go to see small flocks of Southern Lapwings, Vanellus chilensis. This large "shorebird" prefers grassy Savannah's and marshes, and like the Killdeer and other plovers is not shy about displaying its handsome looks. Note the striking red iris, bronzy shoulder patch, trailing black crest, and black face, neck and breast. Unmistakeable! The name "lapwing" apparently has nothing to do with the structure of the wing but refers to the wavering flight pattern.

Taxonomy -

Order: Charadriiformes - 300+ species, including the all the shorebirds plus gulls and terns, etc.

Suborder: Charadrii - The shorebirds, excluding the Gulls and Terns (Laridae)

Family: Charadriidae - The Lapwings and Plovers: 66 species worldwide.

Genus: Vanellus - The Lapwings. 24 species, mostly non-migratory birds of Africa and Eurasia. 22 are actually called "lapwing" and the other 2 are the Blacksmith Plover and the Long-toed Plover found in Africa. In the Western Hemisphere the Northern Lapwing is seen as a vagrant in the northeast, while 3 other lapwings are seen in South America (Southern, Andean and Pied Lapwings).

Species: Vanellus chilensis - Southern Lapwing. 4 subspecies are recognized, ranging from Costa Rica to Tierra del Fuego and including most areas of South America. 

Subspecies: Vanellus chilensis cayennensis. Not seen in Trinidad until 1961, but since then has been an abundant resident of grasslands and wet areas. Range of this subspecies includes areas of South America north of Amazonia.

Trinidad: White-winged Swallow - Tachycineta albiventer

On our last day in Trinidad we stopped for lunch at a beach and got to see the White-winged Swallow, Tachycineta albiventer, on a wire along the street. This is a non-migratory species that resembles our Tree and Violet-green Swallows (same genus), but as you can see from this marginal photo the white on the wing makes the I.D. straightforward. They are non-migratory and are not gregarious like many swallows. The white wing patch is the dorsal surface of the inner wing feathers, i.e. the secondaries and tertials.

It's hard to research neotropical birds without an extended library, so I often use the internet. Good old "Cornell Lab of Ornithology" often provides great background information on our southern avifauna. See: http://neotropical.birds.cornell.edu/portal/species/identification?p_p_spp=523116

The referenced link provides some excellent information of the sometimes changing taxonomy. "Tachycineta" is a "swift mover" (Holloway). There are some 83 Swallows worldwide (family Hirundiniidae), nine species in the genus Tachycineta. White-winged Swallow has no subspecies.

Grassland Yellow-Finch

On our second day in Trinidad the group went to the Aripo Savannah, where we saw quite of a variety of species, many of them new to us. When Richard ffench wrote his classic Guide to the Birds of Trinidad & Tobago there were no records of the Grassland Yellow-Finch, Sicalis luteola, first spotted in Trinidad in 2004. In the 2007 Birods of Trinidad and Tobago by Kenefick et. al. they reported an established population of about 50 birds on Trinidad. We saw this male at some distance from the road, but close enough for a documentary photo.

It was a bit confusing to research the Grassland Yellow-Finch, as it has been moved from a family that included the Sparrows, Buntings and Seedeaters (Emberizidae) into the Tanager Family (Thraupidae). It's a small finch of open grasslands, eating seed and insects, and is found from Mexico down to Brazil and Peru. It seems that some of the non-migratory populations are disjunct enough that they may be considered separate species soon. The male is bright yellow underneath and darker above, with yellow around the eye. Female similar, but darker above and less yellow on the face.

Taxonomy as I understand it (seems to be a moving target!):

Order: Passeriformes - Perching Birds (5,000+ species)

Family: Thraupidae - Tanagers and Allies - 372 species, give or take. New World group.

Genus: Sicalis - The Yellow-Finches - 10 species

Species: Sicalis luteola - 7 subspecies. Some many get split, as some subspecies are separated from others and are non-migratory. The Trinidad species if probably the nominate ssp, S. l. luteola.

No one needs a bird guide book to identify the male Wild Turkey, Melagris gallopavo. The turkey is native to the eastern half of the US, but it range has been extended by introducing it to other states by various fish and game agencies to satisfy the needs of hunters. Turkeys are now found from southern Canada down to Mexico, in all 48 contiguous states, and also in Hawaii.

The male Turkey is a formidable bird, and appears enormous when he displays. The sexes segregate by sex, and with groups establish a hierarchy by displaying and fighting. This guy was clearly dominating the 5 males nearby. Females also establish hierarchies, in similar fashion. The males are polygynous, and often court in pairs in more. It's interesting that a male who courts females in the company of another male has greater success in producing offspring. The males are much larger, and can measure 50" and weigh 24 pounds. The snood and wattles may seem grotesque to some of us, but it works for them. The dark pendant on the chest is called a "beard", and is composed of fibrous feather analogues. Can be seen on some females.

No surprise they have been extensively hunted for food. Their elusive wary nature also provides a challenge for the sportsman. Western Wild Turkeys supposedly came from Texas birds, a subspecies called the Rio Grande Wild Turkey, Melagris gallopavo intermedia.

Turkeys are non-migratory. They are omnivorous, but prefer acorns, fruits, seeds and grasses. Many animals predate their nests (average 12 eggs in a clutch). Biggest predator of adults by far is man (turkey second only to deer as a hunting target, excluding ducks). Other predators are what you might expect: coyote, bobcat, and mountain lion. And some that might surprise: Golden Eagle and Great Horned Owl.

Extensive information in Cornell's Birds of North America Online, #22, S. Eaton.

Scientific name from birds it resembles. Melagris for guineafowl, gallus for farmyard rooster, and pavo for peacock. Even more interesting is that Linnaeus originally used the common name turkey because he mistakenly believed that the specimens he was given came from Turkey, the country! (Holloway, Dictionary of Birds of the United States).

Tobago: Least Grebe - Tachybaptus dominicus

We saw the Least Grebe (Tachybaptus dominicus) on Tobago, at a development call Plantation Village. Got some nice views of a parent swimming with 3 striped youngsters. Photo ops were marginal, so I'm including a shot of a Least Grebe from Texas, taken at Sabal Palm on a wonderful Bob Stewart trip in 2005.


Grebes are an "easy" group to get you head around. The entire Order Podicipediformes, the Grebes, contains only 19 species world-wide. We are fortunate to be able to see 6 grebe species on the west coast of California, sometimes at one location such as Bodega Bay, plus the Least Grebe in Texas. In T-T they have only the Least Grebe and the Pied-billed Grebe.

Least Grebes are really small, measuring 8-10" and weighing 4-6 oz. Compare that to the Pied-billed Grebe at 1 lb.! In Trinidad-Tobago the subspecies is T. d. speciosus, with a range that extends south to Argentina and Brazil. Least Grebe is found on fresh water ponds and marshes, and like other grebes they feed by diving for small fish and invertebrates, staying down up to 12 sec. Tachybaptus means "fast diver". Their head and especially the throat gets blacker in breeding plumage, as here. They tend to be resident in the area where they are found, and on Trinidad-Tobago they are not common.

Taxonomy: The 19 Grebe species are sorted into 6 genera. The genus Tachybaptus has 4 species, with the Little Grebe, Australasian Grebe and Madagascar Grebe joining the Least Grebe. Clearly you're going to have to travel quite a bit to see them all. Our Pied-billed Grebe is the only Podilymbus grebe, and Western and Clark's Grebes are the only Aechmophorus grebes. 8 of the grebe species are in the genus Podiceps, including our Horned, Eared and Red-necked Grebes. Worth looking for right now, btw, all are in striking alternate plumage. The other 2 genera are Rollandia (2 South American species) and Poliocephalus (2 species in Australis/New Zealand).

Trinidad: LIttle Cuckoo - Coccycua minuta

We were a bit lucky to see the Little Cuckoo (Coccycua minuta) in Trinidad, as it is a shy uncommon creature that skulks about in the thick undergrowth looking for insects. This one was in low foliage along a road and seemed almost curious about out group, so we were able to get photos. Head and chest of rich chestnut, tail brown with white tips, and belly gray. Bill of the adult is yellow, iris dark red and orbital ring red-pink. There are about 8 Cuckoo family species in Trinidad-Tobago, but only 3 on Tobago. The Smooth-billed Ani and the Squirrel Cuckoo were the most common cuckoos that we saw.

This Little Cuckoo, sometimes known as Lesser Chestnut Cuckoo, is like a smaller version of the more common Squirrel Cuckoo, aka Chestnut Cuckoo, although they are in different genera. The 11" long Little Cuckoo is residential, incubates its own eggs like most New World cuckoos, and has a range from Panama and Trinidad south to Bolivia Peru and Brazil.

Taxonomy is interesting - Really, it is.

Order: Cuculiformes - Cuckoos and allies. Cuckoos are currently between the Parrots and the Owls, and are not closely related to the other bird orders. They have long tails and decurved beaks.
Family: Cuculidae - No other families in the Order. Diverse family of about 141 species in 30 genera found around the globe. Included here are 50+ birds with the common name "Cuckoo", but many other names such as Hawk-Cuckoo (1), Bronze-Cuckoo (5), Drongo-Cuckoo (2), Koel (6), Malkoha (12), Ground-Cuckoo (3), Coua (9), Coucal (27), Lizard-Cuckoo (4), Ani (3), Roadrunner (2), and Ground-Cuckoo (5). The Cuckoo-Shrikes (50+) are perching birds, and of course totally unrelated.
Genus: Coccycua..The Little Cuckoo was once place in the genus Piaya, with the Squirrel Cuckoo.
Species: Coccycua minuta - Little Cuckoo. About 5 subspecies, and this one may be the nominate subspecies. Seems like a lot of the Trinidad birds are the nominate subspecies.