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Feathers and Fuzz

one woman's cure for the empty-nester blues

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All the Others

Bird Size: Georgia’s Smaller Winter Residents

February 4, 2018 by MoJo

Napoleon and Mourning Dove

White-breasted Nuthatch (Left) - Mourning Dove (Right)

Sometimes we don't get a feel for a bird's size when we see them pictured solo.  When you see Napoleon (White-breasted Nuthatch) pictured with a Mourning Dove (above), Napoleon's small size is striking.  Napoleon's smaller  cousin, the Brown-headed Nuthatch, is resident in Georgia year-round, but I rarely see him except in winter.  He is pictured side-by-side with Napoleon, below.  If you hear what sounds like a dog's squeaky toy high up in the trees -- it's probably the Brown-headed.  

Brown-headed Nuthatch on Cup

Brown-headed Nuthatch

White-breasted Nuthatch on Cup

White-breasted Nuthatch

Smaller-still is the Ruby-crowned Kinglet.  He's about the size of Georgia's Ruby-throated Hummingbird when they are at their heaviest just before heading south in the fall.  The Kinglets are only here for the winter -- darting around from suet-feeder to suet-feeder.  I remember when I first met the Kinglet.  He was in the tree nearest the feeder -- giving me major grief for getting in the way of his meal.  When he came at me, I knew we hadn't met before -- me and this Chihuahua of the bird kingdom.  

The male Kinglet's red head feathers are shown in the picture (right).  If excited, he will actually raise these feathers into a "crown" -- a picture I may get one day.  The last two pictures show a size comparison between a Carolina Chickadee and the Kinglet.

Kinglet - Red Head
Chickadee on Suet

Carolina Chickadee

Kinglet on Suet

Ruby-Crowned Kinglet

Summing it all up:

  Length, In Weight, Oz
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 3-3.75 0.1 - 0.2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 4.25 0.2
Brown-headed Nuthatch 4-5 0.4
Carolina Chickadee 4-5 0.4
White-breasted Nuthatch 5-6 0.7
Carolina Wren 5-6 0.7
Mourning Dove 12 4-6

Filed Under: All the Others, Feathers Tagged With: Bird Size, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Carolina Chickadee, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Small Birds, White-breasted Nuthatch

Yellow-rumped Warbler vs Hen-Pecked Carolina Wren

January 28, 2018 by MoJo

Since we just watched Napoleon take on the Finch Army, I might as well move directly to introducing you to the "Masked Man".  The Yellow-rumped Warbler is a winter resident here.  He's identifiable by the bright yellow feathers on his rump and his very distinct black mask.  He's become quite a fan of the mealworm feeder.  Apparently, he's decided he owns it.  Well ... if you remember our Carolina Wren in the Mine, Mine, Mine video ... you can imagine ownership might be a matter of contention.  

As we saw in "Cuddle With the One You Love", Mr. Wren is accustomed to being hen-pecked.  I get that it may be easy to shrug off being pecked on the head by one's partner, but I was really captivated by the Wren's reaction to the Masked Man's attack.  Napoleon may need to give the Warbler a lesson or two.

https://www.feathersandfuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Hen-Pecked-Video.mp4

Filed Under: All the Others, Carolina Wren, Feathers Tagged With: Bird Fighting, Carolina Wren, Yellow-rumped Warbler

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