ABCs of birds - Letter V

[Patti from Kentucky]

Violet-crowned Hummingbird...this delicate beauty was hanging out at some feeders in southeastern Arizona.

My collection of V birds is almost as pitiful as my U birds, which were non-existent...

[Patti from Kentucky]

And...some closeups of a bird you really don't ever want to see close up!   

Turkey Vultures

These lovely specimens were on the side of a road in a wildlife refuge we were traveling through.  We slowed to a crawl to give them a chance to fly off safely, but they just sat there calmly, so I snapped a photo.  Nearly broke the camera!

[dale]

OH! what a lovely hummingbird!!!

OK, let's go for maximal contrast, then:

Here are what seem to be two baby Turkey VULTURES.
I have no idea where I got this thing, but it makes me nervous.

Dale

[dale]

Now that my hiccups from looking at baby turkey vultures have almost subsided,
let me venture that perhaps...

V is for the VERY HIGHEST and LOUDEST THING in the NEIGHBORHOOD

there are a number of birds in this family; two examples:

One is a banded Very-High Laridae showing off in Prague; the other, a Cardinalis cardinalis cardinalis cardinalis (cardinalis...) birdie birdie birdie birdie birdie - photographed right where he makes us look at him, by John Mosesso, Jr. (wiki)

dale

[Patti from Kentucky]

OH! what a lovely hummingbird!!!

OK, let's got for maximal contrast, then:

Here are what seem to be two baby Turkey VULTURES.
I have no idea where I got this thing, but it makes me nervous.

Dale

Faces only a mother could love...but I suppose that's equally true of the adults.

[dale]

Faces only a mother could love...but I suppose that's equally true of the adults.

Awwww... don't you think this would sell Coke?

(photo from http://www.eaglevalleyraptorcenter.org/rehabilitation.asp)

[dale]

Least Bell's Vireo

http://www.fws.gov/sacramento/es/animal_spp_acct/LB_vireo_kf.htm

photo of baby vireo removed from nest for banding, as well as a chipped french manicure,
by Po-Hon Liu for the Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Service

dale

[gayle]

Turkey Vultures

Each winter, thousands of turkey vultures migrate through California's Central Valley.  Up to 30,000 of them have been counted.  Here is a kettle of them soaring over our motel in Willows.  While searching for the census data, I came across this unattributed photograph of a huge kettle from the Kern Co. Vulture Watch.

Gayle

[Patti from Kentucky]

Faces only a mother could love...but I suppose that's equally true of the adults.

Awwww... don't you think this would sell Coke?

(photo from http://www.eaglevalleyraptorcenter.org/rehabilitation.asp)

OK, that one is almost cute, I'll admit.

Patti

[dale]

OK, that one is almost cute, I'll admit. Patti

Cute for a bottom-heavy dinosaur, huh.

[Paul Hamilton]

V is for American Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus) Corygyps means "raven-vulture", so you know that this is a bird to take seriously.  Wingspan is a bit under five feet (1.5 m) and weight about four pounds (2 kg) so it is not small. They hang out in big flocks and can take over a carcass from the larger Turkey Vultures by using teamwork.  Unlike the Turkey Vulture, these birds are predators to some extent and will take eggs, nestlings, or young or injured mammals.  This sometimes gets them in trouble with ranchers and others.   Last year, I found a very dead Black Vulture about a half mile from my local peregrine nest, and I suspect it may have been a casualty of nest defence.

I took this picture at my airport while waiting to take off. It shows Black Vultures waiting to take off.  It's early on a frosty autumn morning.  The spread wing pose may have a number of purposes, including drying the wings, warming the body, and allowing the sun to kill off bacteria.  It's quite impressive to see a flock of fifty or more individuals do this in perfect unison. 

Paul

[Annette]

Violaceous Coucal

http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=1273

[Annette]

Violaceous Euphonia - a very colorful bird

http://www.avianweb.com/violaceouseuphonias.html

[dale]

The spread wing pose may have a number of purposes, including drying the wings, warming the body, and allowing the sun to kill off bacteria.  It's quite impressive to see a flock of fifty or more individuals do this in perfect unison.  Paul

Don't ask me why, but I have this sneaking feeling that it may smell funny too. And I'd probably pay admission to see them do this on the same field as a rookery of penguins cooling themselves off.

On the other hand, what do we think about the band name, Fifty Drying Vultures?

Thanks, Paul!

dale

[Donna]

V is for Vanga:

Helmet Vanga

The Helmet Vanga Euryceros prevostii is a distinctive-looking bird of the vanga family, Vangidae, with a huge arched blue bill. It is the only member of its genus. Adults mainly eat large insects, but food items brought to young in the nest may be more varied , including snails, lizards, spiders and crabs.



Wiki