Saturday, May 03, 2008

Ovenbird Seen for the First Time

Every once in a while I come across a bird that I have never seen (in your life) or that has never visited the Colvin Run Habitat. This week, I observed a sparrow-size, slightly olive colored bird with a distinctive orange and black striping on the top of the head. A quick look at the field guide indicated that the observed bird was an ovenbird, a thrush-like warbler that lives on the ground of mature forests eating insects. This bird gets its name from its nest which has a dome and side entrance - the nest looks like a Dutch oven.

Unfortunately, the ovenbird that I observed was dead, which is the reason that I have the photos lower in this posting. If you would rather not see photos of a dead ovenbird - read no further. This ovenbird was found on the ground, close to the porch. I assume that the ovenbird flew into the windows and did not survive the crash. Every once in a while, a cardinal will leave his body print on a window. Far less frequently, a downy woodpecker will knock himself out, but always recover.

Note the overall olive color, pink legs, and spotted breast.
The orange and black striping on the head is truly unique.

No comments:

Post a Comment