Eastern Phoebe

Judy and I visited the Aransas NWR in southeastern Texas in November 2021 and I saw my first (and so far only) eastern phoebe while doing the Auto Tour Drive. The eastern phoebe is gray-brown above, has a white throat, a gray breast and buffish underparts. It also has two indistinct buff bars on each wing. 

Illustration of the eastern phoebe from Birds of the World.

It is migratory. It winters in the southern U.S., Mexico and Central America and breeds in the eastern half of the U.S. and portions of Canada. 

Range from Birds of the World. 

The phoebes are found in the genus Sayornis and there are only three species, all of which I've seen: the black phoebe (in Arizona and California) and Say's phoebe (in Utah, Arizona and California), in addition to the eastern phoebe.  

Eastern Kingbird

On May 11, 2024 I was in Charlotte, North Carolina with my sons Sam and Andrew. Sam lives there and Andrew was visiting from New York. We spent some time hiking on the Haw River Trail in Saxapahaw. On our hike I got one very poor photo of the eastern kingbird. 

The eastern kingbird is gray-black on the upperparts with light underparts. It has a long black tail with a white end and long, pointed wings. They have a red patch on the crown which is seldom seen. 

Eastern kingbird illustration from Birds of the World. 

It is a migrating bird which breeds quite extensively in North America and winters in western South America. 

Range from Birds of the World. Orange is breeding, yellow is migrating and light blue is non-breeding. 

The genus Tyrannus contains the kingbirds and I have seen 5 of the 13 species within the genus: the western kingbird (in California), tropical kingbird (in Ecuador and Colombia), loggerhead kingbird (in Jamaica) and Cassin's kingbird (in California) in addition to the eastern kingbird.  

Northern Mockingbird

The northern mockingbird has gray to brown upper feathers and a paler belly. Its tail and wings have white patches which are visible in flight. It is a fabulous mimicker of bird calls and other types of sound, one of the things that resonates with me from many years ago when I first became acquainted with it. Its genus name is "Mimus," Latin for mimic. A male's repertoire can contain more than 150 distinct song types which can change and may increase in number with age. It  is the state bird of five states: Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas and Florida and in the title of one of my favorite books: "To Kill a Mockingbird". 

There are three subspecies of northern mockingbird: (1) polyglottos, found in eastern North America from Nova Scotia to Nebraska and as far south as Texas and Florida; (2) leucopterus, found in the western portion of North America from northwestern Nebraska and western Texas to the Pacific coast and south to Mexico (the Isthmus of Tehuantepec) and Socorro Island; and (3) orpheus, found from the Bahamas to the Greater Antilles and the Cayman and Virgin Islands. Ssp. leucopterus is larger than polyglottos, has a slightly shorter tail, has upperparts that are more buff and paler, and the underparts have a stronger buff pigment. Ssp. orpheus is similar to polyglottos, but is smaller, has a paler shade of gray on the back and very little buff on the underparts, if any at all.  

Ssp. orpheus seen at Hope Botanical Gardens in Kingston, Jamaica on February 17, 2023.

Ssp. orpheus seen at Rocklands Bird Sanctuary in Montego Bay, Jamaica, on February 17, 2023. 

Ssp. polyglottos seen in Okefenokee NWR in Georgia on January 13, 2018.  

Ssp. leucopterus seen along the Concho River in San Angelo, Texas. Note that it has the stronger buff pigment on its underparts. 

Ssp. leucopterus seen at the Salton Sea NWR hdqtrs in California on July 5, 2025. Also the following three photos. 

Illustration of ssp. polyglottos from Birds of the World.

Illustration of ssp. orpheus from Birds of the World. 

Range from Birds of the World. Orange is summer, dark blue is resident and light blue is winter visitor. 

Black-Crested Titmouse

The black-crested titmouse was originally considered to be a subspecies of the tufted titmouse, my last post, but the American Ornithological Society began treating it as a separate species in 2002. Adult males have the black crest, females have a gray crest; they have a white forehead, lores, throat, underparts and eye-ring, with a black spot above it. The upperparts are gray with a greenish cast on the mantle and rump. It has cinnamon-rufous flanks  and blue-gray feet. I saw one while visiting the LBJ Ranch in Stonewall, Texas, with Judy, on March 3, 2021. I have just one very poor photo. 

Illustration of a male from Birds of the World. 

Range from Birds of the World. 

It is found in Oklahoma, Texas and Mexico and sometimes also known as the Mexican titmouse. 

Tufted Titmouse

On November 1, 2024 I was in Shawnee Mission Park, a 1,600 acre park with 120 acre lake in Shawnee, Kansas. I spent most of the day there while Judy was in meetings relating to her job in Kansas City, Missouri. There I spotted a lifer, new bird for me, the tufted titmouse. The tufted titmouse has a gray upper body, white front, rust flanks, a black forehead and a gray crest on its head. 

Illustration from Birds of the World. 

Range from Birds of the World. 

Wikipedia notes that it regularly visits bird feeders and its range has expanded, likely due to bird feeders. Two-thirds of its diet is insects. In summer, a major part of its diet is caterpillars. It also consumes berries, nuts, seeds and small fruits. During the fall and winter it hoards food. When visiting a feeder, it will take one seed per visit and store the seeds within 130 feet of the feeder.  

Black Flowerpiercer

Flowerpiercers pierce the base of flowers to access nectar that would otherwise be out of reach to them. They have an upswept bill with a hook at the tip. The black flowerpiercer is a slightly glossy black, with a subtle blue gloss in males, has brown eyes and a black bill with a gray base. Females are a duller black with no blue gloss and wings and tail that are brownish. We saw one in Cuenca, Ecuador on March 27, 2022

and another in Bogota, Colombia on March 17, 2023. 

Illustration of ssp. humeralis from Birds of the World. 

If is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. 

Range from Birds of the World. 

Gray-Headed Tanager

On March 19, 2023 I was with Judy and my granddaughter, Savannah, at Tinamu Reserve near Manizales, Colombia. I took a photo of a gray-headed tanager, as identified by my guide, but I was unable to get an in-focus shot. 

This is the best I got. 

This is ssp. affinis, but I believe I saw ssp. cristata. 

Birds of the World has a photo of a gray-headed tanager from Caldas, Colombia which is very near to where we were. It is a lowland tanager found in forested habitats. Its plumage is yellowish olive over much of its body, with a gray head and crest. There are seven subspecies. 

Range from Birds of the World. Ssp. cristata is found in east Panama, north Colombia and northwest Venezuela.