Head and sides of neck are gray, throat is dark red, nape is black-and-white striped. Eskimo Curlew: Small curlew, brown mottled upperparts, buff underparts streaked and mottled brown, and pale cinnamon wing linings. Magnificent Frigatebird: Large black seabird, orange throat patch inflates into a huge bright red-orange balloon when in courtship display. September-October: Bluebirds in northern Missouri begin migration. Throat feathers are long, purple-red, appearing as streaks on a white background, whiskers when fluffed out, or dark, inverted V when folded. Calliope Hummingbird: Very small hummingbird, metallic green upperparts and flanks, white underparts. Bohemian Waxwing: Large waxwing with gray upperparts, pink-gray crest, black mask and chin, and gray underparts. Eastern bluebird populations declined rapidly in the last century, probably due to forestry practices that cut down snags and hollow trees that bluebirds used for nesting. Female is olive-green above, with gray back and yellow underparts. Named for the wife of the army surgeon who discovered it in New Mexico. Legs and feet are pink. What a wonderful web site!! Swift, graceful flight, alternates several quick wing beats with long glides. The scientific name means "little digger.". Swift direct flight often with erratic side-to-side turns of body. Its head and neck is often stained rust-brown from ferrous minerals in marsh soils. The eastern bluebird has two relatives that live in western North America—the western bluebird (Sialia mexicana) and the mountain bluebird (Sialia currucoides). Flies close to ground or soars on thermals and updrafts. Iceland Gull: Large, white gull, pale, pearl-gray back and upper wings. Brant: This small goose has dark brown upperparts and brown-barred, pale gray underparts. MBS's Records Committee, known as the MBRC, performs many important functions in monitoring the status and distribution of Missouri's birds. To see this please jump to the Iceland Gull species account. It may also breed in open grassland without trees as long as there are utility posts that can serve as nest sites. Black legs, webbed feet. Marbled Godwit: This large sandpiper has black-marked, dark brown upperparts, and lightly barred, chestnut-brown underparts. Sabine's Gull: Small gull with gray back and white nape, rump, and underparts. The sexes are similar. Black bill is very short; legs, feet are orange-red. Flies in straight line formation. The male sports bright… It has a powerful direct flight and often soars on thermals. Wings are mottled gray with dark primaries. Flies in straight line formation with neck and legs outstretched, roosts high in trees and bushes at night. White tail with faint brown central strip and dark tip. Weak fluttering flight with legs dangling. Black upper and lowerparts may show blue gloss. Willet: This large sandpiper has mottled gray-brown upperparts, white rump and lightly streaked and barred white underparts, white tail with dark brown tip, and blue-gray leg. Undertail coverts are white. Grosbeaks: Blue Grosbeak Henke Road St. Charles County, Missouri 2009-05-20 My 1st Missouri photo, species #249 2009-05-20 15:34:39 . Painted Redstart: Medium warbler with black head, upperparts, bright red breast and belly. Curved neck is often stained with pigments from iron or algae. Wings are dark with thin,white bars. Whatbird parametric search. Western Tanager: Medium-sized tanager with brilliant red head, bright yellow body, black back, wings, and tail. Forages in groung, low vegetation. Other bird competitors: Boxes used by chickadees, tufted titmice, nuthatches or flying squirrels are probably in areas that are too wooded for bluebirds. Small gull, pale gray upperparts, gray-white nape, white neck with thin black collar, and white, wedge-shaped tail; underparts are variably pink. White chin and ... Ferruginous Hawk. The diet includes aquatic insects and plants. Tail is brown-black with white edges. Male has dark blue upperparts, black throat and mask. Direct flight on rapid wing beats. Direct flight with rapid wing beats. It has a black face, throat and belly and white forehead and crown that extends over the eye, down the back and sides of the neck. Eats insects, larvae, carrion. Diet includes aquatic vegetation and grass. Red eyes with white eye-rings, and white patch above. Tail is dark and relatively long. Clark's Grebe: Large grebe, gray-black upperparts, white underparts, and slender neck with white on front and black on back. It feeds on green plants including eel grass and sea lettuce. If you are building nest boxes, please make certain that they will be looked after once in place. The bright blue bird with a reddish chest is seen year-round, but is less common in winter. Bill is long, thin, and dull olive-yellow. Cooper’s have blue-gray wings above and horizontal, rusty barring on the underbelly. Lewis's Woodpecker: Medium woodpecker with dark green-black upperparts and hood. Bluebirds do not eat seeds, so rarely visit ordinary bird feeders. Sexes are similar. Legs and feet are black. The head has a black crown, white face and throat, and a stout, heavy bill. Legs are yellow with very long toes. If this happens, nail a board with the properly sized hole over the front of the box. The most likely solid blue birds to be seen in Missouri are the male indigo bunting—a small, deep-blue bird—and its larger, look-alike cousin, the blue grosbeak. Tail is long, broad, edged with white (black near base). Meadows, pastures, savannas, cemeteries or yards that are not too heavily shaded are ideal. Head has dark gray cap and sharply contrasting white eyebrow and cheek stripe. Yellow bill. Eyes are dark, legs are yellow-gray. Starlings: A 1 1/2-inch entrance hole will exclude starlings. The bill is yellow and the legs and feet are black. The larvae will fall out of the nest and can be removed from the bottom of the box. Feeds on small fish, insects and aquatic invertebrates. Pink legs, feet. Black tips on the primary feathers are only seen in flight. Some Missourians make cakes of yellow corn meal glued together with cooled bacon drippings or similar cooking grease with bits of fruit or raisins throughout. Posts can be fitted with a 24-inch-long metal sleeve to discourage climbing predators. The white-edged side and flank feathers form a striking border between sides and back. Swift direct flight on rapidly beating wings. Forages on ground, low in trees and bushes. It eats a variety of plant species and parts, especially grasses, sedges, grain and berries. Fence lines, power lines, scattered trees or nearby woods provide good perches. Female is gray overall with blue wings, rump, and tail. Wings are black with white patches and tail is black with white edges. Feeds in shallow water or mudflats exposed at low tide. Legs and feet are gray. Long bill is gray, hooked. Bill is very long, decurved. White-throated Swift: Medium-sized swift, mostly brown-black except for white throat, white patches on belly, flanks, white edges on wings. The Painted Bunting, known by its french name: nonpareil, meaning “without equal”, is a vividly colored songbird that appears in Missouri during the summer months. Black wings with two white bars. Year-round, look for both Blue Jays and Eastern Bluebirds in the yard. Inca Dove: Small dove with scaled, pale gray-brown upperparts, white throat, and scaled, pale buff (often with pink wash) underparts. Boxes that are not looked after may instead benefit bluebird competitors such as house sparrows and starlings. Winter birds are duller gray and juveniles are light gray overall. Red Knot: This medium-sized sandpiper has black, brown and gray scaled upperparts, a red-brown face, neck, breast and sides, and a white lower belly. Buy Photos. Yellow crown is bordered by a wide black cap; cheek and collar are black. Lives most of its life above timberline. Thick bill, pale base, two long central feathers twisted vertically on tail. Curlew Sandpiper: This is a medium-sized sandpiper with mottled rufous, white and black upperparts. Eyes are red. The tail is long and squared with a black-bordered gray center and edged in white. Yellow-brown legs and feet. It has a black bill, legs and feet. Vent and wing stripe visible in flight. Dives for food, primarily eats mollusks. Rump is pale gray or white with few or no streaks. Wings have conspicuous white patches. Over the past century, a total of 434 bird species have been documented in the state, including five extinct, 11 provisional, and four extirpated species. Strong direct flight. Referring to its pleasing color, naturalist Henry David Thoreau once wrote that "it carries the sky on its back." The eyes are dark and the bill is yellow with a red spot on the lower mandible. Eats seeds, insects, caterpillars. It only eats insects, and forages for them on the ground and in trees. Black-throated Sparrow: Medium sparrow, gray-brown upperparts, white underparts, black bib. Bullock's Oriole: Medium oriole, mostly bright orange with black crown, eye-line, throat stripe, back, and central tail. Bill is black. Undertail coverts are white. Rapid bouncy flight, alternates several quick wing beats with wings pulled to sides. Nest failure and re-nesting can alter the latter part of this schedule. Legs and feet are red-orange. It has a long black bill that is slightly decurved, and black legs and feet. Face is buff with black stripe behind eye. Upperwings are dark edged. Missouri designated the lovely eastern bluebird (Sialia sialis) as the official state bird in 1927. Alternates several deep flaps with glides and fast wing beats. American robins nest in the fork of a tree where their bright eggs blend in with the sun-dappled leaves. COMMON BLUE-BIRD. Place new boxes and clean out and refurbish existing boxes by March 1. Bill is orange with large black basal knob. Direct flight. Hood is solid black and eye-ring is dark red. Sexes similar. Swift direct and swooping flight with rapid wing beats. Forages in shrubs, brush, weedy fields for seeds and insects. Solitary, or in pairs and family groups. Sexes similar. Yellow-billed Loon: Large loon, white-spotted black upperparts, white underparts, gray sides with fine white spots. Sexes similar, but male is smaller with a brighter bill base. The eyes are yellow and the bill is blue-gray with a black tip. Check the houses every week to ten days for the following problems: House sparrows: Not only are house sparrows more aggressive than bluebirds when competing for nest boxes, they will occasionally kill the young bluebirds by pecking their heads. Bachman's Warbler: Small warbler, olive-green upperparts, yellow forehead, throat, underparts, faint white eye-ring, black crown, bib. Wood Stork: Large, odd wading bird, mostly white except for black flight feathers and tail. Brown and red-brown mottled upperparts. She builds the nest. Bill is black with yellow tip; legs and feet are black. Has a 15-16 inch-long black tail with deep fork. The removal of dead trees and branches for firewood or neatness continues to eliminate existing or potential nest cavities. Mitch Waite Group. Head has a slate-gray hood and bold white eye-ring. As it hops, it often flicks its tail from side to side. Red-necked Grebe: This large grebe has dark gray upperparts and cap, white lower face and nape, white underparts with gray flanks, red-brown neck and dark brown eyes. It is best if the grass is short. Forages on the ground and in low vegetation. For those who witness the flash of blue and hear their "cheer-cheeryup" song in such a setting, the phrase "bluebird of happiness" takes on a special meaning. Pink-brown legs and feet. Occasionally, people find dead bluebirds in boxes; the birds may have been unable to forage because of snow or ice cover and would have starved regardless. Long bill, gray and spatulate. Plan trips, find birds, track your lists, explore range maps and bird migration—all free. Weak fluttering flight with shallow wing beats. Bill is pink with dark tip. Cinnamon-brown underwings visible in flight. White belly and sides. Sexes are similar. Feeds on seeds, spiders, and insects. Whatbird.com logo design courtesy of The Haller Company. With Stan Tekiela’s famous bird guide, field identification is simple and informative. Black bill, legs and feet. Strong direct flight with powerful rapid wing beats. It does not take a pair of binoculars to spot the blue feathers of the Eastern Bluebird, the state bird of Missouri since 1927. Orange-brown crown is marked with fine dark lines. White Ibis: This coastal species is white overall with pink facial skin, bill, and legs that turn scarlet during breeding season. Sanderling: This medium-sized sandpiper has dark-spotted, rufous upperparts and breast, white underparts and black bill, legs and feet. Black Scoter: Medium diving duck, entirely black except for yellow knob at base of black bill. Direct flight on rapid wing beats. Head has a conspicuous white cheek mark and yellow crown. Great Black-backed Gull: World's largest gull. Gray wings with orange-brown shoulders. Wings, tail black with white markings. Alternates deep flaps and glides, soars on thermals. Light and bouyant flight on steady wing beats. Swift direct flight, rapid wing beats. Short bill has bright orange base and black tip. Gray legs, feet. White line divides green speculum and pale blue shoulder patch on wing. Space: 300 feet apart. Short low flights, alternates rapid wing beats with wings pulled to sides. Without equal indeed! The purpose of the organization is to attain pertinent information concerning bluebirds and native cavity-nesters, and Most common swan in North America. Eyes are red and bill is orange-red with black tip. Feeds on aquatic plants, cultivated grains, seeds. Flies in straight line and V formation. Blow flies: Both fly eggs and larvae will sometimes become established in a bluebird nest. SIALIA WILSONII, Swains. House sparrows are not protected by state or federal law, and they should be continually discouraged by removing nests and eggs as soon as they appear. 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