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Reposted by The Institute for Bird Populations

Burrowing Owl for meraxes-of-new-albion on tumblr! Thank you for the donation! 🪶🎨 #BirdArt #SciArt The #Waymakers Challenge raises funds for @theyoungcenter.bsky.social to help immigrant kids in the US! Donate by end of day Sept. 30 - not much time left! youngcenter.donordrive.com/campaigns/Bi...

Illustration of a Burrowing Owl standing on a patch of chunky dry dirt in front of distant blurry powerlines. The owl is long-legged and standing tall, with its head tilted to the side as it peers toward the viewer with its huge yellow eyes.

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The Institute for Bird Populations @instbirdpop.bsky.social · 12h

Belated congrats to our co-winners @birdcmp.bsky.social and @drdinnertime.bsky.social You had to be quick on the draw for this one!

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The Institute for Bird Populations @instbirdpop.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

🪶 The answer to this week's #BitOBird quiz is....American Bittern! Congrats to our winner! Don't worry if you missed it this week, we'll post another quiz next Monday at 11am ET/10am CT/9am MT/8am PT.

Photo by Andy Reago and Chrissy McClarren of an American Bittern partially obscured by wetland vegetation.

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The Institute for Bird Populations @instbirdpop.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Here's the clue for this week's #BitOBird game! Can you ID this bird from just this little bit? (Note: we stick to North American birds, if not we’ll tell you.) 1st to reply w/ the correct answer gets bird nerd bragging rights. If you're stumped, we'll post the answer in 2 hrs 🪶

The clue for the #BitOBird game: a close-up photo of a portion of a bird.

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The Institute for Bird Populations @instbirdpop.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

🪶 The answer to this week's #BitOBird quiz is....Pine Siskin! Congrats to our winner! Don't worry if you missed it this week, we'll post another quiz next Monday at 11am ET/10am CT/9am MT/8am PT.

Photo of Pine Siskins at a feeder by Larry Lamsa. One bird has its wings extended.

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The Institute for Bird Populations @instbirdpop.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

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Reposted by The Institute for Bird Populations

Betty Widerski (aka Betty4Cats) @bettywiderski.com · 20/09/2026

Really unexpected lifer today in Wellfleet (Cape Cod): a Crested Caracara, which is supposed to be down the length of South America, maybe as north as Florida. Seen by many. @aba.org is this a MA first?

A slightly blurry bird: white neck, grayish/black body, black top of head, reddish orange face, pale thick curved bill. Standing in marsh grass.

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The Institute for Bird Populations @instbirdpop.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

🪶Whoops! How about an afternoon round of #BitOBird? Look for it at 4pm ET/3pm CT/2pm MT/1pm PT. Sorry about that @skuaenjoyer.bsky.social !

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The Institute for Bird Populations @instbirdpop.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Did you ask for a bird fact? No, but you're getting one whether you like it or not. 🪶

Photo by Frank D. Lospalluto of two Brown Creepers snuggled under an eave with their head tucked into the seam between 2 wood panels and their back feathers fluffed up. Text on the graphic says "Unsolicited Bird Fact: During the fall and winter Brown Creepers like to cuddle. They are often observed snuggled together in small groups at sheltered roost sites, presumably to stay warm. Once young are fledged, parents roost separately. But young birds will sometimes roost together in larger groups. In Michigan, a group of about 6 young creepers were observed roosting in a tight circle with their beaks pointed towards the center.

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The Institute for Bird Populations @instbirdpop.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

During training in Olympic National Park our Pacific NW Parks bird monitoring crew looked for Tufted Puffins during a break. Our monitoring work does NOT include seabirds, but what can you do? Birders gonna bird- even in their downtime. 🪶

A group of people in hats and coats use binoculars and a small telescope on a beach on the coast of Washington state. There is a small sea stack in the distance.

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Reposted by The Institute for Bird Populations

Dan Baldassarre @evornithology.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Are you an ornithology student or postdoc thinking about a career at a primarily undergraduate institution (PUI)? Register for this webinar hosted by @amornith.bsky.social to hear from myself and several other PUI ornithologists. We'll give you all the dirt! americanornithology.org/calendar/fac...

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Reposted by The Institute for Bird Populations

Morgan Tingley @mwtingley.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

With all the wildfires this year, it was great speaking with @audubon.org about our ongoing work studying the impacts of smoke on birds. Read it in print in the current issue, or here: www.audubon.org/magazine/smo...

audubon.org

Smoke from Wildfires Is a Growing Health Threat to Both People and Birds

Catastrophic wildfires are stalling decades of clean air progress. Now scientists are asking: How can we help birds navigate a hazier future?

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The Institute for Bird Populations @instbirdpop.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

🪶 Buff-breasted Sandpipers are on the move from their Arctic breeding grounds back to South America. They've been spotted this month across the Great Plains and eastern US. Go Sandpipers! Go!

Photo of two Buff-breasted Sandpipers by Richard Gibbons, the male is displaying to the female. A comic speech bubble conversation reads as follows. Male: "Hey girl, get a load of this BUFF breast! Know why my muscles are so defined? It's because I'm an elite long distance migrant. I fly 15,000 miles between Nunavut & Uruguay 2x per year!" Female: "Big deal Chad, so do I! In fact you were drafting behind me all last night and wouldn't stop yapping to your buddies about how much easier it was to fly in my wake." Male: "That just shows I'm intelligent." Female: "Whatever Chad."

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The Institute for Bird Populations @instbirdpop.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

🪶 The answer to this week's #BitOBird quiz is....White-faced Ibis! Congrats to our winner DWMM Photography! Don't worry if you missed it this week, we'll post another quiz next Monday at 11am ET/10am CT/9am MT/8am PT.

Photo of a White-faced Ibis preening itself by Sunny on Flickr.com

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The Institute for Bird Populations @instbirdpop.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

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Reposted by The Institute for Bird Populations

Janet Hill @saskajanet.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Contemplative Blue Jay #birds

Gorgeous bird with blue crest, black and white face and silver breast. Its crest is flat, indicating that it is relaxed. The bird is facing forward with its head turned to its left. The background is almost black with a small cluster of wet leaves in the upper right corner of the frame. It’s a peaceful scene and the bird appears deep in thought.

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The Institute for Bird Populations @instbirdpop.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

🪶 Can you spot IBP biologist Many Holmgren in one of her happy places in Olympic National Park this summer? Mandy leads our backcountry bird monitoring program in 5 different national parks in the Pacific Northwest. You can learn more about that program here=> birdpop.org/pages/pa...

Photo of an alpine landscape in Olympic National Park by Melissa Marshall. An inadvertently camouflaged human is sitting in the frame.

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The Institute for Bird Populations @instbirdpop.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

🪶 The answer to this week's #BitOBird quiz is....Arizona Woodpecker! Congrats to our winner! Don't worry if you missed it this week, we'll post another quiz next Monday at 11am ET/10am CT/9am MT/8am PT.

Photo of an Arizona Woodpecker perched on a dead branch by Mick Thompson.

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The Institute for Bird Populations @instbirdpop.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

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The Institute for Bird Populations @instbirdpop.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Hope you get some time outside and find some peace this weekend. 🪶

Photo of a Great Blue Heron and Wood Duck drake in a pond surrounded by lily pads by user readerwalker on Flickr. Text on graphic is the poem The Peace of Wild Things by Wendell Berry (1934-2026) "When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free."

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Reposted by The Institute for Bird Populations

Rosemary Mosco @rosemarymosco.com · 04/09/2026

Do any Floridian ornithologists follow me? I'm looking for three birds that eat caterpillars and might get fooled by a giant swallowtail's poop mimicry. I've narrowed them down to Painted Bunting, Northern Mockingbird, and Red-winged Blackbird. Are those good choices?

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Reposted by The Institute for Bird Populations

Wilson Ornithological Society @wilsonornithsoc.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Heads up: The deadline to propose a workshop, symposium, or special event for WOS 2027 is less than two weeks away! wos2027.org/call-for-wor...

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The Institute for Bird Populations @instbirdpop.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Thanks for the shout-out! Our MAPS program partners are the ones that make it possible!

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The Institute for Bird Populations @instbirdpop.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Did you ask for a bird fact? No, but you're getting a bunch of them in this thread whether you like it or not. 🪶 1. Florida Scrub-Jays only occur in Florida & they are cooperative breeders! Young birds stay with their parents for an extra year & help raise the next batch of their youngest siblings.

Photos of a Florida Scrub-Jay by Dennis Church, a Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay by John Breitsch, an Island Scrub-Jay by Tom Benson and a California Scrub-Jay by Doug Greenberg. Test on the graphic says: Unsolicited Bird Fact Scrub-Jay Edition

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The Institute for Bird Populations @instbirdpop.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

🪶 Check out this cute little juvie RCKI our MAPS Program partners in Newfoundland banded in the summer of 2024! To learn more about the MAPS Program visit => birdpop.org/pages/ma...

Photo of a licensed and trained bird bander holding a juvenile male Ruby-crowned Kinglet. Text says: Ruby-crowned Princelet? Photo by the BP-NL MAPS team.

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Reposted by The Institute for Bird Populations

Christina Evans @christinae.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

A Snowy Egret (Egretta thula) in breeding plumage is the #BirdoftheDay for the theme #ItsAllWhite. Easy to see why these stunning birds were hunted for their beautiful feathers years ago until they were protected in the early 20th century. #birds #Florida

A dramatically side-and back-lit Snowy Egret in breeding plumage is perched atop a rough gray snag facing forward and looking slightly downward, showing off an impressive crown of delicate white feathers over their head, and looking fierce with yellow eyes, red lores, and black beak. The background is completely black. Easy to see why they were hunted for their feathers until they were protected in the early twentieth century.

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The Institute for Bird Populations @instbirdpop.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

🪶 New research on the longevity of the Scale-crested Pygmy-Tyrant, from our MoSI Program Partners in Ecuador and Costa Rica. You can read it here=> birdpop.org/docs/pub...

Photo of a Scale-crested Pygmy Tyrant by Nick Athanas. Text on graphic says: New Research from our MoSI program Partners: Longevity of the Scale-crested Pygmy-Tyrant (Lophotriccus pileatus), a resident Neotropical forest passerine.
D. Rodríguez et al 2026

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The Institute for Bird Populations @instbirdpop.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

🪶 Always so handy when these guys pose together!

Photo by Rob Kleine of a Downy Woodpecker (smaller) and a Hairy Woodpecker at a suet feeder.

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The Institute for Bird Populations @instbirdpop.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Congrats to our winner (and possibly first-time player?) @birdcmp.bsky.social Well done!

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The Institute for Bird Populations @instbirdpop.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

🪶 The answer to this week's #BitOBird quiz is....American Three-toed Woodpecker! Congrats to our winner! Don't worry if you missed it this week, we'll post another quiz next Monday at 11am ET/10am CT/9am MT/8am PT.

Photo of an American Three-toed Woodpecker clinging to the side of a conifer by Daniel Arndt.

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The Institute for Bird Populations @instbirdpop.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

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Reposted by The Institute for Bird Populations

Jason GRIZZLED Bittel @bittelmethis.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Man, love me some bat flies!

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The Institute for Bird Populations @instbirdpop.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

🪶 In case you missed this job announcement the first time

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Reposted by The Institute for Bird Populations

Rosemary Mosco @rosemarymosco.com · 24/08/2026

Hummingbirds.

A four panel comic. In panel 1, a rufous hummingbird flies down toward a large hummingbird feeder with as many as 6 holes on top. He thinks "The humans put up a new feeder!" In panel 2, he lands on the feeder and gazes down at it. He thinks "It's huge. Many of us could feed here at once." In panel 3, we see a close up view of the hummingbird, and he's thinking "This could end the ancient rivalries. Usher in an era of peace. Interesting." In panel 4, an Anna's hummingbird hovers over the feeder and says "Hey, can I have some necta-" and the rufous hummingbird says "No."

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The Institute for Bird Populations @instbirdpop.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

🪶 Check out this handsome Thick-billed Fox Sparrow photographed by Jason Talbott, our crew lead for the Yosemite MAPS bird banding crew. You can even see how the auricular feathers over the sparrow's ears have fewer barbules to block less sound!

Close up of the head of a Thick-billed Fox Sparrow by Jason Talbott

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The Institute for Bird Populations @instbirdpop.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

🪶 The answer to this week's #BitOBird quiz is....Lucy's Warbler! Congrats to our winners- it was a tie between #BitOBird pros naomi and Dane St George ! Don't worry if you missed it this week, we'll post another quiz next Monday at 11am ET/10am CT/9am MT/8am PT.

A photo of a Lucy's Warbler perched on a stem by Julio Mulero

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The Institute for Bird Populations @instbirdpop.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

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The Institute for Bird Populations @instbirdpop.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

🪶Want to band cool birds on an island in the western Pacific?IBP is hiring 2 banders to help re-establish & operate bird banding stations on the island of Rota, in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. PROJECT DATES: Oct. 10 thru Dec. 20, 2026. More info here: birdpop.org/docs/jobs/Ro...

Photo of a bander's hands holding a Mariana Fruit Dove by Kristin Attinger. Text on graphic says: We're hiring experienced bird banders.

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The Institute for Bird Populations @instbirdpop.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Did you ask for a bird fact? No, but you're getting one whether you like it or not. 🪶

Photo of a Gray-Crowned Rosy-Finch perched on a rock in a snow flurry by Daniel Arndt. Text on graphic says: Unsolicited Bird Fact-You've probably heard that humans that spend weeks at high altitude start producing more red blood cells to help them adapt to the lower O2 levels in the air there. Scientists were interested in how Rosy-Finches are adapted to the high
altitude of their mountainous breeding habitat. In 1990, DT
Clemmons compared
Gray-Crowned Rosy-Finch
blood to House Finch blood (relatives that breed at lower altitude) and found that Rosy-Finch blood did not have more red blood cells, instead their hemoglobin had a higher affinity for Oz. In 2016, scientists found that human hemoglobin ALSO changes to be better at grabbing oxygen. (This is in addition to making more red blood cells.)

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Wendy Miller @burrowingowl.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Good morning! 🪶

Burrowing owl mom watches as her fuzzy little kid jumps in the air.

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The Institute for Bird Populations @instbirdpop.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

🪶Looking forward to cool fall evenings? Stay cozy in this Great Gray Owl sweatshirt designed by Lauren & sip tea from your Unsolicited Bird Facts mug while wowing your friends with your bird trivia. All profits support our work. Find them & more here: www.bonfire.com/stor...

Photo of a sweatshirt with a Great Gray Owl in flight on it and a mug with a chickadee on it that says: Unsolicited Bird Facts. The chickadee has a speech bubble that says: Did you ask for a bird fact? No, but you're getting one whether you like it or not. Text on the graphic says Stay cozy while supporting IBP.

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The Institute for Bird Populations @instbirdpop.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

🪶 Just kidding! Do NOT keep a Great Blue Heron as a pet. 1. It's illegal (and just plain wrong). 2. You will lose an 👁️.

Photo, by Lee Jaffe, of a Great Blue Heron poking its head in a rodent hole. Text on graphic says: Rodent problem? Allergic to cats? No problem, just get a Great Blue Heron! They're not just for fish control!

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Dr Alex Bond @thelabandfield.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Big new @adriftlab.bsky.social paper - we show for the first time that plastics affects seabirds at the POPULATION level. Plastic ingested as a chick reduces recruitment of birds to the breeding population. And the story is pretty grim. 🧵 www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

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The Institute for Bird Populations @instbirdpop.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

🪶Cool new research on female Passerines by @joannaxwu.bsky.social and colleagues at IBP and UCLA. Read more about it here-> bit.ly/4zfjbdY

Photo of a female Black-headed Grosbeak by Richard Griffin. Text on the graphic says: "Female birds are less likely to survive than males, but why?
New study uses MAPS data to explore sex-biased survival in North American Passerines..... Read more on our blog!"

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