This member of the Fringillidae family is busy harvesting seeds from a wild sunflower. Members of this family have short stout beaks adapted for cracking the seeds they eat.

The American Goldfinch, Spinus tristis, is a small robin-sized bird that migrates through West Texas during the winter. The feathers of the male of this species change from the yellow green on the head, breast and belly to a bright egg yolk yellow.

The top of their head during the spring breeding season is capped by a black triangle while the feathers at the base of the tail are snow white. Quite a transformation for this bird.

What you see in the photos is a male bird in winter plumage. These photos were taken in early February, 2016.

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In the above image, a flock of Cedar Waxwing are awaiting their turn to visit a large nearby Cedar tree with lots of berries. Bombycilla cedrorum is native to North and Central America. This species and the Bohemian Waxwing are the two members of Waxwing family, Bombycillidae, that can be found in North America.

Cedar Waxwings are beautiful cinnamon colored birds with pale yellow bellies. They have a topknot that pops up and down, much like the Cardinals. Unlike many other birds, the males and females look similar to one another. They also tolerate each other’s company and are often seen in flocks feeding at trees and shrubs that produce berries they like to eat.

These pictures were taken in the early morning in the first week of March. This flock was most likely heading north to the woodlands of southern Canada for breeding season. The bird in the fore-ground shows the soft yellow belly and cinnamon breast plumage. You can also see the black eye-stripe and a partially raised topknot. The bird behind, while in poor focus, illustrates the red wax that these birds secrete at the tips of their wing feathers and this is the character their common name reflects.

Bombycilla translates as silk tail, while cedrorum means “of the Cedars”. Needless to say, these “Silk Tails of the Cedars” are interesting and beautiful birds and I was always glad when I could get close enough to photograph these busy little birds as they passed through Fort Worth during migration.

Because of the need to focus tightly on these birds, these images show only a portion of the huge flock that was enjoying their cedar berry breakfast that day.

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On a cool January morning I was on photo safari at the Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge when I spotted the tiny bird in the picture above. I was struck by its ability to hang upside down by its feet while it busily prospected the cracks and crevices of the tree bark for insects. As I later learned, I was photographing Regulus satrapa, the Golden-crowned Kinglet.

This little bird is a female because of the yellow stripe on the top of her head. If she were a male it would be more orangish golden in color. These little birds and the other Kinglets or Crests have been placed in their own family, Regulidae, because their genetics make them distinctly different than the Sylvidae or Old World Warblers where they were formerly placed.

I included this picture because it makes me laugh and demonstrates how these little birds just hang by their feet and ignore gravity while they hunt for food. Normally these birds are found throughout the boreal and montane conifer forests of North America and Eurasia where they breed. They come south from these forests to the deciduous forests and swampy bottom lands in Texas and the southern U. S. for the winter. You can even see them in towns and cities where there are enough trees.

This picture shows our little friend with her wings extended and illustrating the black and white wing bars and yellow head stripe. She had just landed on the tree branch when I took this picture.

For further information you can consult Wikipedia and Cornell University’s Ornithology Lab All About Birds.

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The Slate-colored Junco, Junco hyemalis, is a member of the family Emberizidae which is one of the families split from the family Fringillidae because of genetic studies. This little grey bird will hybridize with other closely related species where their ranges contact which makes identification in some cases difficult. Pictured here is the kind that appears in north central and west Texas.

Nowadays, the Slate-colored Junco is more correctly called the Dark-eyed Junco. As you can see, they are slate or lead gray on the head and upper body with a creamy white or buff belly. Their bills are pinkish white and their tails are edged in white. You can read more about the 15 subspecies of Junco hyemalis here and see photos of the 3 main varieties here.

Juncos can be found in forested areas throughout most of north America. They look for seeds and insects on the ground. Most of the Juncos I have seen have been by themselves or with one or two other birds. However, they are known to travel in large flocks.

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This is one of the gaudiest colored birds I have ever seen. While there are others more colorful and weird, this one looks like it was painted by someone who wanted a bird with all the colors in the paint-set.
Passerina ciris is also known as the Painted bunting and is in the same family, Cardinale, as the Indigo Bunting.

The rear view of this bird shows it green, red and yellow mantle and epaulets blending into wing feathers that look like what happens when you mixed all the watercolors together when you were in art class.

This species is a migrant in Texas from April until October when they return to Mexico for the winter. This sparrow sized bird and all its close kin like to eat bugs, berries, and seeds. They can be found in the margins of woodland areas while they’re here.

The bird in the photographs is in a willow tree near a lake. I was lucky enough to get these before he flew out of range. This one is another of the many creatures I have only seen in books before this moment.

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This is a male Indigo Bunting, Passerina cyanea. Once upon a time, it belonged in the family Fringillidae, but that has changed due to genetic data which has allowed this bird to be reclassified in to a new family, Cardinalidae, with its closer kin: the gross-beaks, cardinals, tanagers, and other buntings.
That said, I really like this species because of its powder blue feathers trimmed with black. I was stunned the first time I saw this species, as you might imagine.

The second image shows this little fella belting out his love song. You have to admire these colorful sparrow-sized birds all dressed up in electric blue and singing like rock-stars to anyone in the vicinity. I became an instant fan. On one of my last trips to the Fort Worth Nature Center and Reserve before moving to west Texas, I was treated to a farewell concert by one of these guys. I’m still a fan.

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These pictures were taken in Fort Worth where there is a chance for the Black-crested Titmouse to occur. If these were Black-crested titmice, they would have a black crest and no brown or black spot over the top of the bill.

These birds are generally working in groups and they will also be seen with Carolina Chickadees. They are difficult to photograph because they flit from place to place before you
can line up a shot. What you see here is the product of being at the right place and ready when they were around.

The above image gives you some indication of their size since they are barely bigger than the elm and oak leaves in the picture. On calm days, you can be walking in the woods and hear these little fellas thrashing leaves around to find insects and seeds. These are the only little gray birds that have cardinal like crests.

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In the first image, a Carolina Chickadee, Poecile carolinensis, is perched upon an empty native pecan hull. These birds reside in Texas from the Panhandle all the way to the Gulf coast. They are one of the smallest birds found in the state. Their family is Paridae which contains the tits, and titmice as well the chickadees.

Unlike most birds, males and females of the Chickadees are similar in coloration. The one shown above is singing and is probably a male. The black crown and throat region coupled with their white cheeks make these little gray birds easily distinguishable.

Their tiny size and needle like beak help these birds hunt insects, berries, and seeds in the shrubs and forests where they live. They get their name from the chick-a dee dee dee sound they make as they go about their busy days.

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