SF Bayflower: July 2024

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The Joy of Birds | July 2024

After the breeding season, adult birds need to molt (or shed) all of their feathers. Many birds molt a few flight feathers at a time, wait until new ones grow in, molt another few, and so on. It's a slow and subtle process that leaves some birds looking… rough and awkward. See some of our (not so) feathered friends and their patchy plumage by browsing this photo gallery of 10 shining examples of birds in ungraceful transition.

Canada Goose. Photo: Nick Pecker/Shutterstock

American Goldfinch at a mesh feeder holding Nyjer seeds.

What's the Deal With Nyjer?

One common birdseed ingredient is conspicuously capitalized and tagged with the registered trademark symbol: Nyjer, or Guizotia abyssinica. The tiny black seed is a favorite of finches, but where does it come from? And why is it always capitalized? Learn more about finch's favorite food, Nyjer

American Goldfinch at a mesh feeder holding Nyjer seeds. Photo: agefotostock/Alamy

Lesser Goldfinch taking a bath in a pool of water.

How to Help Birds Beat the Heat

Recent, deadly heat waves have broken records across the United States and around the world, and summers are expected to get even more sweltering from here on out. This is a dangerous trend for birds. Thankfully, there are ways we can help birds deal with the heat, and you can start in your own home. Keep reading

Lesser Goldfinch. Photo: Jim Nelson/Audubon Photography Awards

A silhouette of a woodpecker-type bird on a tree.

Guess This Bird With Only 3 Clues!

We're back again with another round of "Who's That Bird?" Using the silhouetted image above and the three hints below, can you name this bird?

Clue #1: While these birds enjoy fruit from time to time, ants are their bread and butter—these birds likely eat ants more frequently than any other North American bird.
Clue #2: These birds sometimes spread their wings out over ant colony mounds and allow the bugs to crawl on them in a behavior called "anting."
Clue #3: Instead of the black-and-white plumage and tree-clinging habits typical of its woodpecker cousins, these birds have dappled brown feathers and a tendency to hug the ground.

Here's a bonus hint: this bird's four-letter banding code, or nicknames researchers use as shorthand for species' names, is "NOFL." Click here to reveal the answer and learn more about our mystery bird.

Photo: Mick Thompson

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Anna's Hummingbird. Photo: Dorothy Arnold/Audubon Photography Awards

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SF Bayflower

Tuesday, July 30, 2024

The only work shirt you need.

Friday, July 26, 2024

10 Awkward Molting Bird Photos

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