April 2022 Bird of the Month

Photo: American Robin, Joseph Mahoney/Audubon Photography Awards

Deidra Bryant

Happy spring! On that first warm day after the mini snowstorm this month, the scent from the snowmelt was enticing so I took a stroll around my neighborhood. Perpendicular to the swale bordering my residential community, there were dozens of robins hopping along the muddy grass looking for insects and worms that might have migrated to the surface. There were so many robins that I sent my friend a lengthy video of myself trying to count them all. 

American Robin, Joseph Mahoney/Audubon Photography Awards

As you may already know, American Robins (Turdus migratorius) are ubiquitous in Northern Virginia, and for some people their presence signals that spring has sprung! As I was counting them on video, I remembered how many robins I encountered in Europe, conveniently named the European Robin (Erithacus rubecula). Although both species have the notable crimson-colored breast, the American Robin’s coloring extends all the way down to its belly, whereas the European Robin has a patch of color on its face that stops at the breast. Another difference is that the European Robin lays smaller cream-colored eggs with reddish-brownish splotches, while American Robins lay eggs with a distinctive blue color caused by a compound called “biliverdin,” a bile pigment passed on from the mother’s blood. There’s also the obvious difference in body size. American Robins are members of the thrush family (Turdidae) and range from 8 – 11 inches in length, whereas adult European Robins range from 5 – 5.5 inches in length and are from the Old-World flycatcher family (Muscicapidae). Even their songs and calls are very distinct. I found European Robin calls melodious and more high-pitched than that of the American Robin, and quickly discovered they were more solitary too. 

Robin sp., Deidra Bryant

With all these differences, you may wonder how they can both be considered “robins.” The term “robin” is pretty much irrelevant in regards to taxonomy. In the 17th to 18th century European settlers designated our familiar backyard bird when they arrived in the New World. Why “American Robin” though? We can speculate on why, but I personally believe their hubris played a role in determining its name since a bird with a red breast was strictly called a “robin” in England during that time, and considered their robin to be the standard. As a result, it was possibly their goal to shoehorn flora and fauna in the newly established colonies into the familiar framework of Great Britain as if they attempted to cling on to aspects of their homeland. And let’s not forget about Australasia. Settlers arrived at the remote continent and decided to identify birds there as “robins” too like the Scarlet Robin (Petroica boodang).

Notice how all these birds have flame-colored breasts. I bet you’re starting to see a pattern here, right? Well, don’t get too carried away. There are 49 endemic species of robins (conveniently named Austrilasian robins) in the Petroicidae family and they look nothing like the American or the European Robins. Early ornithologists had named birds as robins from three different families in at least three different continents and things got more convoluted as time went on. During the 18th century, most of the New World Turdids were called robins because of their superficial similarity to the American one, but now have reverted to being called thrushes to better represent the genus’s cosmopolitan distribution. However, we still have robins from different families and genuses all over the globe that look very different from each other. For example, we have the White-breasted Robin located in southwest Australia (Eopsaltria georgiana), the Forest Robin from southeast Africa (Cossypha dichroa), the Japanese Robin (Larvivora akahige), the Siberian Blue Robin (Larvivora cyane), etc. On the Indian subcontinent there’s the Indian Robin (Copsychus fulicatu) and the Oriental magpie-robin o(Copsychus saulari). 

The prior examples put scientists in a predicament that taxonomists have been trying to solve for decades. What do we call these birds that are definitely not robins but are well known as robins? Are they thrushes, are they chats? Does all of this really even matter? I care enough to have contemplated such a complicated term, but not enough to get visibly upset about how to classify a bird's common name like a “warbler” or a “wren.” The good news is that laypeople in the states can easily understand what the other is talking about when they discuss robins, but ornithologists have to clarify in journals and research papers (which they usually do) using the species name.

March 2022 Bird of the Month

Photo: Peregrine Falcon, Lorelei Stierlen/Audubon Photography Awards

In downtown Richmond Peregrine Falcons have been nesting since 2003. Over the years the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources and their partners have monitored them and beginning on March 1 you’ll be able to watch them too via the Richmond Falcon Cam. If you want to keep up with their progress, subscribe to get the latest updates from the nest. 

Last year’s falcon pair successfully fledged 4 chicks from their nest box on top of the Riverfront Plaza building. To learn more about this remarkable species scroll through the DWR Falcon Cam webpage to links for more information on the Richmond falcons as well as Peregrine Falcons in Virginia, and the extensive conservation efforts to restore them after their U.S. populations were devastated from 1950 to 1970 by DDT poisoning. 

Although not common in Northern Virginia, there have been other successful Peregrine Falcon nest sites. In 2019 ASNV published a story about the falcons who have successfully nested in Reston Town Center since 2015.   

Peregrine Falcon, Steven Sachs/Audubon Photography Awards

Peregrine Falcons Choose Ashburn Quarry to Raise their Young

Photo: Peregrine Falcon chicks

Ashburn Magazine

Peregrine Falcons appear to be making a comeback in Virginia. Glenda Booth wrote this article for the Ashburn Magazine about a first-time nest at Luck’s quarry.

A narrow ledge 75 feet above the ground in a traprock quarry may sound like an inhospitable place to have and raise babies, but if you’re a peregrine falcon, it’s perfect. Last year, for the first time, a pair of falcons chose a ledge in the Luck Stone quarry just off Belmont Ridge Road in Ashburn for their home. There, the female laid four eggs, and the pair successfully raised three males and one female.”

Read more here.

Up Close with Peregrine Falcons

Photo: Peregrine Falcon, Lorelei Stierlen/Audubon Photography Awards

Peregrine Falcons have been nesting on the Riverfront Plaza Building in Richmond since 2003. For thirteen years the same pair, “Ozzie” and “Harriet” occupied the nest. Harriet was last seen in 2016 and Ozzie’s last appearance was in 2017. Last year a new banded male showed up and was joined by an unbanded female this spring. They now have 4 red eggs. For a close up view of their nest watch here. The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries operates the webcam and maintains a highly informative website about Peregrine Falcons.

Bringing Peregrine Falcons Back to Virginia’s Mountains

Photo: Peregrine Falcon, Richard Derevan/Audubon Photography Awards

National Park Service biologist, Rolf Gubler, will give a talk on March 1, 2020 at 2:00 PM about the Peregrine Falcon restoration project at Shenandoah National Park.  

Rolf Gubler, National Park Service biologist, with a Peregrine Falcon. Photo courtesty of Friends of Dyke Marsh

A team brings at-risk Peregrine Falcon chicks from bridge nest sites in eastern Virginia to Virginia’s mountains, once part of their historic range. They hope the birds will imprint on the park's cliffs and return as breeding adults. This project boosts mountain peregrine populations and aids in the survival of bridge nest peregrine chicks where fledging is often difficult due to insufficient updrafts.

Peregrine Falcons were used for hunting or falconry as early as 2000 B.C. in China and Egypt and in World War II, both the British/U.S. and the German armies had a falcon corps to intercept their opponent’s homing pigeons.  Peregrines are found in rural and urban environments and on every continent except Antarctica.

This free, public meeting will be at the Mount Vernon Government Center 2511 Parkers Lane, Alexandria, near U.S. 1 and a mile from the George Washington Memorial Parkway.

The Friends of Dyke Marsh are sponsoring the program.  Cosponsors are the Audubon Society of Northern Virginia and the Northern Virginia Bird Club. This is a free program and registration is not required.

Recovery of the Peregrine Falcon – A Conservation Success Story

Photo: Banding Peregrine Falcon Chicks, Robin Duska

by Lisa Mackem

In July, 2015, two Peregrine Falcon chicks were found on Market Street in Reston Town Center (RTC). They were taken to the Raptor Conservancy of Virginia and safely released into the wild.  No one realized Peregrine Falcons nested in Reston but the chicks prompted a discovery that two adult peregrines were nesting in RTC. The pair has continued to nest there for five years. 

The Reston Town Center peregrines have perhaps found an ideal environment for a nest site: inaccessible, protected from rain and harsh sun, and facing south. The surrounding area is full of prey all year, while tall building roofs nearby provide safe landing areas for fledglings.

The Center for Conservation Biology in Williamsburg, VA monitors Virginia’s Peregrine Falcon population. Last year, the center’s director, Dr. Bryan Watts, and Reston resident and raptor biologist Steve Potts banded the four RTC peregrines’ offspring, assisted by a team of volunteers. Boston Properties, which owns the building with the nest, allowed access for the banding. They allowed access again this year, when four more chicks were banded.

Peregrine Falcon chicks, Robin Duska

Peregrine and other raptor and avian banding is a management tool and the United States Geological Survey licenses master banders. Virginia peregrines receive green bands with alpha numeric coding that identifies the birds. Both banding and satellite tracking allow study of the peregrines’ migratory status. Approximately half of the Virginia peregrines migrate south to establish winter territories ranging from North Carolina to Colombia, South America. Remaining birds establish winter territories within the mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. from Virginia through New York. 

The Peregrine Falcon was almost extinct in the eastern U.S. and listed as endangered in 1970. In 1975, The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service appointed an Eastern Peregrine Falcon Recovery Team to develop and implement a recovery plan. A key part of the recovery strategy was the production and release of captive-reared falcons. (Cade and Fyfe 1978, Cade 2003.) From 1975 - 1985, 307 captive reared birds were released from sites on the Virginia Coastal Plain, as well as Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey. Additional birds were released in Washington, DC and coastal North Carolina. This breeding population helped populate the eastern peregrine population so much that they were removed from the U.S. Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife (Mesta 1999).  

The historic population of Virginia peregrines nested in the mountains, but modern birds depend primarily on man-made structures for nesting. Peregrines usually nest in towers, but are also found on bridges and buildings. Less common structures include abandoned shacks, water towers, military ships, and active smokestacks at coal-fired power plants. Peregrines are vulnerable to expected risk factors in urban areas, but the Virginia peregrine population has consistently prospered since the first successful breeding between 1979-1982. In 2018, Virginia supported 32 known peregrine breeding pairs – the highest peregrine population recorded in the state. The population continues to grow at an 8% annual rate. Ongoing management activities might partially explain the increase in reproductive rates observed over time. Artificial management structures include added gravel, nest trays, nest boxes, and predator guards. Peregrine pairs nesting within boxes or on trays produced more than twice as many young as pairs that did not. The peregrines’ health can also be monitored. If a young falcon shows signs of disease that can easily be treated, it can be cured, and returned to the nest. Birds of prey suffer mortality rates of up to 70%, so all available monitoring is extremely helpful.

Peregrines are often reported to be the fastest bird in the world, increasing their average cruising flight speed of 24 to 33 mph to 67 mph when in pursuit of prey. When stooping, or dropping on prey with their wings closed, it's been calculated that Peregrine Falcons can achieve speeds of 238 mph. 

Dr. Carla Dove, Program Manager at the Feather Identification Lab at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, analyzed bird remains found in the RTC nests in 2018 and 2019 and identified 12 prey species: Blue Jays, Common Grackle, European Starling, Mourning Dove, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, House Sparrow, American Robin, Cedar Waxwing, Eastern Bluebird, and American Woodcock. 

For more information about the peregrine falcon, see:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Peregrine_Falcon/id