Fledglings: Bad Hair Days

Fledgling Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay

Fledglings: Bad Hair Days

Fledglings are abundant here in late summer. They aren’t the cute babies just hatched, and they aren’t the beautiful birds they will become. They are awkward teens, developing some adult feathers but still with some baby fluff and coloration. I enjoy watching them grow. The scrub jays (now Woodhouse’s scrub-jays) are among my favorite, because they are here year around, and will eat peanuts on the patio table while I’m sitting there.

This fledgling Woodhouse’s scrub jay in the early morning light shows some of the beauty it will develop as it becomes adult.

Fledglings Woodhouse's Scrub Jay
Fledgling Woodhouse’s Scrub Jay

These jays will come quite close for peanuts!

Fledgling Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay
Fledgling Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay – “I can grab that peanut before the woman sees me!”

You know how beautiful adult robins can be. I’m not sure I had ever paid much attention to fledgling robins, but I had a great deal of empathy for this one!

Fledgling Robin
Fledgling Robin

A few days later I saw this one. I appeared much more majestic in the tree top, lit by the morning sun. I do not know if this were the same fledgling or not.

Fledgling Robin
Fledgling Robin in Early Morning Light

This fledgling house finch managed to look quite regal – to me – atop a sunflower seed head. He had already eaten a fair amount. He looked quite pleased with himself.

Fledgling House Finch
Fledgling House Finch

Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay

Woodhouser's scrub-jay

Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay and California Scrub-Jay Are Now Two Distinct Species

Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay is Little Jay’s new Species name, as of July 7, 2016.

Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay
Little Jay has a Big New Name

The official word is from the American Ornithologists Union. The two new species were originally lumped together as “Western scrub jay,” but for some time there has been talk of splitting that group. Small parts of Nevada see some overlap of the two, but beyond that location, location, location is everything.

Here in New Mexico, a scrub jay is Woodhouse’s scrub-jay. This makes identification easy for me. For my friends in Nevada…sorry.

I don’t want to mislead readers into thinking I discovered the species split while casually perusing the latest bulletin from the American Ornithologists Union (although I am sure I have friends who do). A great resource is Greg Gough at the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. I had talked with him a couple of years ago, and again just recently when I was working on Cooper’s Hawk Courtship Display. He sent me an email this morning advising me of the species split.

Another Woodhouse’s scrub-jay fledgling from a previous year, now with a a new species name:

Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay
Fledgling Scrub Jay: Water Is Life!
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