It’s spring! And for many birds, it's a time to look their best to attract a new mate. This American Goldfinch has recently molted. Its old, worn-down feathers have fallen out, and new ones have grown in. When American Goldfinches molt in the fall, they lose these brightly colored feathers. Their winter camouflage helps them blend in with the drab background of the season.

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"Peregrine" means "wanderer." And Island Girl, a Peregrine Falcon, has made the 18,000-mile round-trip journey from the high arctic of Canada to southern Chile three times. Bud Anderson of the Falcon Research Group calls her "a master of the air." Using satellite telemetry, he invites people to share in the adventure of Island Girl’s journey. With online maps, you can now follow this gorgeous Peregrine in her wanderings. She’ll head northward from Chile early to mid-April. Check it out!

The month of April inspires poets, sometimes with contradictory results. T.S. Eliot describes April as "the cruelest month." Shakespeare strikes an upbeat note, writing "April hath put a spirit of youth in everything." Let April speak for itself. Listen to the birds. In Southeastern Alaska, the exuberant voice of a Ruby-crowned Kinglet - - - In a Washington State marsh, a Common Yellowthroat - - - In South Texas, this Long–billed Thrasher - - - In a dense Midwestern shrub, a Brown Thrasher holds forth. And in the East, a White-throated Sparrow sings sweetly.

Each spring, millions of songbirds migrate north from the New World tropics to nest in North America. It takes 15 hours on average to cross the roughly 500 miles of the Gulf of Mexico. If wind or rain slows the crossing, the birds are worn out and famished when they reach land. What will they find on gaining the coast? Along the upper Gulf Coast of Texas, many arriving birds – including Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, like this one – find respite on High Island, Texas. Learn more about the bird sanctuaries of the Gulf Coast of Texas.

All states have an official state bird, usually a pretty one or one associated with its particular region. Many state birds are quite common, although Hawaii’s chosen bird, the Nene, a type of goose, is endangered. The bird chosen by the most states - seven - is the Northern Cardinal, followed by the Western Meadowlark, picked by six. Connecticut, Michigan, and Wisconsin chose the American Robin. The California Gull saved the Mormons' first harvest in Utah and is commemorated by this monument in Salt Lake City. Learn more at 50States.com.

Nearly all birds produce sound through an organ unique to birds, the syrinx. In many songbirds, the syrinx is not much bigger than a raindrop. Extremely efficient, it uses nearly all the air that passes through it. By contrast, a human creates sound using only 2% of the air exhaled through the larynx. Birds whose syrinx is controlled by only one set of muscles have a limited vocal range. This Song Sparrow, using several pairs, can put forth a cascade of trills and notes. Listen again. Sign up for the BirdNote podcast.

Inspired by a talented friend’s painting called Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks, Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky wrote a piano piece as part of his famous work "Pictures at an Exhibition." The composition was later orchestrated by Maurice Ravel. Have you ever watched a baby bird peck its way out of its shell? The determination to break through is astounding.

Check out this video of chicks hatching at YouTube.com.

Hoping to attract hummingbirds to your yard or balcony? One way is to grow native plants. Native plants provide cover, and they offer nectar in spring and summer. They also attract insects, the most important part of a hummingbird’s diet. Just add a source of water for drinking and bathing, and you’ll have a hummingbird haven. This Anna's Hummingbird is feasting on red-flowering currant. Check out these guides to native plants of the East and the West. Or find a Master Gardener near you who can help you choose plants for your garden.

If this week’s bright full moon pulls you outside, pause for a moment and listen. You just might hear migrating songbirds, flying overhead. Most songbirds do migrate at night, when fewer predators are out. The migrants stop, feed, and rest during the day. However, scientists believe that the main reason songbirds migrate at night is that the stars help orient them on their northward journey. Learn more about nocturnal migration at Chipper Woods Bird Observatory.

The male American Robin - fiercely territorial - belts out its distinctive cheery song to defend its breeding territory from invasion by other robins. Sometimes, the robin sees its own reflection as an interloper and challenges the “invader” over and over, even to the point of exhaustion or injury. It's called the "battering robin syndrome," although cardinals, mockingbirds, juncos, and other birds do it, too. Closing the curtains or stenciling stars made with Bon Ami paste onto the windows can help.
Learn more about how to save these birds from themselves at JourneyNorth.

For 20,000 years, spring rains and melting snow have filled the playas of the Rainwater Basin of south-central Nebraska. As winter ends, ten million waterfowl rest and feed here before continuing north. The seasonal wetlands form a funnel for birds heading from the Gulf Coast and points south to northern breeding grounds. In recent years, the number of Snow Geese stopping here in spring has risen dramatically to more than three million birds. A third of North America’s Northern Pintails rely on the food-rich habitat here. 27 species of shorebirds use the wetlands. So do half a million Sandhill Cranes. Learn more at FWS.gov.

The Belted Kingfisher dashes through the air, warning intruders with its rapid-fire, rattling call. In spring, the best places to see Belted Kingfishers are along sandy banks -- they are busy digging burrows, where they will nest. The holes typically reach three to six feet into the bank, but some nesting holes can extend fifteen feet.
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The American Bittern, a member of the heron tribe, spends much of its time in the dense cover of the marsh. Although they are found across the country, you’ll seldom see one. Bitterns are masters of camouflage. Their striped plumage perfectly imitates surrounding vegetation, and they conceal themselves by freezing—holding their heads and necks upward at an angle that mimics the reeds. Have you seen an unusual bird or observed a bird doing something usual? Tell your story on our Facebook page. Thanks!

High above the clouds caressing the upper reaches of the mountains soars the most majestic bird you are never likely to see or hear: the Semi-Fixed-Wing Silver Delirian. With a wingspan of some four yards, a sleek metallic silver body almost as long as its wingspan, and huge winged feet, the Delirian visits once a year—April 1—during its annual migration from its home in Tierra del Loco, a remote island promontory rising out of the southern Pacific.

Hummingbirds’ names evoke their exquisite qualities and variety, from brilliants to emeralds to sunangels -- to this Violet Sabrewing.  Central and South America are home to well over 300 species of hummingbirds! Find out more about hummingbird migration -- and what hummingbirds might be coming your way -- at HummingbirdWorld. Learn how to attract hummingbirds to your yard at Hummingbirds.net.
Browse this lovely gallery of photos by William Zittrich and Jon Gallagher.

Pigeon fanciers from around the world race specially bred homing pigeons over distances up to 600 miles. These stalwart and intelligent birds course the skies at speeds greater than 60 miles an hour. In 2005, a homing pigeon flying home to a loft in Norfolk, Virginia earned the record for that year. It covered more than 250 miles at an average speed of 2,040 yards per minute, at times exceeding 70 miles an hour. Learn more about racing pigeons at Pigeon.org. See a photo of WWII homing pigeons.

Two herons, one dark, the other white, feed at the edge of a wooded pond in the South. Both birds are Little Blue Herons. What’s going on here? Well, the white bird is a juvenile. These young herons forage with flocks of Snowy Egrets, which stir up prey. The white immatures mix readily with the white egrets and, by this mimicry, gain a better chance of getting a meal. By arraying the immature Little Blue Heron in white, nature helps the young bird survive the vulnerable early years of its life. The Little Blue Heron is one of Audubon's Top 20 Common Birds in Decline.

The Lark Sparrow is large, gorgeous, and unmistakable. Because of its beauty, a Lark Sparrow was chosen for the cover of Sparrows and Buntings: A Guide to the Sparrows and Buntings of North America and the World. Lark Sparrows nest throughout the West and Midwest, in grassy habitats with scattered shrubs, fields with brushy edges, and sagebrush.
Today, with its numbers in decline, the species merits renewed attention and care. Learn more at Audubon.org.

While nearly a third of North American bird species are in decline, many birds that depend on wetlands are thriving. Duck breeding populations in 2009 were an estimated 25% above historical averages. Conditions on the breeding grounds have improved since the drought years of the 1980s, but human action has also made a huge difference. You can help by encouraging your elected representatives to protect wetlands. And you can buy a duck stamp every year. The 2011-2012 stamp features these White-fronted Geese.

House Finches eat many kinds of seeds and fruits. A careful look at male House Finches at a feeder shows that, while most males show red feathering, some are decidedly more orange — and some even yellow. House Finches acquire their coloration from pigments known as carotenoids in the foods they eat.
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