r/Ornithology

saw this very fluffed up robin the other day and was wondering why they're so round? I tried looking it up and kept finding things saying they'll puff up when it's cold to conserve their warmth, but it was pretty hot out that day. Does it work the same way to cool off? there were some other robins around in the yard (normal size and unpoofed) and this one took off not long after I took pictures, so I don't think it was injured. Just curious about it!!

Ive got a bird building its nest in the wreath on my front door, I want to move it before they lay eggs because im worried about babies falling out when we open the door. Can I move it to the wall right next to the door, or are they likely to abandon it? Not sure what kind of bird it is, appears to be roughly 4-5 inches tall, and speckled brown. Looks like common sparrow from a distance

I’ve had this Chimney Swift Tower in my backyard in central Kentucky for about 15 years. Have had a nesting pair plus 6-8 helpers every year. No problems until about 3 years ago when the snakes figured it out. This particular snake got 4 three day old nestlings last night.

Before next season, I’ll have this Tower either replaced or reworked to make it more snake proof. So, to that end, I’m seeking ideas to accomplish that. The next one will be on baffled metal poles, elevated off the ground by a couple of feet. No nearby overhanging limbs and likely have a 2’ wide band of smooth sheet metal around the top.

Any construction hints or design ideas will be greatly appreciated.

I haven't filled my bird feeders because I've been away, and when i did so this morning i found a small surprise. Does anyone know the best course of action here? There's no sign of a nest being made.. it's just kinda sitting there.

We live in an apartment in a city and this bird flew in our apartment, our cat freaked out and he just attacked him once trying to "catch" it.

Now the poor bird is breathing quickly, did not move a muscle though.

I'm so stressed I don't want this guy to die,

what can I do ?

this is a bit of a dumb question but for some reason, for about the past 4-5 days these cardnials come to the bird feeder with their wings in a weird position. They didn’t do this before so i thought it was weird. They do it almost everytime they come now. Are they trying to look bigger? I don’t think it’s anything serious i just want to know if it’s even anything at all. Thanks!

The bird on the left is all gray and it was taken just like this. Is this a weird camera thing or are can gulls just be gray? (To be more specific the feet and beak)

Gorgeous Socorro Dove i photographed at the Kölner Zoo. I looked around the place for an hour without being able to spot the animal, until it landed directly next to me on the railing.

Sadly, after I took these pictures a man trying to be a disney princess tried to touch the bird and it flew away.. I was incredibly happy to have seen it in person tho.

This species is extinct in the wild and only survives through captive animals. Last documented wild one was in 1972 and the species has been officially extinct in the wild since 1983.

The cause of extinction was from introduced animals to Socorro, such as feral domestic cats, rats, mice and sheep.

Socorro Doves are very closely related to mourning doves and many captive animals were suspected or proven to be hybrids between the two species. Currently there are less than 200 of them, but an active breeding program is in action, hoping to be able to introduce them back to the wild in the near future.

The pictures can be used by anybody as long as given credit to my iNaturalist @i-oda

I have seen this cardinal a few times in the past couple of weeks and noticed something strange with his leg. I finally managed to get a picture. Is this a birth defect, broken leg, or something contagious? Is there anything I need to do?

Should I leave it here or displace it? The place is dangerous for it

Forgive my limited knowledge as it’s all from googling.

Found this little guy about 5 hours ago. I live in Arizona and it is about 104F throughout the day. Bought some bird seeds but he didn’t want that or water. I did mist him with some cold water and he liked that.

He did pee and have a bowel movement. He is actively tracking me when I get close and is very alert to his surroundings.

The sun will set very soon and I have feral cats and coyotes in my area and this guy won’t last the night. I was planning on putting on gloves to put him in a large box with holes. I tried calling the local wildlife service but they were not much help. Pretty much said a fledging learns on the ground so I’ll have to leave it up to nature. Which I understand but I want give him a fighting chance

Any advice would be very much appreciated!

Hello, I apologize if I am posting this in the wrong sub. I originally wondered if this picture taken in Ontario, Canada was of a melted candy on a bench at a playground, but some people (on another sub) mentioned it could be bird poo. I always thought bird poo looked more whiteish and scattered. I thought I would ask some experts here to help me identify if it is or is not bird poo or regurgitation. Thank you very much in advance for any help.

It is walking around on the ground below a nest under the roofing along our back patio. It seems relatively healthy and energetic. There appears to be a slightly older sibling nearby with fully developed wings.

We have not seen the parents for an hour. For what it's worth, we came back from vacation yesterday and found the exploded carcass of a bird, likely a dove, below a tree in our backyard about 30 feet away. Could this have been the parent killed by a predator? Would another parent come to take care of this baby?

is there anything i can do to help him :(

About a month ago this bird showed up at our feeder with a lump near its eye and beak that is shorter on the top than bottom.

We thought it could be avian pox so we immediately took our feeders down for a few weeks. Put them back up and after a few days it started coming back, but this time it looks in really bad shape. Anyone know what could be wrong with it? I feel awful for it because it looks like it’s not going to make it :(