Reader Andrew Cox of Omaha, Nebraska, enclosed these photos as a treat in an email about my book (click to enlarge)
I thought I would share a couple of pictures with you, as well as a thought about the Why Evolution is True website [thought redacted as irrelevant]. First, the attached is an Acadian Flycatcher I ran into during some field work. That is my finger poking her in the chest, trying to get her to leave so I could count her eggs. Songbirds, like the killdeer last week, invoke some impressive anti-predator defenses but this one was new to me. Why would a 14 gram bird, who in the best of times can expect to lose 1/2 of her nests to predators [JAC: this species is subject to nest parasitism by species like cowbirds], go to such lengths to protect three measly eggs? I can only guess that she knew my intentions were good. No no, not really. I have also attached a second picture, showing the fruits of her labors.
This species Empidonax virescens is found in eastern North America, overwintering in Central and South America (see below). It’s an insectivore, and, for such a common bird, has a notorious gap in its knowledge. The Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology says this (my emphasis):
Curiously, no information exists on the ability of the Acadian Flycatcher to walk or hop. It is an excellent flier, though, extremely maneuverable and able to hover and even fly backward. It has been observed bathing not by standing in water, but rather by diving into water from above, hitting the water with its chest, and then returning to a perch to preen and shake.
Some reader please fill that lacuna!
Go here to hear its songs.
Here’s its range (also from Cornell):
That nest looks cramped.
From experience I can say that there can be a strong ‘personality effect’ in nest sitting behaviour – some females of some species can be lifted off nests, eggs counted, weighed, and then replaced. Others, not.
The bird being poked looks so cute! I think I’m just out of range for this guy.
Odd that the range of the Acadian flycatcher does not extend to L’Acadie.
Other nest predators include grackles, crows, snakes…And of course the Cowbird is properly called a nest parasite, not a predator.
Speaking of evolution…:D…the New World Flycatchers are such a cool story of radiation and speciation!