Reader Karen Bartelt sent us a fourth batch of birds from Cuba (see first three installments here, here and here). Her IDs are indented.
Red-legged thrush (Turdus plumbeus). This is a very common Caribbean bird. I didn’t know that when I saw this first one, on a roof across from the Hotel Ambos Mundos, where we were staying in Havana.
A nice collection of red-legged honeycreepers (Cyanerpes cyaneus) in Vinales National Park. The males have the blue heads; females are olive green.
Cuban grassquit, female (Phonipara canora). Cuban endemic.
0135 – Cuban grassquit, male (Phonipara canora). Cuban endemic. Both of these were taken at a farm that seems to attract both Cuban and yellow-faced grassquits.Yellow-faced (Tiaris olivaceus) and Cuban grassquits.
And reader Tom Tezlaff would like an ID of this insect (I don’t have the location info):
The insect looks to me like the shuck of stonefly nymph.
Yes, the insect is the exuvia of a stonefly nymph (Plecoptera).
Exuvia — new word for me. Can’t wait to use it in front on my fly fishing friends. By the way, stonefly nymphs are an important source of food for trout.
Here in the mid-latitude,midwest, middle of nowhere, few exuvia stay so intact they appear to be alive. Speaking of crusty exoskeleton shells, yesterday Missouri Governor…
Zing!
Yes, Mr. Family Values is on his way out! Made my day yesterday.
Lovely birds… thanks for sharing.
The last photo of the birdies ,the two on the right look like one bird .
Yeah, I did a double take on that as well.
Whenever I see the case of a stonefly, I immediately think of trout.
I loved the Cuban birds, especially the grassquits. And what a cool name; birds have some of the best common names.