It’s Sunday, and that means “John Avise Bird Photo Day.” Today’s set features bills. The IDs and captions are John’s, and are indented. Click on the photos to enlarge them.
Straight Bills
Last Sunday I showcased birds with recurved (curved upward) or decurved (curved downward) bills. This week’s post shows several bird species that in effect have compromised between these two extremes such that they have perfectly straight bills. No doubt you can guess the utility of these straight bills by considering these birds’ respective lifestyles.
All photos were taken in Southern California.
Acorn Woodpecker, Melanerpes formicivorus:
Anhinga, Anhinga anhinga:
Anhinga headshot:
Wilson’s Phalarope, Phalaropus tricolor:
Long-billed Dowitchers, Limnodromus scolopaceus:
Willet, Catoptrophorus semipalmatus:
Black Oystercatcher, Haematopus bachmani:
Spotted Sandpiper, Actitis macularia:
Great Egret, Ardea alba:
Great Egret headshot:
Great Blue Heron, Ardea herodias:
another Great Blue Heron:
Great Egret fishing with Great Blue Heron:
Western Grebe, Aechmophorus occidentalis:
Western Grebe headshot:
Beautiful!
Great shots. You got some fine birds here.
Thanks for sharing your excellent work, John Avise. Your post is always interesting and educational.
Where did you see the Anhinga?
Oops. I photographed the Anhinga in Florida (which I forgot to mention in my introductory comments!).
Lovely photos! I always enjoy Sunday with John’s photos and information.
The Anhinga photo is fabulous. It looks like it is wearing an intricate white lace shawl over it’s black cape.
Really liked the Great Egret posing with the Great Blue Heron. They all look like you’re on a first-name basis with all of them.