Chickadee Photo Art

Birds of Manitoba – The Scavengers

// December 20th, 2009 // Birds of Manitoba, Boreal Forest

Welcome back to my website & thanks for visiting !

Today is dedicated to birds found in Manitoba that may not be so popular as the very pretty song birds or birds of prey.   The Turkey Vultures are part of nature’s sanitation crew.  They are large birds that will feed on dead animals or on refuse at garbage dumps in cottage country.  Their head is featherless for good reason seeing as they will often stick their head inside the cavity of a carcass to feed.  By having no feathers on their heads they can keep this area free of debris.  Ravens and crows pictured below also work on the sanitation crew.  I like crows, they are smart birds but must admit they are annoying when there is a group of them cawing in the early hours of the mornings. The ravens have much thicker heads and larger bodies than the crows.  Crows will migrate while the ravens remain here through the winter. The Grackles are another not so popular bird as they will raid eggs from nests and swarm on bird feeding stations.  They often travel in large flocks.  Their head has an iridescent purple sheen and sometimes they can be confused with purple martins.

Below: American Crow

Below:  Common Raven

Below:  Grackle

Enjoy!

~Sharon