By Gail Cleveland Although vireos are persistent singers during the breeding season, these rather plain birds seem to hide among the foliage of treetops and dense thickets, proving to be difficult to see. Consequently, they are one family that beginning bird watchers often overlook. Of this strictly New World family of birds, Northwest Montana has…
Read MoreAuthor: Flathead Audubon
![Photo Credit: Jan Wassink](https://i0.wp.com/flatheadaudubon.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/grosbkoneJanWassink1.png?resize=200%2C200&ssl=1)
Black-headed Grosbeak
By Gael Bissell Guess which Flathead Valley summer bird (male) is orange and black, has a thick bill, and eats monarch butterflies in the winter but doesn’t get sick? If you still aren’t sure, the next hint is … the male sounds like a loud robin on caffeine. You guessed it right; it’s the Black-headed…
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Black-billed Magpie
By Denise Hester “WOW! What is that bird?” These are often the words of amazement uttered by a first-time-from-back-east visitor to the Flathead Valley when they first see a Black-billed Magpie. While it is a large eye-catching black and white bird ( 17 1/2 -22″/44-56 cm) with a dark bill, head, breast, and under parts,…
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Western Tanager
By Melissa Sladek From my office window, I see him. His stark contrast with the dark and light greens of the surrounding forest catches my eye. Today, he is busy…I’ve now seen him three times flying back and forth across the road. My coworkers and I started to notice this male western tanager at some…
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Rough-legged Hawk
By Gail Cleveland During the winter, if you see a large hawk soaring or hovering over grasslands, chances are you have spotted a Rough-legged Hawk. They are the most common winter soaring hawk of the Genus Buteo and the only one that prefers cold climates all year. It nests in the Arctic, mostly in cliffs…
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Ruffed Grouse
By Ben Young Nothing says spring like the first flight of northbound Canada Geese. And to me, no bird is more closely aligned with autumn than the Ruffed Grouse. Ruffed Grouse are part of the gallinaceous family of birds. That’s fancy-talk meaning they are similar to chickens. Taxonomists lump them with other grouse, partridge, pheasants,…
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