Posting birds in SNOW in late February is going to prompt yawns and scorn from Wisconsinites, but these are DESERT birds not normally seen in snow.
A male Pyrrhuloxia (aka desert cardinal) cracks down on a newly uncovered seed.
It snows at the higher elevations in Arizona during a normal winter, but this low-down snow blanketed our house at just under 3000 feet. Snow is expected at 5000-8000'... not often at 3000'.
The birds didn't seem to mind though. They went about searching and scratching as they usually do, not affected by the weather.
A female Pyrrhuloxia poses in knee-deep snow (if birds had knees, that is) having no trouble uncovering food.
A male House Finch presents a peanut to his mate. In the early morning 20 degrees, it is quickly accepted.
Birds adapt well to large swings in temperatures. Their back is covered in multiple layers of feathers to trap warm air. Combined with a downy underbelly they manage quite nicely.
You often see birds in colder weather fluffed-up, looking larger than you'd expect. This extra bulking up maintains warmth for a desert existence.
(Click any picture to enlarge)
A juvenile Costa's Hummingbird searches an emu bush for any flowers not yet covered in snow. He was finding some, but he was working ten times as hard to find his early morning meal.
A Verdin, on the same emu bush, looks for aphids, scale and larvae attached to the branches.
A White-crowned Sparrow waits his turn at the feeder while closely watching for raptors.
I only have seed eating-birds to show you today, but there are many other desert birds. Where seed-eating birds congregate, a raptor, like a Cooper's Hawk, is always a possibility.
The pecking order at the food site is determined mainly by size or other physical attributes. Birds of equal proportions get along grudgingly.
Still, the largest weapons almost always prevail.
The Canyon Towhee (sparrow family) sports a necklace of brown spots and a central dark spot. Canyon Towhee are a common southwestern desert bird and a typical ground feeder.
A buff crown with a similar under-tail are the main distinguishing marks.
A female Northern Cardinal (southwestern) with her crest up is excited about something... snow?
This male Northern Cardinal (southwestern), also with his crest up, seems to take exception to the likes of a Mourning Dove.
These two are close in size and strength, so starting a fight over who has the right to do what and with which and to whom is muted.
Snow in Arizona is exceptional. It's especially enjoyable knowing it will be a short lived event.
Allan
Credits: Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds
The Sibley Guide to Birds