Top 10 Most Beautiful Birds
In a recent edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Eric Dinerstein reported on the Top 10 Most Beautiful Birds in North America as voted on by “6 of the Nation’s Leading Ornithologists”. Surely, being a ‘leading ornithologist’ doesn’t make one’s choice of beautiful birds any more correct than anyone else, even those of non-birders, however it is hard to disagree with anyone that their list is indeed full of very beautiful birds! The list they compiled (with ties) follows:
- Scarlet Tanager
- Blackburnian Warbler
- Golden-winged Warbler
- Prothonotary Warbler
- Baltimore Oriole
- Green Jay; Swallow-tailed Kite; Wood Duck
- Harlequin Duck
- Chestnut-sided Warbler
- Magnolia Warbler
- Hooded Warbler; Ivory-billed Woodpecker; Northern Cardinal; Painted Bunting
Interestingly, save the Harlequin Duck, the birds they selected display a high level of distribution in the eastern half of North America. Surely, there are many beautiful birds out west that could have easily made the list, but did not. Maybe you agree with these ‘leading ornithologists’, maybe you don’t. This is where you come in…
I encourage you all to leave a comment listing YOUR top 10 Most Beautiful Birds. My personal favorites (which follows the post) mirror some of their choices, but also includes several other species that they missed, even with their ties. While I understand that it is hard to select only 10 species of the over 800 species to choose from, it would be best if you voted only on species that you have observed firsthand in the field. I look forward to hearing from some of you and seeing your choices.
~Chad (05/03/2006)
PS I’m ashamed to say that Yellow-breasted Chat did not make my list…
- Green Jay
- Scarlet Tanager
- Indigo Bunting
- Painted Redstart
- Vermillion Flycatcher
- Blackburnian Warbler
- Golden-winged Warbler
- Violet-green Swallow
- Canyon Wren
- Buff-bellied Hummingbird
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May 4th, 2006 @ 6:43 pm
In putting together my own list of 10, I had a difficult time sorting out birds that are “beautiful” from those that I never tire from watching. In the end, I decided to tweek the topic just a bit in order to better facilitate the list-making process. Keep in mind, the number of birds I’ve actually seen in person very much limited my selection. In any case, here it goes, Alicia’s own “Top 10 Birds That Make Me Go ‘Wow’”
1. Harlequin Duck
2. Hooded Merganser
3. Yellow Breasted Chat
4. Violet-green Swallow
5. Black-throated Gray Warbler
6. Cassin’s Vireo
7. Varied Thrush
8. Lawrence’s Goldfinch
9. Northern Saw-whet Owl
10. Black-crowned Night Heron
It was very easy to put together the top four (I just about lost it when I saw how sexy those Harlequins really are!), but sorting out the last six was quite a challenge. And I have to admit, Stellar’s Jay almost made the list.
Obviously most of my birding has been confined to the west coast area. Perhaps once I take in all those warblers in the east a revision will be in order. Until then, the Chat will always have a prominent place on MY list.
May 4th, 2006 @ 7:04 pm
Chad,I like your #1 pick,good choice…Dad
May 4th, 2006 @ 8:53 pm
Alicia,
I must say that you put together a VERY sexy list indeed. Hooded Merganser, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Black-crowned Night-Heron, all amazingly beautiful birds that always elicit a “Wow” out of me when I see them; and Lawrence’s Goldfinch- a bird that we saw together just a week ago on Mines Rd- is nothing short of spectacular. In fact when I see it on your list, I feel I should have included it on mine.
Another bird that could have easily made my list that you chose is Harlequin Duck. I decided to restrict my list to passerines, but had I included other Orders of birds, Harlequin Duck would probably have made my #1 spot too. In fact I enjoy watching these beautiful ducks so much that I often do an annual winter trip to coastal MA just to view them.
I’m also very pleased to see that you are a Chat fan too. It too was another bird in contention for the list, but since everything I do is Chat around here, I felt I needed to give other birds a sporting chance. Like me, I’m sure that doing this list was hard, and it probably made you realize that ALL birds are beautiful, some just more so than others.
Cheers,
Chad
PS If you are ever interested in seeing some east coast birds, you know the person to contact.
May 4th, 2006 @ 9:01 pm
so Alicia, are you trying to get some sort of brownie points or something putting Chat in your top three?? Or do you honestly say “WoW” when Chat Happens?
I think that I will take this list business to yet another theme and post ones that make you say “Damn, that is one good lookin bird”
1. Wood Duck
2. American Kestrel
3. Common Loon
4. Long-tailed Duck
5. Boreal Chickadee
6. Arctic Tern
7. Atlantic Puffin
8. Greater Roadrunner
9. Bald Eagle
10. Ring-neck Pheasant
this is kinda fun, keep it going…
May 5th, 2006 @ 3:48 pm
One step further:
Top 10 Most Underrated Birds
1. Stellar’s Jay
2. Tree Swallow
3. Western Tanager
4. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
5. Lark Sparrow
6. Black-throated Gray Warbler
7. Loggerhead Shrike
8. Yellow Warbler
9. American Goldfinch
10. American Woodcock
Perhaps a Top 10 Most Overrated Bird list needs to be added as well. Woodduck would definitely be number one on my list…
May 6th, 2006 @ 10:51 pm
To keep this fun post going, I will include my Top 10 List for Most Underrated Birds. I know a lot of birders, or ornithologists would scoff at my inclusion of European Starling, but a EUST at the height of its alternate plumage is surely a beautiful bird. Unfortunately, its biology and behavior detracts away from this. So here it is:
1. Green-tailed Towhee
2. White-eyed Vireo
3. European Starling
4. Bridled Titmouse
5. Cedar Waxwing
6. Bobolink
7. Pyrrhuloxia
8. Yellow-headed Blackbird
9. Orchard Oriole
10. Horned Lark
As far as the most Overrated bird, it is hard for me to imagine a Wood Duck EVER being overrated…but that is just me
. My pick for Overrated bird would probably be Painted Bunting…but then again, I have never observed one.
May 7th, 2006 @ 9:31 am
Well back to the Original question- my top ten:
1) Black Guillemot
2) Swallow Tailed Kite
3) Cedar Waxwing
4) Roseate Spoonbills
5) Wilson’s Storm Petrel
6) Northern Gannet
7) Merlin
8) Northern Flicker
9) Harrier
10)Chickadee
Ten points to everyone who can guess what state I’m from!
My list is subject to MAJOR revision as I haven’t traveled that much and haven’t seen many of the birds on all your top ten lists- maybe, just maybe, your right :-p
Over-rated birds: Bald Eagle- no doubt their amazing but you’d think North America had nothing else…
As for underrated birds I’d say Crows (and the poor Ravens that get labelled by all non-birders as Crows… that just… hurts my feelings *snif*)
May 9th, 2006 @ 3:34 pm
Top 10 goofiest?
–North American Birds that make you chuckle with their disproportionate features, behavior, voice, or disposition.
1 Wild Turkey
2 Northern Shoveler
3 Roseate Spoonbill
4 Brown Pelican
5 Wilson’s Snipe
6 Long-billed Curlew
7 Yellow-eyed Junco
8 Black Skimmer
9 American Bittern
10 Atlantic Puffin
not sure on the order but you get the idea.
Ry
May 9th, 2006 @ 7:17 pm
Em,
my guess is NJ or DE
Ry