mississippi kite male and female differences

Atwell (Eds.), Chicago University Press, Chicago. and Canada and second smallest on this list, with only the Kestrel weighing less fully grown. In Snowbird: Integrative biology and evolutionary diversity in the junco. The males of this species of hawk are the smallest in the U.S. More than meets the eye: lineage diversity and evolutionary history of dark-eyed and yellow-eyed juncos.

Here is a link and a few references to investigate. There is a lot more out there, so if you love this as much as I do then be sure to explore more. Here I’ve included a rough and disorganized compilation of some information on what we currently understand about the Dark-eyed Junco and its sister species. Of course first-year and female types of these taxa can blend in appearance with the rest, which makes things much more challenging and fun. The others are males, so as to provide simple examples of the other subspecies. I chose to illustrate the male and female Oregon because they are by far the most common and provide the point with which to contrast and compare any outliers. My illustration comprises the candidate subspecies that make up Junco flocks here in western Idaho. There were six incidents last year, so you definitely don't want to mess around if these birds are in the vicinity. 4 - Most Mississippi kites have a wingspan of about three feet - or about the length of your arm. I included a chapter of the film below that discusses the diversification of the species. During the incubation period, male kites appeared to spend more time ( 311.8 min/day, SE 30.27) on the nest than females ( 249.6 min/day, SE 30.62), though the difference was not. The young birds may be able to fly from the nest as early as 30 days afterward. Speciation well in process! See this article for an explanation:Ĭlick to access POSTPRINT%20Mol%20Ecol%2025(24)%206175-6195%20(2016).pdfįurther, be sure to educate yourself with the Junco Projects great film – Ordinary Extraordinary Junco. I also like the Dark-eyed Junco because from what we understand regarding it’s phylogenetics, it is a very recent radiation. Here is information on its current and past taxonomic status: For more information on this taxon, check out these links: I particularly am drawn to the Cassiar Junco because it is both difficult to diagnose (separate from Slate-colored X Oregon intergrades, if they even are different!) and little understood.

I think the junco is a favorite because it is polytypic, with some excellent variation in phenotypes throughout its range. cismontanus), and the nominate “Slate-colored” (J. For the Junco lovers that like this image, you can purchase a print by clicking on the image above.Ībove is an illustration I just completed of some select subspecies of one of my favorite birds, the Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis) – Male and female “Oregon” (J.

Mississippi kite male and female differences