Spring and the Birds Are Here!

Spring is here! You may be noticing more chirpings and singings as you walk around campus. Many birds are making their way back from warmer places, in their full breeding plumages of vivid colors, and they are singing a lot of different songs to attract potential mates. This is the best season for bird watching! Here are some of our lovely friends that you might encounter on campus or during a walk along the TAM.

American Robin

Robins have returned from warmer areas to Vermont for a while. They are easily identifiable with their warm orange breast and you’ve probably already spotted some on campus!

Red-winged Blackbird

The Red-winged Blackbird is one of the bird species that look exactly like its name. Look how cool their bright red shoulder badges are! They are also one of the first to return to Vermont in spring.

Black-capped Chickadee

These cute little songbirds are here all year round and singing the iconic “chickadee-dee-dee!” Chickadees are extremely curious birds, always exploring and investigating people and the environment.

Hermit Thrush

The Hermit Thrush is the state bird of Vermont. They have dark spotted chests and a reddish tail, the latter setting them apart from other types of thrushes. They sing lovely, flute-like songs in a high key, which earned them the name of the “American Nightingale.”

Scarlet Tanager

Male Scarlet Tanagers have olive-yellow plummages when they are not breeding, but as spring approaches marking their breeding season, they turn into beautiful bright red. Although this brilliant color makes them easy to identify, they’re actually pretty hard to spot because they like to stay higher up on the trees. The females look quite different: they are yellow all over, without the black wings.