FAQs & Common Problems
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FAQs & Common Problems Articles/Videos
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6 Common Bird Migration Questions, Answered by Our Expert -
Nocs Standard Issue 8x25 Binoculars: Our Review
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Zeiss Victory Pocket 8x25 Binoculars: Our Review
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Vanguard Vesta 8x25 Binoculars: Our Review
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Kowa BD25 8x25 Binoculars: Our Review
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Vortex Diamondback HD 8x28 Binoculars: Our Review
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Maven B.7 8x25 Binoculars: Our Review
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Opticron Oregon 4 LE WP 8x25 Binoculars: Our Review
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Zeiss Terra ED Pocket 8x25 Binoculars: Our Review
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Athlon Midas G2 UHD 10x25 Binoculars: Our Review
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Leica Ultravid 8x20 Binoculars: Our Review
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Kowa Genesis 22 Prominar XD 8x22 Binoculars: Our Review
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Swarovski CL Pocket 8x25 Binoculars: Our Review
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Where can I find a list of all the birds in the world?
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Bird Cams Bird Cams Chat Guidelines
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Where Can I Go to Watch Hawk Migration?
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FAQ: Changes to Eponymous Bird Names
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Macaulay Library Macaulay Library: Help & Resources
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Can a Hawk or Owl Pose a Threat to a Small Dog or Cat?
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How can I adjust my binoculars so I don't see blacked-out areas?
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eBird How Do Scientists Use eBird Data?
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K–12 Education K-12 Free Webinars for Educators
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K–12 Education Cornell Lab K-12 Education
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On a visit to Ithaca, New York, I saw a crow with large, red tags on each shoulder. Is this one of your projects?
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Do young birds recognize their parents after they've grown up?
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Questions about Studying Birds at Cornell
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A bird keeps flying into my window or car mirror, on purpose. What should I do?
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I found a baby bird. What do I do?
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How Can I Share My Bird Photos With the Cornell Lab?
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I’m getting a little tired of winter—What are some of the first spring birds to arrive, and when will they get here?
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I often see birds on telephone wires while I’m driving—how do I figure out what they are from such a short glimpse?
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Why Birds Hit Windows—and How You Can Help Prevent It
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Why do woodpeckers like to hammer on houses? And what can I do about it?
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What do small birds do in a storm?
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What's the best book or field guide for bird identification?
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Why Do Birdwatchers Need Close Focus in Binoculars?
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Bird Cams Bird Cams FAQ: California Condor Nest
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Bird Cams Bird Cams FAQ: Red-tailed Hawk Nest
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After birds leave a nest box, can I clean out the nest for future use?
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Bird Cams Bird Cams FAQ: Great Horned Owl Nest
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Are Cardinals Redder in Winter?
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BirdCast Birdcast: Bird migration forecasts in real-time
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Living Bird Magazine These Female Hummingbirds Masquerade as Males
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Living Bird Magazine Do Birds Have Eyelashes?
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You're seeing fewer hummingbirds at your feeder. Should you worry?
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Bird Cams Bird Cams FAQ: Barred Owl Nest
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I’m seeing fewer birds in my yard. Is something affecting their populations?
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Macaulay Library The Shape of a Bird’s Beak Is Determined by More Than Diet
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FAQ: Facebook Fundraisers
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How do hurricanes affect migrating birds?
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eBird Getting Started with eBird Mobile
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eBird How Do You Count Birds at a Feeder?
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FAQ: Outdoor Cats and Their Effects on Birds
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What do I do if I find a sick, injured, or dead bird?
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NestWatch Nesting Birds: Is it Legal to Move a Nest or Raise Nestlings?
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What Is Taxonomic Order and Why Is It Used for the Sequence of Birds in My Field Guide?
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Courses Home Study Course in Bird Biology - Frequently Asked Questions
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eBird eBird: Help & FAQ
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Project FeederWatch How Can I Stop Blue Jays From Chipping the Paint on My House?
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How can coffee help or harm birds?
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There's a hummingbird at my feeder in the dead of winter. Will it be okay?
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NestWatch NestWatch: Help & FAQ
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Planned Giving at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
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Merlin Merlin Help & FAQ
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There's a bird in my yard I've never seen before. How can I find out what it is?
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Great Backyard Bird Count Great Backyard Bird Count—Help & FAQs
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Merlin Merlin Bird ID App: Frequently Asked Questions
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eBird How to Enter Christmas Bird Count Sightings Into eBird
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Project FeederWatch Do Birds Get Hurt by Tick Bites?
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Project FeederWatch If Birds Eat Uncooked Rice, Can It Swell Up in Their Stomachs and Kill Them?
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Project FeederWatch Can Birds Choke on Peanut Butter?
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Project FeederWatch Can a Bird's Feet Stick to Metal Perches?
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NestWatch How to Find Nests
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Project FeederWatch Birding and Feeding Tips From FeederWatch Participants
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Project FeederWatch I Only See the Same Few Birds in My Citizen Science Project. Do You Really Want My Counts?
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Project FeederWatch Why Does FeederWatch Season End Just as All the Summer Birds Are Starting to Come Back?
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Project FeederWatch Gallery: View or Submit Photos of Sick or Diseased Birds
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Project FeederWatch Gallery: Browse or Submit Photos of Unusual Birds
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Project FeederWatch Color Variants, Deformed Bills, Bald Birds, and Other Unusual Birds at Your Feeder
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Project FeederWatch Do Bird Feeders Spread Disease?
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Project FeederWatch What Are the Costs and Benefits of Bird Feeding?
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Project FeederWatch What Is an Irruption?
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Project FeederWatch Why Do I See Robins in Winter—Don't They Migrate South?
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Project FeederWatch My Feeders Are Attracting Rats. What Can I Do?
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Project FeederWatch Do Tube Feeders Contribute to the Spread of House Finch Eye Disease and Other Diseases?
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Project FeederWatch Can Harmful Bacteria or Germs Survive on Feeders in Winter?
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Project FeederWatch How Do I Clean My Feeders in Winter?
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Courses Spring Field Ornithology: Help & FAQ
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Celebrate Urban Birds Celebrate Urban Birds: Help & FAQ
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How do birds survive in very cold temperatures?
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Birds of North America Birds of the World Online: Help & FAQ
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Bird Cams Bird Cams FAQ: Laysan Albatross Nest
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Bird Cams Bird Cams FAQ: Great Blue Heron Nest
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Bird Cams Bird Cams FAQ: Barn Owl Nest
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Bird Cams Bird Cams FAQ: Snowy Owl Nest
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Do partridges occur in pear trees?
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How can a tiny Winter Wren sing so many sounds so loudly?
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If I don't pick up a baby bird, will my cat or dog kill it?
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How long do birds incubate their eggs and how long do chicks stay in the nest?
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If I handle a baby bird, will the parents abandon it?
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Can I raise a baby bird I found?
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What can I do about a bird that sings all night long outside my window?
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Do Birds Have Teeth?
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I have wasps in my birdhouse. What should I do?
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How do I keep herons from eating the fish in my pond?
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It sounds like there are birds stuck in my chimney. What should I do?
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I’m getting married. Is it true that rice causes birds’ stomachs to explode?
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In your opinion, what bird species is the most beneficial to mankind?
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How long do wintering Snowy Owls stay with us before they return to their breeding grounds?
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Why do migratory birds crash into buildings and how can it be prevented?
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Why do migrating Canada Geese sometimes fly in the "wrong" direction?
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What's good nesting material to offer birds?
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I found a nest with eggs in it and no adult birds seem to be attending to it. I think it's abandoned, or I scared the parents away. What should I do?
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What's the Best Way to Watch a Nest Without Disturbing the Parents or Chicks?
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Is it possible I've heard a whole flock of swans migrating overhead late at night?
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How can I protect the baby birds in a nest from predators including snakes, cats, and other birds?
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Can you really use weather radar to see migrating birds?
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How do birds prepare for long migrations?
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I found a songbird nest with two different types of eggs in it. What is going on?
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Do backyard birds return to the same spot year after year?
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Is it unusual to see American Robins in the middle of winter?
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There's a bird nesting near my house. What should I do?
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What is the Migratory Bird Treaty Act?
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Do hummingbirds migrate in flocks?
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Are Whip-poor-will populations declining? What can we do about it?
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I've just upgraded my optics. What should I do with my old binoculars?
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How can an owl catch a mouse underneath a foot of snow in total darkness?
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Why don’t birds collide when they are flying close together in tight flocks?
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Why do female Belted Kingfishers have an extra rust-colored “belt” that the males don’t have?
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What's the difference between shade-grown, organic, fair-trade, and Bird-Friendly coffee?
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Is drinking shade-grown coffee good for birds?
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How are coffee and birds related?
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What should I do to report a rare bird?
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Do hawks flock together?
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Why are some species found out of their normal range more than others?
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What can cause birds to show weird color variations?
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I saw a House Finch that was orange or yellow instead of red. What happened to it?
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The goldfinches at my feeder are starting to look dull and patchy. What's happening to them?
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Yesterday evening around dusk I watched hundreds and hundreds of birds flying over my house. What were they?
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I saw a black-and-white bird at my feeder with a red triangle on the breast. What is it?
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How do I keep the squirrels in my yard away from my feeders and bird seed?
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How do I keep ants out of my hummingbird feeder?
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What are owl pellets?
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Why are loons chasing each other across my lake?
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Do birds store food for the winter?
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Why don't birds get cold feet?
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How can Bald Eagles survive in northern areas after all the lakes have frozen?
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How much do birds eat each day?
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I believe that the same blue heron has been perching on my dock for 28 years. What is their life span?
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I live in a high-rise apartment in the city. How can I attract birds?
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Do vultures find dead animals by smell or by tracking predators or scavengers on the ground?
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What should I do if I find algae in my birdbath?
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Why can't penguins fly?
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Do all birds have gizzards?
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I've been hearing beautiful bird songs every morning since spring, but suddenly I'm not hearing birds at all! What happened to them?
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A hawk has started hunting the feeder birds in my yard. What can I do?
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Should I stop feeding birds in fall so they can start their migration?
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Why do I see fewer hummingbirds in midsummer?
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Who is the "Lincoln" that the Lincoln's Sparrow is named for?
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Should I use red food coloring in hummingbird food?
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What's the best recipe for hummingbird nectar?
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Where did the domestic turkey come from?
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Why are Blue Jays far more noisy in fall than earlier in the summer?
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What is the difference between a beak and a bill?
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What is the most beautiful bird song in North America?
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Do bird songs have frequencies higher than humans can hear?
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Do parent and baby birds recognize each other's songs or calls?
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My feeders are being overrun with starlings and blackbirds. What can I do?
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How do you pronounce a scientific name? What's the proper pronunciation for this bird species, Tympanuchus phasianellus?
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Why do birds have such elaborate and varied courtship rituals?
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What's going on when I see little birds going after a big bird?
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If Brown-headed Cowbirds are reared by other species, how do they know they are cowbirds when they grow up?
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Should I take my feeder down when the weather starts to warm up?
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Do birds play?
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I've seen a bird with an overgrown or otherwise deformed bill. What is wrong with it?
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Do birds sleep?
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Why do hummingbirds fight so much?
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What can cause an adult bird to die inside a birdhouse or nest box?
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I have a bald bird at my feeder. Is it sick?
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Why do some birds stand on one foot?
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I saw a little bird feeding a much larger bird. Is it rare to see two different species feeding each other?
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Will birds use nest boxes to roost in for warmth during the winter?
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I've seen a sick House Finch with red, swollen, or weepy eyes. What's wrong with it?
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How can I tell if a sick bird has West Nile Virus?
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Why do birds leave the nest before they can fly?
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Which birds are the best mimics?
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Why do some birds mimic the sounds of other species?
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How can I keep birds from hitting my windows?
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I found some abandoned eggs. Can I take them to a rehab center to raise them?
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I found a pigeon or dove that seems tame and has colored bands on its legs. What should I do?
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A woodpecker is putting rows of holes in my tree. Will it hurt the tree?
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There's a huge starling roost near my house and they're driving us nuts! What can we do?
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How Many Eggs Does a Bird Lay?
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American Kestrel by Blair Dudeck / Macaulay Library