Colorful winter birds

Here in the midwestern part of the US there are several colorful birds that hang out in our neighborhood and stop by the feeders to make our dull winter days a bit brighter.

Blue jays belong to the Corvid family, making them cousins to crows and ravens. They are known for their intelligence and social systems with tight family bonds. Their fondness and caching of acorns is credited with helping spread oak trees.

Blue Jays are protective parents, and family groups may stay together through the summer, with juveniles learning foraging and caching skills from their parents.

The Pileated Woodpecker is the largest Woodpecker and is also one of the biggest, forest birds in the neighborhood . It’s nearly the size of a crow.

This one is eating from my neighbors hanging log feeder that has holes drilled in that she packs with suet.

Cardinals bring particularly bright spots of color to the winter landscape. Females are more muted in color than males are.

Cardinals are often first at the feeders in the morning and last coming by in the evening.