BSBO
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • Mission and Vision Statement
    • Equality and Diversity Policy
    • Annual Report
    • BSBO Board of Directors
    • BSBO Staff
    • BSBO's Visitors' Center >
      • Visit BSBO
      • Anna Macke Mikolajczyk Window On Wildlife
      • John Gallagher Memorial Birding Trail
    • eNews
    • BSBO Videos >
      • BSBO's 20th Anniversary by Deb Neidert
    • BSBO Blogs >
      • Kenn Kaufman's Crane Creek - Magee Birding Blog
      • BSBO Bird Bander's Blog
      • BSBO Education and Outreach Blog
    • Contact Us
  • Support BSBO
    • Donate
    • Join or Renew
    • Sponsor A Mist Net
    • Year-End Appeal
    • Help BSBO while you shop
    • Our Wish List
    • Birds and Business Alliance
  • RESEARCH
    • Peer-Reviewed Publications
    • Passerines >
      • Passerine Research
      • Prothonotary Warbler Research
      • Building Collision Study
      • Oak Openings
    • Project SNOWstorm >
      • About Project SNOWstorm
      • Meet Buckeye
      • Meet Wolverine
    • Northern Saw-whet Owls
    • Research Highlights >
      • Gray-Cheeked Thrush from Colombia, South America
      • BSBO Bird Bander's Blog
    • Past Research >
      • Colonial Wading Birds
      • Ohio Winter Bird Atlas
      • Shorebirds
    • Reports >
      • Navarre Marsh Annual Banding and Survey Data
      • Annual Project Reports
    • Research Volunteer Form
    • Research Volunteer Page
  • EDUCATION
    • Bird Migration Profiles
    • Family Activities >
      • Free Online Resources
    • Young Birders >
      • Ohio Young Birders Club
      • Young Birders Network
      • Youth Birding Camps
    • Teachers >
      • Songbird Banding and Migration Programs
      • Students Against Balloon Releases
    • Group Programs >
      • Presentations by Request
    • BSBO Bird Knowins
  • Conservation
    • BioBlitzes
    • Bird-safe / Birder-friendly Communities
    • Responsible Wind Energy
    • Conservation Updates
    • Position Statement on Feral and Free-Ranging Cats
    • Habitat Designations
    • Easy Ways for YOU to Support Conservation
    • Breeding Bird Surveys
  • EVENTS & ACTIVITIES
    • Birds at Home
    • Highway Clean-up
    • BSBO's Biggest Week In American Birding
  • NW OHIO BIRDING
    • Responsible Owl Viewing
    • Magee Marsh WA Closures
    • Kenn Kaufman's Crane Creek - Magee Birding Blog
    • Local Birding Hotspots
    • Local eBird Tips
    • Regional Bird Checklist
    • Timing of Spring Migration
    • Timing of Fall Migration
    • Timing of Fall Shorebird Migration
    • ABA Code of Birding Ethics
    • Ohio Bird Alpha Codes
    • Birder Calling Cards
    • Birding Ohio
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • Mission and Vision Statement
    • Equality and Diversity Policy
    • Annual Report
    • BSBO Board of Directors
    • BSBO Staff
    • BSBO's Visitors' Center >
      • Visit BSBO
      • Anna Macke Mikolajczyk Window On Wildlife
      • John Gallagher Memorial Birding Trail
    • eNews
    • BSBO Videos >
      • BSBO's 20th Anniversary by Deb Neidert
    • BSBO Blogs >
      • Kenn Kaufman's Crane Creek - Magee Birding Blog
      • BSBO Bird Bander's Blog
      • BSBO Education and Outreach Blog
    • Contact Us
  • Support BSBO
    • Donate
    • Join or Renew
    • Sponsor A Mist Net
    • Year-End Appeal
    • Help BSBO while you shop
    • Our Wish List
    • Birds and Business Alliance
  • RESEARCH
    • Peer-Reviewed Publications
    • Passerines >
      • Passerine Research
      • Prothonotary Warbler Research
      • Building Collision Study
      • Oak Openings
    • Project SNOWstorm >
      • About Project SNOWstorm
      • Meet Buckeye
      • Meet Wolverine
    • Northern Saw-whet Owls
    • Research Highlights >
      • Gray-Cheeked Thrush from Colombia, South America
      • BSBO Bird Bander's Blog
    • Past Research >
      • Colonial Wading Birds
      • Ohio Winter Bird Atlas
      • Shorebirds
    • Reports >
      • Navarre Marsh Annual Banding and Survey Data
      • Annual Project Reports
    • Research Volunteer Form
    • Research Volunteer Page
  • EDUCATION
    • Bird Migration Profiles
    • Family Activities >
      • Free Online Resources
    • Young Birders >
      • Ohio Young Birders Club
      • Young Birders Network
      • Youth Birding Camps
    • Teachers >
      • Songbird Banding and Migration Programs
      • Students Against Balloon Releases
    • Group Programs >
      • Presentations by Request
    • BSBO Bird Knowins
  • Conservation
    • BioBlitzes
    • Bird-safe / Birder-friendly Communities
    • Responsible Wind Energy
    • Conservation Updates
    • Position Statement on Feral and Free-Ranging Cats
    • Habitat Designations
    • Easy Ways for YOU to Support Conservation
    • Breeding Bird Surveys
  • EVENTS & ACTIVITIES
    • Birds at Home
    • Highway Clean-up
    • BSBO's Biggest Week In American Birding
  • NW OHIO BIRDING
    • Responsible Owl Viewing
    • Magee Marsh WA Closures
    • Kenn Kaufman's Crane Creek - Magee Birding Blog
    • Local Birding Hotspots
    • Local eBird Tips
    • Regional Bird Checklist
    • Timing of Spring Migration
    • Timing of Fall Migration
    • Timing of Fall Shorebird Migration
    • ABA Code of Birding Ethics
    • Ohio Bird Alpha Codes
    • Birder Calling Cards
    • Birding Ohio

Cuckoos ​Cuculidae

​about cuckoos in nw ohio
​Two species of cuckoo occur in Ohio: the Yellow-billed Cuckoo and Black-billed Cuckoo. They may winter as far south as central South America with some traveling as far north as southern Canada to breed. In Northwest Ohio in spring, cuckoos pass through primarily in the latter half of May, foraging in a variety of forests. In fall, passage is much more sporadic through the season, and the lack of encounters of Black-billed suggests a resistance to cross Lake Erie. 

On occasion, cuckoos will venture down to forest undergrowth following caterpillars and other insects; however, they primarily remain in the canopy, hiding in dense foliage. Because cuckoos aren’t particularly abundant during migration, their banding totals may not truly reflect the number of birds moving through as these birds tend to stay high and their larger size may impact their capture rate. Data on cuckoo sexes are unavailable as males and females are identical in plumage and nearly so in size. ​
Yellow-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus americanus
Alpha Code: YBCU
Spanish: Cuco de Pico Amarillo
French: Coulicou à bec jaune

Band Size: 2 ~ 3

NW Ohio Status: Migrant, Breeding

Total Banded in Spring: 63
Average Banded in Spring: 2

Total Banded in Fall: 119
Average Banded in Fall: 4
Song: hollow, rattling ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-kow-kow-kowp, kowp, kowp, kowp slowing down near the end​

Description: Gray-brown above with white underparts. Predominantly yellow bill and dusky-yellow eyering. Large white tail tips. Rufous wings. Male and female alike throughout the year.

Spring Migration Timing: Primarily third wave, with birds first appearing around the second week of May and the peak of total birds occurring May 18-30. 
​Fall Migration Timing: Fairly protracted with birds moving through the region mid-August into mid-October, and the peak of total birds occurring September 7-23.

Migration Habitat: Woodlands, thickets, and groves. YBCU primarily stay hidden among dense canopy foliage but will move lower into forest edge scrub-shrub and undergrowth. 
Picture
Picture
YBCU Spring/Fall
YBCU Spring/Fall
YBCU Spring/Fall
YBCU Spring/Fall
YBCU Tail
YBCU Tail (L), BBCU Tail (R)
YBCU Tail (L), BBCU Tail (R)
Black-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus erythropthalmus
Alpha Code: BBCU
Spanish: Cuco de Pico Negro
French: Coulicou à bec noir

Band Size: 2 ~ 3

NW Ohio Status: Migrant, Breeding-rare

Total Banded in Spring: 97
Average Banded in Spring: 3

Total Banded in Fall: 7
Average Banded in Fall: <1
Song: series of soft cu-cu-cu-cu notes of the same pitch​

Description: Gray-brown above with white underparts. Silvery-black bill. Red eyering. Small white tail tips. Male and female alike throughout the year. 

Spring Migration Timing: Primarily third wave, with birds first appearing in early May and peak movement occurring May 21 through June 3. 
​Fall Migration Timing: Insufficient data to graph. 

Migration Habitat: Woodland edges, thickets, and groves. BBCU primarily stay hidden among dense vegetation in scrub-shrub along forest edges, young trees, and marsh edges.

Notes: While BBCU do breed north of NW Ohio, encounters with them during their flights south in fall are infrequent. 
Picture
BBCU Spring/Fall
BBCU Spring/Fall
BBCU Spring/Fall
BBCU Tail
YBCU Tail (L), BBCU Tail (R)
YBCU Tail (L), BBCU Tail (R)

Nightjars ​Caprimulgidae

​about nightjars in nw ohio
Two species of nightjar commonly occur in Northwest Ohio, with a third, mostly southern species occasionally making its way north. These aerial insectivores forage primarily at night, dusk, and dawn, capturing moths and other insects in their wide, gaping mouths. As an active forager of the dark, nightjars are extremely well camouflaged for daytime roosting on horizontal surfaces, seamlessly blending in with rotten logs and tree branches. 

Nightjars may arrive in Northwest Ohio as early as April, but primarily appear along the lake shore in early May. Due to their habitat preferences, the Eastern Whip-poor-will is the primary nightjar encountered during BSBO’s banding operations. Although a number of nightjars may be heard before sunrise, nightjar activity generally ceases before banding operations begin for the day. 
Eastern Whip-poor-will Caprimulgus vociferus
Alpha Code: EWPW
Spanish: Chotacabras Cuerporruín Norteño
French: Engoulevent bois-pourri

Band Size: 1D ~ 2 ~ 1A

NW Ohio Status: Migrant, Breeding-local

Total Banded in Spring: 30
Average Banded in Spring: 1

Total Banded in Fall: 1
Average Banded in Fall: <1
Song: ringing series of Whip-poor-will! often given continuously through the night ​

Description: Often overlooked as part of a rotting log, the bird has an overall camouflaged mottling of brown, gray, and limited rufous, with notably gray scapulars. In flight, males show white corners to the tail, while females have buff. 

Spring Migration Timing: A secretive migrant. Some begin to appear by mid April, but peak migration occurs from April 30 through May 7.
​Fall Migration Timing: Insufficient data to graph. 

Migration Habitat: In a variety of woodlands, birds are typically found on fallen logs, low branches, or directly on the ground. Exceptional camouflage allows the bird to blend in with the surrounding habitat.

Notes: Numbers may not reflect true abundance of birds as most EWPW activity (nocturnal foraging) ceases just before banding operations begin. 
Picture
EWPW Male Spring/Fall
EWPW Male/Female Spring/Fall
EWPW Toes
EWPW Male Tail
EWPW Female Tail

Hummingbirds ​Trochilidae

​about hummingbirds nw ohio
The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is Ohio’s only common hummingbird (with the occasional stray western species occurring rarely). These small, active birds are renowned for their bright iridescent feathers, high energy, and willingness to come to backyard feeders. Hummingbirds can be found in a variety of habitats during migration, but tend to favor areas with flowers. However, while they are famously known for consuming nectar and sugar-water, hummingbirds also feed on small insects, even plucking spiders and other captured prey from webs. 

Wintering primarily in southern Mexico and Central America, the Ruby-throated arrives in Northwest Ohio as early as late April, but makes its biggest pushes in May. During fall, as flowers become scarce, hummingbirds may become thinly dispersed across the landscape, and most depart the region by October. 
Ruby-throated Hummingbird Archilochus colubris
Alpha Code: RTHU
Spanish: Colibrí Garganta Rubí
French: Colibri à gorge rubis

Band Size: X

NW Ohio Status: Migrant, Breeding

Total Banded in Spring: 1,329
Average Banded in Spring: 53

Total Banded in Fall: 352
Average Banded in Fall: 12
​Song: series of repetitive chips; calls include twittering squeaks 

Spring Description: Iridescent green above with white underparts. Male with iridescent ruby throat (gorget). Female with white throat, sometimes with dusky markings. 

Spring Migration Timing: Second into third wave, with males arriving in the region within the first week of May and the peak of total birds occurring May 15-25. 
​Fall Description: Adult birds same as spring. Young female same as adult female. Young male with dusky throat markings or a limited number of ruby gorget feathers. 

Fall Migration Timing: Early, with the heaviest movements confined to September and most birds departing by October. Peak movement of total birds occurring August 31 through September 17.  

Migration Habitat: Semi-open areas and forest edges where flowers are present including forest clearings, scrub-shrub, urban parks, and backyards.

Notes: Probably some level of under-representation in data as research project is designed for larger songbirds and RTHU may pass through nets without being captured. With their slightly smaller size, males may pass through more frequently than females (possibly explaining their much lower numbers). 
Picture
Picture
RTHU Male Spring
RTHU Female Spring
RTHU Adult Male Fall
RTHU Young Male Fall
© 2023 www.bsbo.org 
All rights reserved

The mission of the Black Swamp Bird Observatory is to inspire the appreciation, enjoyment, 
and conservation of birds and their habitats through research, education, and outreach.


We are located at the entrance of the Magee Marsh Wildlife Area
| 13551 W. State Route 2  |  Oak Harbor, Ohio 43449  |  419.898.4070  |