WOODLAND BIRDS
BLACK-CAPPED
CHICKADEE
You’ll find Black-capped
Chickadees all year in
BLUE JAY
RED-BELLIED
WOODPECKER
The conspicuous Blue Jay
lives in Iowa all year. It has
a blue back and a whitish
front. Blue feathers form a
head crest and black bars
cross the blue tail. Male
and female look alike.
EASTERN BLUEBIRD
BARRED OWL
Barred Owls live in the
woods. Most of their food
is rodents such as mice
and ground squirrels.
They are active mainly
at night, so are not often
seen. However, there is
probably a barred owl
close enough to see or
hear you right now.
The easiest way to find
a Barred Owl is with your
ears! You can hear it all
year, at night and often in
the day. Its hoots, seem
to say, Who cooks for you?
Who cooks for you-all?
The top of the head is
rounded, with no ear
tufts. Brown-and-white
stripes mark the breast
and belly.
woods and gardens.
The jet-black cap, white
cheek, and black throat
are easy to spot. They got
their name from their call,
Chick-a-dee-dee-dee.
In winter chickadees live
in small flocks. In spring
the flocks break into pairs,
and couples remain mated for life. They nest in
cavities in dead or dying
trees and limbs, in holes
made by woodpeckers.
Chickadees eat caterpillars, spiders and other
small animal life, as well
as berries.
All photos courtesy of Diane Porter
TF
RA
AC
IT
LS
You’ll find blue jays in
woods, hedgerows, and
backyards. They eat just
about everything, from
spiders to acorns, fruit,
seeds, bird eggs, butterflies, wasps, and even dog
food. Sometimes they
bury food for future use.
This jay’s beautiful blue is
not pigment. Like the colors on soap bubbles, the
blue results from the way
feathers reflect the light.
In Iowa, the bird with a
beautiful blue back and
head and a rusty chest is
an Eastern Bluebird. Although many people have
never seen one, they are
common here in summer.
Most Eastern Bluebirds
go south for the winter,
but a few stay here, in the
woods, eating insects and
small fruits. In the spring
they are one of the earliest species to begin
nesting.
Bluebirds nest in
cavities, such as an
old woodpecker
hole or a birdhouse.
EASTERN
WOOD-PEWEE
This useful bird
eats almost every flying insect. It
Trail Facts are funded by grants from The Rotary Foundation
perches on a dead branch,
sallies out to grab a fly
from the air, and returns
to the same spot. Due to
insect absence in winter it
migrates to Brazil.
This species lives in forests and in gardens. Male
and female wood-pewees
look just alike. The male
sings
his
name
plaintively,
Pee-ohwee?
especially
early
in the
morning.
and the Rotary Club of Fairfield.
This abundant woodpecker eats nuts, seeds,
and berries, as well bark
insects. Woodpeckers
need dead or dying trees
or limbs, to chisel out a
nesting cavities. It is good
woodland management
to leave some dead trees
for woodpeckers.
The Red-Bellied Woodpecker’s name, surprisingly, comes from the
pink blush on its underside. Pink also colors the
cheeks, under the eyes.
Fairfield loop trail
1
34
Burlington Avenue
1
34
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