So I haven’t had a lot birding pleasure to jot down about prior to now couple of weeks. However I’ve been capable of take pleasure in going by way of pictures from earlier years (2022, proper now), completely saving the perfect and eliminating all of the others. Doing so made me consider discovering a topic that might give attention to some such pictures.
Readers who studied some Spanish in class are more likely to keep in mind that the phrase for “fowl” in that language is pájaro. Nevertheless, whereas even most native Spanish audio system don’t understand it, that’s not totally true. The phrase pájaro solely applies accurately to perching birds, of the Passerine household. Waterfowl, shorebirds, birds of prey, and different non-Passerine birds are coated by the phrase aves. And this put up is about central Mexico’s aves navideñas, or, my record of Mexican Christmas birds.
My a part of Mexico’s highlands has no naturally-occuring parrots, which might be our pure place to begin for red-and-green birds. Thankfully, now we have no lack of different brightly coloured aves. Actually we will begin with our hummingbirds, of which now we have fifteen within the space above 2,000 meters (6,600 ft). (I’ve seen six extra species in decrease components of Michoacán.) A superb Christmas hummingbird for beginning can be our Broad-tailed Hummingbird, with its inexperienced physique and rose-red gorget.
Sadly, this picture of an immature Broad-tailed Hummingbird is the one one I’ve achieved with even a touch of its rose-red throat.
Nonetheless, there isn’t a inexperienced just like the inexperienced on the top of the Berylline Hummingbird. And these hummers are exceedingly widespread in central Mexico — the truth is, they’re exceedingly widespread in my very own yard.
In the event you squint excellent, you may even see a touch of pink within the Berylline’s decrease components.
One other fowl ensures that you could see the colour pink in all places in our area. That is the ever-present Vermilion Flycatcher. So long as it’s an grownup male, its pink breast by no means fails to excite, despite its being so widespread right here.
I might additionally level out the brilliant pink of our winter-only Summer season Tanager. (Sure, I do know I simply wrote an oxymoron.) However these usually lose their pink shade within the depth of winter, which they spend right here. Thankfully, Hepatic Tanagers are residents, and their male colours by no means differ. Their identify might say they’re liver-colored, they give the impression of being plain pink to me.
Nonetheless, the marginally orangey reds of those two birds can’t spell Christmas just like the pink and white of our endemic Crimson Warbler. The truth that this warbler is at all times present in conifer forests make it much more Christmassy.
And but, there’s a good higher option to say Christmas than pink with a little bit of white. That might be pink with numerous inexperienced. The pleasant Crimson-headed Tanager will get the best mixture of colours, however doesn’t fairly get the tones proper:
Two birds, nonetheless, get all of the Christmas colours excellent. Whereas some Mexican trogons have yellow breasts, the one two trogons of the Michoacán highlands provide the proper shades of pink, inexperienced, and white. They’re the proper aves navideñas.
Mountain Trogon
Elegant Trogon
For good measure, I’ll finish with a pair of seasonally festive bromeliads. ¡Y a todos, una feliz navidad!
