Birds!

Today I will tell you about five different birds that live in Manitoba. The red-breasted merganser, Connecticut warbler, ring-necked pheasant, Smith's longspur and American kestrels.

Red-breasted mergansers live up to 9 years. They weigh up to 1.3 kg, are up to 64 cm long, with a wingspan up to 74 cm. Red-breasted mergansers have been recorded flying 160 km/hr. They are saw-billed mergansers. That means they have a slim saw-toothed bill for catching fish underwater. Their status is secure. Red-breasted mergansers are often seen in loose feeding flocks. They lay five to seven eggs, once per year. They lay them May to July.

Connecticut warblers weigh 13 to 20 g. They are 15 cm long, and their wingspan is 23 cm. There status is secure. Connecticut warblers can live for up to 4 years. They lay 3 to 5 eggs. They only lay them once per year. They lay them June to July. They eat insects, larvae, spiders and small fruit. Connecticut warblers are named after Connecticut, but aren't super common there. They breed in Canada.

Ring-necked pheasants are native to Asia. They are 50 to 70 cm long and their wingspan is 76 to 87 cm. They live up to 4 years. They can weigh up to 3 kg. Ring-necked pheasants have 7 to 15 eggs once per year. They lay them March to June. Ring-necked pheasants are omnivorous.

Smith’s longspurs are 15 to 16 cm long and have a wingspan of 25 to 29 cm. Their average weight is 25 to 30 g. Smith's longspurs live up to 5 years. In June to July they have one brood of 3 to 5 eggs. They eat seeds and insects. In the breeding season they eat mainly insects and feed them to their chicks.

American kestrels are falcons. They are 23 cm long and have a wingspan of 56 cm. They weigh 100 to 125 g. American kestrels live for 10 to 15 years. In April to June they have one brood which has 4 to 5 eggs. Their diet varies throughout the year from large insects like grasshoppers to rodents and small birds to lizards and snakes.

Here is a picture of an American kestrel that we took at Surrey Lake Park.

We are 2695 km from Tofino.