Exhibit in Chicago Natural History Museum 



Illinois Winter Birds 



Well over 300 kinds of birds have been reported in the vicinity of Chicago at one 

 season or another. About 60 of these occur during the winter. Eleven of the most com- 

 mon species that winter in the Chicago region are shown in an exhibit that depicts a 

 typical Illinois countryside in midwinter. 



Wintering birds of the northern states may be separated into two distinct groups. 

 One group is composed of resident species represented in the Chicago area by birds 

 like screech owls, hairy woodpeckers, homed larks, crows, bluejays, chickadees, and 

 white-breasted nuthatches. These are found throughout the year, but their abundance 

 often varies considerably with the seasons. Many individuals of such species that 

 nest in the north wander this far south in the winter and increase the local popula- 

 tion of residents; others that nest in the Chicago area often virtually disappear in 

 periods of severe weather, although the species are still represented locally by hardy 

 individuals. 



A second group of birds that winter in the Chicago area consists of more northern 

 species that migrate southward more or less regularly each year. Some, like the snow 

 bunting and the northern shrike, are only occasional visitants and usually are absent 

 during mild winters. Others, of which juncos, homed larks, and redpolls are good 

 examples, arrive from the north regularly each fall and remain until spring. 



Crows arc conspicuous much of the year but during the breeding season they are 

 relatively silent and furtive, particularly when near their nests. These bulky structures 

 of sticks and twigs are placed well above the ground in forest trees. They are not 

 readily found in summer, but are conspicuous after the leaves have fallen. 



When the young have left their nests, crows assemble in great flocks that may in- 

 clude thousands of individuals. They range the countryside in noisy bands by day. 



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