Migration Madness

For many, March means basketball—but for bird lovers, it’s all about migration! As spring arrives, so do many bird species returning to Wisconsin. To celebrate, we’re hosting Migration Madness, a fun, bracket-style competition where you can vote for your favorite birds!

16 of the original 32 bird species have advanced to this next round by popular vote. It’s time to discover which of your beloved birds made the cut and decide which will move one step closer to the finals!

Click on the tabs to vote in each region, read the newly added fun facts, and vote for your favorite birds!

Matchup #1

Great Blue Heron – Ardea herodias

The Great Blue Heron is a wading bird and the largest member of the heron family in North America. This migratory bird hunts in Wisconsin’s waters from March through October. Primarily fish eaters, Great Blue Herons prefer living around wetlands and open water.

FUN FACT
Great Blue Herons can form large colonies called “rookeries” for breeding. Rookeries may host up to 50 pairs of herons.

Baltimore Oriole – Icterus galbula

The Baltimore Oriole migrates from Central America and the Caribbean to Wisconsin every spring to breed, arriving in May and staying through September. Their diets consist of insects, fruit, and nectar. Found throughout the eastern US, these songbirds weave nests in deciduous trees.

FUN FACT
Baltimore Orioles weave nests that hang from the highest branches. They create new nests each year from fibers, grasses, cottonwood fluff, and even yarn or fishing line. They sometimes will recycle materials from old nests, but re-weave it into the new structure.

Matchup #2

Red-tailed Hawk – Buteo jamaicensis

North America’s most abundant raptor, the Red-tailed Hawk is a large and powerful hawk, often seen perched on the side of highways. Red-tailed Hawks can adapt to living in almost any type of habitat and are found in Wisconsin year-round. They mostly hunt small mammals but will also eat snakes, birds, and carrion when the opportunity is there.

FUN FACT
Red-Tailed Hawks are some of the world’s most famous voice actors. Bald Eagles heard in television and movies are often the vocalizations of Red-Tailed Hawks.

Green Heron – Butorides virescens

The Green Heron is a small wading bird with yellow legs and shades of green and brown plumage. Green Herons wade near the edges of lakes, rivers, and wetlands but can be difficult to spot because they often remain motionless, blending into the surrounding vegetation. They reside in Wisconsin from April to October, hunting for fish, invertebrates, amphibians, and small mammals.

FUN FACT
Green Herons will sometimes use their bill as a spear to capture their prey.

Matchup #1

Northern Cardinal – Cardinalis cardinalis

The Northern Cardinal, known for the bright red plumage of the male is often the spark that leads people to bird watching. Northern Cardinals reside in Wisconsin all year long, nesting in shrubs or bushes. Wherever there are seeds, berries, or insects to eat, this bird can make its home.

FUN FACT
Female Northern Cardinals are some of the only female North American birds to sing along with their male counterparts.

Yellow-rumped Warbler – Setophaga coronata

The Yellow-Rumped Warbler is large for a warbler, around the size of a sparrow. Breeding males display unique markings of yellow, black, gray, and white. Females have similar markings but are browner overall, helping them blend in with their surroundings. Yellow-rumped Warblers are the first warbler species to migrate through Wisconsin in spring. They can be observed in early April through June, and then again in August through October. Although they can be found in marshes, grasslands, and parks, these warblers show a strong preference for coniferous forests.

FUN FACT
The yellow patch on the Yellow-Rumped Warbler’s rump has affectionately earned them the nickname “Butterbutt” from birders.

Matchup #2

American Robin – Turdus migratorius

The American Robin is a melodic member of the thrush family and a backyard bird across the United States. Robins can be found in Wisconsin year-round, but are identified with spring, when their cheerful song can be heard both early in the morning and late into the evening. Because they eat earthworms, they have adapted to foraging in suburban lawns and parks. In fall and winter, robins consume fruit and berries.

FUN FACT
The American Robin is not just the state bird of Wisconsin, but of Michigan and Connecticut as well.

Black-capped Chickadee – Poecile atricapillus

The Black-capped Chickadee is a small, social songbird, found in a variety of forest habitats . Chickadees eat seeds, berries, and insects, and are frequent visitors of backyard feeders. They reside in Wisconsin year-round, spending most of their time in flocks and communicating with each other through a large vocabulary of songs and calls.

FUN FACT
The standard “Chickadee-dee-dee-dee” call that most people associate with the bird, is an alarm call. The more urgent the danger, the more “dees” they add on to the end of the call.

Matchup #1

Eastern Screech Owl – Megascops asio

The Eastern Screech Owl is a small species of owl about the size of a Robin. Their coloration of gray, red, or brown provides excellent camouflage for blending in with tree bark. They reside in Wisconsin year-round in almost any habitat with trees and have adapted to living in cities and suburbs. Their small size and plumage allow them to survive unnoticed in these urban settings.

FUN FACT
Despite being named the Eastern Screech Owl, this owl’s call is more like a horse’s whinny. They will screech when they feel threatened.

Indigo Bunting – Passerina cyanea

The Indigo Bunting is a migratory songbird, travelling from Central America to Wisconsin in May and staying until August. Breeding males display a bright blue plumage, while females and non-breeding males have a brown coloration which looks more like a sparrow. Indigo Buntings dwell near the edges of habitats, such as open fields near trees.

FUN FACT
Indigo Buntings will create song neighborhoods in which the residents share almost identical songs.

Matchup #2

White-breasted Nuthatch – Sitta carolinensis

The White-breasted Nuthatch is a bird of forests, parks, and backyards, frequently found at bird feeders. They live in Wisconsin year-round, eating a diet of seeds, nuts, and insects. White-breasted Nuthatches have a blue-gray back and black cap, similar to Red-breasted Nuthatches. However, White-breasted Nuthatches do not have a white eyestripe.

FUN FACT
The larger than usual, backwards facing toe on each foot is called the hallux. It allows White-Breasted Nuthatches to climb down trees headfirst!

Downy Woodpecker – Picoides pubescens

The Downy Woodpecker is the smallest woodpecker species in North America. Because their diet consists of seeds, berries, and insects under bark, Downy Woodpeckers can reside in Wisconsin year-round. Downy Woodpeckers can be spotted in wooded areas as well as at backyard feeders and foraging for insects and seeds in grass.

FUN FACT
Aptly named, the Downy Woodpecker has softer feathers than the Hairy Woodpecker.

Matchup #1

Eastern Bluebird – Sialia sialis

The Eastern Bluebird is a colorful species in the thrush family. They live across the Eastern US and can be found in Wisconsin year-round. Eastern Bluebirds utilize the openness of grasslands with patches of trees. They are cavity nesters whose populations are increasing due to conservation efforts such as human-built nest boxes.

FUN FACT
In many cultures, bluebirds are seen as a symbol of happiness.

Wood Duck – Aix sponsa

Wood Ducks are so named because they are one of the few waterfowl species that perch and nest in trees. They thrive in wooded areas with large cavities for nesting and prefer swamps and wetlands with high vegetative cover for hiding and foraging. Wood Ducks can be seen in Wisconsin from March through October.

FUN FACT
Female Wood Ducks are the only North American waterfowl that regularly raise two broods in one year, often returning to the same nesting site to do so.

Matchup #2

Great Horned Owl – Bubo virginianus

Great Horned Owls, nicknamed “tigers of the sky,” are apex predators, meaning that they are not prey for any other animal. Food availability and several adaptations allow Great Horned Owls to reside in Wisconsin all year long. They prefer dense forests but can be found in a variety of ecosystems.

FUN FACT
They have the strongest grip strength of all North American owl species and can take down prey as large as a raccoon or skunk.

Belted Kingfisher – Megaceryle alcyon

The Belted Kingfisher is a bird of lakes, rivers, and wetlands. They hunt for fish and other prey from a perch above the water, displaying impressive diving skills. They can remain in Wisconsin as long as there is open water available for hunting but they may migrate south until icy waterways thaw.

FUN FACT
Unlike most other bird species, the female Belted Kingfisher more colorful than the male. She wears a rusty brown belt across her belly, while the male’s belly is stark white.

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