Although there are many photos of birds of San Francisco on the City Birds Multimedia Entertainment Website, the Featured Birds Section is devoted to special pictures, illustrations and slide shows which delve a bit into the secret lives of the birds shown here, illustrating their behavior among their own kind and their relationship with other species of birds. Also we illustrate some of the difficulties birds face living in a densely populated city. We hope you find this section both entertaining and insightful.
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Each year, normally, San Francisco is blessed with a visit by the United States Navy Blue Angels as part of the annual Fleet Week celebration.
The air show is held over San Francisco Bay in the area of the Marina District of the City. This area contains some of the City's more forested areas such as those found around Fort Mason. Many birds, including Crows, Ravens, various small hawks and small land birds live in those areas. More.
This photo was first published November 1, 2007 by City Birds. |
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In a land of representative government, we can only expect that lawmakers pass laws which reflect the will of the people. San Francisco is known for its many anti-bird laws which, supposedly, reflect how the people of the City feel about wild birds.
Fastened atop a number of buildings throughout City Birds Country, the Heart of San Francisco, are found grotesque looking fake owls with (probably lead based) painted feathers, and placed with the purpose of frightening off all manner of birds -- in order that the City might be rid of all birds. More.
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This is a close-up of a House Finch chick napping while proud parents stand guard. Baby House Finches, like all babies, need good food and lots of sleep in order to grow strong.
The gradual elimination of historic old-growth trees and other natural habitat in City Birds Country, the Heart of San Francisco, makes it essential that people provide food for them (and other small birds) if these beautiful wild songbirds are to have any chance of survival here. More.
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Bangkok, Thailand is a city of around 15 million people. A thriving bird population also lives there. People are encouraged to feed the birds and vendors selling small bags of bird food abound. These city birds also eat food which might otherwise go to rodents. Thus the Pigeons serve as food for raptors, human entertainment and as pest controllers. Such feeding activities are illegal in San Francisco, a city of 700 thousand people. People who would feed them must do so with one eye on the birds and one eye watching for the police.
This photo was first published April 1, 2007 by City Birds. |
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In addition to Pigeons in the large cities such as Bangkok, throughout Thailand and neighboring countries is found a wide variety of birds -- some similar to those found in American cities such as Pigeons and Crows, while others are quite unique. This pair of unidentified city birds in the thick of things shows no fear of the human life going on around them.
This photo was first published April 1, 2007 by City Birds. |
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City Birds Country, the Heart of San Francisco has a rather small Mourning Dove population. Unlike Rock Doves (Pigeons), they are not see on sidewalks foraging for food. They are a bit shy and prefer inner courtyards in which to forage for food. Their numbers are dwindling as courtyards are swallowed up to provide space for larger buildings in which to support our burgeoning human population.
This pair is seen basking in the warm, late afternoon sunshine. This photo was first published October 23, 2006 by City Birds. |
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The colorful Scrub Jays used to forage for food regularly on this old growth pine, brightening up the dreariest of our dark, foggy days. However, we have not spotted a Scrub Jay in City Birds Country, the Heart of San Francisco since 1998 -- perhaps due to over-population by humans and the resulting loss of food sources. This photo was first published October 23, 2006 by City Birds. |
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The American Kestrel, seen here dining on a House Finch, is America's smallest falcon -- about the size of a Mourning Dove. A migratory bird, it was a regular visitor to this tree during the Spring and Autumn. Although the beautiful American Kestrel is a personable bird, they proved vexing to us due to our efforts to sustain the House Finch population in these parts (The House Finch is the last remaining songbird in City Birds Country, the Heart of San Francisco.). Not for lack of food, the Kestrel suddenly disappeared from these parts and we have not spotted one since 2000. This photo was published October 23, 2006 by City Birds. |
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The Mute Swan is a beautiful bird which has inspired art and music. First introduced to the United States in the 1800s, its habitat is residential ponds and lakes such as the pond at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, where we photographed this bird during an early morning visit to the Palace on an unusually warm day. Although the Mute Swan has a peaceful and gentle personality, when getting close to them it is important to be very respectful. They are a very powerful bird and can lash out at amazing speed -- a neck blow able to break the arm of a full-grown man. This photo was first published October 23, 2006 by City Birds. |
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Although the raptor population of City Birds Country, the Heart of San Francisco, has been in general decline over the last several years; the beautiful Red-tailed Hawk has been spending a lot of time hanging out in a very large, old-growth pine tree in the middle of a courtyard surrounded by apartment buildings. This hawk is not the only bird seen enjoying the tree. The relationship of the various species of birds with each other, while enjoying the tree at the same time, is fascinating. This slide show gives some insights into their behavior. Enjoy our two videos featuring this same Red-tailed Hawk. The movies are in our City Videos Section. This slide show was first published July 27, 2006 by City Birds. |
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Surprisingly, considering the strong Westerly winds so common in San Francisco, there is a substantial population of Hummingbirds living in City Birds Country, the Heart of San Francisco. The picture of this female Anna's Hummingbird relaxing in the sunshine was taken during a fine Spring 2006 morning at the Public Gardens located in the midst of Fort Mason. Even the windy, Western sides of Nob Hill and Russian Hill support a nice population of Hummingbirds. This digital photo was first published by City Birds June 6, 2006.
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Feeding the City Birds is rewarding in many ways. Without handouts from humans, the presence of birds, such as these beautiful House Finches, would be rare. Natural habitat for the small birds is very limited in San Francisco. This will only worsen as the City becomes ever more densely built up. The finches fill the streets with their beautiful songs from early Spring through mid-Summer. Well fed, they have time to play. Toys, such as old rabbit ears, will be put to good use by them. Here we see a female, having landed, filled with pride; while to the left, we see breath-stopping determination on the face of the gold male finch coming in for a landing. This illustration was published June 6, 2006 by City Birds. |
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The brightly colored male House Finch has a whole sunflower seed in his mouth. He will use his tongue to position the seed so it conforms to the shape of his beaks. Then, using his tongue to rotate the seed, the sharp sides of his mandibles will peel off the waxy covering which protects the seed.
The female House Finch (lower left) is further along in removing the covering from the seed in her mouth. Notice the ribbon of chaff hanging from her beaks. Once the seeds are peeled, the finches will chew and swallow the seed. More. |
| In addition to San Francisco scenes and events, the many City Birds galleries have photos of most birds of City Birds Country, the Heart of San Francisco. Do a bird search of our Site and enjoy our birds! |
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