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Rio Grande Bird Research, Inc.

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Rio Grande Bird Research, Inc.

Rio Grande Bird Research, Inc. is a group of volunteers who conduct bird research in the Middle Rio Grande Valley of New Mexico.

Our main project is a banding station at the Rio Grande Nature Center in Albuquerque. Started in 1979, before the Nature Center was developed, the banding project now has one of the largest and most important avifauna databases in the Middle Rio Grande Valley.

10/24/2026

Winter finches are just starting to arrive! Species like this one are common sights in late fall and throughout winter.

This Hatch Year (FCF) American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) was an expected and welcome encounter from several Octobers ago. This species is found breeding across the north half of the North America, and winters across the southern half. These birds are known for having late breeding seasons that often starts in early July, a full month after most species.

In winter, these birds are found in a variety of habitats as they move around in search of food. They are common visitors to native sunflowers and thistle feeders. American Goldfinches (AGOLs previously AMGOs) often form mixed flocks with other goldfinch species and Pine Siskins. Listen for their three-noted flight calls that are often described as saying “Pot-ato-chip” as the flyover.

All banding is being conducted under a federally authorized Bird Banding Permit issued by the U.S. Geological Survey’s BBL.

10/23/2026

The “snowbirds” are starting to show up again! This species is always a sure sign of the end of fall approaching and winter is just around the corner. A great representative for Halloween!

This After Second Year (DPA) male Oregon Junco (Junco hyemalis oreganus) from a few winters back was a beautiful example of this subspecies of Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis). These birds breed along the west coast in mixed pine forest from northern British Columbia down into Baja. During migration and winter, these birds spread out and leave the pine forests as they move in flocks in search of food. This time of year they can be found throughout most of the western United States and are common visitors to feeders.

The Oregon Junco (ORJU) is actually a complex of several very similar and closely related subspecies. All of them are known for dark gray to black hoods, pinkish orange flanks, and orange-brown back patches. ORJUs are just winter visitors to central New Mexico which is why they are such a good sign of the approaching winter.
-Jason Kitting

All banding is being conducted under a federally authorized Bird Banding Permit issued by the U.S. Geological Survey’s BBL.

10/19/2026

Guess what day it is again! Happy everyone! Here’s a look at my favorite molt pattern.

This Hatch Year (FCF) male House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) from last fall was a great example of an eccentric molt pattern. Remember that an eccentric molt pattern occurs when a young bird replaces flight feathers by starting at a primary and/or a secondary that is not primary one or secondary one (P1/S1). This type of feather replacement produces a block of retained juvenile feathers in the center of the wing. In the case of this bird, he started replacing his primaries at P5 and then moved out towards the tip of the wing (top right red line), and then started his secondaries at S6 and moved inward towards the body (bottom left red line). These replaced “formative” feathers have fresh edges and a dark gray color to them, while the retained “juvenile” feathers in the center of the wing (middle yellow line) have worn edges and a light brown color to them.

Eccentric molt patterns (aka eccentric molt limit or EML) and similar variations are common in bird species such as House Finches, Northern Cardinals, Song Sparrows, Lesser Goldfinches, Yellow-breasted Chats, Yellow-bellied Flycatchers, Common Yellowthroats (at least in the eastern US), and many others. This molt pattern is easy to miss since banders typically don’t look for molt limits in the primaries or secondaries.
-Jason Kitting

All banding is being conducted under a federally authorized Bird Banding Permit issued by the U.S. Geological Survey’s BBL.

10/18/2026

It’s the time of year to bring this comparison pic back! Fall is in the air and so are the butter butts! The time of year when the Yellow-rumped Warblers (Setophaga coronata) start to show up all over the lower 48. For many of us, this is the only warbler species that sticks around in winter.

If you’re familiar with this widespread species, you may already know that there are two different subspecies, the Audubon’s in the west and the Myrtle in the east and far north. Here’s a look at the differences between these two subspecies, as well as what to look for in an “intergrade.”

The left column shows the Audubon’s subspecies which is known for a yellow throat which is small and round in shape, and lacks an eyebrow. These birds are found breeding throughout the mountains of northern Mexico and the western US and Canada. The right column shows the Myrtle subspecies which is known for a white throat with an almost diamond shaped throat patch which goes up by the shoulder. They also have a distinct white eyebrow (more obvious during the breeding season). These birds breed in the eastern Appalachian Mountains and throughout the Canadian boreal forest up into Alaska.

The middle column is of an “intergrade” or a mix between the two subspecies. These birds show a lot of variability in their plumage, but the most obvious features of intergrades included having both yellow and white in the throat, an intermediate throat shape, and a partial eyebrow that may not be symmetrical on both side of the head. These birds only come from the northern Rockies in western Canada where the two subspecies breeding ranges overlap. It should be noted that all of these pictures were taken when these birds were in their winter plumage (basic plumage), so these characteristics are harder to see compared to when they are in their breeding plumage (alternate plumage).
-Jason Kitting

All banding is being conducted under a federally authorized Bird Banding Permit issued by the U.S. Geological Survey’s BBL.

10/12/2026

We missed yesterday! A day to celebrate all of our migratory birds, and in particular, those that migrate to and from the tropics! So happy World Migratory Bird Day for all of those who are celebrating today! In honor of a slightly late World Migratory Bird Day, here’s a look at one of the world’s most impressive migrants.

The Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus) is a well known orange hummingbird species found throughout the western US and Canada. They first migrate north along the west coast, and then can be found breeding from northern California up into southeastern Alaska. They then head south along the Rocky Mountains, and most of the population winters in southern Mexico. A growing population also now overwinters in the southeastern US.

The reason these little birds are such impressive migrants is because when you consider body lengths travelled, these birds have one of the longest migrations on earth. They must travel around 78.5 million body lengths between their breeding and wintering grounds. Typically, the males arrive first on the breeding grounds, quickly followed by the females. This is also true for fall but is a little different with the young birds. First the adult males (top left) arrive, followed by the adult females (top right), who are then followed by a mass of both young males (bottom left) and young females (bottom right).
-Jason Kitting

All banding is being conducted under a federally authorized Bird Banding Permit issued by the U.S. Geological Survey’s BBL.

10/05/2026

What’s going on with these tails? Although tails can be useful with aging birds, there are some complications that go along with them. Let’s learn about some tail molt!

Before I go over the complicated aspects of tails, let’s go over the basics! These Summer Tanagers (Piranga rubra) are great examples of the difference in tail shape seen in different age classes of birds. The Hatch Year (FCF) bird up top has a very lightly colored tail with heavily pointed tips. These feathers are low quality because young birds grow all their feathers in at the same time. Growing all the tail feathers at the same time causes the growth bars to line up. This means they have to sacrifice quality for quantity. The Third Year (TCB) female bird below has darker and denser feathers with more squared off tips. These feathers are high quality because they are usually (we’ll come back to this) grown in pairs starting in the center and moving out so the bird can put more resources into each individual feather, and this results in the growth bars not lining up.

Where it gets complicated is when a bird loses its tail (adult or juvenile) when not molting. If a tail is lost in either an adult or juvenile bird, the tail grows back looking like an adult’s tail (higher quality and squared off). Because the feathers all grow in at the same time, the growth bars will line up like you see in a juvenile tail. That is what happened to the adult female in the picture. This is particularly obvious due to the red band going across her tail. She was clearly eating some food with large amounts of carotenoid pigments while growing in these feathers which caused them to turn red!
-Jason Kitting

All banding is being conducted under a federally authorized Bird Banding Permit issued by the U.S. Geological Survey’s BBL.

09/29/2026

It’s not only feathers that are used by banders to age birds! Here’s a look at a common aging technique using the structure of bills in hummingbirds.

When hummingbirds first hatch out of their eggs, they have short bills that can easily fit inside the egg and allow them to reach the shell in order to hatch. As they develop in the nest (about 3 weeks depending on the species), their bills extend at a very fast rate. This fast growth leaves little grooves and irregularities along the length of the bill that are similar to stretch marks. Hummingbird beaks often aren’t done growing even after they are no longer depending on mom. As the birds age and their bills reach their adult length, these grooves smooth out and mostly disappear (except right around the nares).

These two Black-chinned Hummingbirds (Archilochus alexandri) are good examples of this feature. The top bird is a Hatch Year (FCF) bird with a bill that isn’t quite full length yet. The sides of the bill have an irregular texture caused by these grooves along most of its length. The bottom picture is an After Hatch Year (DCB) female bird with a full length bill which is completely smooth along the sides. It takes several months for the young hummingbirds’ bills to smooth out completely. This process is usually complete by the time they migrate north in spring. At this point in the year, a lack of grooves on the bill is no longer useful in determining an adult bird.
-Jason Kitting

All banding is being conducted under a federally authorized Bird Banding Permit issued by the U.S. Geological Survey’s BBL.

08/20/2026

Happy everyone!! Fall migration is a wonderful and sometimes frustrating time of year for many birders and bird banders alike. This is because it is the time of year when cryptic warblers are most abundant! Gone are the bright breeding plumages that many species are named for, and the drab young birds also outnumber the adults. Here’s a look at one of our most common cryptic fall warblers.

This Hatch Year (FCF) female Wilson’s Warbler (Cardellina pusilla) is definitely one of the more drab warblers we see this time of year. This bird lacks the obvious black cap that the males of this species are known for, but we know she is a Wilson’s Warbler (WIWA) from her yellow underparts, olive upper parts, and olive-yellow cap which is the same shape and location as the black cap seen in males. Despite looking very different plumage-wise, she still has the same overall body structure seen in adult males which includes a small body, relatively long tail, and relatively thick beak when compared to other warbler beaks.

Females and juvenile birds are often the most drab and hardest to identify. This is because unlike the males, they are trying to be as inconspicuous as possible in order to avoid predators. This is also why many male birds that have alternate plumages will trade their bright breeding coloration used for attracting mates and defending territories, for much drabber plumages which don’t attract much attention. It may be annoying from a birdwatching perspective, but it is actually a very effective survival strategy!
-Jason Kitting

All banding is being conducted under a federally authorized Bird Banding Permit issued by the U.S. Geological Survey’s BBL.

08/17/2026

It’s that time of year again! Although it is not officially fall yet; late summer is the start of fall migration for many bird species. For most of our familiar migrants, we see them on their way north in spring, and on their way south in fall. But that’s not how all bird species work! Some species actually have circular migrations meaning they take different routes depending on whether it is spring or fall. This process is probably more common than we think, but it is most obvious in species that we only see during one migration period.

In central New Mexico, the most familiar circular migrants include the Rufous Hummingbird (top left), the Calliope Hummingbird (top right), and the Townsend’s Warbler (bottom). These three species occasionally pass through in spring in small numbers, but the overwhelming majority pass through in fall. This seems like a waste of energy, but when you look at the food resources available to these birds during spring and fall, the extra effort makes sense. All three of these species spend the winter in Mexico and Central America. In early spring, they move north along the west coast where it is warm and there are plenty of flowers and insects to eat. At the same time of year in central New Mexico, it can still be quite cold and dry meaning there is very little food available for these birds.

After the breeding season, this situation switches. The birds then move south along the Rocky Mountains, which are now warm and full of flowers and insects. The southwestern Monsoons are another driver of this circular migration as they provide abundant food for all migrants throughout the southwestern US and northern Mexico which isn’t available in spring. This is particularly true for the Rufous and Calliope Hummingbirds who rely on the flowers that require the Monsoon rains in order to bloom.
-Jason Kitting

All banding is being conducted under a federally authorized Bird Banding Permit issued by the U.S. Geological Survey’s BBL.

07/01/2026

Happy end of pride month everyone! Since it’s the last day of June, here’s a look at one of North America’s most iconic rainbow birds!

Painted Buntings (Passerina ciris) get their name from the brilliant rainbow coloration seen in the adult males (top two pictures). The females and juvenile birds are also unique in that they are the only completely green birds (bottom picture) we have regularly in the US and Canada. There are two distinct populations that look nearly identical, but have totally separate breeding and wintering grounds. The largest population is found breeding in the southern Great Plains from eastern New Mexico east to Georgia, and from Kansas down into northern Mexico. These birds then winter in Central America. The smaller population can be found breeding along the east coast from North Carolina down into eastern Florida. These birds then go down to the Caribbean Islands for winter.

Here in central New Mexico where these birds were encountered, we are just out of the regular breeding range of the central plains population. Despite being out of their range, we are close enough that we usually encounter one every couple years or so. When this happens, it is almost always a female-type bird (female or juvenile) like the bird in the bottom picture from the fall of 2023. Young birds are the most likely to get lost during migration, so they are the most likely to show up out of range. With that said, we were lucky enough to band the beautiful adult male in the top two pictures during the summer of 2019. We don’t know if this bird was attempting to breed nearby, but he was encountered during the peak of the breeding season that year!
-Jason Kitting

All banding is being conducted under a federally authorized Bird Banding Permit issued by the U.S. Geological Survey’s BBL. 🌈

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