Top 5 Once In A Lifetime Songbirds

May 5, 2023 by Kieu Trinh

The Vermilion Flycatcher is a beautiful, hard to find backyard bird in the U.S., and is a once in a lifetime bird to see! chrisncami / iStock / Getty Images Plus

Have you ever seen any of these spectacular “lifer birds?”

To an avid birder, a lifer bird is a special event sighting, worthy of photos and sharing on social media. What it means is they observed a new (to them) species for the first time in their birding lives.

Some keep a list of birds they hope to see in their lifetimes and will travel thousands of miles for a chance to make it happen. But sometimes, luck is on their side, and a rare bird simply appears when they least expect it.

The continental U.S. and Canada are home to 700 bird species, so there’s always a chance you’ll see something “new,” even if you’re not actively looking. Here’s a sampler of some of the stunning birds that have launched many a birder’s quest:

To see a Green Jay in the U.S., you will have to travel to the southernmost part of Texas and hope you can catch a glimpse of this brilliant bird. BrianLasenby / iStock / Getty Images Plus

Green Jay

Green Jay | Audubon Field Guide

These brilliant blue and green corvids leverage sticks to reach insects under tree bark, making them one of the rare North American birds to use tools. They’re found throughout Mexico. Still, birders travel to the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge nestled in the southeastern point of Texas just for a chance to see them.

Kirtland’s Warblers can be found in the jack pine forests of Michigan and Wisconsin, traveling south to the Bahamas for winter. Carol Hamilton / iStock / Getty Images Plus

Kirtland’s Warbler

Kirtland's Warbler - American Bird Conservancy

Dark gray with a lemon-yellow breast, look for this beauty in the jack pine forests of Michigan and Wisconsin. But keep an eye out during its migration to the southeastern coast as they reach their winter home in the Bahamas.

Travel south along the Gulf of Mexico and along the southern U.S. to catch a glimpse of this fiery red and deep brown bird. Neil bowman / iStock / Getty Images Plus

Vermilion Flycatcher

Vermilion Flycatcher | Audubon Field Guide

This scarlet bird with black wings and a face mask can be found along the rivers in Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico, along with the Gulf of Mexico. During courtship, the male presents the female with a butterfly or some other showy insect.

While they live in many areas throughout the U.S., the Yellow-breasted Chat can be difficult to find as it lives in dense, shrubby habitats. WilliamSherman / iStock / Getty Images Plus

Yellow-breasted Chat

Yellow-breasted Chat - Urban Hawks

While widespread across the continental U.S., you have to look hard to catch sight of these striking little birds. They spend their summers in dense, shrubby habitats, searching for spiders and other insects.

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So, what do you make of it? I wanted this blog post about Lyrebirds, its songs, gorgeous tail, and strange nesting place to start with a video. I thought the video will capture the attention of bird lovers and would poke their curiosity so much that they would like to plan a Lyrebirds safari when time permits.Anticipating such a desire, I have blogged about: Places to see lyrebird in their home grounds Their ability to sing various tunes Their prey OMG! What a plumage! I think they need not sing at all to attract their partners. Their lovely, long tail is more than enough for the female lyrebirds to fall instantly in love. Nevertheless, I suppose the male lyrebirds need to sing loudly to let their opposite gender know about their whereabouts. That is the time the male lyrebirds also raise their tail and spread the feathers to attract their lovers. The Song of Lyrebirds I am 100% sure you are simply captivated by the song of the lyrebird. It makes so many different sounds that make the ornithologists say the lyrebird mimics. However, I beg to disagree. It gifted with a great range of song tunes. Oh, I should mention that only the male lyrebirds sing like that. What kinds of places where the lyrebirds can be found? Birds chose to live where their prey are in abundance. The lyrebirds eat worms and insects. They spotted in wetlands near forests and marshy river banks. However, though there is no dearth of such places all over the world, the lyrebird somehow chose to live in and around the rainforests in Australia. Lyrebird’ long-tail an impediment? Does the voluminous long tail of the lyrebird make flying, a hazardous task? I think so; rather the lyrebirds must think so and that’s why they are not often found in flight. They mostly walk or run around the forest grounds to peck at their meal. Strange habit of male lyrebird When they want to showcase their beautiful plumage and great singing ability, they somehow find a higher platform on the earth (do they manually make such a place) and go about their business of singing sweetly and dancing with their tail raised over their head. What a performance! Don’t they resemble the male peacock in a miniature way? In fact, the lyrebirds were once known as peacock-wrens and Australian birds-of-paradise. Lyrebirds are found in large numbers in: The mountains of Queensland’s southeast part Yarra Valley, Victoria Tasmania Dandenong Ranges near Melbourne Northeast of New South Wales South Gippsland, Southeast Victoria I wonder if the lyrebird are endemic to the rainforests and mountains of Australia! There are five national park areas in Australia where the beautiful lyrebirds are spotted in their habitat. However, you can only see them if you are lucky as the lyrebird is extremely shy of human beings. The Badger Weir Walks, Victoria Eastern Sherbrooke Forest walk, Kallista, Victoria Eagles Nest walk, New England National Park, New South Wales, Australia Olinda Creek Walking track, Melbourne (50 km only) Lyrebird Forest walk, Gippsland, Victoria To and fro, you will walk for about 5 km approximately through the Gippsland’s forested area. If you are intent on spotting the lyrebird, you must walk slowly, looking around for the elusive lyrebird. It may take about 90 minutes to come back after reaching the walking track. Post Views: 88 Related