They Follow the Army … Ants

February 11, 2026Bird Behavior, Costa Rica, TravelKate St. John

Ocellated antbird (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

11 February 2026

There’s a group of tropical birds in the Western Hemisphere whose lives are so closely intertwined with ants that their names include the word “ant” —> Antbird, antshrike, antvireo, antthrush, antpitta, ant-tanager, antwren. These birds don’t eat ants. Instead they follow army ant swarms to eat small prey the ants scare out of hiding. Ant-named birds are not the only ones who do this.

About 462 species of birds opportunistically feed near army ant swarms. Within this group, 16-29 species require army ants for their livelihood and don’t hunt without them. These obligate army ant followers would die of starvation if there were no army ants. The ocellated antbird (Phaenostictus mcleannani), shown at top, is one of them.

The most reliable way to see antbirds is to find foraging army ants but first you have to know something about the ants.

Army ants form nomadic colonies of 10,000 to 10 million ants. Since they have no fixed home they gather in a bivouac, a defensive interconnected “ball” with the queen, eggs and larvae in the middle surrounded by workers and soldiers.

Diagram of army ant (Eciton burchelli) bivouac (from Wikimedia Commons)

Those that forage above ground during the day are the ones that attract the birds. Army ant foragers leave the bivouac in a long line …

A foraging group of army ants heads out in a line (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

… then they fan out over the forest floor and plants.

Because army ants have extremely poor vision they use their sense of smell to detect each other and sense of touch to detect their prey. As they fan out they touch everything with their antennae. If something moves it’s prey and they immediately surround, attack and dismember it. Word to the Wise: If you are out ahead of an army ant swarm and it catches up to you, Don’t Move!

Watch ant swarms, birds and researchers at work in this video from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama. It begins with two blue morpho butterflies winking in the forest. And then the ants and birds show up! (The video lasts 10 minutes. If you don’t have that much time the first 3-5 minutes will show you a lot.)

(video embedded from Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute)

p.s. Yes there are more than just antbirds following the ants. Wikipedia lists others found in Panama:

Birds that frequent army-ant swarms include the white-whiskered puffbird, rufous motmot, rufous-vented ground cuckoo, grey-cowled wood rail, plain-brown woodcreeper, northern barred woodcreeper, cocoa woodcreeper, black-striped woodcreeper, fasciated antshrike, black-crowned antshrike, spotted antbird, bicolored antbird, ocellated antbird, chestnut-backed antbird, black-faced antthrush, and gray-headed tanager.^[
— WIkipedia: army ant foraging

Great Backyard Bird Count starts this Friday!

February 10, 2026Books & EventsKate St. John

Four mourning doves expect to be counted (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

10 February 2026

Doing anything special for Presidents Days weekend? Staying at home? Taking a walk? Going to somewhere warm? No matter where you go you’ll have four days of great excuses to go birding.

This year’s Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) runs Friday the 13th through Monday the 16th of February 2026.

It’s easy to participate, as you can see in this video from Grant Rettig.

Count birds at your feeders or anywhere outdoors and anywhere on Earth. The Great Backyard Bird Count is global.

Spend time in your favorite places watching birds—then tell us about them! In as little as 15 minutes notice the birds around you. Identify them, count them, and submit your counts to help scientists better understand and protect birds around the world. If you already use eBird or Merlin, you don’t have to do anything special. Your submissions over the 4 days count toward GBBC.
— birdcount.org, just a little paraphrased

Here’s what we all saw in 2024. (Someone saw a sunbittern.) Let’s go, 2026!

(video embedded from Cornell Lab on YouTube)

Winter Crow Party Is Ending Soon

February 9, 2026Books & Events, Crows & RavensKate St. John

Crows staging at Schenley Park golf course, 20 Nov 2024 (photo by Betty Rowland)

9 February 2026

This morning when I saw a distant flock of crows stream from the roost to the Mon River valley I knew the winter crow party was still having fun. Local groundskeepers and building managers are thinking “murderous” thoughts about the roost but now, just when humans have had enough, the crows will naturally disappear.

While the days are getting longer, crows think about going home to breed. In March they will act on it, the roost will dissolve, and the party will be over until next November.

To explain what’s happening, let’s look at their annual cycle in southwestern Pennsylvania. The crows’ New Year begins in Spring.

Southwestern PA crow calendar, breeding and wintering (chart by Kate St. John)

All year long established pairs stay in family groups with their kids.

In March established pairs migrate home to breed and new pairs migrate to find a territory. In spring an established family group is parents + youngest kids (usually a group of 4; the kids are helpers). New pairs in their first breeding season have no kids yet (a group of 2).
March to June — on territory — is the secretive phase of crow family life. They are quietly busy building a nest, incubating eggs, hatching young, and feeding them in the nest. Crows don’t want you to know they are there. They seem to be completely gone.
When crow nestlings fledge in late May/June they are loud! Suddenly crows are obvious.
July to August crow families remain at home while the youngsters learn. (Family groups of usually 6 crows.)
September kicks off fall migration and overwintering time.
September to October crows migrate slowly south to their overwintering site. Eastern crows travel an average of 287 miles to the site. What places could they be coming from that are 287 miles away from Pittsburgh? Two examples: Kingston at Lake Ontario and Barrie, Ontario near Lake Huron, both in Canada.
November to February: Let’s Party! Crows gather at the winter roost. The roost may move around during that period.
In March it’s time to go home.

Enjoy the crows in mid-latitude cities now before they’re gone.

See this Facebook video by Mary Ann Thomas about Pittsburgh’s crow party.

And here’s how Portland, Oregon celebrates their winter crows.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Marley Blonsky (@marleyblonsky)

Warblers at Home in Costa Rica

February 8, 2026Costa Rica, Migration, TravelKate St. John

Prothonotary warbler at Magee Marsh, 2014 (phoot by Chuck Tague)

8 February 2026, Pittsburgh

When this morning dawned at -6°F (-21.1°C) it was hard to imagine spring but I really want to. What better way to “Think Spring” than to talk about warblers?

Last month on the Road Scholar birding trip to Costa Rica we saw 15 species of warblers, the majority of which (8) were northern migrants spending the winter in Costa Rica. The rest (7 species) are residents of Central and South America and many of them are related to North American breeding warblers.

North American migrant warblers seen in Costa Rica, January 2026

In just 2-3 months — in late April and early May — warblers currently in Costa Rica will start arriving in Pittsburgh. Six of the species we saw look the same year round so they were at their best. The most numerous warbler on our trip, the Tennessee warbler, as well as the bay-breasted warbler were still in non-breeding plumage. They didn’t look as snazzy.

See the list and links below the slideshow.

Central and South American resident warblers

The other seven species on our checklists are residents of Central and South America. Just one reaches into North America as far as Mexico. See the list below the slideshow.

Best warbler on the trip? Prothonotary! We often saw them when touring the mangrove and wetland forests by boat. They were a bright flash of yellow as they flew across the river in front of us.

p.s. Speaking of low temperatures, Pittsburgh will have an amazing warm-up starting tomorrow, Monday 9 Feb 2026, at 7:00am. The low at 7:00am Monday will be -6°F. The high at 2:00pm on Tuesday will be 44°F. That’s a 50 degree temperature swing in just 31 hours. It will feel like Spring!

Seen This Week: Old Snow, New Snow

February 7, 2026Bird Behavior, Weather & SkyKate St. John

Starlings … Poof! … Pittsburgh, 30 Jan 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)

7 February 2026

Since returning home late last a week, I’ve seen a lot of old snow.

In a walk on 30 January a flock of starlings burst off a tree near the Shakespeare statue at Carnegie Music Hall. Shakespeare had old snow in his lap.

The sidewalks were easy to navigate but the crosswalks were blocked by icy piles of plowed snow.

London plane trees in snow, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, 30 Jan 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)

Old snow on the roofs and a pink sunset.

Old snow on the roof at sunset, 30 Jan 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)

Last week I saw Bobcat Skid-Steer Loaders all over the city moving snow to out of the way places. This pile on Flagstaff Hill probably came from Frew Street. By the end of the week the crosswalks were clear.

Pile of snow moved from street to Flagstaff Hill, 2 Feb 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)

But we were worried that yesterday’s predicted snow would bury us again. The National Weather Service said it would be a “fast moving clipper.”

The snow squalls hit last night around 10pm. A whiteout at 10:15pm. Light snow and better visibility just four minutes later.

And this morning, less than an inch of new snow in the city.

How to Forget Your Troubles: Sea Otters!

February 6, 2026Mammals, Water and ShoreKate St. John

Sea otter mother with pup on her belly, Morro Rock (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

6 February 2026

With more snow on the way today in Pittsburgh we need something to take our minds off our troubles. Sea otters are the perfect solution.

Sea otters live among kelp because they eat the organisms that eat kelp. They dive to gather sea urchins, sea stars, sea cucumbers, crustaceans, a variety of mollusks, snails and bivalves. Then they float on their backs with their food set on their bellies as they open and eat their prey.

embedded YouTube Short from @Expeditions

In addition to using their bellies as the dining table, sea otter mothers carry their babies on their bellies. They take their babies everywhere.

video embedded from YouTube Nature on PBS

So cute!

p.s. If you want to see sea otters in the wild, here’s where you’ll have to go.

Range of the sea otter (map from Wikimedia Commons)

Seven Streaked and Spotted

February 5, 2026Bird Anatomy, Costa Rica, TravelKate St. John

Fasciated tiger-heron, Costa Rica (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

5 February 2026

Understory birds in Costa Rica’s rainforest are often streaked, spotted and striped for camouflage while they move in dim and dappled light near the forest floor. Out of all those streaky birds I have seven favorites from my trip to Costa Rica last month. Six are forest skulkers, the seventh, shown at top, is not an understory bird at all so I don’t know why he’s striped. NOTE: These photos are not to scale; almost all of them are from Wikimedia Commons.

Fasciated Tiger-Heron (Tigrisoma fasciatum)

The best way to see a fasciated tiger-heron is to check the edge of a rushing stream. We found two fishing in the Sarapiquí River at Selva Verde Lodge. Obviously the stripes do not camouflage them in this setting. Maybe those stripes are for a different reason.

Fasciated Antshrike (Cymbilaimus lineatus)

This species posed nicely for us. He also posed for his Wikimedia Commons photo below.

The Fasciated Antshrike forages, mostly for large insects, in the midstory of tropical lowland forest. He’s found in vine tangles and dense mid-story canopy.
— Birds of the world account

Fasciated antshrike, male (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

Streak-crowned Antvireo (Dysithamnus striaticeps)

I saw this Life Bird during the Sky Walk at Arenal while there was a pause in the pouring rain. He was on my Wish List.

The streak-crowned antvireo ranges from Honduras through Nicaragua to Costa Rica, living in the understory and mid-story of lowland and foothill evergreen forest. He forages for insects and is often in mixed species flocks (paraphrased from Birds of the World).

Streak-crowned antvireo (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

Spotted Antbird (Hylophylax naevioides)

Spotted antbirds are …

Frequent–though not obligate–followers of mixed-species foraging flocks that track insect-flushing swarms of army ants across the forest floor.

The Spotted Antbird’s scientific name means a “spotted watcher of the woodland.” In Panama’s Darien province the species is locally known as ‘corregidor‘ (mayor) for its apparent behavior of directing the activities of other birds found with it, presumably at army ant swarms.
— paraphrased from Birds of the World

Spotted antbird (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

Spot-breasted Wren (Pheugopedius maculipectus)

What a skulker! This bird is said to be common but it is very hard to see.

Generally common. Found in a wide variety of wooded habitats, including second growth and plantations, where it forages, apparently for insects in low tangles and other dense vegetation.
— paraphrased from Birds of the World

For a brighter photo, see this one from Wikimedia Commons.

Stripe-breasted Wren (Cantorchilus thoracicus)

Very cute wren more often heard than seen.

The Stripe-breasted Wren has two distinct singing ‘styles’, which are sufficiently at variance to sound as if they were made by completely different types of birds. The first is a series of whistles on the same pitch, somewhat like the calls of a small owl, which song, usually given at dawn, is typically given by a single bird. The second is a series of up to ten bubbling whistles, which is far more typical of the Troglodytidae, and is given in a duet.
— from Birds of the world

Stripe-breasted wren (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

Bay Wren (Cantorchilus nigricapillus)

When this wren turns his back on you, you can’t see him. If he hadn’t shown his chest I would never have known he has stripes. No photos from the trip; all I have are happy memories. These photos are from Wikimedia Commons.

Bay wren back and chest (photos from Wikimedia Commons)

Barn Owls at the Supermarket

February 4, 2026Birds of Prey, Costa Rica, TravelKate St. John

American barn owl at the supermarket in Las Iguanas, Costa Rica, 26 Jan 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)

4 February 2026

While in Costa Rica with Road Scholar on 26 January: On our way to Arenal we needed some snacks and bottled drinks so we combined a visit to the grocery store with a stop for barn owls. Yes, there were barn owls at the grocery store.

Supermarket in Las Iguanas, Costa Rica (screenshot from Google StreetView)

Inside the building it was a typical supermarket with a wide selection of food.

Road Scholars checking out at the grocery store, 26 Jan 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)

However, there was a ledge close to the roof peak and on that ledge was a pair of American barn owls (Tyto furcata).

Barn owls perched up high at the grocery store, 26 Jan 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)

I digiscoped the front-facing owl (at top) but the second owl was harder to see. Gary Levinson-Palmer captured these photos.

Barn owls at the supermarket, Costa Rica, 26 Jan 2026 (photo by Gary Levinson-Palmer)

Because there was sunlight behind them, I believe the owls come into a gap between the roof peak-section and the main roof. These gaps are needed for ventilation and heat reduction. Here’s an (exaggerated) example from Wikimedia Commons (not in Costa Rica).

Corrugated iron roof, photo from Wikimedia Commons

This sighting was a first. I’ve seen house sparrows at a Pittsburgh grocery store but never owls!

Glen Hazel (Hays) Bald Eagles: Live on PixCams

February 3, 2026Birds of Prey, Nesting & CourtshipKate St. John

3 February 2026

In Case You Missed It: This report was delayed 2 weeks by my trip to Costa Rica.

After a year without a streaming camera, the new PixCams’ eaglecam went “live” at the Glen Hazel (Hays) bald eagle nest on 16 January 2026. Everyone’s excited that we once again can watch the pair at their nest.

The hiatus occurred when the eagles moved away from Hays (and the old camera) at the start of the 2025 breeding season. They didn’t move far — just across the river and upstream — but their new nest wasn’t found on the Glen Hazel hillside until April. By then there were already two chicks in the nest so it was too late to install a camera. Thankfully PixCams immediately began planning to install a streaming camera in time for this year.

Bald eagle breeding season runs January through July in Pennsylvania so you’ll often see one or both eagles at the nest now. The PixCams YouTube video below, captured yesterday morning at 8:40am, shows the female at the nest when the male arrives with a big stick.

Glen Hazel (Hays) bald eagles add a big stick to the nest, 2 Feb 2026, 8:40am (video embedded from PixCams on YouTube)

There’s plenty more to see.

Watch the Glen Hazel (Hays) bald eagle cam at PixCams: Glen Hazel (Hays) Bald Eagle Nest or follow PixCams on Facebook.

See the PixCams YouTube channel for video highlights.

Leafcutter Ants: A Living River

February 2, 2026Costa Rica, Insects, Spiders, TravelKate St. John

Two leafcutter ants grapple with a leaf at La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

2 February 2026

While in Costa Rica last month I had several opportunities to watch leafcutter ants marching in long lines and carrying leaves. Their dedication to task was fascinating.

Leafcutter ants are farmers that grow their own food — a fungus — inside their underground nests. They tend the fungus carefully, feeding it freshly cut leaves, flowers or grasses and removing mold and pests that threaten it.

Each of the 55+ species of leafcutters cultivates a particular species of fungus. The fungus thrives because the ants tend it. The ants thrive because their brood eats the fungus.

I recorded two sets of leafcutters traveling to and from their nest. You can hear the voices of other members of our group in my video.

At the nest the entrances are busy with activity (photo from Wikimedia).

Leafcutter ants’ nest, exterior (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

Inside, the workers tend the fungus (photo from Wikimedia).

Leafcutter ants’ fungus garden inside their nest (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

Here are some cool facts about leafcutters paraphrased from Wikipedia:

Leafcutter ants are endemic to Central and South America and occur as far north at Texas.
Their nests can contain more than 3.5 million individuals and span up to 6,460 sq ft (600 m²).
A leafcutter ant can carry up to 50 times her body weight.
Her jaws have a bite force of 800mN = 2600 times her body weight.
A colony is founded by one (or more) fertilized queen(s) who starts her own fungus garden from bits of the parental fungus mycelium she has stored in the infrabuccal pocket in her oral cavity.
The ants and their fungus have a mutualistic relationship. It is so intertwined that it’s best described here: Wikipedia leafcutter ant-fungus mutualism.
Safety of the foraging line is so important that there is a caste of worker ants that patrol the line to attack any enemies that threaten it.
A large troop of leafcutters can denude an entire citrus tree in less than 24 hours!
Worker ants take out the garbage of used substrate, discarded fungus and a parasite that threatens the fungus, and deposit it in a designated area.
Humans can use the ants’ own refuse to deter them: “A promising approach to deterring attacks of the leafcutter ant Acromyrmex lobicornis on crops has been demonstrated. Collecting the refuse from the nest and placing it over seedlings or around crops resulted in a deterrent effect over a period of 30 days.”

Leafcutter ant in Costa Rica (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

Leafcutter foraging lines are like a living river.