The artist’s favorite birds.

The most abundant, widespread, and beautiful songbirds in North America are also the least noticed.   “It’s because they’re small, highly migratory, and tend to stick to the treetops,” says Turanchik, “but once you know when and where to look for them, they seem to be everywhere.”  The “when” is when the trees leaf out in the spring.  The “where” is basically “up.” 

“By any measure,” says Jim, “these birds live lives of heroic proportions.”  The average warbler weighs less than half an ounce, is not much more than four inches long, and logs thousands of miles each year, journeying between its winter range in the tropics and the Canadian zone in North America.

“They’re superbly fit and have evolved over countless millennia to do two things really well – fly and glean insects by the billions from the trees.”