Bird-a-Day January 20

Day 20 - out on my lunchtime walk I watched some mergansers fishing in the reservoir. The female came up with a crayfish that she somehow managed to swallow. I have since read that the bird breaks off the two large claws before eating.

female Hooded Merganser with crayfish (Lophodytes cucullatus). Colored pencil.
January 20, 2015. Hamden, Connecticut, USA

Jorge's bird for Day 20 is this beautiful sparrow.  Studies of the White-throated Sparrow show that individuals with brighter stripes on the crown are the dominant birds in social groups.

White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis).
January 20, 2015. Stamford, Connecticut, USA