What is your ”Holiday Season animal”?

I love bullfinches during winter days.

My observation contribution here: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/103535995.

What is your favorite?

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If bullfinches are taken I’d say fieldfares and waxwings.

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Red-tailed Hawks are a common winter sight here in southern Ontario, and they’re always lovely to see!

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I have fond memories of watching Brown Creepers and Red-breasted Nuthatches on Christmas, so I would say those species.

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I´ve seen Eurasian nuthatchses a couples of times late autumn in my garden. Not a common sight. Fine birds.

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Flocks of evening grosbeaks at the staghorn sumacs in our backyard. We had our first flock of the season yesterday but I didn’t get photographs, alas.

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My favorites are Northern Cardinals and Blue Jays because of the color they bring to a snowy landscape.

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Since im in the southern hemisphere it is summer here for Christmas! That means hot weather which in turn means a lot of animals come out of their hiding to find food and breed. Several species of swallow arrive here during the spring and stay until the start of winter, when they migrate back north, so I guess those would be great “Southern Christmas” animals?
One of my favourite critters that you can only see during the summer are bull beetles (Diloboderus abderus) who emerge as adults only to breed and then die some days afterwards. They are beautiful, gentle animals and I for once wouldn’t mind if they were the ones depicted pulling Santa’s sleigh on his way to deliver presents (not that I have anything against reindeer, but maybe we could change it up a bit from time to time?)

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Grosbeaks are like cousins for European bullfinches. :blush:

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Colors are the key! :+1:

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Looks very much like our Oryctes nasicornis. Very good candidates for Santa´s help.

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Mine would have to be the Black Capped Chickadee. At this time of year, with the cold weather and frozen ground, there is not much out and about. Yet they are always there, chattering away, flitting, hanging upside down on branches. Just so cute! Seriously, I don’t know how they make it though our winters.

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I’ll go for a plant here: Partridgeberry in fruit, like this one: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/36952373

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I’ll always have wonderful memories of magpies and elk in the snow in late winter growing up. Nothing says winter fun like sitting in the snow with a thermos of coco and bailey’s, watching elk and winter birds in the pine trees

Here in Texas, it’s the weird ducks! I saw redheads and canvasbacks and pintails yesterday so yay.

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American Robins and Cedar Waxwings feasting on bright red holly berries

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Last year at Christmas, I was having lunch with my family at a restaurant on a wine estate, and I watched the antics of two male Rock Agama lizards (Agama atra) on the stone wall nearby. They were doing push-ups and trying to intimidate the other out of their turf. True Christmas spirit!

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I was considering saying American Robins, too. They are one of the brighter winter arrivals until the goldfinches arrive.

As a child, I remember robins would eat (perhaps, fermented?) pyracantha berries in winter. Then, they could act a bit drunk. They staggered and flew kind of wiggly. The shrubs were not sprayed or anything, so there was no toxin, afaik. There is generally a lot of food here in the winter due to the milder climate; so we figured if they chose the pyracantha, they wanted a bit of a party (remember, I was just a kid at the time).

Winter brings out the mating behavior of the Anna’s Humming Birds. The males fly way high then swoop sharply down and back up (a parabolic dive) making a loud zapping sound with their feathers. I run outside to watch when I hear that sound!

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Happy holidays to all at iNat! :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

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Any red passerine in snow feels like winter to us, such as male Northern Cardinal, Pine Grosbeak (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/103008120), and the winter finches of Common Redpoll and Purple Finch (this one seen today: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/103607471).

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winter in my place is harsh so only birds come here at this time, in birds, there is black kite, I love that :)

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