December marks the beginning of winter and the end of the year. As the cold weather and the holiday season come into full swing, birders across Chicagoland are participating in the 125th annual Christmas Bird Count. This of course isn’t the only way Christmas has a connection with birds, and one of the most famous connections is the classic song “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”

According to the song, six of the 12 days involve birds. So to get into the holiday spirit along with participating in the Christmas Bird Count, let’s see which birds from the song can be sighted locally. Surprisingly, you might actually have some luck finding them in Illinois during winter, with a few substitutes.

Seven Swans A-Swimming

While there are seven swans swimming in the song, there are actually three different kinds of swans present in Illinois during winter: Mute Swans, Trumpeter Swans, and Tundra Swans. Although these birds may be hard to tell apart from one another, there are some key differences between the three swans.

A Mute Swan swimming in water. Photo by Terri Popovich.

Mute Swans are not native to Illinois, having been introduced in the state from Eurasia starting in the late 1800s. They have been frequently used to deter geese, but since Mute Swans can outcompete native waterfowl fitting into the same environmental niches, it’s considered to be an invasive species. Therefore, it’s not recommended to use Mute Swans to deter geese. They have, however, become very prevalent in Illinois on their own and can be found year-round in the state. Mute Swans stand out from the other two species instantly as they are the only swan with an orange beak. They can be found in parks, rivers, and ponds, and are very territorial. In fact, Mute Swans are the most aggressive of the three swans.

A pair of Trumpeter Swans paddling along together. Photo by Craig Omdal.

While they may be infrequently seen around Chicagoland, Trumpeter Swans migrate through Illinois between October and April. Their beaks are completely black and more narrow, making them easy to distinguish from Mute Swans.

Three Tundra Swans in flight. Photo by Gary Grossman.

Albeit uncommon, Tundra Swans also migrate through Illinois, from February to April during spring migration, and from October to December during fall migration. Tundra Swans also have black beaks but with one small difference: a yellow spot running down from where their eyes meet their bills. While the Mute Swan weighs around 14-28 lbs and the Trumpeter Swan 15-29 lbs, the Tundra Swan only weighs between 7-21 lbs, making it the smallest of the three species.

Six Geese A-Laying

A pair of Canada Geese, surrounded by a winter wonderland. Photo by Melina Cronin.

The most common goose around Chicago is undoubtedly the Canada Goose. Say what you will about its territorial nature or its droppings being all over the place, with its black, white, and brown-gray feathers against the snow as it waddles or swims in flocks, honking all the way, the Canada Goose is a beautiful bird to easily observe during the winter, given how widespread this species is.

Four Calling Birds

An American Crow, perched on a wooden base in the falling snow. Photo by Claudia Hughes.

This lyric could be referring to certain kinds of birds, especially songbirds. But looking into the history of this verse, ‘calling birds’ has over time replaced ‘colly birds,’ which refers to blackbirds, specifically the Common Blackbird. That species is found in Europe, Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. While there are several birds with black feathers in Illinois, there is one that is fully black from head to toe found around December: the American Crow. Although popularly thought of as a signature bird of autumn, these corvids stick around well into winter, their black feathers conspicuous against the white snow, and their iconic caws ringing out among the bare trees.

Three French Hens

A Wild Turkey hen eating from a tree branch. Photo by Paula Avelleyra.

This lyric might be a little challenging. When it comes to birds and the word ‘hen,’ it usually refers to females of certain species, like chickens. However, there are no wild chickens in Chicagoland. There are some bird species that do have hen in their names, which are bush-hens. However, they don’t live in the Americas. The closest equivalent of a hen you can observe locally in the wild are female Eastern Wild Turkeys, which are referred to as hens. We had a full article on turkeys in Illinois last month for Thanksgiving, which goes more in-depth on their presence and history in this state. Traditionally associated with Thanksgiving here in the U.S., turkeys are similarly used in Christmas feasts, albeit more so in the UK. Either way, observing a turkey hen in the snow would be an exciting observation.

Two Turtle Doves

A Mourning Dove sitting on a tree branch, observing the snowfall. Photo by Tom Warren.

While there are several species with the name ‘turtle dove,’ like the Oriental Turtle Dove, the Malagasy Turtle Dove, and the European Turtle Dove, these species live primarily in Africa, Europe, and Asia. To substitute, the most common ‘dove’ in Chicagoland is the Mourning Dove. With its common cooing and its year-round presence, Mourning Doves are always a pleasant bird to observe. It also fits with the lyrics as Mourning Doves can easily be sighted in pairs.

And a Partridge in a Pear Tree

Five Gray Partridges in the snow. Photo by John Dickson.

Partridges are native to Africa, Europe, and Asia, similar to turtle doves. However, the Gray Partridge was introduced to the Americas during the 1790s due to it being a popular game bird in Europe. Even though their territory ranges throughout the upper Midwest, living in prairies and farmland, Gray Partridges have shown up in upper Illinois all year round, albeit uncommon. With feathers ranging in colors from light brown, dark brown, and gray, these adorable birds would make for an exciting sighting during winter, given how many times the lyric is sung in the song.

While it might be hard to ID all of these birds during the Christmas Bird Count as some are uncommon, it makes for a good holiday birding challenge that can be fun as well as valuable to the count. Not to mention, IDing the birds from “The Twelve Days of Christmas” would make for a great tradition with your fellow birders, family, and friends to celebrate the holiday season.

Sources:

Seven Swans A-Swimming:

Swans | Wildlife Illinois - Illinois Department of Natural Resources

Mute Swan - eBird

Mute Swan - Audubon

Mute Swan Identification - All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Mute Swan - Facts, Diet, Habitat & Pictures on Animalia.bio - Animalia

Trumpeter Swan - eBird

Trumpeter Swan - Audubon

Trumpeter Swan Identification - All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Trumpeter Swan - Facts, Diet, Habitat & Pictures on Animalia.bio - Animalia

Tundra Swan - eBird