As the year comes to a close, we’re looking back at some fun Birdorable stats from the past 12 months. From new bird designs to exciting blog posts and more cute bird-themed goodies, here’s 2024 by the numbers:

39 New Bird Species Added

We added a colorful variety of new birds, from striking raptors to adorable backyard favorites. Some of the highlights include the magnificent Bat Falcon, the colorful African Chaffinch, the vibrant Southern Red Bishop, and the beloved little Bushtit. With all of the new additions, our Birdorable family now includes a whopping 824 species of bird!

56 Birds Refreshed & Renewed

With fresh new illustrations, we updated and up-cuted 56 birds this year. Updated Birdorable bird species include the backyard favorite Tufted Titmouse, the familiar Ruby-throated Hummingbird, the ubiquitous Barn Swallow, and the charming California Quail.

100+ Fun Bird Related Blog Posts

We shared fun bird facts, conservation stories, species spotlights, and merchandise features throughout the year with 107 new blog posts. From reading about bird migration to exploring unusual nesting habits, discovering new species and learning bird-related terms, we love connecting with fellow bird lovers through our blog.

Top-Selling Birdorables in 2024

• Best-Selling Design: Our State Birdorable of Maryland, the Baltimore Oriole was our most popular selling design in 2024.
• Most Popular Product Type: T-shirts offered via the Birdorable Amazon shop were the most popular product type for Birdorable fans in 2024.

Social Media Highlights

We shared hundreds of bird-themed posts across our socials, connecting with birders and nature enthusiasts worldwide via X, Facebook, Threads, and our new account with Bluesky. 

Looking Ahead

As we wrap up the year, we’re excited to keep growing our flock with more birds, new products, and even more fun bird facts and stories. Thanks for being part of our Birdorable journey — here’s to another year of celebrating birds together!

The Martial Eagle is one of Africa's most powerful and impressive birds of prey. As the largest eagle in Africa by weight, it’s a formidable predator known for its strength, keen eyesight, and adaptability. With its striking appearance and commanding presence, it has earned a reputation as a top apex predator in its habitat.

Martial Eagles are massive, with a wingspan reaching nearly 8 feet (!) and a body length of 31-38 inches. Their plumage is a striking contrast of dark brown upperparts and a white underside covered with dark spots. Their piercing yellow eyes and strong, hooked beak complete the look of a powerful hunter.

These eagles are found across sub-Saharan Africa, occupying a variety of habitats including savannas, woodlands, and open plains. They prefer areas with tall trees or rocky outcrops for nesting and open spaces for hunting. Despite their adaptability, their population is declining due to habitat loss and human conflict.

Martial Eagles are exceptional hunters, preying on a wide range of animals including birds, reptiles, and mammals. They are known to take down prey as large as small antelope and monitor lizards. Their hunting technique involves soaring high in the sky while scanning the ground with their extraordinary vision, then diving down at high speed to snatch unsuspecting prey.

These eagles are solitary and territorial. They build large nests made of sticks, often located in tall trees or on cliffs. A pair may reuse the same nest for many years, adding new material each breeding season. Females typically lay one egg, which she incubates while the male provides food. The chick fledges after about 100 days but may depend on its parents for several more months.

Unfortunately, Martial Eagles are classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Their numbers are declining due to habitat destruction, hunting, and poisoning by farmers who mistakenly believe they threaten livestock. Conservation efforts focus on habitat protection, public education, and reducing human-wildlife conflict.

The Martial Eagle’s strength, elegance, and role as a top predator make it a symbol of wilderness and power in Africa’s wild landscapes. Its continued survival depends on ongoing conservation efforts to protect its habitats and reduce threats from humans.

We’re excited to shine the spotlight on one of our favorite new funny Birdorable designs, featuring our Pileated Woodpecker. The design is based on its well-known pronunciation diversity: is it PIE-lee-ated or PILL-ee-ated? This striking design is sure to delight bird lovers, word nerds, and woodpecker fans alike.

The Pileated Woodpecker is one of the largest woodpecker species in North America, instantly recognizable by its bold red crest and loud, resonant calls. These birds are known for their impressive drumming sounds, which echo through forests as they excavate wood for food or nesting. Whether you’re a seasoned birder or a casual nature lover, spotting this magnificent bird is always a treat!

At Birdorable, we celebrate birds in a way that’s both adorable and educational. This design highlights the Pileated Woodpecker’s charm while poking fun at the age-old pronunciation debate among bird lovers. The text reads:

“Pileated -or is it- Pileated? Woodpecker”

It’s a cheeky play on the uncertainty many birders encounter when discussing this incredible species. Or on the certainty that some feel about their preferred pronunciation -- and having issues with those who choose another way.

Accompanied by our cute, cartoon rendition of the bird set against a forest backdrop, the design is stylish, fun, and perfect for bird enthusiasts who appreciate a little humor with their ornithology.

Perfect for Any Bird Lover

This Birdorable Pileated Woodpecker design is available on a wide range of products:

• Apparel for adults and kids
• Pillows to cozy up your home decor
• Phone cases for bird lovers on the go
• Tote bags for eco-friendly outings
• Mugs for your birdwatching coffee moments

It’s an ideal gift idea for birdwatchers, wildlife enthusiasts, and nature lovers who enjoy unique, creative designs with a humorous twist.

The Birdwatcher’s Pronunciation Debate

So, how do YOU pronounce “Pileated”?

• PIE-lee-ated
• PILL-ee-ated

While both pronunciations are widely accepted, the fun lies in the debate! Whether you say it one way or the other, we can all agree the Pileated Woodpecker is an iconic forest bird that deserves admiration.

Discover this adorable design and bring a little Birdorable charm to your life.

Today we're concluding our 2024 Birdorable Bonanza with a spectacular new addition to our pigeon and dove family: it's the Spinifex Pigeon!

The Spinifex Pigeon is a unique and striking bird native to the arid and semi-arid regions of Australia. With its distinctive appearance and ability to thrive in some of the harshest environments, this pigeon is a fascinating example of adaptation to desert life.

The Spinifex Pigeon is a small, ground-dwelling bird characterized by its chestnut-brown plumage and bold facial markings. Its white face has black stripes running across the eyes and throat, creating a mask-like appearance. Its body is patterned with fine barring that helps it blend into the rocky and grassy landscapes it inhabits. A tall, spiky crest atop its head gives the bird its unmistakable silhouette -- and its name. 

These pigeons are most commonly found in areas dominated by spinifex grass, a tough and spiky vegetation that provides these birds both shelter and camouflage. They also inhabit rocky outcrops and dry scrublands, where their cryptic plumage helps them avoid predators. Unlike many pigeons, the Spinifex Pigeon is highly terrestrial and spends much of its time walking on the ground in search of food.

Spinifex Pigeons primarily feed on seeds, which they forage from the ground. They are well-adapted to the arid climate, seeking out water sources in their environment. When water is available, they can often be seen congregating at waterholes during the cooler parts of the day.

In breeding, the Spinifex Pigeon is monogamous, and pairs typically remain together year-round. The female lays one or two eggs in a simple scrape on the ground, often sheltered by spinifex grass or rocks. Both parents share the duties of incubation and feeding the chicks, which hatch fully covered in down and are quickly able to move about.

The Spinifex Pigeon is not currently threatened, as it is well-adapted to its environment and has a stable population across its range. Its ability to survive in extreme conditions and its striking appearance make it a favorite among birdwatchers exploring Australia’s outback.

🎉 And that’s a wrap for the 2024 Birdorable Bonanza! Over the past 15 days, we’ve introduced a fun lineup of new birds, each more fascinating and adorable than the last. From vibrant songbirds to unique desert dwellers, these additions celebrate the diversity and beauty of the avian world. Thank you for joining us on this exciting journey—we hope you’ve enjoyed meeting our new Birdorable friends as much as we’ve loved sharing them with you. Stay tuned for more bird fun and surprises to come! 🐦❤️

Happy December! As our Birdorable Bonanza 2024 starts to wind down, we're adding a tricky bird native to a wide range across the Old World: it's the Common Cuckoo!

The Common Cuckoo is a fascinating bird known for its unique breeding behavior and its iconic two-note call, which signals the arrival of spring in many parts of Europe and Asia. This medium-sized bird is widely distributed, breeding across Europe and Asia and migrating to Africa and southern Asia for the winter.

Adult Common Cuckoos have a sleek, pigeon-like appearance with gray plumage, a long tail, and barred underparts. Males and females are similar, although females can also display a rufous (reddish-brown) morph. They are agile flyers and often spotted perched on trees or wires in open habitats like woodlands, heathlands, and farmland.

The Common Cuckoo is renowned for its iconic "cuck-oo" call, which is one of the most recognizable bird sounds in the world. Typically made by males during the breeding season, this two-note melody is a harbinger of spring across many parts of Europe and Asia. The call is often heard echoing through woodlands, meadows, and wetlands, signaling the bird’s presence long before it's seen. Interestingly, the female has a distinct bubbling chuckle call, often used during courtship or around host nests. The male’s "cuck-oo" has inspired folklore, poetry, and music for centuries, making the Common Cuckoo a cultural as well as a natural icon.

The most remarkable feature of the Common Cuckoo is its brood parasitism. Instead of raising its own chicks, a female Common Cuckoo lays her eggs in the nests of other bird species. She often targets small songbirds, such as reed warblers, meadow pipits, or dunnocks, tricking them into incubating her eggs and raising her chicks.

To successfully parasitize a nest, the female cuckoo waits for the host bird to leave and quickly replaces one of its eggs with her own. Cuckoo eggs are cleverly adapted to resemble the host species’ eggs! Female cuckoos 'specialize' in different types of hosts, matching their eggs in color and pattern, to minimize the chance of detection. Once the cuckoo chick hatches, it may instinctively push the host’s eggs or chicks out of the nest, ensuring it receives all the food and care from the unsuspecting foster parents. This behavior, while fascinating, often comes at the cost of the host bird’s reproductive success. Studies have shown that Common Cuckoos have parasitized nearly 300 different host species!

Common Cuckoos are migratory birds, traveling long distances between their breeding and wintering grounds. After the breeding season, they undertake solo migrations to sub-Saharan Africa or southern Asia. Remarkably, juvenile cuckoos navigate these journeys alone, guided by innate instincts rather than parental guidance.

The Common Cuckoo’s distinctive behavior and evocative call make it one of the most intriguing and iconic birds in the avian world, captivating birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts alike.

😞 Our Birdorable Bonanza will wrap up tomorrow! Our last new bird is a tiny desert dweller with a big personality! Known for its striking crest and sandy camouflage, this bird thrives in Australia’s arid landscapes. Can you guess what it is? 🤔 Drop your guesses below!