The 12 days (or so) of Christmas

Gray Partridge

Birds are mentioned in many songs, including the "Twelve Days of Christmas." The song is an English Christmas carol that enumerates a series of increasingly grand gifts to be presented during the 12 days between Christmas Day and the day before the Feast of the Epiphany, which is January 6. 

The song, first published in England in 1780 as a chant, may have been French in origin. In 1909 an English composed put the words to music using a traditional folk melody.

So what are those birds that are part of this big package of gifts?

A Partridge in a Pear Tree. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the partridge in North America is the Gray Partridge, which was introduced from Eurasia. The bird is found in flat agricultural land along most of the United States-Canadian border. It is a small chicken-like bird with a short neck and tail. It has a grayish brown back and chest, with some chestnut barring on the flanks. The tail is chestnut colored. One of the most amazing facts about the Gray Partridge is the size of the broods. The hen may lay up to 22 eggs. Talk about a gift that keeps on giving!

Ringed Turtle-Dove

Two Turtle-Doves. The Ringed Turtle-Dove has been domesticated for so long that its wild origins are not know for certain. Feral populations have become established in some cities in the southern United States. They are related to Mourning Doves and common street pigeons. The Ringed Turtle-Dove seems to have lost the fear of large, strange or moving creatures with the exception of predatory birds. They will still "freeze," which is helpful when their pale color is contrasted with a lawn.

Three French Hens are "Favorolles" or chickens. Enough said.

Old World Common Blackbird

Four Calling Birds. This gets trickier. These are the Common Blackbirds, part of the thrush family, found throughout most of Europe. They are not necessarily what we know as blackbirds. The Old World male is all black, with yellow eye-ring and bill, and has a rich melodious song. These birds are omnivores, eating insects, earthworms, berries and fruits.

New World blackbirds are part of the Icterid family, which includes grackles, orioles, meadowlarks, cowbirds and Bobolinks. However, these are not evolutionary close to the Old World thrushes.

Six Geese a-Laying. Domesticated geese have been kept for their meat, eggs and down feathers since ancient times. Physically they are different from wild geese, often weighing almost twice as much. Wild geese have a more horizontal posture and a slim rear end. Domestic geese lay down large fat deposits toward the tail, forcing them into a more vertical posture. This also prevents flight although geese will run and flap their wings when startled. Females lay almost 50 eggs per year, almost four times as many as wild geese.

Mute Swan

Seven Swans a-Swimming. The swans in the carol are probably Mute Swans, which are native to northern and central Eurasia. They were introduced to North America to grace ponds of parks and estates. Mute Swans have black masks above their orange beaks. Mute Swans are somewhat aggressive in locations where they have escaped from their owners and established their own breeding populations. They will disrupt the nesting of native waterfowl. Some states are attempting to control Mute Swan populations.

Wild native swans in North America are Trumpeter Swans or Tundra Swans. Both are white-bodied. 

Trumpeter Swans have black beaks and black face masks. These are the largest North American waterfowl. These swans were hunted for their feathers into the late 1800s, causing a tremendous decline in numbers. Trumpeter Swans mate for life and can live a long time, some longer than 24 years.

Tundra Swans have a black bill and face but they are smaller birds. They breed on the North American tundra and, in the east, winter along the Atlantic Coast and Great Lakes.