Researchers from Pennsylvania are asking people in Michigan to help them spot a specific yellow colored bird.
The Evening Grosbeak, once a frequent visitor to backyard feeders, has now lost almost 90% of its population in Northern America.
A group of researchers, as part of an initiative called the 'Road to Recovery,' are trying to tag these birds and learn about their rapid decline.
David Yeany is an avian ecologist for the Pennsylvania national heritage program and apart of the recovery program.
He said they're specifically looking at where these birds travel during different seasons. During the winter months, one of those regions is northern Michigan. To do so, they must find, capture, and then tag the birds.
"That's kind of the big over arching goal so that we can determine how strongly population stays together as they move throughout the season," Yeany said. "Or maybe what we're seeing in the Midwest they kind of mix and go to different places and come from different places when it comes to winter time."
Evening grosbeaks don't follow usual migration patterns, and instead move based on the availability of seeds and other foods in a region. And as the years have progressed, northern Michigan has become a destination for their needs.
"We have identified sites both in the upper [and] lower peninsula and then also the middle and western upper peninsula," Yeany said.
Yeany added that if the logistics and weather cooperate, they would like to deploy transmitters on the birds in both locations to get a better sampling. The birds are typically a mixture of yellow, black and white with females having a little grey.
Evening Grosbeaks are also known for their varied vocalizations. Their songs can range from melodious and complex to short, simple calls.
If you spot an Evening Grosbeak, researchers as asking people to contact the U.S. Geological Survey Bird Banding Lab HERE.
