2023 Bird of the Year - The Queenfisher

The American Birding Association “Bird of the Year” for 2023 is the female Belted Kingfisher … or Queenfisher.

Queenfishers, aka female Belted Kingfishers, are more colorful than their male counterparts. Belted Kingfisher males lack the rusty red coloration that the females have, for example. There aren’t that many female birds that are more colorful than the males of their species, making the Queenfisher unique.

The Queenfisher is bright, beautiful, lively, and sometimes elusive. Just last week, Jim & I heard a Kingfisher before we saw it.

It’s about time to focus on the female of a bird species!

“And so, continuing what you know of Yoga, this teaching of Yoga is presented.”
- Yoga Sutra 1.1

Our Yoga practice continues to teach us when we get off our mats & into the world. We become curious about the world around us ... about our connection to the beings around us. Winter, in particular, is a great time to hone our curiosity & attention skills -- the season is naturally a more reflective time, providing us opportunity to ask questions, discover, consider.

In my next post, I'll share my personal Bird of the Year for 2023 :) ... do you partake in this tradition? It's my first time with this practice, so I'm looking forward to carrying my attention off the mat & into the bird world this year.