Bird Watching Basics. Size & Shape. Color Pa7ern. Behavior. Habitat. These characteris>cs will help you iden>fy birds.

Transcription

1 Bird Watching

2 Bird Watching Basics These characteris>cs will help you iden>fy birds. Size & Shape Color Pa7ern Behavior Habitat Great Blue Heron

3 Size & Shape Determine the rela>ve size of the bird compared to common birds that you are familiar with. small How big is this bird? medium These are just general size categories. There are lots of birds larger than a crow! Waterfowl (ducks & geese), waders (herons), and most raptors (hawks, owls) are larger. large

4 Size & Shape The shape and size of a bird s beak and feet provide important clues as to its lifestyle. Beaks & Feet

5 Color Pa7ern Is it one solid color? Does it have wing bars or head markings? Two or three colors? Is it an LBB (li7le brown bird)? Does it have streaks or speckles?

6 Behavior Nuthatches commonly hang upside down on trees and feeders. Some6mes what a bird does helps you determine what it is.

7 Habitat Where did you see the bird? At a bird feeder? In the water? On a tree in the forest? In an open field? On the shore?

8 Bird Watching Advanced Skills Some>mes field guides men>on specific parts of the wing. So here they are:

9 What this looks like on a real bird. primaries primary coverts alula marginal coverts secondaries secondary coverts

10 Bird Anatomy The most commonly used body regions for iden>fica>on are * tail uppertail coverts scapulars back (mantle) wing cheek * eyebrow (auricular patch) 2 nape * 1 C1 C2 CM crown * eye eye ring* bill malar throat * breast flank * * * undertail coverts 6biotarsus belly * toes From The Sibley Guide to Birds

11 Bird Watching Advanced Skills S >llness P a>ence S ilence

12 Common Birds These species typically come to feeders or are otherwise quite abundant. We are VERY likely to see these birds.

13 Small Birds approximately 7 long (or less) reference bird = sparrow (6 )

14 Carolina Chickadees and Black-capped Chickadees look nearly iden>cal, and their ranges overlap in Indiana. However, we are most likely to see Carolina Chickadees. Carolina Chickadee grey nape Black-capped Chickadee black crown white nape black throat white breast white cheek grey back secondaries grey-edged buffy belly and flanks white edges on secondaries It is very difficult to tell a white nape from a pale grey nape. Black-capped Chickadees are also about an inch larger than Carolina Chickadees. Chickadees are very small birds.

15 American Goldfinch breeding non-breeding This is what we will see in winter.

16 Dark-eyed Junco grey-black: head, back, throat, breast, wings, tail Dark-Eyed Juncos Juncos are common birds that occur across the US. Popula>ons in the west and east look quite different. Western birds (Oregon variant) have a black hood, white belly, and and rusty grey back and flanks. Eastern birds (slatecolored variant) are uniformly dark with a white belly: males are greyblack, and females are grey-brown. Indiana has the slate-colored variant. Occasionally we see juncos that look like a cross of the two varie>es. These are called the cis-montana variant. slate-colored variant cis-montana variant black hood white belly buffy flank In the cis-montana form, males look like they are wearing a black hood, the back is brownish-grey, and the flanks are buffy.

17 House Finch House finches tend to move in small groups. Males: red crown, breast, malar, throat; red rump patch brown streaked flanks, belly Females: head plain brown streaked breast, flanks, belly a very plain LBB

18 House Finch & Purple Finch Comparison: MALES House Finch Purple Finches have more extensive red colora>on. Red color extends all the way down the back, includes the coverts on the wings, goes en>rely across the head, down the breast and into the belly region. Purple Finch Purple Finches are also found in Indiana, though they are not as common as House Finches. Purple Finches and House Finches look VERY similar.

19 House Finch & Purple Finch Comparison: FEMALES House Finch Purple Finch Purple Finches have darker brown colora>on, the breast and belly streaks are short, almost spo7y, and there is a pale stripe that extends above and behind the eye.

20 Red-Breasted Nuthatch black crown Nuthatches grey back rusty breast, belly, flanks Marked like a badger: white and black head stripes. Note the long, narrow bill. black crown & nape White-Breasted Nuthatch Red-Breasted Nuthatches are smaller than White-Breasted Nuthatches. white throat, cheeks, breast, belly, flanks grey back & wings wings marked with black touch of rusty color at legs and under tail Nuthatches ohen hang upside down while feeding.

21 Downy Woodpecker black crown nasal bristles black stripe behind eye black scapulars white spots on black wings white stripe above eye white stripe below eye black malar white back white breast, belly, flanks tail: black bordered by white Males and females look iden>cal except for the red patch on the crown of the male.

22 Hairy Woodpeckers and Downy Woodpeckers are almost iden>cal, except: Hairy Woodpeckers are larger (2-3 longer); they are robin-sized. Hairy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpeckers have a rela>vely longer bill. Hairy: bill is long; about as long as the head. Downy: bill is short; less than half as long as the head. Hairy Woodpeckers lack nasal bristles (fuzzy feathers bordering the bill). Downy Woodpeckers white tail feathers have black spots; white tail feathers of Hairy Woodpeckers are unmarked. Hairy Woodpeckers have a comma shaped black mark over the shoulder. Downy Woodpecker

23 Tuhed Titmouse grey crest grey back, head buffy orange flank white throat, breast, belly Looks like a >ny grey-orange-white Cardinal.

24 LBBs: Li7le Brown Birds Carolina Wren Wrens hold their tails in a dis6nc6ve way that makes them look like a Nike swoosh. White stripe above eye (VERY dis>nc>ve). Narrow bars along edges of wings, tail. Darker red-brown on head, back, wings; lighter orangey-brown on breast, belly, flanks.

25 bill is two-toned: black above, yellow below American Tree Sparrow rusty brown crown grey stripe above eye rusty brown stripe behind eye grey cheek black spot in center of pale grey belly pale grey breast and belly buffy flanks

26 House Sparrow uniformly pale brown on throat, breast, belly, flanks pale stripe behind eye slightly darker brown on crown, nape grey crown black eye ring brown nape black chin, throat, breast white cheek, malar Female House Sparrows and female House Finches look very similar. The House Finches have brown streaks on their breast and belly; the belly and breast of the House Sparrow is plain. pale grey belly, flanks

27 Song Sparrow white throat bordered in brown (very dark brown in males) cream colored malar grey stripe above eye brown stripe behind eye grey cheek, brown below crown is brown with grey stripe in the center breast and belly white with brown spots/short streaks irregular dark spot in center of breast

28 White-throated Sparrow white stripe above eye grey cheek black crow with central white stripe yellow mark not as dis>nct in winter black stripe behind eye white throat patch (dis>nc>ve) grey breast paler grey belly

29 Medium-Sized Birds approximately 8-14 long reference bird = Robin (10 )

30 American Robin

31 Northern Cardinal Both male and female Cardinals have a crest.

32 Blue Jay Red-bellied Woodpecker red crown and nape white breast and belly small red area on belly of male There are very few birds that are blue: Blue jays are one of them. Like Cardinals, Blue Jays (both male and female) have a crest. black back with white spots and speckles The red crown and nape are very dis>nc>ve. You will not likely see red on this bird s belly. Only males have red on the belly, and then it is only a small patch of red.

33 Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove

34 Medium-Sized Birds Typically Found in Groups A number of species tend to congregate in groups. These flocks can become quite large (hundreds of birds) and ohen consist of a mix of species. Common Grackle

35 European Starling Similar to Grackles, but can be iden>fied by its gold speckles and very short tail, as well as the red legs.

36 Brown-headed Cowbird

37 Red-winged Blackbird

38 Large Birds greater than 15 long reference bird = American Crow (17 )

39 BBB: Big Black Bird American Crow

40 Other Birds We Might See: Raptors

41 Sharp-shinned Hawk Cooper s Hawk grey crown, back, wings breast and belly tawny with white specks tail long, barred Cooper s Hawks and Sharp-shinned Hawks look iden>cal. The easiest way to tell then apart is size. Cooper s Hawks are larger (17.5 ) Sharp-shinned Hawks are smaller (11 )

42 Red-tailed Hawk Rough-legged Hawk belly pale, buffy, tawny, or speckled dark wing patches and dark belly dis>nc>ve Red-tailed Hawks are highly variable in appearance. Juveniles don t have the red tail they look a lot like Rough-legged Hawks.

43 Other Birds We Might See: Waterfowl & Waders

44 Canadian Goose

45 Mallard Black Ducks (males and females) look very similar to female Mallards. Mallard female is iden>fied by their orange bill with a black mark in the middle. Black Ducks have a yellowish, unmarked bill. Mallards and Black Ducks hybridize.

46 Great Blue Heron