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Identifying Song Birds. Ms. Slates. How can we identify song birds?. Make a list of all the ways!!. How do we Identify Song Birds?. 5 Ways to Identify Song Birds! Habitat Bird shape Field Marks (not just color) Behavior Songs and Calls.
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Identifying Song Birds Ms. Slates
How can we identify song birds? Make a list of all the ways!!
How do we Identify Song Birds? 5 Ways to Identify Song Birds! • Habitat • Bird shape • Field Marks (not just color) • Behavior • Songs and Calls
Habitat- Different birds live in different places! • Birding by probability! • Sparrows like rusty hedges • Swamp-Swamp sparrow, woods-chipping sparrow, fence line- field sparrow • Other helpful hints! • Use range maps • Check the time of the year • Find out what your likely to see!
Bird Shape • Become familiar with silhouettes • Judge by size • What sizes of birds can we compare? • Judge against birds in the same field of view? • Apply size and shape to parts of the bird
Eyebrow stripe (or superciliary, line over the eye) • Eyeline (line through the eye) • Whisker mark (also called mustache or malar stripe) • Throat patch • Color of upper and lower beak • Color of the lore (area between base of beak and eye) • Crown stripe (stripe in the midline of the head) • Eyering (ring of color around eye) • Presence or absence of crest • The color of the eye itself (iris) can also be very useful
Wingbars (stripes across the folded wing) • Wing patches (blocks of color on the wing) • Wing lining (the feathers covering the underside of the wing) • Primaries (the long flight feathers on the outer half of the wing) • Secondaries (the flight feathers on the inner half of the wing) • Speculum (the patch of colored secondaries that helps identify many ducks) • Wing tips
Color Pattern • Focus on Light or Dark First! • Bold or Faint? • Outrageous Color
Behavior • Posture • Horizontal vs. vertical • Movement • Flight Pattern • Roller-coaster • Strait path- fluttering wings • Feeding Style • Flocking
Songs & Calls • This is tough! • Tells where the bird is and what it is • Watch and listen • Learn from an expert • Listen to recordings • Say it yourself • Listen for details
With more then 800 species of birds in the US it takes practice!
Black-capped Chickadee • Black-capped
1 2 Woodpeckers • Pileated • Red-bellied • Red-headed • Downy • Hairy 5 3 4
Blue Jay • Size & Shape A large, bold songbird with a straight bill and triangular crest • Color Pattern Bright, almost sparkling blue above, with a black necklace and gray-white underparts • Behavior Inquisitively explores woodlands and yards, moves in long hops; piercing calls • Habitat Forest edge, woodlands, urban and suburban parks and yards
Sparrows 1 • White – throated • Fox • Chipping 2 3
Finches 1 • American Goldfinch • House Finch • Purple Finch 2 3
Grosbeaks 1 • Evening Grosbeak • Rose-breasted Grosbeak 2
Indigo Bunting • Summer bird • Forest edges and roadsides • Male dark blue, Female plain brown Female
Wrens 1 • House Wren • Carolina Wren – more red in color White stripe by eye 2
Orioles 1 • Orchard • Baltimore • Summer months, look high in trees! 2 Female
Cowbird • Male- Black, Female- Brown • Usually seen on the ground Female vs. Male
Brown Thrasher • Larger then thrushes • Stripes on stomach • Dense thickets/brush
Starling • Found in the United States and Canada year round • Probe in the grass for food
Nuthatches 1 • White Breasted Nuthatch • Red-Breasted Nuthatch • Brown-headed Nuthatch 2 3
Tufted Titmouse • Found here year round • Large among the small birds • Often flock with chickadees • Known for their song
Brown Creeper • PA- Winter non breeding • Tiny woodland bird • Eat insects and spiders
Chimney Swift • PA- Summer for breeding • It spends a lot of time in flight • Long claws • Do nest on chimneys!
Common Grackle • PA-Year-round • Long, lanky, long-legged • Appear black from a distance • Diet- Corn, garbage, ect.
Swallows 1 2 • Barn Swallow • Tree Swallow • Purple Martin 3
House Sparrow • Not related to other North American Sparrows • Chunkier, flatter chest, shorter tail • PA year-round
Gray Catbird • PA-Summer for breeding • Found in thickets and brush • Distinct call
Northern Mockingbird • Found in Pa year round • Wires, fences • Mimics other birds
Northern Cardinal • Male and Female • Don’t migrate • Don’t molt in the winter
Wood Warbler 1 • American Redstart • Yellow-rumped Warbler • Pine Warbler 2 3
Bird Feeder • Ground • Large Hopper • Large Tube Feeder • Nectar Feeder • Platform • Small Hopper • Small Tube Feeder • Suet Cage
Ground Many species of birds, including sparrows and doves, prefer to feed on large, flat surfaces and may not visit any type of elevated feeder. Song Sparrows, Fox Sparrows and many towhee species, for instance, will rarely land on a feeder, but they will readily eat fallen seed from the ground beneath your feeders.
Large Hopper A hopper feeder is a platform upon which walls and a roof are built, forming a “hopper” that protects seed against the weather. Large hoppers attract most species of feeder birds and will allow larger species, like doves and grackles to feed. If you would prefer to discourage these larger birds, try using a smaller hopper feeder.
Large Tube Feeder A tube feeder is a hollow cylinder, often made of plastic, with multiple feeding ports and perches. Tube feeders keep seed fairly dry. Feeders with short perches accommodate small birds such as finches but exclude larger birds such as grackles and jays. The size of the feeding ports varies as well, depending on the type of seed to be offered. Note that special (small) feeding ports are required for nyjer seed in order to prevent spillage.
Nectar Feeder Nectar feeders are specially made to dispense nectar through small holes. Choose a feeder that is easy to take apart and clean, because the feeder should be washed or run through the dishwasher frequently.
Platform A platform feeder is any flat, raised surface onto which bird food is spread. The platform should have plenty of drainage holes to prevent water accumulation. A platform with a roof will help keep seeds dry. Trays attract most species of feeder birds. Placed near the ground, they are most likely to attract juncos, doves, and sparrows.
Small Hopper A hopper feeder is a platform upon which walls and a roof are built, forming a “hopper” that protects seed against the weather. Small hoppers will attract smaller birds while preventing larger species, like grackles, from comfortably perching and monopolizing the feeder.