Bird identification and the color of legs, feet and bill

American Black Duck

          In order to identify a bird accurately many things need to be taken into consideration, such as body, bill, wing and tail shape,or eye stripes, crests, spots and streaks, color etc. Some birds however are especially difficult to distinguish from other species of birds, either because they appear to be almost identical to another species, or they have very few identifying field marks.

          This is where the color of a bird's feet, bill or legs can come in handy.  Some birds have very bright and colorful legs, like the American Black duck and the Lesser Yellow legs, and some have lightly colored legs, such as pink, gray and even green.  The same holds true for bills and feet.

Lesser Yellowlegs

          With the more difficult to identify species, the coloring of legs, feet and bill can make positive identification of a species possible.  The Dark-eyed Junco, for example, has an apparent twin at first glance.  It's name is Black Phoebe and it has the same light and dark color pattern.  However, they can be separated.  Although I do not as yet have a photo of a Black Phoebe, the Black Phoebe has a black bill and legs, while the Dark-eyed Junco has a pink bill and legs.

Dark-eyed junco on fence

Dark-eyed Junco

          Herons are another family of species that it are sometimes difficult to distinguish accurately, especially since several species have a white morph variant in the family, like the Great Blue Heron and the Reddish Egret.

Egret

           The Snowy Egret has yellow feet and black legs, and is affectionately called Yellow slippers in some parts of the world.  The Great Egret, on the other hand, has a yellow bill, and black feet and legs.  A white morph Blue Heron has a yellow bill and pale legs, and the Reddish Egret in white morph has a dark or bi-colored bill.
          Notice that I simply labelled the photo above as Egret.  This is because the image is unclear and I do not have sight of the whole bird.  Although it seems to have a bi-colored bill the, bird is partly in shadow, and I can't see the legs accurately at all, so it makes it difficult to tell.  Unfortunately it is the only photo I have and my camera equipment at the time did not produce the greatest images.  Hopefully I will see this bird again in the future.

Enjoy,
Susan

The importance of learning about bird behavior

Northern Flicker

Blue Heron Cooling itself off

The only woodpecker that I have ever seen perched at the top of a tree is the Northern Flicker on the left.   More unusual still, is the behavior of the Blue Heron below, who is cooling himself in a very comical manner.  These two behaviors stand out in my memory, because they are not typical to all bird species.

These are just two examples to show that the behaviors a bird exhibits are of utmost importance to bird identification, since behavioral patterns are often exclusive to specific birds or bird species.   It is extremely useful therefore, to learn as much about the behavior of the various bird species as possible.  Keeping in mind that sometimes the behavior that a bird does not exhibit will help to rule out several birds, or bird species it might otherwise belong to.

American Robin

Some behaviors to watch for:   

How and where does a bird perch?
Some birds, like the Robin, love to perch at the very top of a tree.  The Chippin Sparrow, on the other hand, prefers to perch low to the ground, unless he is courting in which case you will see the male at about mid-height of a tree when in song.  Some birds however rarely, if ever, perch out in the open.

Dark eyed Junco

How and where does a bird forage for food?
You are likely to see flycatchers flitting from branch to branch in bushes and at any level in a tree, but birds such as the Dark eyed Junco and the Baird's sparrow, are more comfortable foraging on the ground or in low bush.   The Cooper's hawk prefers to hunt in forest, while the Northern Harrier prefers to hunt just above the ground over the open field of a meadow, field or marsh.

Red winged blackbird harassing Crow

                                    
How does a bird react when threatened,  frightened or defending their young?
Unlike other ducks, the Golden eye Duck does not fly off when startled, instead it dives beneath the water.  Geese will hiss and so will Mallard ducks, especially if it is a female with ducklings.  The Red winged Blackbird however, shown above, will dive at and harass a crow or hawk, for example, to drive it off.

Swainson's Hawk

Cooper's Hawk

                                                                    
What is the typical flight pattern of the bird you are observing?
It is safe to say that Eagles and most Hawks ride the thermals in the sky in a distinct circular pattern.  However you are unlikely to see the Cooper's hawk and Goshawk doing so, except during migration.  They are not very comfortable in the open sky being forest hawks, and so, their flight pattern outside the forest consists of several quick flaps of their wings, followed by a glide. 

American Redstart flicking his wings

                                     
 Does the bird have a nervous habit ?
A Robin holds itself stiff winged and upright while foraging on the ground or any time it doesn't feel quite safe. The Yellow rumped warbler and American Redstart both flick their wings.  Ducks and Geese will bob their heads, by first stretching their neck as far as it will go and then pulling it  down again, as if they are trying to see over the top of something.

House Wren

White Breasted Nuthatch

Does the bird have a habitual posture or any other exclusive behavior?
A good example here, for habitual posture, is the wren, who holds it's tail straight up.  This is something all wren species do.  An exclusive behavior, that all nuthatches exhibit, is walking down a tree trunk head first, or along the underside of a branch, thus making a mockery of gravity.

Bohemian Waxwings just a small part of the flock

                                     
Is the bird typically a loner, or a social butterfly?
It is extremely rare that you will see an owl in company of other owls, unless of course the owl is paired.  The same cannot be said for the Bohemian waxwing, who is rarely seen alone.  In fact, you are most likely to see this waxwing in a flock of more than a dozen of it's kind. 


To find the answers to these questions, as well as others, the best and most enjoyable way to learn about bird behavior is by observing a bird species directly.  There is a lot you can learn about a bird given even a few minutes.  Just relax and watch the bird for as long as it stays in view.  Do this often, and you will soon connect certain behaviors with specific birds or bird species, and bird identification becomes much easier.

Enjoy,

Susan

The challenge, Bird ID and triumph

White-winged Crossbill pair

Many birds species are so similar in appearance that identification becomes rather challenging.   However, for someone just starting out with birdwatching, it is often somewhat easier to distinguish between the males of the species, rather than the females. In focusing on the males, the key for triumph over identification challenges is to concentrate on the markings on the bird you are observing, as each species has distinct markings, even if it is just in the form of two plain colors. 

 Many  birds have distinguishing marks in the form of patches or bands, on the tail or rump, either above or below.   When it comes to bands on the tail, aside from being a different color, they may be wide or narrow, or consist of a specific number.  Some hawks, for instance, have stripes of darker and lighter color banding their tails, although a Goshawk will have fewer bands than a  Cooper's  hawk.  Other species of birds do as well, such as the waxwings below.  Patches of color on the rump might  be a little harder to see unless the bird is in flight or at rest.   The Bohemian waxwing below has color on the bottom of it's rump, while the Yellow-rumped Warbler, also below, has a patch of yellow above, just at the top of the tail.

Cedar Waxwing

Bohemian  Waxwing

Other markings to look for will be on the wings.  The Cedar Waxwing has small red spots on it's wings and the Bohemian has the same, however the Bohemian has white and yellow markings on the wing as well, and the White-winged crossbill, seen at the top of the page, has white stripes along the edge of it's wings.

American Redstart

Also, watch for a cap, or stripes on the top, back, or the side of the head, and a mustache, patch, streaks, or spots on the cheek.  These might consist of a totally different color, or they might just be a shade or two darker than the bird's over all coloring.  In either case, what ever these markings consist of, they will be quite distinguishable.  Many woodpeckers have a red patch on the back of their head, for example, and the chickadee has a black cap and a white cheek patch.   The White-winged Crossbill, on the other hand, has a crescent shaped black mark running along it's cheek from it's neck almost all the way to the top of the head.

Yellow- Rumped Warbler Breeding

Yellow- Rumped Warbler non-breeding

As far as the body of a bird is concerned, markings can be anywhere on the belly, chest or side.  Here you can look for streaks, spots, one color merging into another, or even patches of different colors.  The American Redstart has patches of red, orange, black and white all merging into a beautiful whole along the underside of it's body, from the throat to the legs.  In contrast the yellow rumped warbler has darker streaks covering a light belly, all merged with light yellow along the sides.

Although what is really of interest about the Yellow rumped Warbler, that you should be aware of, is that during mating season it changes it's color.  It then to looks much like the American Restart, except that it's coloring is a perfectly gorgeous suit of yellow, white and black, as you can see above.  This bird is not the only bird species to change it's plumage during the breeding season.  This fact can make bird identification a bit more challenging for sure.  But don't let this discourage you, as it helps to be aware of the possibility when you are out on bird watch, and will definitely help with any research you might be inclined to do.

Enjoy,
Susan

Five reliable observations to help identify birds

Some birds such as Blue Jays, are easily identified, especially if they are native to your area, abundant in numbers or brightly colored.  Sometimes however, it isn't quite that easy.  So here are five helpful ways to identify birds which are unfamiliar to you.

House Wren

Red Tailed Hawk

Silhouttes of birds: other physical traits

As I mentioned in my posts regarding identifying birds by their silhouette, there are many things to watch for which will allow you to do so.  In the first post on this subject I touched briefly on the shape of wings and tail.   These are very important physical characteristics that I would like to elaborate on here.  Some birds have broad tails, some have long tails, such as the Magpie for instance.  Others have tails that are rounded at the tip or straight edged, and some have tails that are notched with a "V" like that of a Tree Swallow, or  shaped much like an arrow head like the tail of the Common Grackle. 

Red Tailed Hawk

Silhouettes of birds: Head,bill and body shape

 









A bird's silhouette can tell you a lot about what kind of bird you are seeing, but there is more than one thing you need to pay attention to when you do.  In my first post on this subject, "Flight Silhouettes of birds: How to tell the difference," I compared the flight silhouette of an Eagle and a Raven to point out the differences in the shape of the tail and wings to help with identification.  However identification is much easier when two bird's are so large and dissimilar.  Identifying a bird's silhouette becomes more complicated when the bird is smaller in size and/or very similar to another species.  Nevertheless birds are much like people, in that they display a variety of very different physical characteristics.
                 

7 reasons why I'm engaged in bird photography

Juvenile Cooper's Hawk

As I am sure is obvious by now, I like to take pictures of the birds I see while out on bird watch.  One of the reasons I like to do so, is that I take them out and look at them quite often to remind myself of the joys of birdwatching, especially in winter when I usually don't see very many birds.  For me doing so falls into the same category as reading a favorite book over again.  However, there are other, more important reasons why I take pictures of birds and these are as follows:

Flight silhouettes of birds: how to tell the difference

There are certain times when it is incredibly easy to mistake one bird for another, especially if all you see is the bird's silhouette.  Typically we see silhouettes when the light is bad such as at dawn or dusk, or on a cloudy day.  Fog, smog or smoke from a forest fire will also make it difficult to see color.   Sometimes however, it is merely the angle of light that is wrong and / or the distance of the object that you see.  A good example is the height at which a bird flies, the greater the height, the smaller the bird appears to be and the less of it's color you are likely to see.

Red Bird update

The beautiful little red and black bird in the pictures I posted a few days ago is called a White-winged Crossbill.  Odd  that, because its wings are only edged in white and, although they have white streaks, the wings themselves are black.  I had a little trouble identifying this bird, partially because of its name, but also because it looks quite similar to a number of other birds, one of them being the Pine Grosbeak.

Pine Grosbeaks however, as  you can see in the photograph below (courtesy of Wikipedia), have a heavy short black bill to help them crack seeds. This bird is also rose red in color, but its wings have more white streaks, and  they have gray areas on their chest, as well as below the wings.  In addition they have gray patches around their bill, while their tail is long and slightly forked.   The Pine Grosbeak is the largest of the finches who inhabit the northern parts of the country.

Pine Grosbeak