Week 3 Birds

American Crow, Common Raven, Brown-headed Cowbird, Great-tailed Grackle, Black-billed Magpie, Northern Harrier

BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE

Bird Code: BBMA

Identify this bird by…

• Large, long body with long tail and slightly hooked bill

• Appears black and white; in the right lighting, the feathers have a blue-green iridescence

• Males and females look alike

Tell it apart from Ravens and Crows by …

• White markings on the wings and belly

• Long tail

Look for …

• In flight - Wing bars on back and white primaries and diamond-shaped tail (these are very distinct field marks)

• Behavior - Often forages on the ground; perches on posts and small trees

Listen for…

Call: A nasal, call note that almost sounds like “Mag? Mag? Mag?”

Resources:

• All About Birds - Black-billed Magpie

• More songs and calls

NORTHERN HARRIER

Bird Code: NOHA

Identify this bird by…

• A slender long-winged and long-tailed hawk, often seen flying in a slow and teetering manner over grasslands and marshes.

• Note the characteristic white rump patch and owl-like face

• Adult males are pale gray with white underwings contrasting with black wingtips.

• Females and juveniles are brown with banded flight and tail feathers. Adult females are pale with streaky brown below.

Listen for…

Call: A fast series of kek notes are given by both males and females during courtship displays, also a high sseew, given mainly be female and young.

Resources:

• All About Birds

• More songs and calls

RED-TAILED HAWK

Bird Code: RTHA

Identify this bird by

• Can be tricky!

• Large hawks with very broad, rounded wings and a short, wide tail

Tell apart from other hawks by…

LIGHT MORPHS

• Rich brown above and pale below, with a streaked belly

• On the wing underside, a dark bar between shoulder and wrist

• The tail is usually pale below and cinnamon-red above, though in young birds it’s brown and banded

DARK MORPHS

• Similar to light but…

• Are all chocolate-brown with a warm red tail

Variation and regional differences…

• Extremely variable plumage - some is regional

• In western North America, we most often see light-morphs but dark-morphs can occur anywhere

• Eastern birds tend to be less streaky on underparts than western birds

Look for…

• Behavior - See them soaring in wide circles high over a field. When flapping, their wing beats are heavy

Listen for…

Calls: A screaming kee-eeeee-arr. It lasts 2-3 seconds and is usually given while soaring. During courtship, they also make a shrill chwirk

Resources:

• All About Birds - Red-tailed Hawk

• More songs and calls

SWAINSON’S HAWK

Bird Code: SWHA

Identify this bird by…

• A slender buteo hawk with long, pointed wings.

• In flight, note the characteristic dark flight feathers and brown upper chest

• When perched, note the brown head and breast, often with a lighter chin.   

Listen for…

Call: a scream similar to a Red-tailed Hawk, but higher and weaker

Resources:

• All About Birds

• More songs and calls

ROCK PIGEON

Bird Code: ROPI

Identify this bird by…

• Plump bird with short legs and small head. Comes in several plumage variations, but most common is gray with a darker gray bill and black bars on the wings.

• Almost falcon-like silhouette in flight, with long wings and pointed wingtips.

Tell it apart by…

• Larger than Mourning Doves or Rock Pigeons, with a shorter tail than either

Listen for…

Call: coos

Song: low, muffled bru-u-ooo

Other: Wings produce a soft whistle on takeoff

Resources:

• All About Birds

• More songs and calls

BREWER’S BLACKBIRD

Bird Code: BRBL

Identify this bird by…

• Medium-sized blackbird with a thin bill and square tail

• Adult males are glossy black with iridescent sheens of purple on the head and green on body with bright light yellow eyes

• Females are drab dark gray-brown with a dark eye

Tell it apart by…

• More slender than Red-winged Blackbird with a longer and thinner bill (and lacking the red epaulets)

Listen for…

Call: chuk calls, similar to other blackbirds

Song: a shrill, rising squee with a buzzy or metallic end.

Resources:

• All About Birds

• More songs and calls

BOBOLINK

Bird Code: BOBO

Identify this bird by…

• Sparrow-like bird with a large head, short neck, short tail, and pointed wings

• Breeding males have a black underside and white on the upperparts (very unique!)

• Females and non-breeding names are warm brown with streaking. They have a pale unstreaked nape and pale lores

Listen for…

Call: low, soft chuk with a musical bink as their flight call

Song: bubbling, jangling, rambling, metallic song with warbles, short notes, buzzy low pitches, sharp high notes

Resources:

• All About Birds

• More songs and calls

LARK SPARROW

Bird Code: LASP

Identify this bird by…

• Large pale sparrow with thick bill.

• Striking bold harlequin face pattern of rufous, black and white

• Pale underparts with dark spot on the breast

• Towhee-like white tail corners

Listen for…

Call: sharp, metallic tink call

Song: a melodius jumble of trills, repeated clear notes, buzzes, churrs – like a little wind-up toy

Resources:

• All About Birds

• More songs and calls

BREWER’S SPARROW

Bird Code: BRSP

Identify this bird by…

• Dainty, slim sparrow with long tail and short, rounded wings.

• Plain and drab gray-brown with a thin white complete eye-ring, indistinct face pattern, pale lores, and streaked nape.

Tell it apart by…

• Non-breeding Chipping Sparrows can look similar, but CHSP have stronger wingbars and bolder face pattern with a darker eyeline that goes all the way through the eye

Listen for…

Call: soft, typical sparrow “seep” call

Song: very long and varied series of descending trills and buzzes. It sounds like a Chipping Sparrow trying to sing like a Canary

Resources:

• All About Birds

• More songs and calls

SAVANNAH SPARROW

Bird Code: SAVS

Identify this bird by…

• Medium-sized sparrow, often in open areas on the ground or perched on top of weeds, short shrubs, or fences.

• Fairly small bill, finely-streaked breast, strong face pattern, light yellow stripe over the eye (may not be easy to see in all birds)

Tell it apart by…

• Smaller-billed and shorter-tailed than a Song Sparrow, and tail is notched rather than rounded

Listen for…

Call: high, sharp “stip”

Song: three-part song that opens with a few quick notes, has a high insect-like buzzy sustained note in the middle, and ends with a quick trill

Resources:

• All About Birds

• More songs and calls

OSPREY

Bird Code: OSPR

Identify this bird by…

• A unique large raptor with long, narrow, crooked wings

• In flight from the underside: has a white body and coverts with dark wrists and secondaries

• While perched, look for brown back and wings contrasting with white underparts, dark eyestripe through a white head, and hooked black beak

Listen for…

Call: short shrill whistles or a long, shrill, slurred whistle

Resources:

• All About Birds

• More songs and calls