Week 5: Beginner
Scroll down to study the birds by sight and sound, and then take the quiz.
Week 5 Birds
Great Blue Heron, Rock Pigeon, Song Sparrow, Spotted Towhee
GREAT BLUE HERON
Bird Code: GBHE
Identify this bird by…
Large, sturdy, and tall heron with a long neck
Gray-blue with an orange bill an dark crown
Listen for…
Call: often quiet, but can make a deep, hoarse “braak” in flight
Resources:
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:
SONG SPARROW
Bird Code: SOSP
Identify this bird by…
Streaky and brown with thick streaks on a white chest and flanks
Head is an mix of warm red-brown and slaty gray
This bird is not dimorphic…
Meaning the females and males look the same!
Look for…
Behavior — Male Song Sparrows sing from exposed perches such as small trees
Listen for…
Call: The call note is a warm, rounded “Chimp!”
Song: ~3 very bouncy introductory syllables which are followed by a complex series of notes and trills
Resources:
SPOTTED TOWHEE
Bird Code: SPTO
Identify this bird by…
Large sparrow with thick bill and a long tail
The flanks are warm rufous and the belly is white
Tell males and females apart by…
Females are brown on the head, throat, and underparts, with white spots on wings and back
Males are black on the head, throat, and underparts with white spots on wings and back
Listen for…
Song: 2 identical introductory notes followed by a buzzy, rapid trill that sounds like “chup-chup-zeeeeeee.”
Call: A cat-like, short, “mew” call
Resources: