Week 7: Beginner

Scroll down to study the birds by sight and sound, and then take the quiz.

 
 
 

Week 7 Birds

House Finch, House Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, Barn Swallow

 

HOUSE FINCH

Bird Code: HOFI

Identify this bird by…

  • Small finch with a conical seed-eating bill

  • Shallow notched tail

Tell males and females apart by…

  • Males: Rosy red around the face and upper breast, with streaky brown back, belly, and tail

  • Females: Not at all red, but plain grayish-brown with thick, blurry streaks and an indistinctly marked face

Interesting note…

  • Male house finches’ plumage coloration can vary greatly from one another. They can range from yellow to bright red depending on the amount of carotenoid rich foods they eat!

Listen for…

Song: A long, jumbled warbling composed of short notes. The song often ends with an upward or downward slur, and lasts about 3 seconds. The phrasing is similar to an American Robins, but is quicker and more excited

Call: Their characteristic call sounds like the squeak of shoes on the gym floor

Resources:

HOUSE SPARROW

Bird Code: HOSP

Identify this bird by…

  • House Sparrows are more chunky and full breasted than other American sparrows and also have a larger, rounded head, shorter tail, and stouter bill

Tell males and females apart by…

  • Male - Gray crown, white cheeks, a black bib, and a chestnut neck

  • Female - Plain, buffy-brown overall with dingy gray-brown underparts. Their backs are noticeably striped with buff, brown, and black

Listen for…

Call: The House Sparrow sings a series of nearly identical chirps. Listen to the toneless quality, and the downward inflection of these chirps. They also rattle and chatter.

Resources:

 

CHIPPING SPARROW

Bird Code: CHSP

Identify this bird by…

  • Bright, rusty crown and black eyeline

  • Unstreaked grayish belly. Gray rump visible in flight

  • Immature individuals have brown streaked crown and buffy gray underparts with thin streaks

  • Males and females look the same (not dimorphic)

Look for…

Behavior - feed on the ground, take cover in shrubs, and sing from the tops of small trees

Listen for…

Song: Male Chipping Sparrows sing a long, dry trill of evenly spaced, almost mechanical-sounding chips – but be careful, because Dark-eyed Juncos sound very similar (though a bit more musical) and often live in the same habitats.

Call: Both sexes use a single chip note to stay in contact with others

Resources:

BARN SWALLOW

Bird Code: BARS

Identify this bird by…

  •  When perched, appears cone shaped, with a slightly flattened head and no visible neck

  • Broad shoulders that taper to long, pointed wings.

  • Outer feathers give the tail a deep fork

  • Males and females look alike

Tell it apart by…

  • Steely blue back, wings, and tail

  • Rufous to tawny underparts.

  • Blue crown and face contrast with the cinnamon-colored forehead and throat

  • White spots under the tail can be difficult to see

  • Males are more boldly colored than females

Listen for …

Song:  a “twitter-warble” song, which consists of along series of continuous warbling sounds followed by several mechanical-sounding whirrs

Call: a cheep call when threatened, and when predators approach too close to a nest site, a churee whistle will send adults diving at the threat

Resources: