Week 8: Beginner

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

 
 
 

Week 8 Birds

Bullock’s Oriole, Yellow Warbler, Black-capped Chickadee, Downy Woodpecker

 

BULLOCK’S ORIOLE

Bird Code: BUOR

Identify this bird by…

  •  Medium-sized songbirds with slim but sturdy bodies and medium-long tails

  • Very sharply pointed bill

Tell males and females apart by…

  • Males - Bright orange with a black back and large white wing patch. The face is orange with a black line through the eye and a black throat

  • Females - yellowish-orange on the head and tail, with grayish back and white-edged wing coverts (also juveniles)

    • Immature males look the same but show a black throat patch

Look for…

  • Behavior - they feed in the slender branches of trees and shrubs, catching caterpillars and also feeding on nectar or fruit. They are agile and active, often hanging upside down or stretching to reach prey

Listen for …

Song: About 3 seconds long, composed of rich whistled notes interspersed with rattles, often introduced by gruff scratchy notes

Call: A harsh, chattering rattle

Resources:

YELLOW WARBLER

Bird Code: YEWA

Identify this bird by…

  • Small, evenly proportioned songbirds

  • Straight, thin, bill is relatively large

  • Both males and females flash yellow patches in the tail

  • Unmarked face that accentuates black eye

  • Yellow-green back

Tell males and females apart by…

  • Males: Bright, egg-yolk yellow with reddish streaks on underparts

  • Females: Yellow overall with unstreaked yellow underparts

Look for…

  • Behavior - Look for them near the tops of tall shrubs and small trees. They forage restlessly, with quick hops along small branches and twigs to glean

Listen for…

Song: Song has a very sweet tone. It is a series of 6-10 whistled notes that accelerate over the course of the song and often end on a rising note. A mneumonic to help remember the rhythm and sweet tone is “sweet-sweet-I’m-so-sweet!”

Call: a variety of short chip notes, some with a metallic sound and some with a lisping or buzzing quality.

Resources:

 

BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE

Bird Code: BCCH

Identify this bird by…

  • Small, black bill; round body

  • Full black cap on head; black on chin; white in between

  • Very active and acrobatic! They hang upside down, even

  • Males and females look the same

Tell it apart by…

  • Lack of “angry” eyebrow of the Mountain Chickadee

  • Sweeter, crisper song and more defined alarm call

Listen for…

Call: Chickadees say their name in a call, “Chick-a-dee-dee-deeeee.” It is believed this is an alarm call to warn of predators. Once you hear one chickadee make this call, you are bound to hear others!

Song:  A high-pitched, sweet series of one to two notes that either sound like “hot dog” or “ham-burg-er.”

Resources:

DOWNY WOODPECKER

Bird Code: DOWO

Identify this bird by…

  • White below, upperparts mostly black with a white back and bold white spots in the wings

  • Head striped black and white

Tell males and females apart by…

  • Males - Red spot on nape of neck

  • Females - Red nape bare is absent

Listen for…

Call: An excited string of hoarse, high-pitched notes that descend in pitch toward the end; which lasts about 2 seconds. Excited birds also give a very sharp pik note.

Drum:  Rapid strikes given at a steady pace, almost fast enough to blend into a single uninterrupted sound.

Resources: