Very Useful Resource for Hawk IDs

You are going to quickly find that telling the sharp-shinned hawk from the coopers hawk is very difficult (and is extremely likely to show up on tests and quizzes). This is an excellent website for learning the subtle differences between the two birds: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/AboutBirdsandFeeding/accipiterIDtable.htm

This website gives you hints for telling adults apart and for also telling juveniles apart. The juveniles have more differences between then, which usually makes them easier to tell apart than the adults, so we will focus primarily on identification of juveniles.

Make sure you take some time to look at this website. It will really help you out.

Thursday Lab Power point

HAWKS

• Physiology:
• Medium Sized
• Larger than Falcons, but Smaller than Eagles
• Females are larger than Males
• Kill prey with claws
• Broad Wings

Habitat:

• Woodlands
• Nest in Trees
• Nests are constructed from twigs, moss, bark, and sprigs of evergreen

Courtship:

• Mate for Life
• Use the same nest year to year

Osprey

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/osprey/#

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Osprey_with_fish.jpg

Physiology:

• Crest on back of head
• Speckled Breast
• White Underbelly
• Pale Grey to White Legs
• Black “Mask” on face
• Dark band on the underside of wings
• Barred Wings and tail
• Wings are bowed while soaring and tilt at a slight backward angle

Habitat:

• Nest in Trees, Rock Pinnacles, and Boulders
• Feeds nearly exclusive on fish (dives for them)

Sharp-Shinned Hawk

http://www.utahbirds.org/birdsofutah/BirdsS-Z/SharpShinnedHawk.htm

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/sharp-shinned_hawk/id/ac

Physiology:

• Reddish-Brown bars on chest
• Reddish-Yellow Eye with Eyebrow
• White fluffy undertail feathers
• Grayish Blue Crown & Body (Adult)
• Brownish Crown  & Body (Juvenile)
• Wide horizontal bars on wings
• Short Round Wings
• Small head and Square Tipped Tail

Habitat:

• Nests are lined with twigs or pieces of bark; sometimes located in old crow/squirrel nests
• Feed on small Birds

Cooper's Hawk

http://www.lonewolfephotos.com/Birds/Birds-With-The-Canon-500mm-f4L/7806379_6M9CRb#!i=509842173&k=phJet

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/red-tailed_hawk/id/ac

Physiology:

• Yellow Legs and Toes
• Barred Tail with a Round Tip
• Broad Rounded Wings

Juvenile

• Yellow Eyes
• Mottled Dark Brown with a light chest with dark streaks
• Brown Tail

Adult

• Reddish-Eyes
• Grayish Blue Upperparts and tail
• White Tip on Tail
• Dark Crown

Habitat:

• Nest in trees, prefer to stay undercover
• Diet: Smaller birds, chipmunks, small squirrels and sometimes bats

Red-Shouldered Hawk

http://ebird.org/content/ebird/about

http://www.birdsasart.com/bn215.htm

Physiology:

• Grayish-White Head with thin, dark streaks
• Red shoulder patches
• Reddish Brown and White Striped Chest
• White Spots on dark brown plumage
• White undertail feathers
• Reddish leading edge on wings with dark wing tips
• Black and white streaked tail
• Yellow Beak with Black Tip

Habitat:

• Nest near water
• Diet: Mice, chipmunks, snakes, toads, frogs, etc.

Red-Tailed Hawk

http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/ltbmu/home/?cid=fsm9_046603

http://www.bio-diversity-nevis.org/land_birds1.htm

Physiology:

• Chocolate-Brown body with darker back and wings
• Pale yellow legs and beak
• White chest and legs
• Reddish-brown tail with lighter edges

Habitat:

• “Open Country Bird”
• Fields, Stand-Alone Trees, etc.

Broad-Winged Hawk

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Broad-winged_Hawk/id/ac

http://www.birdcapemay.org/gallery/main.php/birds+of+cape+may/Birds_of_Prey/buteos/Broad-winged+Hawk_+adult+flt.jpg.html

Physiology:

• White throat
• Broad wings with dark edging
• Broad tail with thick white band in middle with a smaller white band edges
• Dark Head and Face
• Reddish Bib
• Yellow Beak with Black-Gray Tip

Habitat:

• Eastern Deciduous Forests
• Hawk Fact~ The Broad-Winged Hawk will congregates into flocks during migration

EAGLES
Physiology:

• Large Sized
• Larger than Hawks and Falcons
• Females are larger than Males
• Very Strong Feet

Habitat:

• Forests
• Savannahs
• Mostly found in eurasia and Africa

Courtship:

• Mate for Life
• Use the same nest year to year
• Young Mature slowly

Bald Eagle

http://www.alaska-in-pictures.com/mature-and-immature-bald-eagles-886-pictures.htm

Physiology:
Immature (1-4th Year)

• Entirely Brown Body
• Begins showing white feathers on head around 3rd year
• Eyes are dark brown
• Underbely Becomes Mottled
• Dark Bill turns yellow after 1st Year

Adult (5th Year)

• Pure white head, Yellow Eyes, and Brown body
• Yellow Hooked Bill
• Yellow Legs and Toes
• White tail

Habitat:

• Near lakes, Reservoirs, Marshes, and coasts
• Scavenges on Carron and will steal food from other birds

Falcons
Physiology:

• Small Sized
• smaller than Hawks and Eagles
• Females are larger than Males
• Kill with a blow to the neck, instead of using their Talons.
• Fast Fliers/Divers
• Long, Narrow Wings

Habitat:

• Forests
• Fields
• Cities

Courtship:

• Sexual Dimorhism in some species resulting in “Morphs”
• Falcon Facts~ Females are called Falcons, Males are called Tiercels

American Kestrel

http://www.naturefocused.com/photo-gallery-8.html

http://www.birding.com/topbirds/3553kes.asp

Physiology:

• Brown Back with Black Spots all over Body
• White face with black “tear” drops
• Brown tail with black and white stripes at the tip
• Bluish Gray Wings and Cap (Males)
• Brow Wings and Brownish-Gray Cap (Females)
• White Face

Habitat:

• Deserts, Alpine Meadows, Grasslands, etc
• Falcon Facts~ American Kestrels are the smallest North American Falcons

Merlin

http://exmoorencyclopedia.org.uk/contents-list/46-m/670-merlin-bird-of-prey.html

Physiology:

• Pigeon Sized
• White Eyebrows
• White Throat Patch
• Slate-Blue/Gray Cap and Wings (male)
• Dark brown Cap and wings (Female)

Habitat:

• Prairie
• Forests

Tues Lab Powerpoint

Laughing Gull

•Medium Size

•Black Hood

•White Under Parts

•Gray Wings with Black Outer Feathers

•Reddish Bill 

Bonaparte Gull

•Small Size

•Black Bill

•White Triangle in Outer Part of Wing and Black Wing Tips

•Black Head only during breeding otherwise Gray

•White Under Parts

Orange-Red Legs

Great Black Backed Gull

•Very Large Size

•All White Under parts

•Black Wings and Black

•Thick Yellow Bill with Red Spot on Lower Half

•Pale Pink Legs

Herring Gull

•Large Size

•Gray Back, White Head and Under parts, & Black Wingtips

•Yellow Bill with Red Spot

•Light Pink Legs

Ring-billed Gull

•Medium Sized

•Short Yellow Bill with Black Ring

•Yellow Legs

•Gray Back and White Head, Body, and Tail

•Black Wingtips with White Spots

Forster's Tern

•Medium Sized

•Black Cap and White/Gray Body

•Long Forked Tail

•White Wings

•Long Orange Legs

Black Skimmer

•Medium to Large in Size

•Long Red and Black Bill (lower half of bill is longer than top half)

•Black Cap on Head that Extends on to Back

•White Under Half

•Short Red Legs

 American Oystercatcher

•Large Shorebird

•Large, Long Red-Orange Bill

•Black Head and Dark Brown Back

•White Underside

•White Wing

•Pale Pink Stout Legs

February 7, 2012 Field Trip (Tuesday Lab)

Deer Park & Sandy Bottom Nature Park

Weather: Sunny, High 50's

Canada Goose

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Canada_Goose/id/ac

-Large water bird

-Long Neck & White Chin Strap

-Wide, Flat, Black Bill

Carolina Chickadee

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Carolina_Chickadee/id/ac

-Small Size

-Black Cap on Head

-White Cheeks

-Gray Body

Carolina Wren

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Carolina_Wren/id/ac

-Small Bird with Round Body

-Upward Pointing Tail

-Reddish Brown in Color

-White Eyebrow Stripe 

Chipping Sparrow

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Chipping_Sparrow/id/ac

-Long Tail

-Medium Sized Bill

-Black Line Through the Eye

-Reddish Brown Cap

Double-Crested Cormorant

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Double-crested_Cormorant/id/ac

-Large Dark Water Bird

-Green Eye

-Long Neck

Great Blue Heron

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Blue_Heron/id/ac

-Largest Heron

-Long Legs

-Dagger-Like Bill

-Black Stripe Over Eye 

Hooded Merganser

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Hooded_Merganser/id/ac

-Small/Medium Sized Duck

-White Patch on Side of Head (males only)

-Fan Shaped Crest

Mallard

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mallard/id/ac

-Male has a Vibrant Green Head, Rusty Chest, Gray Body, & Yellow Bill

-Female is Brown with Orange bill

Pied-Billed Grebe

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pied-billed_Grebe/id/ac

-Small Water Bird

-Chicken-like Head

-Small Bill with Black Ring

-Tufted White Rump

Red-Bellied Woodpecker

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/PHOTO/LARGE/red_bellied_woodpecker_1.jpg

-Black and White Striped Back

-Red Cap and Nape

Ring-Necked Duck

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ring-necked_Duck/id/ac

-Medium Sized Duck

-Bluish Bill with White Ring

-Peak on Back of Head

-Gray Sides and White Stripe up Shoulder 

Tufted Titmouse

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Tufted_Titmouse/id/ac

-Pointed Crest

-Stout Bill

-Silver Gray Body with White Underparts

-Black Patch above Bill

Turkey Vulture

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/PHOTO/LARGE/turkey_vulture_2.jpg

-Large Dark Brown Bird

-Long Broad Wings

-Featherless Red Head

Yellow-Rumped Warbler

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Yellow-rumped_Warbler/id/ac

-Long Narrow Tail

-Gray Birds with Flashes of White in Wings

-Yellow on Face, Sides, & Rump

Great Horned Owl

So I was doing some laundry during the Super Bowl (I know...lame) and when I was walking back to my apartment I heard an owl call! I checked it out and it's a Great Horned Owl.

Here's some info: http://www.owlpages.com/owls.php?genus=Bubo&species=virginianus

The call I heard was identical to the last recording.