Identification and Topography

1. Identificationand Topography

2. External Anatomy

3. External Anatomy • Crown (top of head) • Forehead • Upper Mandible (upper bill) • Lower Mandible (lower bill) • Throat • Breast • Abdomen • Toes • Claws • Cere (bumps on upper beak, like parrots) • Nape (back of neck) • Auriculars/Ear Coverts (ear coverings) • Lore (between eyes and upper bill) • Scapulars (shoulder) • Wing Coverts(small feathers that cover base of flight feathers) • Primaries (main flight feathers/lowest on wing) • Secondaries(second from end of wing) • Tail Feathers (Steering)

4. Topography • Bill • Chin • Cheek • Throat • Breast • Flank/Side • Belly/Abdomen • Tarsus • Foot • Talon • Primary Feathers • Under Tail Coverts

5. Topography • Tail Feathers • Upper Tail Coverts • Rump • Back • Nape • Ear Patch or Auricular • Crown • Eye • Eye line, eye stripe, or superciliary • Forehead • Lore

6. Practice Find the crown. Notice anything?

7. Breast

8. Cere

9. Nape

10. Wing Coverts

11. Birding Basics Video ExplanationSize and Shape About 10 min long

12. Birding Basics Video ExplanationColor Pattern & Plumage About 10 min long

13. 5 Characteristics used to ID Birds • Shape, Size, and Posture • Families of birds have different shape and size. They are identifiable by outline alone. This way you will narrow down the number of possible birds.  • Color, Pattern, and Plumage • The marks that distinguish one bird from another are called field marks. These include such things as breast spots, wing bars (thin lines along the wings), eye rings (circles around the eyes), eyebrows (lines over the eyes), eye lines (lines through the eyes) and many others.

14. Size, Shape, Posture

15. Color Pattern / Plumage

16. 5 Characteristics used to ID Birds • Behavior Patterns • Each bird family and even species can be narrowed down by the behavior displayed • Habitat Type • Birds have specific habitats. The most obvious are Ducks, and Gulls being water birds. • Song and Calls • Most birds can be identified by their sound. There are two major types of bird sound. Songs are usually by adult males during nesting or mating season. Calls are used all year long and can be warnings or interactions with other birds.

17. Behavior

18. Birding Basics Video ExplanationBehaviorAbout 10 min long

19. Habitat Type

20. Birding Basics Video ExplanationHabitatAbout 10 min long

21. Songs/Calls • Songs: Purpose is for males in mating or nesting procedures. • Thrush Song • Calls: Purpose for warnings and interactions. Used ALL YEAR LONG. • Magpie warning a cat

22. There are many different Orders of birds • Falconiformes • Galliformes • Anseriformes • Piciformes • Psittaciformes • Apodiformes • Strigiformes • Columbiformes • Gruiformes • Ciconiiformes • Passeriformes • Pelecaniformes You need to know these ones!

23. Feature: Diurnal Birds of Prey Falconiformes Eagles, Hawks, Falcons

24. Feature: Fowl-Like and Mostly ground birds Galliformes Turkeys! Quail and Grouse

25. Feature: Water-Fowl Feathered Oil Gland Anseriformes Ducks, Geese, and Swans

26. Feature: Zygodactyl feet (2 toes up & 2 back), unique tendons in toes, cavity nesters Piciformes Woodpeckers

27. Feature: Heavy, hooked bill & Zygodactyl feet (2 toes up & 2 back) Psittaciformes Parrots

28. Feature: Small, short legs & tiny feet. Long, slender bill. Apodiformes Hummingbirds

29. Strigiformes Feature: Nocturnal birds of prey Owls

30. Large crop to produce “crop” milk for offspring Columbiformes Doves and Pigeons

31. Feature: No crop, fly with straight neck Gruiformes Cranes

32. Ciconiiformes Storks Feature: Long Leg & Long Neck. Fly with neck in tight “S” shape.

33. Passeriformes Jays, Finches, Crows Feature: Perching Birds, anisodactyl feet (3 toes up & 1 back)

34. Pelecaniformes Feature: Gular Sac Pelicans