– Module 3 – How to identify a species North of Africa - Palearctic Migrants

– Module 3 – How to identify a species North of Africa - Palearctic Migrants Identifying and Counting Waterbirds in Africa – Training Course –

Authors Designed and written by Nathalie Hecker nat.hecker@yahoo.fr Photographs Steve Garvie sgarvie@aol.com, www.pbase.com/rainbirder Illustrations Cyril Girard girardcyril3335@neuf.fr, www.cyrilgirard.fr Translation Rachel Wakeham moosekeeper77@hotmail.com This training course is one of the tools of : Hecker N., 2012. Identifying and Counting Waterbirds in Africa – A toolkit for trainers. ONCFS, Hirundo-FT2E. France

Presenting the Module • Technical explanations Indoor exercises Fieldwork

Objectives of Module 3 • At the end of this Module you will be able to: • match a species to a family or genus by its silhouette; • identify a species and explain your choice.

Approach • Identifying a bird is knowing: • “why it’s this species” • and also “why it’s not that species”. • It is therefore necessary to be able to name a bird and tell it apart from similar species.

A species? • Little Egret • Kingdom Animal • Phylum Chordata • Class Bird • Order Pelecaniformes • Family Ardeidae • Genus Egretta • Species garzetta

Family and genus

Large wading birds Spoonbills Cranes Storks Ibises Herons

Waders Snipes Plovers Stilts Curlews Godwits Thick-knees Tringa sandpipers Calidris sandpipers

ANATIDAE MOORHENS geese GREBES surface-feeding and diving ducks

RAPACES CORMORANTS RAPTORS harrier osprey LARIDAE gulls terns

To which family does this bird belong? Indoor exercise Learning how to match a bird to a family based on the description of its shape Equipment: “Waterbird silhouettes” factsheets S3.1.a and S3.1.b Procedure: • One trainee describes the bird’s shape and matches it to a family or group • The other trainees can add to the description

To which family does this bird belong?

To which family does this bird belong? • Indoor exercise • Learning how to match a bird to a family based on the description of its shape • Equipment: • Field guide • “waterbird silhouettes” factsheet • Procedure: • With the book open, a trainee describes the shape of a waterbird chosen by the trainer from the field guide • With their books shut, the other trainees look through the sheet of silhouettes and work out which family it belongs to. They can ask questions to add to the description.

How to use the field guide • Three stages of identification • Observation  description looking in the field guide • Use the field guide to • Look up birds in a family • Compare the bird to the illustration • Read the accompanying text about the species • Check the distribution map • Be aware of similar species

Describe and identify a species • Indoor exercise • Describe a bird methodically and accurately to identify its species • Equipment: • Silhouette factsheet, field guide • Procedure: • With the book shut, a trainee describes the shape of the bird shown in the slide and matches it to a silhouette • The other trainees confirm the choice of family • The trainee describes the colour of the plumage, bill and legs, and if possible the habitat where the bird is found • The trainee looks in the field guide and suggests several options, then quantifies the final choice by “It’s this one because ... and not that one because ...”

Describe and identify a species

Identify a species • Fieldwork • Equipment: • Telescope, binoculars, field guide, factsheet • Procedure: working in pairs • One trainee watches a bird with the telescope and describes it in detail out loud, also describing the behaviour, calls (how frequent and how loud) and habitat • The second trainee takes notes • They match the bird to a group then find it in the field guide to identify it

Waders • These species can be difficult to identify! • Identification must be methodical and rigorous

Waders: the main morphological criteria to note • Silhouette • Is it thin and slender? • Is it squat and “round”? • Is it in between, and neither slender or squat? • Head • Is it big, medium or small? • Neck • Is it visible? • Is it long or short? • Bill • Is it long or short? • Is it straight or curved? • Is it fine or broad? • Legs • Are they long or short? • – long legs: clearly visible tibia and long tarsus • – short legs: barely visible tibia and short tarsus Compared to the rest of the body and overall silhouette Remember, if the bird is resting its neck may look short when it would seem long in another position comparedwith the length of the headseenfrom the side

Waders • Plovers and Lapwings • round and squat silhouette • large head • short, straight bill • short, often barely visible neck • long legs (plovers) to very long legs (lapwings)

Waders • Calidris sandpipers • - squat silhouette • - medium-sized head • - short to medium, slender, straight or down curved bill • - fairly short, often hardly visible neck

Waders • Tringa Sandpipers • - thin and slender silhouette • - small head • - medium to long, slender, • - straight or slightly upturned bill • clearly visible neck • - generally long legs

Waders • Godwits and Curlews • - large size • - small head • - very long straight or down-curved bill • - long neck • - very long legs

Waders • Snipes • squat silhouette • large slightly square head • medium to very long bill • short neck • medium to short legs

Waders Black and white birds Three easily recognised species thanks to their black and white plumage

To what group does this wader belong? • Indoor exercise • Establish which group of waders a bird belongs to • Equipment: • “Identifying common waders found in North of Africa - Palearctic species: characteristic shapes of main families” - S3.3 • Procedure: • A trainee describes the shape of the wader shown in the slide and matches it to one of the six groups of waders • The other trainees agree or disagree with the choice

To what group does this wader belong?

– Module 3 – How to identify a species North of Africa - Palearctic Migrants