Bird Topography Crown * Lores * Eye Stripe * Nape * Mantle * Scapular Bill * Secondary Coverts * Eye Ring * Auriculars * Primary Coverts Supercilium * Malar * Throat * Tertial Secondary Breast * Primary Sides In order to begin identifying birds, we must first agree on a common language to describe the parts of a bird. We call the feather characteristics of birds ‘topography,’ and there are several generally accepted terms to describe bird topography. Your Sibley guide has an excellent section on bird topography. The parts with an asterisk are the only ones you need to know for the test, but be aware that there are other terms out there. To begin with... Rump * Belly * Uppertail Coverts Flanks Vent Undertail Coverts * Tail *

Wood Duck Order Anseriformes Family Anatidae Family Anatidae collectively called ‘waterfowl.’ Dabling Duck - don’t dive for food. Stick their little butts up when going for deeper food. Also includes the teals.

Blue-winged Teal Order Anseriformes Family Anatidae

Green-winged Teal Order Anseriformes Family Anatidae

Ring-necked Duck Order Anseriformes Family Anatidae Considered a bay duck or diving duck. Prefer deeper water and dive for food.

Hooded Merganser Order Anseriformes Family Anatidae These guys are more tolerant of salt water. They have a mostly animal diet, as reflected in their bill. Check out the serrations on the specimen.

Wild Turkey Order Galliformes Family Phasianidae

Northern Bobwhite Order Galliformes Family Odontophoridae

Common Loon (Basic Plumage) Order Gaviiformes Family Gaviidae Common Loon (Basic Plumage) Loons are designed for swimming. The position of their legs makes them superior swimmers, but ungainly on land. Subsequently, they also need rather large lakes or ponds. Take off involves pattering along the surface for great distances, and is impossible from land. Loons mostly dive for fish.

Common Loon (Alternate Plumage) Order Gaviiformes Family Gaviidae Common Loon (Alternate Plumage) Loons are designed for swimming. The position of their legs makes them superior swimmers, but ungainly on land. Subsequently, they also need rather large lakes or ponds. Take off involves pattering along the surface for great distances, and is impossible from land. Loons mostly dive for fish.

Pied-billed Grebe (basic plumage) Order Podicipediformes Family Podicipedidae Pied-billed Grebe (basic plumage) Grebes have some of the most elaborate courship displays known. Eat fish and aquatic insects caught while diving. Like the loons, grebes are superior swimmers with their legs set so far back. Also like the loons, they are awkward on land. They construct their nests on floating platforms, and carry their young around with them on their back.

Pied-billed Grebe (alternate plumage) Order Podicipediformes Family Podicipedidae

Brown Pelican Order Pelecaniformes Family Pelecanidae Pelicans are easily identified by their large size, huge bills, and large pouches under their bills. Brown pelicans hunt by diving for prey, catching fish in their huge pouches and immediately eating them. Brown Pelican populations crashed because of DDT contamination in the 1960’s and 70’s, which resulted in a listing of Endangered by the Fish and Wildlife Service. Brown Pelicans are still listed as Endangered throughout most of their range, but have been de-listed in Florida.

Double-crested Cormorant Order Pelecaniformes Family Phalacrocoracidae

Anhinga Order Pelecaniformes Family Anhingidae

Magnificent Frigatebird Order Pelecaniformes Family Fregaditae

Magnificent Frigatebird Order Pelecaniformes Family Fregaditae

Great Blue Heron Order Ciconiiformes Family Ardeidae Ciconiiformes is composed of large wading birds. The family Ardeidae comprises the herons, egrets, and bitterns, all of which are found in florida. Herons and egrets have long necks and bills, which are used to spear fish and other prey. Great blue is a very large wading bird, gray overall, with black plumes extending from the crown. They are common in wetlands throughout florida.

Great Egret Order Ciconiiformes Family Ardeidae The feather trade in the late 19th and early 20th century brought the great egret and snowy egret to the verge of extinction, and helped spawn conservation efforts that eventually let to the audubon soceity and the modern conservation movement. The great egret is slightly smaller than the great blue heron, and is pure white, with a very long neck.

Snowy Egret Order Ciconiiformes Family Ardeidae The snowy egret is much smaller than the great egret and is easily distinguished in the field. In addition to size, adult snowy egrets bills are all black, and they have bright yellow feet contrasting with black legs (great egrets have all black legs).

Little Blue Heron Order Ciconiiformes Family Ardeidae Little blue herons are similar in size to snowy egrets, but are uniformly blue. Their bill is also blue, and is darker on the tips. Juvenile little blue herons are all white, and can be difficult to distinguish from juvenile snowy egrets.

Tricolored Heron Order Ciconiiformes Family Ardeidae Tricolored herons are similar in size to snowy egrets and little blue herons, but are distinguished by a strongly contrasting light belly in all plumages. Their bill is also proportionally longer than other similar sized wading birds.

Reddish Egret Order Ciconiiformes Family Ardeidae The reddish egret has a distinctive breeding dance Reddish egrets have a reddish head and neck, and a uniform gray body. They are noticeably smaller than and easily distinguished from great blue herons

White Ibis Order Ciconiiformes Family Threskiornithidae

Roseate Spoonbill Order Ciconiiformes Family Threskiornithidae

Wood Stork Order Ciconiiformes Family Ciconiidae

Black Vulture Order Falconiformes Family Cathartidae

Black Vulture Order Falconiformes Family Cathartidae

Turkey Vulture Order Falconiformes Family Cathartidae

Turkey Vulture Order Falconiformes Family Cathartidae

Osprey Order Falconiformes Family Accipitridae The family accipitridae is composed of hawks and allies. Most species of this family exhibit reverse sexual size dimorphism, with females being larger than males. Osprey feed almost entire on fish, and are also known as fish hawks. Osprey feet are well adapted for grasping slippery, wet prey. Ospreys hover over water and plunge feet and head first. DDT caused significant population declines of osprey, but since their ban in the 1970’s, this species has recovered significantly. Osprey have a dark eye patch.

Osprey Order Falconiformes Family Accipitridae They also have a dark ‘wrist’ and secondaries. The crook in their wing is an easy way to identify an osprey in flight.

Swallow-tailed Kite Order Falconiformes Family Accipitridae Swallow-tailed kites are unmistakable. They have a long forked tail, and strongly contrasting black and white plumage. They typically catch and eat insects on the wing.

Snail Kite Order Falconiformes Family Accipitridae Snail kites feed almost exclusively on apple snails. Because of their specialization on this single food source, an invasive snail competing with the native apple snail, and changing water regimes in south Florida, this species is listed as threatened on the endangered species list. Snail kites are about the size of red-shouldered hawks. They have a strongly hooked bill and bright orange legs. In flight, their tail is white at the base.

Bald Eagle Order Falconiformes Family Accipitridae Bald eagle populations have recovered dramatically since DDT was banned, and they are no longer listed on the endangered species list. Adult bald eagles are unmistakable, with white heads and tails. Juveniles have dark heads and tails, and are mottled below.

Sharp-shinned Hawk Order Falconiformes Family Accipitridae Sharp-shinned hawks hunt from forests or forest edges. Sharp shinned hawks are our smallest accipiter. Adults have a coarsely streaked neck and breast, which is reddish. Tails are relatively short and square, with clear banding.

Red-shouldered Hawk Order Falconiformes Family Accipitridae A medium-sized buteo. Much larger than a sharp-shinned hawk and smaller than a red-tailed hawk. Easily distinguished by a sharp-shinned hawk by their size, and by the red-tailed hawk by plumage and size. They have orange bars on their breast and narrow white bands on their tail feathers. Probably the most common hawk in these parts.

Red-tailed Hawk Order Falconiformes Family Accipitridae These guys are best distinguished by their tell-tale name, but not all red-tails have a red tail! They are larger than red-shouldered hawks, without the orange banding. Almost as characteristic as the red tail is the streaked belly band.

Red-tailed Hawk Order Falconiformes Family Accipitridae

Crested Caracara Order Falconiformes Family Falconidae Falcons are open land species. Crested caracaras occur in central Florida, and open habitat and pasture land. They are primarily scavengers, but will take live prey. Crested caracaras are distinctive, with a black cap, bare face, and white throat and neck.

American Kestrel Order Falconiformes Family Falconidae American kestrels are a small falcon. Males have blue-gray wings, reddish back, and a spotted breast. They have a boldly patterned head with a distinctive malar, or moustachial stripe. They characteristically bob their tail when perched.