1. Identifying Bird Orders and Families
Some useful familial characteristics
*Note- Not all orders/families/species are represented in this presentation, please refer to master species list.

2. Anseriformes Anatidae
Can some one tell me the type of birds in this order?
Anseriformes

3. Anseriformes: Characteristics
Waterfowl, diverse group
Palmate feet
Among ducks, use speculum to help ID
Geese tend to be larger
Mergansers have more elongated body/head shape
Bills less flattened

4. Anseriformes
Hooded merganser, American widgeon, green-winged teal, northern shoveler, surf scoter, common goldeneye

5. Falconiformes Cathartidae, Pandionidae, Accipitridae, Falconidae
Can some one tell me the type of birds in this order?
Falconiformes

6. Falconiformes: Characteristics
Carnivorous Distinctive curved beak shape
Strong feet, talons
Large eyes
In flight, minimal flapping
Falconidae
Pointed wings
Moustache
Accipitridae
Primary “fingers”
Pay attention to tail shape (especially in flight)

7. Falconiformes Accipitridae Falconidae
Red-tailed hawk, northern harrier, peregrine falcon x2
Falconidae

8. Falconiformes: Sharp-shinned vs. Cooper’s Hawk
Cooper’s head extends beyond wrists (in flight), thicker terminal white tail band, darker crown (compared to nape)
Sharp shinned with blunt, flat tail, proportionally smaller head and shorter tail
Sharp-shinned Hawk

9. Charadriiformes Charadriidae, Scolopacidae, Laridae, Alcidae
Can some one tell me the type of birds in this order?
Charadriiformes

10. Charadriiformes: Characteristics
Generally, sea-dwelling/shorebirds birds
Pay attention to leg color, bill shape
Plovers (Charadriidae)
1st digit (toe) very reduced
Shorter, thicker bills compared to Scolopacidae
Prominent bend in wing
Sandpipers (Scolopacidae)
Long toes, reduced 1st digit
Long, tapered wings
Gulls (Laridae)
Large
Narrow, pointed wings
Use leg color and bill markings to ID species

11. Charadriiformes: Laridae
Mew Gull: no/faint ring on bill, dark iris
Ring-billed gull: black ring, pale iris
Western gull: pink legs, red spot on lower mandible, darker than glaucous-winged
Glaucous-winged gull: relatively un-patterned plumage, lighter coloring, pink legs, red spot on lower mandible
Caspian tern: thick orange, pointed bill; smaller body, flattened head

12. Charadriiformes Killdeer, Semi-palmated plover, Dunlin
Plovers: thick short bills, vestigial toe Sandpipers: comparatively longer bills, reduced toe

13. Strigiformes Tytonidae, Strigidae
Can some one tell me the type of birds in this order?
Strigiformes

14. Strigiformes: Characteristics
Round, flat faces with ear tufts
large eyes facing forward
Bill hooked and relatively short
Barring, earth-toned colors as camouflage
Strong feet, sharp talons
zygodactyl

15. Strigiformes
Barred owl, northern spotted owl, great horned owl, barn owl

16. Picidae
Can some one tell me the type of birds in this order?
Piciformes

17. Piciformes: Characteristics
Vertical posture
Zygodactyl digit arrangement
Stiff tail feathers for balance
Chisel-like beak
Undulating flight pattern
Flap-flap-glide (wings tucked)
Pay attention to patterning on wings, specific location of brighter colors, bill size

18. Piciformes
Red-breasted sap sucker, Pileated woodpecker, northern flicker
Eastern subspecies of Northern flicker has black malars (male) and red nape (male and female); gilded flicker male has red malars and female has no facial marking

19. Piciformes: Downy vs. Hairy Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Downy: smaller body, smaller bill size proportional to head
Hairy: larger body, longer bill compared to head
Males have red nape in both species

20. Tyrannidae, Laniidae, Corvidae, Hirundinidae, Paridae, Aegithalidae, Sittidae, Certhiidae, Troglodytidae, Regulidae, Turdidae, Bombycillidae, Parulidae, Thraupidae, Emberizidae, Icteridae, Fringillidae
Can some one tell me the type of birds in this order?
Passeriformes

21. Passeriformes: Characteristics
Wide variety!
Anisodactyl
Song birds
More elaborate vocalization than other orders
Anything else you can think of?

22. Swallows vs. Swifts
Swallows (Passeriformes Hirundinidae): violet-green and tree swallow more forked tail, more severe angle in wing
Swifts (Apodiformes Apodidae): Vaux’s swift stubby tail, less steep angle on trailing edge of wing? Can’t perch! Stiffer flight
*Note, these differences are specifically for species you need to know, there is a lot of body, wing, tail variety among swifts and swallows

23. Passeriformes: Your turn
Spotted Towhee vs. American Robin
Black-capped Chickadee vs. Bush Tit
Red-winged BB vs. Brown-headed Cowbird (Brewer’s BB too!)
LBBs
Dark-eyed Junco
White-crowned Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Marsh vs. Bewick’s vs. Winter Wrens
Wrens: Bewick’s more prominent eyebrow than marsh, white flecks on outer retrices; winter dark, short eyebrow, short tail, prominent barring on body; marsh rufus coloring more patterning on mantle than Bewick’s

24. Sources
Sibley, David Allen. The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2003.
Sibley, David Allen. The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2001.
Anseriformes
Falconiformes
Charadriiformes

25. Sources (cont.)
Strigiformes Piciformes Passeriformes