1. Identifying and Counting Waterbirds in Africa – Training Course –
– Module 2 – How to describe a bird accurately North of Africa - Palearctic Migrants
This version of Module 2 includes illustrations of Palearctic migratory species found in the North of Africa. A version with illustrations of Palearctic and Afrotropical species found in Sahel West Africa is also available.
Learning to identify a species always involves describing it. This Module addresses the elements necessary to describe a bird; shape, plumage and behaviour.
This PowerPoint presentation does not include any personalised activities. Trainers can therefore add some to suit their needs.
Running the Module
The following factsheets should be handed out at the beginning of the Module:
Main features to note for waterbird identification: S2.1.a and S2.1.b
The Cattle Egret’s silhouette depending on its posture : S2.2
Colour palette: S2.3
These factsheets can be found at the end of Hecker N., Identifying and Counting Waterbirds in Africa: A toolkit for trainers – North of Africa. ONCFS, Hirundo-FT2E
The first exercises should take place indoors and then be put into practice as fieldwork.

2. Authors Nathalie Hecker nat.hecker@yahoo.fr Photographs
Designed and written by
Nathalie Hecker
Photographs
Steve Garvie
Illustrations
Cyril Girard
Translation
Rachel Wakeham
This training course is one of the tools of : Hecker N., Identifying and Counting Waterbirds in Africa: A toolkit for trainers – North of Africa. ONCFS, Hirundo-FT2E
This entire publication (text, photos and illustrations) is licensed by Creative Commons CC BY-NC-SA.
Any part of this publication may be copied, used, adapted and distributed for non-commercial purposes, citing the authors’ names and distributing any material produced from this publication under identical or similar licence.
These tools have been adapted from « La Mallette Pédagogique » by HECKER, N Formation pour le suivi des populations d’oiseaux d’eau en Afrique sub-saharienne. ONCFS - Tour du Valat, France.

3. Technical explanations
Presenting the Module
Technical explanations
Indoor exercises
Module 2 “How to describe a bird accurately” is a series of different slides:
White background: technical explanations;
Shaded blue / yellow background: indoor exercises, some of which can also be carried out as fieldwork.
The photographs
The contents of the Module apply regardless of the region in which it is used. However, it is important that the photos show species known to the trainees. If necessary they can be replaced to adapt the Module to the region.
The English, French and Latin names of the species shown are given in the notes section of each slide.

4. How to describe a bird accurately
Objectives of the module
At the end of this module you will be able to:
name the different parts of a bird’s body;
describe the shape of a bird;
describe a bird’s plumage;
describe a bird’s behaviour.

5. How to describe a bird accurately
Approach
Identifying a species = rigorous description
Note all key elements needed for a description
Describe the bird objectively
Write down the description
before the bird flies away
before looking at the field guide
Approach
Learning to identify a species always involves describing it: shape, plumage and behaviour.
A rigorous description method is needed to:
make a note of all the key elements for identification (and to prevent “I forgot to look at the beak”) 
describe a bird objectively (and answer questions like “when do we consider a beak to be long?”)
make a written description before the bird flies away and before looking in the field guide (and avoid looking in the field guide right away with “I know it’s in the book … but I didn’t know there are three almost identical species”) 

6. Compare size to that of a well-known bird
Shape
Size
Compare size to that of a well-known bird
for example: “bigger than a turtle-dove but smaller than a teal”
Procedure: Work with the factsheet titled “Main features to note for waterbird identification” (S2.1.a and S2.1.b) given to each trainee.
Trainer’s role:
Present the slides;
Point out that adjectives like tall, big, small, short or long are all relative and have no real meaning;
Ask the trainees to give other examples of known species that fit the criteria mentioned.
A field guide can be used.

7. often characteristic of a family or genus
Shape
Silhouette
often characteristic of a family or genus
Round: plovers
Elongated or slim: stilt, Tringa sandpipers, egret
Hunched or stocky: Squacco Heron and Cattle Egret at rest
Remember that general shape can change with the bird’s posture.
Photos:
Kentish Plover - Gravelot à collier interrompu - Charadrius alexandrinus
Black-winged Stilt - Échasse blanche - Himantopus himantopus
Squacco Heron - Crabier chevelu - Ardeola ralloides
See notes for slide 6

8. long: Tringa sandpipers, herons, storks
Shape
Neck
length
short: plovers
medium: ducks
long: Tringa sandpipers, herons, storks
position in flight
extended: storks, Anatidae, flamingos
retracted: herons
Photos:
Kentish Plover - Gravelot à collier interrompu - Charadrius alexandrinus
Black Stork - Cigogne noire - Ciconia nigra
Purple Heron - Héron pourpré - Ardea purpurea
See notes for slide 6

9. Shape Shape of the bill - straight: snipes, godwits
pointed and dagger-shaped for fish-eating birds: herons, kingfishers
flat: ducks, spoonbills
slender and long: birds that feed over mud: waders
- straight: snipes, godwits
- downcurved: curlews
- upturned: avocet
short : plovers, gulls, crakes
Photos: from top left to bottom right
Canard souchet - Northern Shoveler - Anas clypeata , Goéland brun - Lesser Black-backed Gull -Larus fuscus, Flamant rose - Greater Flamingo - Phoenicopterus roseus, Héron cendré - Grey Heron - Ardea cinerea, Garganey - Anas querquedula - Sarcelle d’été, Bécasseau sanderling – Sanderling - Calidris alba, Barge à queue noire - Black-tailed Godwit - Limosa limosa
–See notes for slide 6

10. Compare with length of the head seen from the side
Shape
Length of the bill
Short or long
Compare with length of the head seen from the side
-See notes for slide 6
Stress the importance of an objective assessment, which means comparing the bill length to the length of the head, while reminding the trainees that adjectives such as short or long are all relative and have no real meaning.
Use the previous slide for an exercise on bill length. For each photo compare the length of each bird’s bill to the length of its head.
Bill > head
Bill = head
Bill < head

11. Toes … if they are visible webbed: ducks, geese ...
Shape
Toes … if they are visible
webbed: ducks, geese ...
not webbed: waders, herons,…
very long: Rallidae,…
Photo: Grey Heron - Héron cendré –Ardea cinerea
See notes for slide 6

12. Shape
Legs
long: extending beyond the tail when in flight, or clearly visible tibia when on the ground: large wading birds, Tringa sandpipers, stilts, godwits, etc.
short: do not extend beyond the tail when in flight, or the tibia are hardly visible when on the ground: Anatidae, cormorants, grebes, Calidris sandpipers, etc.
extending beyond the tail
Not extending beyond the tail
clearly visible
Tibias
hardly visible
Legs in flight
tibia
tarsus
Procedure: Work with the factsheet titled “main features to note for waterbird identification” (S2.1.a and S2.1.b) given to each trainee.
Trainer’s role:
Present the slide;
Indicate the missing parts of the body and vocabulary, especially the different parts of a bird’s leg: tarsus, tibia and toes, and the equivalent parts of the human leg;
Point out that adjectives like tall, big, small, short or long are all relative and have no real meaning.

13. Shape Wings in flight length long short shape
broad: storks, grey heron,…
pointed: terns, Tringa sandpipers,...
rounded: rails,...
Photos: from left to right and bottom to top: Sandwich Tern - Sterne caugek - Sterna sandvicensis, Greater Flamingo - Flamant rose - Phoenicopterus roseus, Eurasian Curlew - Courlis cendré - Numenius arquata, Grey Heron - Héron cendré - Ardea cinerea, Common Teal - Sarcelle d'hiver - Anas crecca
Procedure: Work with the factsheet titled “main features to note for waterbird identification” (S2.1.a and S2.1.b) given to each trainee.
Trainer’s role:
Present the slide;
Point out that adjectives like tall, big, small, short or long are all relative and have no real meaning;
Ask the trainees to name other birds they know which fit the criteria mentioned.

14. Shape Tail length shape long: Northern Pintail
short: Common Teal, Little Grebe
shape
rounded: Common Snipe
forked, v-shaped: pratincoles, terns
pointed: Jack Snipe, Northern Pintail
Photos : from left to right: Common Tern - Sterne pierregarin - Sterna hirundo, Little Grebe - Grèbe castagneux - Tachybaptus ruficollis, Northern Pintail - Canard pilet - Anas acuta
See notes for slide 6

15. Shape On the ground, walking On the ground, resting In flight Size
medium
medium, but smaller than when walking
Silhouette
slender
squat
Neck
Long, sinuous, thin
not visible “head in its shoulders”
very thick, bent
Bill
medium length (= width of head) dagger-shaped
difficult to see
Legs
long (clearly visible tibias)
short to medium (tibias not visible)
extending beyond the tail
Wings
not visible
broad, rounded tips
Tail
short
Procedure: work with the factsheet “Silhouette of the Cattle Egret in different postures” (S2.2) given to each trainee.
Trainer’s role:
Show how the way in which a bird is seen affects the description of a species;
Use an example that everyone knows: the Catlle Egret: almost all its features can be described differently depending on its posture and activity
Some features look different in different postures.
Size: from small to medium
Silhouette: from squat to slender
Neck: from long to short and slender to thick
Legs: often hidden by plumage, vegetation or water, etc.
Wings: wing shape is not always visible
Stress the need to be observant and attentive, and to wait for the bird to move and position itself differntly to complete the description.

16. Shape Photo: Little Egret - Aigrette garzette - Egretta garzetta
Indoor exercise: “Describe a bird’s shape”
Provides the description of bird shapes using species whose features, such as length of the legs, bill, tail or wings, can vary.
Procedure :
For each photo, a trainee should describe the bird’s shape (without describing the plumage);
The other trainees can join in if they disagree, or to add to the description.
Trainer’s role :
To describe the first bird, for example the Little Egret: “slender silhouette, long legs with clearly visible tibia, long slender S-shaped neck, small head compared to its body, medium-length dagger-shaped bill (=width of head)”;
To encourage each trainee to make a detailed and accurate description.

17. Shape
Photo: Black-crowned Night Heron - Bihoreau gris - Nycticorax nycticorax
Indoor exercise: ”Describe a bird’s shape”
See notes for slide 16

18. Shape Photo : Northern Pintail - Canard pilet - Anas acuta
Indoor exercise: “Describe a bird’s shape”
See notes for slide 16

19. Shape Photo: Spotted Redshank - Chevalier arlequin - Tringa erythropus
Indoor exercise: “Describe a bird’s shape”
See notes for slide 16

20. Shape Photo: Black-tailed Godwit - Barge à queue noire - Limosa limosa
Indoor exercise: “Describe a bird’s shape”
See notes for slide 16

21. Shape Photo: Ruff - Combattant varié –Philomachus pugnax
Indoor exercise: “Describe a bird’s shape”
See notes for slide 16

22. Shape Photo: Sandwich Tern - Sterne caugek - Sterna sandvicensis
Indoor exercise: “Describe a bird’s shape”
See notes for slide 16

23. Shape
Photo: Eurasian Spoonbill - Spatule blanche - Platalea leucorodia
Indoor exercise: “Describe a bird’s shape”
See notes for slide 16

24. Bird topography supercilium crest back cheek scapulars rump tibia
breast
flank
scapulars
rump
tibia
tarsus
Photos: Garganey - Sarcelle d'été –Anas querquedula, Purple Heron – Héron pourpré –Ardea purpurea
Describing a bird requires a specific vocabulary for each part of the bird: this is bird topography.
Each term introduced here should be explained, and other examples can be given using illustrations from the field guide.
Show how the name of a species can sometimes reflect a feature of its plumage, shape or habits; Grey Heron (grey plumage), Great Egret (bigger than Little Egret), and Whistling-duck.

25. Bird topography nape eyering throat upper mandible lower mandible
speculum
wing bar
coverts
primaries
secondaries
Photos : Black-headed Gull - Mouette rieuse - Larus ridibundus, Northern Shoveler - Canard souchet - Anas clypeata
Each term introduced here should be explained, and other examples can be given using illustrations from the field guide.

26. Describing colours poses a real problem for most beginners
Colour and contrast
Describing colours poses a real problem for most beginners
Describing colours poses a real problem for most beginners. The extent of the problem varies from one person to another, depending especially on their mother tongue. The trainer will need to assess how much work needs to be done on this subject.
In most field guides, several names are used for the same colour in the illustration. The trainer should ask the trainees to write, in their own books, names of colours that they use themselves.
Trainer’s role:
To be certain that all the trainees understand and can visualise:
Different shades of a same colour such as light grey and dark grey,
Shades of mixed colours like grey-green, grey-brown, or reddish brown,
Terms like whitish or reddish.
The “colour palette” factsheet S2.3 can be helpful here.

27. Different shades of the same colour: light grey ... dark grey
Colour and contrast
Different shades of the same colour: light grey ... dark grey
Trainer’s role:
To be certain that all the trainees understand and can visualise different shades of a same colour such as light grey and dark grey
Explain the meaning of speckled, spotted, stripy, striated and pied (an adjective that characterises black and white plumage like that of the Magpie Pica pica, a common species in the Western Palearctic)
Ask the trainees to find species with these shades in their field guides.
speckled grey ... stripy grey

28. Shades of mixed colours: … grey-green … grey-brown … reddish-brown …
Colour and contrast
Shades of mixed colours: … grey-green … grey-brown … reddish-brown …
Trainer’s role:
To be sure that all the trainees understand and can visualise shades of mixed colours like grey-green, grey-brown and reddish-brown.
Ask the trainees to find species with these shades in their field guides.

29. Vague terms whitish ... reddish ... greenish
Colour and contrast
Vague terms whitish ... reddish ... greenish
Trainer’s role:
To be sure that all the trainees understand and can visualise terms such as whitish, reddish and greenish
Ask the trainees to find species with these shades in their field guides.

30. Colours will look different in different lights
Colour and contrast
Colours will look different in different lights
Photos : Wood Sandpiper - Chevalier sylvain - Tringa glareola
Colours will look different in different lights. For example, the light at sunset gives everything an orange tint.

31. Birds can seem smaller than they really are against a light background
Colour and contrast
How colour and size are perceived varies with the background against which they are seen
How colour and size are perceived varies with the background against which they are seen. Birds can seem smaller than they really are against a light background.
Birds can seem smaller than they really are against a light background

32. To make a good description it is important to describe
Colour and contrast
To make a good description it is important to describe
plumage: patterns, colours and contrasts of each part
colour of the legs
colour of the bill
colour of the bare skin and wattle for some species, etc.
Photos : Foulque macroule - Eurasian Coot - Fulica atra, Gallinule poule d'eau - Common Moorhen - Gallinula chloropus
Trainer’s role:
Present the slide

33. Describe the plumage, legs and bill
Colour and contrast
Describe the plumage, legs and bill
Photo: Black-winged Stilt - Échasse blanche - Himantopus himantopus
Indoor exercise: “Describe a bird’s plumage”
Procedure
1. For each slide, a trainee should describe the bird’s plumage using specific names for each part and colour;
2. The other trainees can join in if they disagree, or to add to the description.
Trainer’s role:
To encourage each trainee to make a detailed and accurate description;
To help with the description of colours, bearing in mind the light in which the photo was taken.

34. Colour and contrast Describe the plumage, legs and bill
Photo: Common Teal - Sarcelle d'hiver - Anas crecca
Indoor exercise: “Describe a bird’s plumage”
See notes for slide 33

35. Colour and contrast Describe the plumage, legs and bill
Photo: Water Rail - Râle d'eau - Rallus aquaticus
Indoor exercise: “Describe a bird’s plumage”
See notes for slide 33

36. Describe the plumage, legs and bill
Colour and contrast
Describe the plumage, legs and bill
Photo: Little Bittern - Blongios nain - Ixobrychus minutus
Indoor exercise: “Describe a bird’s plumage”
See notes for slide 33

37. Describe the plumage, legs and bill
Colour and contrast
Describe the plumage, legs and bill
Photo: Pied Avocet - Avocette élégante - Recurvirostra avosetta
Indoor exercise: “Describe a bird’s plumage”
See notes for slide 33

38. Describe the plumage, legs and bill
Colour and contrast
Describe the plumage, legs and bill
Photo: Northern Shoveler - Canard souchet - Anas clypeata
Indoor exercise: “Describe a bird’s plumage”
See notes for slide 33

39. Describe the plumage, legs and bill
Colour and contrast
Describe the plumage, legs and bill
Photo: Sanderling - Bécasseau sanderling - Calidris alba
Indoor exercise: “Describe a bird’s plumage”
See notes for slide 33

40. Describe the plumage, legs and bill
Colour and contrast
Describe the plumage, legs and bill
Photo: Common Ringed Plover - Grand-gravelot - Charadrius hiaticula
Indoor exercise: “Describe a bird’s plumage”
See notes for slide 33

41. Behaviour, disposition, habitat
A description should also include:
Behaviour: sleeping, feeding, flying, perched, calling etc.
Disposition: alone, in a pair, in a group, etc.
Habitat: on water, on a mudflat, in a forest, in bushes, etc.
Procedure: Work using the factsheet titled “Main features to note for waterbird identification” (S2.1.a and S2.1.b) given to each trainee.
Trainer’s role:
Present the slide.

42. Behaviour Behaviour on the ground walking: storks, herons...
jumping: raptors on the ground
running: thick-knees, plovers, etc.
standing still: heron watching prey
constantly moving: Sanderling, Kentish Plover
Photo : Little Bittern - Blongios nain - Ixobrychus minutus
Procedure: Work with the factsheet titled “Main features to note for waterbird identification” (S2.1.a and S2.1.b) given to each trainee.
Trainer’s role:
Present the slide;
Show that bird behaviour on the ground or water, the way it takes flight, flies and lands are all important to record. They characterise different species;
Encourage the trainees to give other examples.
Behaviour on water
• dives underwater: grebes, diving ducks
• dives partially: surface-feeding ducks

43. • flapping: waders, ducks • rapid or slow
Behaviour
Flight behaviour
Type of flight
Type of wingbeats
• flapping: waders, ducks
• rapid or slow
• soaring: storks
• regular or irregular
• direct, without sharp changes in direction: ducks
• zigzag: Common Snipe
• hovering (followed by a dive): terns, Osprey, kingfishers
Photo: Little Grebe - Grèbe castagneux - Tachybaptus ruficollis
Procedure: Work with the factsheet titled “Main features to note for waterbird identification” (S2.1.a and S2.1.b) given to each trainee.
Trainer’s role:
Present the slide;
Give details and examples;
Encourage the trainees to give other examples.

44. Why do we need to recognise bird calls?
Calls and song
Why do we need to recognise bird calls?
To detect species which are rarely seen or isolated or nocturnal
To detect a species a long way away
To tell two similar species apart
Procedure: Work with the factsheet titled “Main features to note for waterbird identification” (S2.1.a and S2.1.b) given to each trainee.
Trainer’s role:
Present the slide;
Encourage the trainees to give other examples.
Why do we need to recognise bird calls?
To detect species which are rarely seen or isolated or nocturnal e.g.: snipes, rails, thick-knees.
To detect a species a long way away e.g. a group of Pied Avocets on a vast mudflat, or Caspian Terns or Sandwich Terns flying off the coast.
To tell two similar species apart e.g. Eurasian Curlew and Whimbrel, Little Ringed Plover and Common Ringed Plover, Little Stint and Temminck’s Stint, Wood Sandpiper and Green Sandpiper, Arctic Tern and Common Tern, Slender-billed Gull and Common Black-headed Gull.
A variety of calls and bird song from around the world can be found at

45. • open water: ducks and grebes • shoreline vegetation: herons
Dispersion & habitat
On a wetland…
Dispersion
• solitary: grey heron
• in pairs: ducks
• in a flock: ducks and waders
Habitat
• open water: ducks and grebes
• shoreline vegetation: herons
• floating vegetation: terns
• mudflats: waders
Procedure: Work with the factsheet titled “Main features to note for waterbird identification” (S2.1.a and S2.1.b) given to each trainee.
Trainer’s role:
Present the slide: different species found in a wetland are not distributed in the same way throughout, and don’t use the same areas of the wetland;
Encourage the trainees to give other examples.

46. Thanks for your attention!