– module 2 – how to describe a bird accurately north of africa - palearctic migrants identifying...
TRANSCRIPT
– Module 2 – How to describe a bird accurately
North of Africa - Palearctic Migrants
Identifying and Counting Waterbirds in Africa – Training Course –
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Module 2 – How to describe a bird accurately
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Authors
Designed and written by
Nathalie Hecker [email protected]
Photographs Steve Garvie [email protected], www.pbase.com/rainbirder
IllustrationsCyril Girard [email protected], www.cyrilgirard.fr
TranslationRachel Wakeham [email protected]
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
Module 2 – How to describe a bird accurately
Presenting the Module
Technical explanations
Indoor exercises
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Module 2 – How to describe a bird accurately
How to describe a bird accurately
Objectives of the moduleAt 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.
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Module 2 – How to describe a bird accurately
How to describe a bird accurately
ApproachIdentifying 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
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Module 2 – How to describe a bird accurately
Shape
Size•Compare size to that of a well-known bird•for example: “bigger than a turtle-dove but smaller than a teal”
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Module 2 – How to describe a bird accurately
Shape
Silhouetteoften 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.
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Module 2 – How to describe a bird accurately
Shape
Necklength •short: plovers•medium: ducks•long: Tringa sandpipers, herons, storks
position in flight •extended: storks, Anatidae, flamingos•retracted: herons
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Module 2 – How to describe a bird accurately
ShapeShape of the bill
•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
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Module 2 – How to describe a bird accurately
Shape
Length of the bill•Short or long •Compare with length of the head seen from the side
Bill > head Bill = head Bill < head10
Module 2 – How to describe a bird accurately
Shape
Toes … if they are visible•webbed: ducks, geese ...•not webbed: waders, herons,…•very long: Rallidae,…
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Module 2 – How to describe a bird accurately
Shape
Legslong: 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. 12
extending beyond the tail
Not extending beyond the tail
clearly visible Tibias hardly visible
Legs in flight
tibia
tarsus
Module 2 – How to describe a bird accurately
ShapeWings in flightlength •long•short
shape•broad: storks, grey heron,…•pointed: terns, Tringa sandpipers,...•rounded: rails,...
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Module 2 – How to describe a bird accurately
Shape
Taillength•long: Northern Pintail•short: Common Teal, Little Grebe
shape•rounded: Common Snipe•forked, v-shaped: pratincoles, terns •pointed: Jack Snipe, Northern Pintail
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Module 2 – How to describe a bird accurately
ShapeOn the ground,
walkingOn the ground, resting In flight
Size medium medium, but smaller than when walking medium
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
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Module 2 – How to describe a bird accurately
Shape
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Module 2 – How to describe a bird accurately
Shape
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Module 2 – How to describe a bird accurately
Shape
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Module 2 – How to describe a bird accurately
Shape
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Module 2 – How to describe a bird accurately
Shape
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Module 2 – How to describe a bird accurately
Shape
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Module 2 – How to describe a bird accurately
Shape
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Module 2 – How to describe a bird accurately
Shape
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Module 2 – How to describe a bird accurately
Bird topography
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crest
supercilium
cheek
breast
flank
scapularsrump
tibia
tarsus
back
Module 2 – How to describe a bird accurately
Bird topography
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upper mandible
lower mandible
speculum
wing bar
coverts
primaries
secondaries
eyeringnape
throat
Module 2 – How to describe a bird accurately
Colour and contrast
Describing colours poses a real problem for most beginners
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Module 2 – How to describe a bird accurately
Colour and contrast
Different shades of the same colour: light grey ... dark grey
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speckled grey ... stripy grey
Module 2 – How to describe a bird accurately
Colour and contrast
Shades of mixed colours: … grey-green … grey-brown … reddish-brown …
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Module 2 – How to describe a bird accurately
Colour and contrast
Vague termswhitish ... reddish ... greenish
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Module 2 – How to describe a bird accurately
Colour and contrast
Colours will look different in different lights
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Module 2 – How to describe a bird accurately
Colour and contrast
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
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Module 2 – How to describe a bird accurately
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.
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Module 2 – How to describe a bird accurately
Colour and contrast
Describe the plumage, legs and bill
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Module 2 – How to describe a bird accurately
Colour and contrast
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Describe the plumage, legs and bill
Module 2 – How to describe a bird accurately
Colour and contrast
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Describe the plumage, legs and bill
Module 2 – How to describe a bird accurately
Colour and contrast
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Describe the plumage, legs and bill
Module 2 – How to describe a bird accurately
Colour and contrast
Describe the plumage, legs and bill
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Module 2 – How to describe a bird accurately
Colour and contrast
Describe the plumage, legs and bill
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Module 2 – How to describe a bird accurately
Colour and contrast
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Describe the plumage, legs and bill
Module 2 – How to describe a bird accurately
Colour and contrast
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Describe the plumage, legs and bill
Module 2 – How to describe a bird accurately
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.
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Module 2 – How to describe a bird accurately
Behaviour
Behaviour on the ground•walking: storks, herons...•jumping: raptors on the ground •running: thick-knees, plovers, etc.•standing still: heron watching preyconstantly moving: Sanderling, Kentish Plover
Behaviour on water• dives underwater: grebes, diving ducks• dives partially: surface-feeding ducks
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Module 2 – How to describe a bird accurately
Behaviour
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Module 2 – How to describe a bird accurately
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
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Module 2 – How to describe a bird accurately
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
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Module 2 – How to describe a bird accurately
46Thanks for your attention!