wild about wings_sfp intperpretive docent_8aug2015

Wild About WingsInterpretive Docent Training

Shelby Farms ParkSaturday, August 8, 2015

Wild About Wings

• Bird Basics• Categorical Differences• Species Spotlight• Conservation• Resources

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Bird Basics

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Characteristics

• Birds are warm-blooded.– Like mammals.

• Female birds lay eggs.– Like reptiles.

• Birds have hollow bones.– Highly adapted for flight.

• Birds have a backbone.– They are vertebrates.

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Characteristics

• Forelimbs modified to form wings.– Although birds have wings, not all birds use them

to fly. • Example: Penguins and ostriches do not fly.

• All birds have feathers.– Feathers are unique to birds.

• Sets birds apart from all other living creatures.– Made of keratin.

• Also found in bills and claws and in human hair and fingernails.

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Feathers

• What feathers do:– Camouflage.– Courtship displays.– Flight.– Insulation.

• Disperse heat in hot weather.• Trap heat in cold weather.

– Waterproofing.

7Source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Feathers. All About Birds.

Wing Feathers

• Primaries.– Longest feathers on the end.

• Secondaries.– Shorter feathers along the inner part of the wing.

• Tertials.– Feathers close to a bird’s body.

• Scapulars and wing coverts are other wing feathers.

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Bird Topography

9Source: The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America.

Varied Habitats and Diets

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Source: Ducks Unlimited. 11

Nesting Essentials

• Altricial.– Developmental classification of a bird born in

an undeveloped state (immobile, lacks feathers or down, closed eyes) requiring care and feeding by parents.

• Breeding cycle.– Nest building through egg laying and raising

young to the point of independence.

12Source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Words About Birds. NestWatch.

Nesting Essentials

• Brood.– Young birds that are hatched and cared for at

one time.• Brood number varies depending upon species.

• Clutch.– Total number of eggs laid by a female bird in

one nest attempt.• Clutch number varies depending upon species.

13Source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Words About Birds. NestWatch.

Nesting Essentials

• Fledge (Fledging).– Act of leaving the nest or nest cavity after

reaching a certain stage of maturity.• Hatchling.

– A young bird that has recently emerged from its egg.

14Source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Words About Birds. NestWatch.

Nesting Essentials

• Incubation Period.– Time period when adults remain on the nest,

using their bodies to keep the eggs warm and protected.

• Juvenile.– Young bird, typically one that is recently

fledged, and has not attained its full adult plumage.

15Source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Words About Birds. NestWatch.

Nesting Essentials

• Nestling.– Young bird after hatching but before leaving

the nest.• Precocial.

– Young born in an advanced state, capable of a high degree of independence.

• Examples: Killdeer, Mallard, Wild Turkey, Wood Duck.

16Source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Words About Birds. NestWatch.

Molting

• Process by which feathers are shed and replaced on a regular cycle.– Triggered by a mixture of hormonal changes

brought about by seasonal changes.• Crucial for survival.

– Feathers are dead structures that cannot replace themselves when damaged.

• Due to environmental factors, parasites, abrasive vegetation.

17Source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Molting. All About Birds.

Molting

• Normally a full molt and a partial molt for most species.– A complete molt at the end of the breeding

season.– A partial molt prior to the breeding season.

• Some species, however, only molt once per year.– While a few species complete two full molts

per year.18Source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Molting. All

About Birds.

Migration

• Movements of birds between breeding regions and wintering regions.

• Predicable.– Tied to seasonal opportunities of food and

nesting locations.– Escaping cold may be a motivation.

• Many species, however, can withstand freezing temperatures as long as food is available.

– Example: Hummingbirds.

19Source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Migration. All About Birds.

Migration

• Irruptive migration.– Occurs in species that respond to irregular

changes in food supplies. • Example: Red-breasted Nuthatch.

• Types.– Short-distance migrants.– Medium-distance migrants. – Long-distance migrants.

• Example: Arctic Tern.20Source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Migration. All

About Birds.

Categorical Differences

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Avian Diversity

• Over 10,000 species of birds in the world. – 970 in the U.S. and Canada. – Over 3,200 in South America.

• Largest concentration.– 2,900 in Asia.– 2,300 in Africa.– 1,700 in Australia.– 1,000 in Europe.– 65 in Antarctica.   

22Source: www.wildbirds.com.

American RobinTurdus migratorius

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LEVEL NAME DESCRIPTIONKingdom Animalia Animals

Phylum Chordata Animals with backbones

Class Aves Animals called birds

Order Passeriformes Birds that perch

Family Turdidae All Thrushes

Genus Turdus Similar Thrushes

Species Turdus migratorius American Robin

Source: www.wildbirds.com

Waterfowl(Order: Anseriformes)

• Includes ducks, geese, swans.• Web-footed for efficient swimming.• Aquatic habitat.• Most molt all flight feathers at one time,

leaving them flightless for several weeks.• Commonly found in Shelby Farms Park:

– Canada Goose– Mallard

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25Canada Goose – Branta canadensis

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Mallard – Anas platyrhynchos

Wading Birds(Order: Pelecaniformes)

• Includes pelicans, herons, egrets.• Medium-sized and large water birds.• Most feed on aquatic animal life in shallow

water. • Young are altricial. • Commonly found in Shelby Farms Park:

– Great Blue Heron– Green Heron

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28Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodius

Green Heron – Butarides virescens

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Raptors(Order: Accipitriformes)

• Includes vultures, osprey, hawks, kites, and eagles.

• Diurnal (active by day) birds of prey. – Carnivores.

• Strong hooked beaks and talons. • Highly developed flight abilities.• Commonly found at Shelby Farms Park:

– Red-tailed Hawk30

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Red-tailed Hawk - Buteo jamaicensis

Marsh Birds(Order: Guiformes)

• Includes crains and rails.• Highly diverse group of wading/marsh

birds with long legs. • Other features such as size, body outline,

bill shape and neck length are highly variable.

• Commonly found in Shelby Farms Park:– American Coot.

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33American Coot – Fulica americana

Shorebirds(Order: Charadriformes)

• Includes plovers, sandpipers, and terns.• Diverse group of small to medium-large

birds.• Most live near water and eat invertebrates or

other small animals.– Some pelagic, others live in the desert or thick

forest.• Commonly found in Shelby Farms Park:

– Killdeer. 34

35Killdeer – Charadrius vociferus

Pigeons and Doves (Order: Columbiformes)

• Small-headed, short-legged birds with pointed wings and fanned or tapered tails.

• All species coo, bob heads when walking. • Eat grains, small seeds, acorns, and fruit.• Commonly found in Shelby Farms Park:

– Mourning Dove.

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Mourning Dove – Zenaida macroura

Owls (Order: Strigiformes)

• Large-headed, short-necked birds of prey. • Mostly nocturnal. • Large eyes are fixed in sockets, so the

entire head moves as the bird shifts its gaze.

• Flat, round or heart-shaped “facial disk” conceals the large external ear flaps.

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Owls(Order: Strigiformes)

• All fly silently, hunting for rodents and other mammals.

• Calls are distinctive hoots, wails, or whistles.

• May be found in Shelby Farms Park:– Barred Owl.– Great Horned Owl.

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Barred Owl –

Strix varia

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Great Horned Owl - Bubo virginianus

Swifts and Hummingbirds (Order: Apodiformes)

• Swifts and hummingbirds have very short legs and very small feet that are of limited use.

• Gifted flyers.• Hummingbirds are only found in the Western

Hemisphere.– Only bird known to fly backwards.

• Commonly found in Shelby Farms Park: Chimney Swift.

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Chimney Swift – Chaetura pelagica

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Kingfisher(Order: Coraciformes)

• Large-headed, short-tailed birds that dive for fish, which they catch with their long sharp beaks.

• Perch motionless in the open, over water. • Short legs.• May be found in Shelby Farms Park:

– Belted Kingfisher.

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45Belted Kingfisher – Megaceryle alcyon

Woodpeckers(Order: Piciformes)

• Strong bill, sharply pointed for chipping and digging into tree trunks or branches for wood-boring insects.

• Still tail used as a prop. • Typically nest in a cavity chiseled into a large

branch or trunk.• Commonly found in Shelby Farms Park:

– Downy Woodpecker.– Red-bellied Woodpecker.

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Downy Woodpecker -Picoides pubescens

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Red-bellied Woodpecker -Melanerpes carolinus

Perching Birds (Order: Passeriformes)

• Small to medium-sized land birds.– Includes all our song birds and our tyrant

flycatchers. • All have feet well adapted for perching.

– 3 toes in front and 1 long toe behind. • Bill shape, feather colors, and habits are

useful for identification. • Largest order of birds.

– Many commonly seen in Shelby Farms Park.49

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Blue Jay - Cyanocitta cristata

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Barn Swallow -Hirundo rustica

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Tufted Titmouse -Baeolophus bicolor

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56Eastern Bluebird –Sails sialis

57Common Yellowthroat – Geothlypis trichas

58Eastern Towhee – Pipilo erythrophthalmus

59Summer Tanager – Piranga rubra

60American Goldfinch – Spinus tristis

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Red-winged Blackbird – Agelaius phoeniceus

Species Spotlight

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Ruby-throated Hummingbird – Archilochus colubris

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

• Eastern North America’s sole breeding hummingbird. – Has the largest breeding range of any North

American hummingbird.• Beats its wings about 53 times a second.• Winters in southern Mexico, Central America.• Sexually dimorphic.• Prefers to feed on red or orange flowers.

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Conservation

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Modern Extinctions

• Labrador Duck.– Late 19th century.

• Passenger Pigeon.– 1914, Ohio.

• Carolina Parakeet.– 1920s.

66Source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology. All About Birds.

Probable Extinctions

• Bachman’s Warbler.– 1962, South Carolina.

• Eskimo Curlew.– 1962, Texas; 1963, Barbados.

• Ivory-billed Woodpecker.– Mid-1950s, Louisiana; 1987, Cuba.

67Source: The Sibley Guide to Birds of Eastern North America. 2003

Threats to Birds

• Habitat loss and fragmentation.– Florida Scrub-Jay.– Greater Sage-Grouse.

• Exploitation.– Passenger Pigeon.

• Chemical toxins and pollutions.– DDT and the California Condor.

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Threats to Birds

• Collisions.– Cars.– Communication towers.– Windows.

• Introduced predators/competitors.– House cats.– European Starling.

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Threats to Birds

• Emerging challenges.– Climate change.– Globalization.– Human disconnect with nature.

• “Nature-deficit disorder.”– Term coined by author Richard Louv.

» Last Child in the Woods, 2005.» The Nature Principle, 2011.

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Citizen Science Opportunities

• Celebrate Urban Birds.– Celebrate Hummingbirds.

• Christmas Bird Count.• eBird.• Great Backyard Birdcount.• Nest Watch.• Project Feederwatch.• YardMap.

71Source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology. How to Choose a Citizen Science Project. All About Birds.

Resources

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Apps

• eBird.– Record birds seen in field.– Free.

• iBird Pro.– ID birds.

• Merlin Bird ID.– Free.

• Hummingbirds at Home.– Free.

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Field Guides

• National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of Eastern North America.

• Peterson Field Guide to Birds• Stokes Field Guide to Birds – Eastern

Region.• The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern

North America.

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Organizations

• American Bird Conservancy.– abcbirds.org.

• Cornell Lab of Ornithology– birdscornell.edu.

• allaboutbirds.org.

• National Audubon Society.– audubon.org.

• Tennessee Ornithological Society.– tnbirds.org.

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