Identification and Topography

External Anatomy

External AnatomyNape (back of neck)

Auriculars/Ear Coverts (ear coverings)

Lore (between eyes and upper bill)

Scapulars (shoulder)

Wing Coverts(small feathers that cover base of flight feathers)

Primaries (main flight feathers/lowest on wing)

Secondaries (second from end of wing)

Tail Feathers (Steering)

•Crown (top of head)•Forehead•Upper Mandible (upper bill)

•Lower Mandible (lower bill)•Throat •Breast •Abdomen•Toes•Claws•Cere (bumps on upper beak,

like parrots)

•Bill•Chin•Cheek• Throat•Breast•Flank/Side•Belly/Abdomen•Tarsus•Foot •Talon•Primary Feathers•Under Tail Coverts

Topography

•Tail Feathers•Upper Tail Coverts•Rump•Back•Nape•Ear Patch or Auricular•Crown•Eye•Eye line, eye stripe, or superciliary•Forehead•Lore

Topography

Practice

Find the crown. Notice anything?

Breast

Cere

Nape

Wing Coverts

Birding Basics Video Explanation

Size and Shape About 10 min long

Birding Basics Video Explanation

Color Pattern & Plumage About 10 min long

5 Characteristics used to ID Birds

Shape, Size, and PostureFamilies of birds have different shape and size.

They are identifiable by outline alone. This way you will narrow down the number of possible birds. 

Color, Pattern, and PlumageThe marks that distinguish one bird from another

are called field marks. These include such things as breast spots, wing bars (thin lines along the wings), eye rings (circles around the eyes), eyebrows (lines over the eyes), eye lines (lines through the eyes) and many others.

Size, Shape, Posture

Color Pattern / Plumage

5 Characteristics used to ID Birds

Behavior PatternsEach bird family and even species can be narrowed

down by the behavior displayed

Habitat TypeBirds have specific habitats. The most obvious are

Ducks, and Gulls being water birds.

Song and CallsMost birds can be identified by their sound. There are

two major types of bird sound. Songs are usually by adult males during nesting or mating season. Calls are used all year long and can be warnings or interactions with other birds.

Behavior

Birding Basics Video Explanation

BehaviorAbout 10 min long

Habitat Type

Birding Basics Video Explanation

HabitatAbout 10 min long

Songs/CallsSongs: Purpose is for males in mating or nesting

procedures.

Thrush Song

Calls: Purpose for warnings and interactions. Used ALL YEAR LONG.

Magpie warning a cat

There are many different Orders of birds

Falconiformes

Galliformes

Anseriformes

Piciformes

Psittaciformes

Apodiformes

Strigiformes

Columbiformes

Gruiformes

Ciconiiformes

Passeriformes

Pelecaniformes

You need to know theseones!

FalconiformesEagles, Hawks, Falcons

Feature:Diurnal Birds ofPrey

Galliformes

Turkeys! Quail and GrouseFeature: Fowl-Like and Mostly ground birds

AnseriformesDucks, Geese, and Swans

Feature:Water-FowlFeathered OilGland

PiciformesWoodpeckers

Feature: Zygodactyl feet (2 toes up & 2 back),unique tendons in toes,cavity nesters

PsittaciformesParrots

Feature: Heavy, hooked bill &Zygodactyl feet (2 toes up & 2 back)

ApodiformesHummingbirds

Feature: Small, short legs &tiny feet. Long, slender bill.

StrigiformesOwls

Feature: Nocturnal birds of prey

ColumbiformesDoves and Pigeons

Large crop to produce “crop” milk for offspring

GruiformesCranes

Feature: No crop, fly with straight neck

CiconiiformesStorks

Feature:Long Leg &Long Neck. Fly with neck in tight “S” shape.

PasseriformesJays, Finches, Crows

Feature: Perching Birds, anisodactyl feet (3 toes up & 1 back)

PelecaniformesPelicans Feature:

Gular Sac