COMPARISONS BETWEEN DIFFICULT BIRDS

PHOTOGRAPHIC IDENTIFICATION

On A. rubripes and A. platyrhynchos

I will warn you now – this pair is difficult to set apart. For the sake of making this very, very clear, I won’t be using any Latin-based anatomical and/or biological terms. We aren’t, after all, being tested on that – we’re being tested on our ability to identify the animals by their common [that is, their English] name.

Should you wish, however, to learn how to truly identify birds, and how to make precise records of their activities and appearances in a scientifically accurate sense, then feel free to contact me at a later time.

Now, the ducks:

Top: Anas rubripes, the American Black Duck.

Bottom: A female Mallard Duck (Anas platyrhynchos).

Although you may not think so, there are some subtle physical differences. I chose these two photographs to especially depict these differences – the ducks that we encounter on our test and in Algonquin may not necessarily be as easily distinguishable. Ducks, like people, vary in their physical appearance – two ducks of the same species may look a bit different.

It is for this reason that I will also teach you how to tell which one is which by their calls and their behaviour. In addition, when I do discuss the physical characteristics, I’ll include many photographs, and point out the features on each of them. In this way, you’ll see different cases, and will be able to pinpoint which one you’re seeing later.

PHYSICAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE FEMALE MALLARD AND THE BLACK DUCK

NOTA BENE: When I speak of physical differences in the first portion of this piece, I’m talking about female Mallards and both genders of the American Black. Male mallards are highly distinctive – I’ll show them to you later. For now, concentrate on the brown ducks. The female Mallard and both genders of the American Black are the ones that you’ll have a problem with.

1. Bodily Coloration

Okay, so, I could hit you up with some stuff about how the greater secondary converts are black at the tips in both sexes in all plumages. I won’t, however.

The fundamental difference between these two birds is the colour of the main portion of their body.

American Blacks, from their neck down, exhibit a far darker brown than they do on the rest of their body.

To put it bluntly, these guys are a dark, chocolate brown on their body.

So, that’s the American Black for you.

Here’s a female Mallard. Now, looking back at the American Black, what’s the first thing that you notice? That’s right – this girl looks far more mottled. Her body is definitely not a uniform brown colour.

2. Tail Feathers

Okay, so, this isn’t always to be depended upon for identification, but another difference between the female Mallard and the American Black is the tail coloration. Again, there are scientific terms that we could use to be more specific, but there isn’t a need for that.

The lining of the tail of an American Black isn’t particularly different from the remainder of its body. It may be slightly lighter in colour, but you will never see the pronounced white of the female Mallard’s tail. If you do, then you’re either seeing a Mallard or a hybrid.

A female Mallard’s tail, however, will be unmistakably white in some parts. Consider the below photographs:

PHYSICAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE FEMALE MALLARD AND THE AMERICAN BLACK – A SHORT QUIZ

Specify whether each duck is a female Mallard or an American Black Duck.

Answers (from the top to the bottom image):

1. American Black

2. Mallard

3. American Black

4. Mallard

5. Mallard

OTHER FUNDAMENTAL DIFFERENCES

You’ll almost always see a female Mallard with this guy. Why? Well, to begin, he’s her mate – this is the beautiful, familiar male Mallard duck. Note the iridescent green of his head.

You won’t see another duck that looks like this, so memorize him.

A pair of Mallards.

DIFFERENTIATING BY BEHAVIOUR

It’s truly difficult to set apart a female Mallard and an American Black. This is so not only because of the strong similarity in their appearances, but also because they enjoy spending time together. One will often find flocks of American Blacks and Mallards in the same areas. In fact, these guys like each other so much that they will often interbreed, producing ducks that are really very difficult to identify. However, you’ll rarely see the aforementioned hybrids – they follow Haldane’s Rule, and as such, they hardly ever reproduce.

The American Black and the Mallard live in the same places, are both dabbling ducks, and interact extensively with one another.

DIFFERENTIATING BY CALL

Though the call of the Mallard tends to be higher, and though the Mallard tends to output more short vocalizations (gurgle-like noises, for example), the calls of the female American Black are indistinguishable from those of the female Mallard. As such, I can safely state that Mr. van Bemmel’s American Black recording contains only the male’s calls. They’re lower than those of the female Am. Black and Mallard – they’re like a quick, hoarse, deep quek.

If you hear several low, repeated sounds in Mr. van Bemmel’s recording, then you’re listening to the American Black. If you hear any other quacking, particularly with a high pitch, then you’ve got a Mallard.

We’ll speak of calls later.

CONCLUSIVELY

Your best bet is to be able to identify these guys by sight. Behaviour and their calls will not help you, for the most part.

On C. brachyrhynchos and C. corvax

So, here we have another fairly difficult pair. The American Crow and the Common Raven are largely similar – again, I’ll compare their physical appearance, taking care to point out several evident characteristics. Of course, I’ll also take a look at their behaviour and their calls as this coincides.

PHYSICAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE AMERICAN CROW AND THE COMMON RAVEN

1. The Bill

An American Crow’s bill has a far less obvious downward curve than that of the Common Raven, to put it simply. Consider the below:

Now, let’s look at the Common Raven:

2. The Throat Feathers

Generally, the feathers on an American Crow’s neck will be sleek, whilst those on the neck of a Common Raven may often be ruffled. This is not always the case, however; I wouldn’t strive to differentiate between the two on the basis of this fact. This can vary by specimen, age, health, and gender, so it’s not a good definitive characteristic. It’s just a bit of an indicator.

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3. The Tail Shape

Yes, I think that this is truly the most reliable of characteristics. An American Crow’s tail feathers arrange themselves into a fan when the bird is flying, whilst those of a Common Raven form a wedge shape.

Observe:

Note the fan shape.Note the wedge shape.

DIFFERENTIATING BY BEHAVIOR

Now, we arrive at the easy portion. There are two very prominent behavioural distinctions to be made amongst the two; they are as follows:

1. The Common Raven does not flock, whilst the American Crow does. If you see a group of birds, then you’re seeing crows. Ravens tend to hang out either alone or in pairs.

2. When flying, crows flap their wings, whilst ravens tend to soar.

DIFFERENTIATING BY CALL

This will greatly help you in telling one bird from the next. Firstly, crows are excessively vocal birds; because you’ll see them in groups, they’ll be screaming like crazy. Often, their calls will echo through the forest. Their calls, however, are what truly distinguish the two birds.

The American Crow sings your characteristic caw, caw, caw at different frequencies – sometimes high, sometimes low, always whiny. The Common Raven makes a gronk sound – sometimes quick, sometimes slow, but always a gronk. As demonstrated between the twenty-eighth and the twenty-ninth second of Mr. van Bemmel’s recording, the Common Raven can also make knocking noises. These are not to be confused with those of the woodpeckers present; you won’t be asked to identify solely the knocking noises, so all is well.

CONCLUSIVELY

Differentiate by call, and by the shape of the tail.

On Sparrows

According to Mr. van Bemmel’s notes, it is necessary for you guys to be able to distinguish between four types of sparrows. Here’re some notes, then.

-The two that may confuse you are the Swamp Sparrow and the American Tree Sparrow. They do, however, exhibit several prominent physical differences, as can be observed below.

We can also employ a little bit of logic here. These birds are aptly-named: the Swamp Sparrow frequents swamps, whilst the American Tree Sparrow is to be found in trees. It’s really quite a simple scenario.

-The male House Sparrow is highly distinct – you can always tell him apart by his black eye mask. Because sparrows tend to flock, you’ll be able to find his rather plain-looking female with him. One way that you can identify her solo, however, is to realize that she doesn’t have much of an interesting coloration. She’s entirely brown – she may exhibit different shades of brown, but that’s all.

-You will not mistake the White-throated Sparrow for another bird – this guy’s got a fabulously pristine white patch under his neck, as well as bold black stripes running down his head. In addition, he harbours two patches of bright yellow just above his eyes. One might think him similar to some other birds, but he still harbours the characteristic “sparrow” coloration – that mottled brown – on his wings.

On Woodpeckers

There are two highly similar woodpeckers that we need to identify – these are the Hairy Woodpecker, and the Downy Woodpecker. To put it very simply, the Hairy is noticeably larger than the latter – otherwise, they look fairly alike.

TIPS FOR IDENTIFYING EACH BIRD

PHOTOGRAPHIC, CALL, FLIGHT PATTERN, HABITAT, AND GROUP I.D.

This section aims to provide a detailed profile of each bird, and thus to aid you in identifying it by noting a broad range of factors.

*The call described is the one within the package that Mr. van Bemmel provided, not the one that you may hear whilst at Algonquin. This preparatory package is just for the test. If you want help on the trip, we’re going to have to do some more work.

NOTE WELL: THE CALLS ON THE FOLLOWING PAGES ARE NOT NECESSARILY THE ONES THAT YOU NEED TO LEARN. THERE’S A SEPARATE SECTION FOR THOSE.

Binomen: A. rubripes

Common Name: American Black Duck

Definitive Physical Identifiers: Body significantly darker than neck and face, body is a dark chocolate brown. Basically, a chocolate brown duck often seen in large groups.

Description of Call: A sharp, low, repetitive quek, often given in unison with other specimens.

Likely Behaviours: Hanging out with Mallard ducks, swimming, upending (sticking rear into the air whilst foraging for food), stretching wings whilst swimming.

Approximate size: Medium

Found in or Around: Water

Binomen: C. brachyrhynchos

Common Name: American Crow

Definitive Physical Identifiers: One of two medium-sized black birds – noticeably black. The smaller of the two aforementioned birds; does not fluff throat when calling.

Description of Call: A drawn-out, insistent caw, often given in different frequencies and very many times. Their call tends to echo through the forest; you often hear this call before you see the bird.

Likely Behaviours: Flying overhead in groups whilst flapping wings, perching on trees, vocalizing repeatedly.

Approximate size: Medium

Found in or Around: Forest, field, wherever. Sometimes found near water.

Binomen: S. tristis

Common Name: American Goldfinch

Definitive Physical Identifiers: The male is the only boldly yellow bird that you will see; his black body parts are highly noticeable. He’s got a black cap and wings. The female is a kind of dull yellow, but also has fairly noticeable black wings.

Description of Call: N.P.

However, sounds kind of like chipping – a sweet, quick, repetitive tsee-tsi-tsi-tsit.

Likely Behaviours: Perching on trees, flitting from one branch to the next. These birds are quick, so you won’t have too much luck with seeing them for prolonged periods of time.

Approximate size: Miniscule

Found in or Around: Open meadows

Binomen: T. migratorius

Common Name: American Robin

Definitive Physical Identifiers: A rust-orange belly accompanied by a grey back and a darker grey head are the defining features of an American Robin.

-Seems to exhibit very good posture

-Often hop when moving

-Do not fly very well – usually, in fact, they only fly for very short distances, and just along the ground.

Description of Call: Piercing, sweet, various trills, typically remains one frequency. Often, it’s transcribed as cheerily cheer up cheerily. Try very hard, and you’ll hear that.

Likely Behaviours: Often to be found prying L. terrestris from the earth

Approximate size: Small

Found in or Around: Woodland

Binomen: S. arborea

Common Name: American Tree Sparrow

Definitive Physical Identifiers: A rusty eye mask is one of this little bird’s defining features – indeed, it is one of the only things available to aid us distinguishing it from the Swamp Sparrow. Additionally, the lower half of this bird’s beak is a golden yellow colour.

Description of Call: A high warble.

Likely Behaviours: Perching

Approximate size: Miniscule

Found in or Around: Woodland

Binomen: H. leucocephalus

Common Name: Bald Eagle

Definitive Physical Identifiers: A large, golden beak matches golden feet.

-Dark brown body

-Distinctly white head and tail feathers

-Tail and wing feathers fan out when in flight – looks spectacularly large as such.

Description of Call: This call seems highly insignificant – a low, chirping kind of sound. Not particularly loud.

Likely Behaviours: Flying, fishing.

Approximate size: Very large

Found in or Around: Everywhere – tends to be open fields, the sky, or around water.

Binomen: I. galbula

Common Name: Baltimore Oriole

Definitive Physical Identifiers:

Male:

-Completely black head

-Black wings with white lacing

-Bright, tropical orange underbelly

The male of this species is one of the most distinctive birds that you’ll encounter. The female is quite evident too – she has a nicely golden head, a lighter version of the male’s black wings, and a fairly noticeable greyish-black eye-stripe.

Description of Call: The male’s call consists of several high, flute-like whistles.

Likely Behaviours: Flying, perching.

Approximate size: Small

Found in or Around: Tree canopies

Binomen: H. rustica

Common Name: Barn Swallow

Definitive Physical Identifiers:

-Lustrous deep blue back, wings, and head

-Orange or creamy underbelly, orange or reddish face

-Distinctly forked tail

Description of Call: Sounds much like glass being furiously polished, or a saw working.

Likely Behaviours: Flying low, quickly, and with few wing beats – reminiscent of paper airplanes in that they soar, spin, and vary in the heights that they take on. You will almost always see these guys in flight.

Approximate size: Small

Found in or Around: Anywhere

Binomen: M. alclyon

Common Name: Belted Kingfisher

Definitive Physical Identifiers:

-Long bill

-Orange under-wings

-Crest on head

-Head and back are indigo blue with some white patterns on occasion

-White underbelly and neck stripe

Description of Call: A distinctive rattle – a very mechanical sound. You’ll hear the call directly prior to seeing the bird, or directly afterward, usually.

Likely Behaviours: Flying, perching, fishing, calling.

Approximate size: Medium

Found in or Around: Water

Binomen: C. niger

Common Name: Black Tern

Definitive Physical Identifiers:

-Grey with black head

-Long bill

-Sharp arc to wings

Description of Call: High-pitched, shrill, repeated.

Likely Behaviours: Flying directly above water very quickly.

Approximate size: Medium

Found in or Around: Water

Binomen: P. atricapillus

Common Name: Black-capped Chickadee

Definitive Physical Identifiers:

-Black cap and neck with white face mask

-Grey wings

-Creamy sides

-White underbelly

-Tends to fly by flapping once, dropping several feet through the air, and then flapping again – all of this is done very quickly.

Description of Call: High-pitched, descending from high [the first syllable] to low [the second]: bee bay.

Likely Behaviours: Flitting from tree to tree, perching, cocking head, picking at tree branches, dangling upside down.

Approximate size: Miniscule

Found in or Around: Forest

Binomen: D. caerulescens

Common Name: Black-throated Blue Warbler

Definitive Physical Identifiers:

-White underbelly

-Black-blue wings with white outline

-Blue back and top of head

-Black face mask and neck

Description of Call: A buzzy call, sounding like zee zee zeeee, or see see seeee.

Likely Behaviours: Foraging, hovering mid-air to catch insects.

Approximate size: Miniscule

Found in or Around: Forest

Binomen: C. cristata

Common Name: Bluejay

Definitive Physical Identifiers:

-Bright blue wings

-White/creamy underbelly

-Head crest

-Black around neck and bill

-Black present in blue of the tail and wings

Description of Call: Jayer jayer uttered at different heights and intensities.

Likely Behaviours: Perching, crying out, swooping through the trees.

Approximate size: Medium

Found in or Around: Forest

Binomen: C. cristata

Common Name: Bluejay

Definitive Physical Identifiers:

-Bright blue wings

-White/creamy underbelly

-Head crest

-Black around neck and bill

-Black present in blue of the tail and wings

Description of Call: Jayer jayer uttered at different heights and intensities.

Likely Behaviours: Perching, crying out, swooping through the trees.

Approximate size: Medium

Found in or Around: Forest

REMAINDER OF PROFILES PROVIDED UPON REQUEST

I’d wanted to complete all of these, but I didn’t have the time

TIPS FOR IDENTIFYING THE CALLS THAT YOU NEED TO LEARN

Okay, so, it appears that you guys need to learn thirty-three calls. Don’t worry – you will be able to do so. It’s really quite easy once you begin; I know you’re saying that I should shut up. It’s true, however – you’ll see in a few minutes.

So, you need to learn the following calls:

1. American Black Duck

2. American Crow

3. American Robin

4. Barred Owl

5. Belted Kingfisher

6. Black-capped Chickadee

7. Blue Jay

8. Bufflehead

9. Canada Goose

10. Common Loon

11. Common Merganser

12. Common Raven

13. Common Yellowthroat

14. Evening Grosbeak

15. Golden-crowned Kinglet

16. Gray Jay

17. Great Blue Heron

18. Great Horned Owl

19. Hairy Woodpecker

20. Herring Gull

21. Mallard

22. Northern Cardinal

23. Pileated Woodpecker

24. Red-winged Blackbird

25. Rose-breasted Grosbeak

26. Ruby-crowned Kinglet

27. Ruffed Grouse

28. Spruce Grouse

29. American Tree Swallow

30. White-breasted Nuthatch (I’m surprised we’re not examining the Red-breasted Nuthatch’s yank yank yank call – I love it )

31. White-throated Sparrow

32. Wild Turkey

33. Wood Duck

Firstly, it is safe to state that most birds have many different calls used, as could be expected, for a multitude of different purposes. However, Mr. van Bemmel’s recordings will be the ones used on Tuesday’s test; as such, it is these that you must master. The fact that he’ll be using the same recordings is also inherently useful – we can pick up on background sounds and certain patterns to ensure that we know which bird is calling. I would never normally encourage “cheating” of this kind, but you guys really don’t need to memorize bird calls. Should you wish to actually learn how to identify calls, then talk to me, though. I need someone as crazy as me to hang out with It might be easier if I do this stuff in person, so talk to me tomorrow.

On that note, we’ll begin.

1. American Black Duck

Okay, so, firstly, get the rhythm of the call. Until the ducks take off (you can hear the wing-beats) at 0:00:07, there’s a steady pattern of low, quick quek noises, all given at the same intensity. They go like this:

@0:00:00: Quek

@0:00:01: Quek

@0:00:02: Quek

@0:00:025: Quek

-pause until approximately 0:00:047-

Two quek noises on either side of 0:00:05.

Then, at 0:00:07, the ducks take off.

At 0:00:08, we hear alternating calls: quek quek, quek quek. This is what the ducks are doing while in flight to communicate with one another.

Between 0:00:10, we hear five quek calls, the first three given quickly, and the next few slowing down.

DISREGARDING RECORDING: The call of the American Black is a low, brief quek given at fairly regular intervals. Though it may get louder or softer, it remains the same in terms of height.

2. American Crow

Throughout the recording, we hear caw sounds given at different frequencies, in different intensities, and in slightly different ways. Almost all, however, resemble caw. You will be able to tell that these are crows, despite the small sounds that they make toward the end of the recording. The first and second caw should be enough.

From 0:00:13 to 0:00:20, we see the tendency of these birds to remain in a group. This should reveal the fact that we’ve crows, and not ravens – ravens would not be calling together, because they’re solitary/pair birds. You hear many different voices here.

3. American Robin

At 0:00:04, we really hear the cheerily sound that I described earlier. Try saying it along with the recording. It’s present again, at 0:00:07.

Note that an American Robin’s call is rather fragmented. This bird sings plaintively for a brief period of time, then is quiet, and then resumes again.

4. Barred Owl

Ah, one of my favourite calls! Why, because it’s sickeningly easy to memorize, haha.

Just remember this phrase: “Who cooks for you, who cooks for you all?” Watch as the owl says it from 0:00:00 to 0:00:04! It might take some time to hear, but once you’ve got it down, it’s easy.

5. Belted Kingfisher

Remember that this is like a rattle – think of it as a drill. A very mechanical, rattling sound. Think of the fact that it’s a “fisher” – perhaps think of a fish being reeled in to justify the mechanical notes.

6. Bluejay

We hear the jayer jayer given at different frequencies. Do not memorize the end of the recording – it will confuse you. The first few seconds should be enough to register with you. Listen only up until 0:00:17.

7. Bufflehead

At some points in time, this is just like a CD skipping. These are low, blunt grunts, sounding like ernt.

8. Canada Goose

I hope that you know this call – it’s quite possible, I think, that you’ve encountered it previously. Think of the call as the sound produced by those push-able bike horns for children (you know, the plastic ones with the ball; upon the ball’s being depressed, the horn sounds).

At 0:00:28, we’re also fortunate enough to hear a goose hissing – they often do that.

9. Common Loon

This is one of the most haunting and beautiful of bird calls. You’ll often hear this in the dead of the night; as you can hear, there are crickets in the background of these calls. From 0:00:23 onward, the birds seem to be laughing sadly.

I’ve videos of some of these birds; I’ll place them on Facebook, so visit my page if you’d like to see them

10. Common Merganser

Wait until 0:00:15 – after and in that second, the bird will give two bark noises per second. This will continue until 0:00:22, when a large splash can be heard.

11. Common Raven

Here, we hear the low gronk sounds previously described, as well as [from 0:00:27 to 0:00:32] knocking sounds. From about 0:00:34 to 0:00:37, we hear a dong, repeated about once per second – it’s reminiscent of a bell.

12. Common Yellowthroat

From 0:00:09 to 0:00:11, we hear the characteristic wich-i-ty wich-i-ty wich-i-ty. Also, toward the very end of the recording, we hear the unmistakable chip chi chi chip commencing at 0:00:40.

13. Evening Grosbeak

I, unfortunately, cannot offer much advice on this call – I just kind of got accustomed to hearing it.

14. Golden-crowned Kinglet

A high-pitched tsee-tsee-tsee-tsee with a short gurgle at the end.

15. Gray Jay

This bird’s call begins with a high pitched Ow! Ow ow ow ow!