Discover the expert in you.
Discover the expert in you.
The bobolink (Dolychonix oryzivorus) is a member of the blackbird family common to the grasslands of the Upper Great Plains. Bobolinks moved eastward into areas such as New England, notes the "National Audubon Society Field Guide to Birds: Eastern Region," when farming opened up the forests. Male bobolinks are the only North American bird with white markings on the back and black under parts, but only when the bird breeds in the spring and early summer.
There are many types of quail but the two most popular are the Butler bobwhite and the jumbo quail, also known as the jumbo coturnix, jumbo brown or pharaoh quail. Butlers are indigenous to the United States and are the largest member of the bobwhite family of quail. They are popular with hunters but not for farming since they take six months to reach maturity. The jumbo, however, is prized as a meat bird, since it matures in just five weeks, as well as for its eggs. The jumbo coturnix is native to Japan but is farmed worldwide.
Upland bird game is more limited in scope than wetlands hunting. Still, the skilled hunter is rewarded with more mobility and a tasty dinner after the hunt is done, if he is successful.
Bird identification can be a challenge, but there are specific features of every species to take into consideration when determining bird type. Vocalization, size and shape, behavior, color and patterns and habitat are characteristics to look for in determining bird identification. Although most birds are migratory, some are specific to a certain area.
Frigatebirds are large, highly maneuvering seabirds that belong to the order pelecaniformes. Five species exist---all pantropical---that neither walk nor swim, meaning they are airborne for the majority of their lives. Frigatebirds, which have elongated wings and long, forked tails, may be seen soaring high over the ocean before plummeting to steal fish from other birds, including other frigatebirds. Frigatebirds' behavior includes colonial breeding. All males are black and possess a red throat sack, which inflates into a large balloon during courtship.
Ornithologists considered the blue goose a separate species from the snow goose at one time, notes the "National Audubon Society Field Guide to Birds." However, they now realize that the blue goose is simply a blue phase of the white snow goose. The snow goose is the most common goose in Canada, states the Hinterland Who's Who website. Over five million snow geese, including many of the blue variety, breed on the tundra and spend winters in parts of the United States.
Waterfowl in the United States include dabbling ducks, diving ducks, geese and swans. Identifying one species from the other can be tricky. Males and females sometimes differ in appearance, and birds' plumage colors may vary throughout the year. There are several clues for identifying waterfowl; you will probably need to consider more than one to make a positive ID of the bird you're observing.
The bobwhite quail, also called the northern bobwhite, is a game bird that occurs in much of the eastern United States. The bird, with its loud call of “bob-bob-white,” is easily identified when seen, resembling a small plump chicken. The bobwhite quail has a varied diet and the bird has specific habitat requirements. Bobwhites stay on the ground foraging for food and hiding from enemies, taking flight when they need to while escaping danger.
The house wren is one of 75 types of wrens that occur worldwide and one of nine that breeds in North America, according to the "National Audubon Society Field Guide to Birds." The house wren is somewhat less secretive than the other kinds of wrens, often building its nests in man-made structures. The house wren is common in backyards and the bird is usually welcomed because of the many bubbly notes that it can produce as it sings.
The northern spotted owl (strix occidentalis caurina), along with the Mexican spotted owl and the California spotted owl, is one of three types of spotted owls in North America. This owl is a raptor of the Pacific Northwest, requiring deep coniferous forests as habitat. The northern spotted owl's need for these old-growth forests has led to its decline, as logging efforts rob the species of places to live.
The bobolink breeds from New England through the Great Lakes and into the northern portions of the Great Plains, spending its winters in southern South America. The breeding male bobolink is the sole bird in North America with white on its back and a black underbelly, observes the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website. The bobolink is a species that requires open country and grasslands, declining in the East as farms and pastures are fewer and fewer.
The greater flamingo is one of six species of flamingo and the type with the largest geographical distribution. According to the San Diego Zoo website, the greater flamingo possesses the most vivid colors of the flamingos, a coloring the bird gets from its diet. The greater flamingo is a social bird, existing in colonies that can sometimes number in the thousands.
According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, six species of quail exist in the United States. The species with by far the largest geographic range of the six is the northern bobwhite, a bird familiar to hunters and those who live near woodlands. Quail typically blend in with their environment and stay on the ground for the most part. Identification of these species is possible by knowing their features, calls and ranges.
The prairie grasslands of the Midwest and western states abound with bird life. Many of these birds possess coloration that allows them to blend into the countryside to avoid detection by potential predators.
The flycatcher family of birds is a large group that includes species such as the eastern phoebe, the scissor-tailed flycatcher, the eastern kingbird and the least flycatcher. These birds all feed on insects, catching them on the fly using their incredible aerial skills.
The wood thrush is a mostly brown member of the thrush family of birds that lives throughout most of the eastern states. This brown thrush has certain features and behaviors that help to identify it.
Several species of birds in the United States have a crest on their head. Among them are a few that the average person would have no trouble identifying and some that most people do not know well.
The various species of orioles that live in the United States possess brilliantly colored plumage and are master nest builders. These birds include the Baltimore oriole, the orchard oriole, the hooded oriole and the Bullock's oriole.
The white-breasted and red-breasted nuthatches are the two most common species of nuthatch in North America. The bird is not difficult to recognize, as it has distinct features as well as habits.
The northern flicker is a large member of the woodpecker family, but rather than spend most of the day knocking on tree trunks it searches for its food on the ground. The state bird of Alabama, the flicker is an easy bird to identify.
A bird-watcher has a specific set of keys that he runs through when he happens upon a species of bird he does not readily recognize. By doing so, he enables himself to identify the bird with field guides after he takes notes on his observations. His skill in employing these guides depends on his talent for paying attention to such things as the habitat of the bird, its shape and its behavior.
Songbirds belong to an order of birds categorized as passerines, otherwise known as perching birds. This order of birds is the largest and includes as many as 5,100 separate songbird species worldwide. Birdwatchers use a variety of ways to identify songbirds; these methods involve looking, listening and taking careful notes.
A covey is a term used to describe a small flock of birds, primarily a family. This a term only used for birds.
