BIOL 4142 Photo QuizLab 4 Ornithology birds:

First, you’ll see a photo showing just enough to allow you to clinch the ID. Then, you’ll see the full photo without the name, and then the photo with the name and perhaps some ID tips on specimens (not field ID).

American Robin (Turdidae)

Not even E. Bluebird would have the “red” extend that far into the belly, and E. Bluebird’, and E. Bluebird’s primaries are blue.

Brown Creeper (Certhiidae)

Note: not only would a wren lack the stiffened shafts of the central rectrices with bare tips, but also all wrens have barred rectrices.

American Crow (Corvidae)

The only two all-black birds are the two crows. From there, use wing formula … which is hard to tell in photos, but here #9 seems to be substantially longer than #5

Bank Swallow (Hirundinidae)

Clean white throat and distinct brown breast band

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptilidae)

“Blue” above, pale gray below, distinctive black line on forehead extending to anterior portion of superciliary.

Note also black and white tail.

Blue Jay (Corvidae)

Carolina Chickadee (Paridae)

Black crown, white face, black throat; also note small, short bill.

Brown-headed Nuthatch (Sittidae)

Brown crown, white spot on nape, blue-gray back ….

American Pipit (Motacillidae)

All you could see in the first photo was white in outer rectrix, a long nail on hind toe 2-3X longer than the other toenails, and a hint of streaking on underparts … and that’s all you need.

Note pale superciliary, messy breast spots, messy wingbars, and vague streaks on back.

Cliff Swallow (Hirundinidae)

“Orange” rump, pale forehead, chestnut throat …

Carolina Wren (Troglodytidae)

Cedar Waxwing (Bombycillidae)

Horned Lark (Alaudidae)

None of your other birds has a hind toenail that is straight and 2-3X as long as other toenails.

Face pattern unique; note that the horns will be flattened against crown on specimen.

Bill intermediate between insectivore and seed-crusher.

House Wren (Troglodytidae)

The barred remiges get you to “wren”; then, plain brown back eliminates all but Winter.

Relatively long tail and relatively pale underparts eliminates Winter

European Starling (Sturnidae)

Fish Crow (Corvidae)

Black primaries and underwing coverts = crow

Wing formula 9=5 = Fish Crow

Eastern Bluebird (Turdidae)

Compare tail to Blue Jay’s

Red-eyed Vireo (Vireonidae)

If only the head were visible, this would have been really easy: gray crown narrowly bordered dark gray; broad whitish superciliary; dark eyeline, pale throat.

BUT … you have no other birds in this week’s group that are greenish above ad whitish below that do NOT have wingbars.

Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulidae)

Yellow crown with black border, broad white superciliary, blurry black eyeline

European Starling (Sturnidae)

Nothing else has breast feathers with that texture and color.

Gray Catbird (Mimidae)

Gray with chestnut undertail coverts

Loggerhead Shrike (Laniidae)

Black mask, gray crown, large insect/small invert bill …

N. Mockingbird’s wing not as black, and white patches not as conspicuous in folded wing.

Hermit Thrush (Turdidae)

Tail slightly redder than back

Unmarked brown upperparts, no wingbars, spots on breast = one of the thrushes

Brown Thrasher (Mimidae)

Reddish brown, two white wingbars, conspicuous streaks

Marsh Wren (Troglodytidae)

The barred rectrices get you to “wren”; then, striped back eliminates all but Sedge …

… then, solid crown and prominent superciliary eliminate Sedge.

Northern Mockingbird (Mimidae)

None of your other species has grayish crown and back, fairly plain face, whitish throat.

Purple Martin – female (Hirundinidae)

Very long wings and long primary extension get you to “swallow” …

… then, violet crown and dark throat eliminate everything else

Purple Martin – male (Hirundinidae)

Northern Rough-winged Swallow (Hirundinidae)

Very long wings and long primary extension get you to “swallow” …

… then, brown upperparts and smudgy throat eliminate all other swallows

Blue-headed Vireo (Vireonidae)

“Blue” crown; striking white eyering that extends into lores.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulidae)

Winter Wren (Troglodytidae)

Compare to House Wren: underparts more heavily marked and darker, and tail disproportionately shorter, < 1 inch (hard to judge in the photo)

Sedge Wren (Troglodytidae)

The barred rectrices get you to “wren”; then, striped back eliminates all but Marsh …

… and then, striped crown and weak superciliary eliminate Marsh.

Yellow-throated Vireo (Vireonidae)

Tree Swallow (Hirundinidae)

Very long wings and long primary extension get you to “swallow” … and then clean white throat and blue crown = Tree.

Swainson’s Thrush (Turdidae)

Unmarked brown upperparts, no wingbars, spots on breast = one of the thrushes

No contrast from crown to tail = Swainson’s

White-eyed Vireo (Vireonidae)

Wood Thrush (Turdidae)

Unmarked brown upperparts, no wingbars, spots on breast = one of the thrushes

Crown more reddish than any other part of upperparts = Wood

Tufted Titmouse (Paridae)

Note also the tawny flanks.

Barn Swallow (Hirundinidae)

As long as you can figure out that you were looking at a tail, this one is easy …