Fall Bird Identification Quiz

As autumn approaches, I feel like sharpening my bird identification skills in preparation for the variety of species that I may see: summer nesters on their way south, year-round resident birds, transients, and even winter residents arriving from farther north.  Do you feel the same way?  If so, then here is a short identification quiz for the coming months!

1.  Let’s start with something easy.

2.  This one was foraging in the leaf litter.

3.  This species is not uncommon around ponds, lakes, and swamps.

4.  Many individuals of this species can be found perching on wires, especially in the late summer and early fall.

5.  This should be another fairly easy one.

6.  It wouldn’t be a proper ID quiz without a half-hidden bird!

 

Answers:

1.  The Barn Swallow is a common and colorful summer resident throughout most of North America.  The blue upperparts, orange throat and forehead, and buffy underparts make the identification simple.  The forked tail is best seen when the bird is flying.

2.  Some warblers molt into drab plumage and are hard to identify in the fall, but the Pine Warbler tends to look pretty much the same at any time of year.  However, young birds and adult females with drabber plumage than usual may be confused with other warbler species.  In this individual, the yellow spectacle-like markings on the face, the white wing bars, the unstriped back, and the white undertail coverts clinch the identification.  It’s always a bit harder when there aren’t lots of pine trees around, though!

3.  Large, white herons often don’t pose any major identification challenges, but there are always exceptions to the rule.  Immature Little Blue Herons, like this one, have white plumage (except for the wingtips, which are gray), so they may resemble immature Snowy Egrets.  However, their two-toned gray-and-black bills are different from the largely black bills of Snowy Egrets, and the skin around their eyes is blue, unlike the yellow lores of Snowy Egrets.  The legs and feet of Little Blue Herons are generally a solid greenish-gray, while immature Snowy Egrets have contrasting yellow feet.  Little Blue Herons commonly nest throughout the southeastern part of North America.

4.  With its brown upperparts, dusky underparts, and blunt tail tip, the Northern Rough-winged Swallow is probably the least flashy of the North American swallows.  Juveniles, like the one in the photo, can have faint rust-colored bars on their wings.  These swallows are extremely widespread in North America.

5.  In some regions (such as the Gulf Coast), Ospreys occur as permanent residents.  In most of the lower 48 United States, you probably won’t see them unless they’re migrating.  Interestingly, the Osprey can be found on every continent but Antarctica.

6.  Even with the branches partly obscuring the bird, the yellow belly, brown head and neck, slate-colored back and uppertail, white wing edges, and overall sleek appearance make it clear that this is a Cedar Waxwing.  The pointed crest can barely be seen through the leaves.  In Mississippi, where I live, this species is a winter resident, but it occurs all year in many states.