September Bird Identification Quiz

As we move into the early fall, lots of birds will begin migrating.  Some have already started, and there are also many young-of-the-year individuals that are just now experiencing independence from their parents -- a double-edged sword, since large numbers of immature birds do not survive the hazards of their first year. 

With all of that in mind, let's look at some species that can be seen in the Southeast during the early fall!

1.  This species is a year-round resident across much of its range, but there are some areas where it is seen only during migration.

2.  This bird closely resembles another species that is often found in the same regions.

3.  Birds in flight sometimes present more of a challenge to observers!

4.  A similar species may cause some confusion.

5.  This bird has been expanding its range eastward in recent years.

Answers:

1.  Reddish Egrets are almost exclusively coastal.  In the central portions of the Gulf Coast, they can be found during the spring and fall months, and they are fairly common breeding birds in Mexico, Texas, and Florida, Cuba, and the Bahamas.  Their active style of foraging involves running and wing-flapping.

The Reddish Egret occurs in both a dark morph and a white morph.  Although adult dark-morph Reddish Egrets have the signature rust-colored heads and necks, immature birds, like the one in the photo, are entirely a blotchy gray.  They also have dark bills, while their parents' beaks are half pink and half black.

2.  Although Cooper's Hawks are more likely to conceal themselves in dense foliage, they can sometimes be seen hunting right out in the open.  The adult hawk in the photo has gray upperparts and reddish barring on its breast; immature birds will be brown above and brown-streaked below.  

The Cooper's Hawk resembles the smaller Sharp-shinned Hawk, but a number of field marks help to distinguish these two species.  For one thing, the Cooper's Hawk's tail is proportionally longer, and usually has a rounded tip with a broad, white edge.  The Sharp-shinned Hawk has a shorter tail with a squared or slightly notched tip.  Sharp-shinned Hawks also have more of a hooded appearance than their larger relatives, which have dark "caps."

3.  The Turkey Vulture is such a common bird that its easy to overlook them in favor of rarer and flashier species.  But this species is fascinating, in no small part because of its large olfactory bulb, which gives it the ability to locate carrion by the smell.

Turkey Vultures' V-shaped wing posture and silvery wing linings are useful field marks for distinguishing them from the shorter, stockier Black Vultures, which hold their wings flat and have pale outer primary feathers.  You may see both Turkey and Black Vultures soaring on thermal currents, although the Turkey Vulture is far more migratory than its smaller relative.

4.  When its polka-dotted tail is not in view, the Yellow-billed Cuckoo (colloquially known as the rain crow) is a little trickier to identify.  However, the yellow mandible and reddish wing feathers are diagnostic.  The more northerly Black-billed Cuckoo has a bill that is either black or, in juveniles, grayish.  Both of these species are highly migratory, breeding in North America and wintering in South America.

You may find cuckoos in thickets and woodlands this autumn, especially if there are plenty of tent caterpillars—popular prey items—in the area!

5.  The Scissor-tailed Flycatcher is declining across much of its range, so the range expansions aren't necessarily indicators of a strong population.  I have observed these birds on Dauphin Island during the fall migration, and they are still common across a sizable portion of the south-central United States throughout the breeding season.  The streamer-like tails and salmon-colored underparts of the adult birds are unmistakable.  Immature individuals have shorter tails and yellow underparts.

Several years ago, I was one of several birders who got to see a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher nest in north-central Mississippi!