Tricky Birds, Part I

I would guess that most birders start out separating birds in the field primarily by plumage colors and patterns.  I know that it was like that for me; the first field guide that I used contained photos that showed birds engaged in a variety of behaviors in their natural habitats, and even went so far as to categorize so-called “perching birds” by color.  Any given page spread would show six related (or, in the case of the “perching birds” section, not closely related) species, often in completely different poses and with no real sense of scale.

I want to emphasize that photographic guides aren’t necessarily bad—the problem I experienced was only that I came to subconsciously expect what I saw in the field to match the pictures in the book, and when that didn’t happen, I was sometimes a tad frustrated.  I simply lacked the experience at that stage to quickly and accurately discern the differences in shape, size, and usual posture between various species of birds.  That skill had to come with time.

Not to discount plumage, of course, but shape, size, posture, and behavior are usually far more diagnostic than intricate feather details, at least for some species.  Comparing several related or somewhat similar birds at once also helps immensely, although it’s not always easy to find an opportunity to do so.  That’s why I was pleased to be able to compare multiple species of gulls, terns, and shorebirds—of various ages—this year at Dauphin Island, Alabama.  This occurred on the 14th and 15th of March, which meant that some of the gulls and terns (and other species) were in alternate (or breeding) plumage, while others were still in basic (or winter) plumage, or in the middle of molting.  The first part of my photo essay will focus on gulls and terns, although shorebirds do show up in some of the pictures!

Let’s start by analyzing this small assortment of birds:

All of these are pretty easy to identify.  Breeding adult Laughing Gulls, like the one on the left, have black hoods, dark-red bills, slate-gray backs and wings, and mostly black wingtips.  The bird in back, an adult Ring-billed Gull, has the conspicuous black ring on a yellow bill, yellow legs, a somewhat lighter gray back, and a little more white on the primary feathers.  You can probably tell that the Ring-billed Gull is larger than the Laughing Gull, as well.  The two birds in front, shorebirds, are also drastically different from each other: the large, lanky one is a Willet, and the tiny one is a Sanderling.

Lone birds can be slightly trickier, especially if they’re not in full adult plumage.  For instance, look at this younger Ring-billed Gull:

The bill lacks an obvious dark ring, being pink with a black tip.  The legs are a dull pink, as well, and the plumage looks scruffier and more mottled on this “teenager” bird than on the adult in the first photo.  The body shape is basically the same, though.

Now, compare that bird to the Herring Gull in this photo:

Although both the Herring Gull and the Ring-billed Gull have black-tipped pink bills, pink legs, mostly grayish backs, and whitish heads, they’re subtly different in shape.  The Herring Gull has a bulkier build and a thicker bill.  Also notice that the Ring-billed Gull’s primary feathers extend pretty far past the tail.  The Herring Gull’s primaries look much shorter.  And, of course, the Herring Gull has a lot more brown feathers in its plumage.  (An adult bird would show more white, but this one is a subadult.)

Of course, if the Herring Gull had been standing next to the Ring-billed Gull, another difference would have been obvious: Herring Gulls are giants in comparison to Ring-bills.  In the photo below, the Herring Gull is on the left, dwarfing the Laughing Gull (without a black hood) and the Royal Tern (the bird with the orange bill).

Herring Gull, Royal Tern, and Laughing Gull

Speaking of Royal Terns, there were dozens of them on the beach, along with over a hundred Black Skimmers.  Skimmers are mostly crepuscular (i.e., active at dawn and dusk), so these birds were just roosting together in the late morning on the shore.  Their distinctive looks didn’t present any identification challenges, but they did provide a nice basis for comparison with other birds.

In the photo below, you can see how some of the skimmers have their heads resting on their backs, while a few of the birds are alert, with their cartoonishly large, red-and-black beaks visible.  Skimmers forage by flying low over the water, their long mandibles slicing through the surface.  If they touch fish, they snap them up quickly.  Terns, like the Royal Terns in the photo, are more specialized than gulls in their feeding habits, and usually dive for aquatic invertebrates and fish.  Their bills are longer and more dagger-like than those of gulls, but much smaller than those of skimmers.  Some of the Royal Terns had already completed the molt into breeding plumage, while others still retained the characteristic white foreheads of winter plumage. 

There is also a Ring-billed Gull in the picture.  Can you spot it?

A few Caspian Terns were mixed in with the group.  In the next picture, you can see a Caspian Tern on the right.  It has a fairly stocky, red bill with a smudge of black at the tip, and its head has a more rounded crest, unlike the long and spiky one of the Royal Tern.  The orange-billed Royal Terns in the photo are congregating with Black Skimmers, and do you see the winter-plumaged Laughing Gull on the left, and the Ring-billed Gull in the background?

Here’s another type of tern: the Forster’s Tern.  These are considerably smaller than the other two species I mentioned.  They have red legs, and, in winter plumage, black bills.  Distinguishing them from the similarly small, closely-related Common Terns can be tricky, but they don’t pose an identification challenge when seen with Royal and Caspian Terns.

Forster's Tern (with Royal Terns and Black Skimmers)

You might have noticed that the tern at the upper left has a much redder bill than any of the others in that photo.  If you were simply relying on bill color for identification, you might be tempted to call this individual a Caspian Tern.  However, the bill is relatively slim, like that of a Royal Tern, and lacks the black smudge that you would expect to see on a Caspian Tern.  The bird’s crest clinches the ID: it is long and shaggy in the classic Royal Tern shape, rather than short and rounded.  Noticeable variation can and does occur within species of birds!

That’s the end of Part I.  Stay tuned for Part II, which will focus on the shorebirds.

Photo Essay from the Coast

My family and I spent a few days on the Mississippi coast last month, mainly to enjoy the wildlife and scenery.  The cool sand made walking up and down the beach a pleasant experience, although the water was a bit too cold for wading.  The birds, including Great Blue Herons, Laughing Gulls, Forster’s Terns, and sandpipers, never minded this, however.  Credit this to the retia mirabilia (https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/rete-mirabile) in their feet, which are basically heat exchange systems of blood vessels.

Laughing Gull flying over Great Blue Heron.

Laughing Gulls and Forster's Terns (one of which is clearly visible on the right) congregating.

Even though the temperature was slightly low, there were plenty of reminders that it was indeed mid-March.  Hot-pink azaleas seemed to be one of the most common shrubs (after wax myrtle, yaupon, and privet, I’d say) in both town and rural environments.  The color of the blooms really “popped” against the typical backdrops of sandy soil and live oak leaves.

Azaleas

But we didn’t spend all of our time at the beach; the Pascagoula River Audubon Center provided us with great opportunities for walking and observing coastal plants and animals.  

Spreading leaves of palmettos

Near one of the trails, which was flanked by stands of wax myrtle, yaupon, and palmettos, a fledgling Great Horned Owl peered out from its perch in a tall pine tree.  Like many of the Great Horned Owls on the Gulf Coast, the pair that had produced this young bird had nested on a wooden nesting platform that had originally been made for Ospreys.  I took several photos of the fledgling.

A huge bird, even if not yet fully-grown.

"Who?" -- looking indignant, as owls tend to do.

Look at the finely-barred adult feathers replacing the downy juvenile ones.

Still looks fierce!

I saw one of the adult owls—probably the female, as I was informed by the staff at the center—in another pine around a hundred feet or so from the nest site.  As you can tell from the pictures, adult owls are sleeker—without downy feathers—and have larger ear tufts than the juveniles.

Mama owl quietly keeping watch.

A view of the vegetation and water.

Even though the Great Horned Owls had taken over the nest platform for the time being, there were still plenty of potential nesting sites for the Ospreys in the area.  I saw three of these graceful raptors flying over the river while I was at the Audubon center.  They are quite common in coastal regions, and their high-pitched, piping calls—which seem somewhat incongruous in such large birds—carry well and help me to know that they’re nearby even when I don’t see them.

Osprey in flight.

Circling around!

Ospreys are also sometimes called “sea eagles,” but there are actually Bald Eagles on the coast, as well.  I tried to snap pictures of this adult one as it flew over the Audubon building.  You can see the white head and tail, at least.

Bald Eagle flying over.

Gulf Islands National Seashore was another stopping place.  The coastal scrub and marshes provide habitat for numerous species of wildlife.  I heard Clapper Rails and saw Red-tailed Hawks, Laughing Gulls, Brown Pelicans, Red-winged Blackbirds, Great Blue Herons, Snowy Egrets, and more.  Large alligators prowled close to the shorelines, and cricket frogs called from the marsh grasses.

Saltmarsh

A prowling Great Blue Heron.

An American alligator in the marsh.

The cycle of storms, salt damage, and flooding always leaves its mark on the landscape of the Gulf Coast—it is an essential part of the ecosystem.  Sometimes, however, there are particularly obvious signs of recent disturbance, like this damaged boardwalk. 

Flood damage

The beaches, Pascagoula River Audubon Center, and Gulf Islands National Seashore were some of the places we traveled to during the first full day of vacationing on the coast.  The next day involved more trips to the beach, where I watched Brown Pelicans from a public fishing pier.

Brown Pelicans are commonly seen here.

Coastal regions tend to host a wide variety of birdlife, and not all of the birds seen near the shore will necessarily be seashore specialists like Laughing Gulls and terns.  For example, this Loggerhead Shrike, a species that occurs more generally in fields and other open habitats, had apparently staked out some territory around one of the parking areas near the beach.

Loggerhead Shrike

As I mentioned earlier, the Mississippi coast is home to numerous Ospreys.  They can be heard and seen practically anywhere that there is water, and they are equally adaptable in their nesting habits.  In the photo below, you can see an Osprey nest—with an adult Osprey on it—sitting atop the tower.

Osprey nest

Less adaptable are the Mississippi Sandhill Cranes, a local, nonmigratory, federally endangered subspecies of the common and widespread Sandhill Cranes.  The Mississippi subspecies is restricted to pine savanna environments in the breeding season, and these habitats have been threatened by human development.  Prior to this trip, I had never seen Mississippi Sandhill Cranes, so I tried looking for them at a number of sites.  Finally, my family and I spotted a pair of these secretive birds at—of all places—a landfill!  They departed with loud, guttural, rattling calls.

Mississippi Sandhill Cranes--lifting off at the landfill.

As much as I would have liked to stay longer at the coast, the vacation nevertheless had to come to an end.  The Gulf Coast region has such a diversity of wild creatures and habitats, though, that returning again and again never gets old.