Birds of America 1-95

BirdsBirds of PROPERY OF TWIN LIGHTS PUBLNorthNorthISHERS AmericaAmericaPROPERY OF TWIN LIGHTS PUBLISHERS

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jim Roetzel Birds of North America PROPERY OF TWIN LIGHTS PUBLISHERS PROPERY OF TWIN LIGHTS PUBLISHERS

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PROPERY OF TWIN LIGHTS PUBLISHERS photography and text by PROPERY OF TWIN LIGHTS PUBLISHERS jim Roetzel

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission of the copyright owners. All images in this book have been reproduced with the knowledge and prior con- sent of the artists concerned and no responsibility is accepted by producer, publisher, or printer for any infringement of copyright or otherwise, arising from the contents of this publication. Every effort has been made to ensure that credits accurately comply with information supplied. First published in the United StatesPROPER of America by: Y OF TWIN LIGHTS PUBLISHERS PROPERY OF TWIN LIGHTS PUBLISHERS Twin Lights Publishers, Inc. 8 Hale Street Rockport, Massachusetts 01966 Telephone: (978) 546-7398 http://www.twinlightspub.com

ISBN: 1-885435-80-0 ISBN: 978-1-885435-80-4

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PROPERY OF TWIN LIGHTS PUBLISHERS PROPERY OF TWIN LIGHTS PUBLISHERS atlantic Puffin Colony (opposite) Newfoundland, Canada Like many auks, the Atlantic Puffin is counter shaded. Against the bright ocean surface, its white stomach camouflages it from predators below, and its black back blends with the surface from above.

(jacket front) Burrowing Owl, Cape Coral, Florida

(jacket back, clockwise from top) Sandhill Cranes, Bosque del Apache, New Mexico Northern Flicker, Noble County, Ohio White-breasted Nuthatch, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio PROPERY OF TWIN LIGHTS PUBLISHERS PROPERY OF TWIN LIGHTS PUBLISHERS (frontispiece) Indigo Bunting

Editor: Sue Fuhs Barraclough

Book design by: SYP Design & Production, Inc. www.sypdesign.com

Printed in China introduction

hen I started in nature photography in the early 1980s the photographs were simply taken “along the way” when things were very different. Cameras were film-based, the all the elements—a cooperative bird in good plumage, in choices of tripods and accessories were typically limited perfect light, set against the right background—lined up to local store inventory, and there were only a few hun- and I was fortunate enough to have my camera to capture dred other photographers chasing birds. If you’re familiar the fleeting moment. Nothing compares to the magic and Wwith photography, you’ll find that the equipment I used to thrill when it all comes together. create the images in this book reflects the recent evolution Of course, for every great image there were dozens of of the field.PROPER The oldest photographY was OF taken withTWIN a Nikon missedLIGHTS opportunities. PUBLThis is an inevitableISHERS part of bird PROPERY OF TWIN LIGHTS PUBLISHERS F3 camera and 600mm/F5.6 manual Nikkor lens on photography. Yet, the memories of birds seen but not pho- Kodachrome film, many others were shot with a Canon tographed are still vivid. Most young birds imprint instinc- EOS-3 camera and 600mm/F4 lens on Fuji Velvia, and the tively on avian adults, food, and patterns and likewise, most recent photographs were captured using image stabi- birds often make lasting impressions on birders and pho- lized lenses and digital single lens reflex cameras. The photographers. On many mornings, a bird’s vibrant colors, tographic tools have changed. song, or displays of affection have left their permanent When contacted about this project by my publisher, I mark on me. was very flattered and more than a little nervous. I have a Time in the field has taught me a few lessons about the great respect for the experts in the fields of ornithology and art of bird photography, which have influenced my work. photography and I wanted this book to appeal to them as The first is the golden rule: respect your subject—the birds well as the novice or casual bird watcher. I was also surprised and the protection of their habitat are more important to realize that there were few books available with images than your efforts to get the photograph. While the iconic that simply focus on communicating the joy of birds. birds are easy to make look good, it’s important to repre- The burgeoning popularity of birding, the growth of the sent the flitting songbirds in your backyard with equal Internet, and the development of digital cameras has creat- beauty. The best photographers recognize and capture the ed an incredible swell of interest in bird photography. But same dignity in a chickadee as they do in an eagle. the most PROPERessential tools have remainedY OF the same:TWIN a deep LYouIGHTS must also dedicate PUBL yourself to ISHERSlearning as much as PROPERY OF TWIN LIGHTS PUBLISHERS interest and understanding of natural history; a genuine you can about birds. You have to study their habitats, food love of wildlife; and a level of commitment that might sources, behaviors, calls, and idiosyncrasies. The more you appear to others to border on obsession. Most important, know about their natural history, the better a photographer however, is the fact that in the end, it is all about the birds you will become. You’ll be able to anticipate a photo —their beauty, diversity, and inspiration. opportunity that truly reflects a bird’s character and spirit. Throughout the book, I have identified the location of While it is certainly important to learn the technical tools each image. Photographs that were taken under controlled of photography, remember that cameras, lenses, and conditions are marked with a “CC” after their location. We tripods are just objects—they don’t take photographs by have kept narrative to a minimum intentionally; there are themselves. Compared to your understanding and passion numerous eloquent resources already available for identifi- for birds, camera knowledge is secondary. cation. Finally, I have learned that of all the photographic tools Many of the images were taken in my home state of I’ve used over the years, patience has been the most impor- Ohio, especially in and around Cuyahoga Valley National tant. I have spent countless hours in meadows, wetlands, Park. There are certain bird species that are most easily forests, and fields watching the light and the birds. In ret- found in particular areas of the country and I have been rospect, each bird, each moment, and each photograph was fortunate to photograph Snow Geese in Bosque del well worth the wait. I am grateful for this opportunity to Apache, RoseatePROPER Spoonbills inY the OF Florida TWINEverglades, shareLIGHTS them. PUBLISHERS PROPERY OF TWIN LIGHTS PUBLISHERS Smith’s Longspurs in the Alaskan Arctic, and Acorn Woodpeckers in the Madera Canyon of Arizona. Some of —Jim Roetzel

cedar WAXWING (opposite) Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio The distinctive face mask, eyes, and symmetry of this bird are truly elegant. Typically social birds, they are usually in groups, where behavior such as passing fruit may be observed in between their high-pitched calls.

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PROPERY OF TWIN LIGHTS PUBLISHERS PROPERY OF TWIN LIGHTS PUBLISHERS birds o f prey

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golden eagle (previous page) peregrine falcon (above, left) osprey (above, right) bald eagle Kent State University, Ohio CC Pennsylvania CC Everglades National Park, Florida Homer, Alaska This is “Flash,” the Kent State foot- The migratory Peregrine Falcon is Diving feet-first, Osprey use their The proud, strong profile, imposing most prevalent along the east and west ball team mascot. Renowned for their capable of flying almost 200 mph barbed talons to catch their fish. Once wingspan, and endurance of the Bald coasts of the United States. These eyesight, talon strength, and wing when hunting. An endangered species in their grip, they adjust the fish so Eagle make it the appropriate national beautiful birds of prey build eyries spans of up to five feet, the Golden in the 1950s, recovery efforts have that they face forward, thus causing emblem of the United States. Found from five to ten feet in width. Eagle can be found across the increased numbers along mountain less drag. near large bodies of water, Bald Eagles Northern Hemisphere. ranges, river valleys, and coastlines. have a wingspan of eight feet and are

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northern harrier (top) harlan’s hawk (bottom, left) goshawk (bottom, right) red-tailed hawk (opposite) Huntington Beach, California Vermont CC Vermont CC Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio The Northern Harrier relies on both Harlan’s Hawk is a darker sub-species Goshawks are likely to be seen within Widespread across North America, this hearing and vision to capture prey. of the Red-tailed Hawk. Its plumage forests, darting through the trees hawk is a bird of open country. The Facial feathers are stiff to help trans- is blackish with white undersides and beneath the canopy. They have short, light variety has a dark patagial mark mit sound, and a pronounced “facial a reddish or gray tail. It breeds in powerful wings and eye tufts which on its underwing and a gray-red tail, disk” is much like that of an owl. It is Alaska and northwestern Canada, and protect them while flying in pursuit while the dark morphed bird is wholly also known as a “Marsh Hawk.” winters on the southern Great Plains. of songbirds and squirrels. dark with a brick-red to pink tail.

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great horned owlet (left) great horned owl (right) burrowing owls (top) burrowing owlets (bottom) Venice Beach, Florida Pennsylvania CC Cape Coral, Florida Cape Coral, Florida This Great Horned Owlet has yet to Highly recognizable for the feather slightly different angle thus enabling Marked by their prominent white eye- While the Burrowing Owlet is grayer develop the adult’s prominent ear tufts. tufts on its head that resemble horns, it to better pick up sound. Well brows and a white patch beneath their and tiny, even the adult is a small bird The young are similar in coloration the Great Horned Owl’s ears are not known throughout North and South beaks, Burrowing Owls have fixed eyes, at only ten inches. They can live for to the adults although their barring placed in the same position on either America, it is found from the Arctic yet can rotate their heads 270 degrees ten years, but as ground birds of open and dark markings are not as crisp side of its head. The right ear is typi- tundra to the tropical rainforest. for peripheral vision. A human can grasslands or desert habitats, they are and defined. cally set higher in the skull and at a turn their head less than 180 degrees. often victims of snakes or coyotes.

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saw-whet owl (left) eastern screech owl (right) great gray owl (opposite) Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio Vermont CC Between Sax and Zim, Minnesota The Saw-whet’s call resembles a saw Dark streaking on the body helps to The Great Gray Owl is the largest gray concentric circles. Great Gray being sharpened or whetted. Fond of camouflage these owls against tree owl found in North America. When Owls are found from Alaska, across mountainous conifer forests in the bark. From the Rocky Mountains to perched they appear very bulky Canada, down the northern Rocky eastern and western United States, it the East Coast, they nest in cavities of because of their fluffy plumage. One Mountains, and in northern will bring one wing across the front trees or logs where they store insects, of the most elusive birds, it is easily Minnesota. of the body as camouflage. small amphibians, or mice. identified by its facial disk with two

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american kestrel (left) short-eared owl (right) barred owl (opposite) Vermont CC Mission Mountains, Montana Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio Actually a small falcon, the American One of the world’s most widespread A great hunter, the Barred Owl is able Kestrel tracks its prey from tall perch- owls, the Short-eared Owl soars low to sneak up on its prey with quiet, es, then dives to catch flying insects over fields with flopping wing beats. soft-feathered wings. However, these and small vertebrates. The female has It has a large, round, facial disk with feathers limit its ability to swoop and more reddish-white streaked wings brown tinges, black around the eyes, soar. Their distinct call mimics “Who and breast, and a multi-barred tail. and ear tufts that are rarely visible. cooks for you…who cooks for you.”

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juvenile cooper’s Hawk (left) black vultures (right) red-shouldered hawks Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio Everglades National Park, Florida Everglades National Park, Florida Cooper’s Hawks’ long tails act as rud- With a height of twenty-eight inches A forest bird, Red-shouldered Hawks Adults have a brown head, reddish ders, enabling them to maneuver in and a wingspan of up to five-feet, build their nests high in trees near breast, pale belly with reddish bars, wooded areas as they hunt in dense these vultures are often seen scavenging moving water. Found in California and a long tail with narrow white vegetation. Their namesake, William in dumps or on docks. They nest along and east of the Mississippi, a hawk bars. The red “shoulder” is visible Cooper, was co-founder of the Ameri- rivers or in open areas from South will stay in one territory for years and when the bird is perched. can Museum of Natural History. America to the southern United States. return to the same nest each season.

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merlin winter falcon (left) prairie falcon (right) swainson’s hawk (opposite) Vermont CC Vermont CC Tucson, Arizona This accipiter was popular with With slight color variations from the Common in the West, the Swainson’s medieval European falconers hunting Peregrine, the Prairie Falcon’s wings Hawk has one of the longest migra- small game birds and mammals. In beat quick, strong, and shallow— tions of any American raptor— North America, it nests in Canadian somewhat mechanically. Nesting on 10,000 kilometers from Canada to grasslands or bogs and migrates to the cliff ledges, its habitat includes arid Argentina. It can travel nearly 200 American West and South. regions and alpine tundra. kilometers (124 miles) per day.

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PROPERY OF TWIN LIGHTS PUBLISHERS PROPERY OF TWIN LIGHTS PUBLISHERS large land birds

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wild turkeys (previous page) sharp-tailed grouse (left) ruffed grouse (right) spruce grouse (opposite) Bosque del Apache, New Mexico Devil’s Lake State Park, North Dakota Bobcaygeon, Ontario Churchill, Manitoba Wild Turkeys are commonly found in The Sharp-tailed Grouse is an open- Widespread throughout North Amer- Spruce Grouse settle in the dense pine open woodlands. During daylight prairie bird with a chicken-like ica, the Ruffed Grouse is virtually and spruce woods of northern-moun- hours, small, single-sex flocks have appearance. During mating season invisible in the dense growth of its tain environments. The Spruce Grouse been known to search for food in males establish leks (courtship grounds) nesting grounds, thanks to its color- is also known as the “Fool Hen” residential areas. These birds can be and defiantly strut in circles with ing. When startled, they will erupt because it is easily approached and aggressive and are very fast runners. lowered heads and raised feathers. suddenly from the forest floor. tame enough to handle.

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pink flamingo (above) blue grouse (opposite) San Diego Zoo, California CC National Bison Range, Montana The pink hue of this graceful bird is edge, creating large mounds from The plumage of the Blue Grouse is Larger than other typical grouse, they a direct result of its diet, which is mud, stones, and feathers. With gray-brown, however, males have occupy coniferous forests and grass- high in alpha and beta-carotene from colonies that number up to 10,000, orange-yellow combs over their eyes lands in western North America. seeds, blue-green algae, and mollusks a flock of flamingos taking flight is and light-gray tail feathers with yellow it filters out of lagoons or mangrove a breathtaking spectacle. to red skin, and white neck feathers swamp waters. It nests at the water’s that they display during courtship.

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american crow (top) raven (bottom) gambel’s quail Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming Bosque del Apache, New Mexico American Crows prefer open areas In Native-American mythology, the Gambel’s Quails are usually observed scaly undersides, males have copper with nearby trees such as suburban Raven is typecast as a trickster. Edgar in coveys by brush in the deserts of crowns, black faces, and white eye- and city neighborhoods, parks, and Allan Poe identified the bird’s shriek as the Southwest, or scurrying surpris- brows. coastal habitats. Crows sport glossy, ominous. Perhaps the connotation arises ingly fast across roads, but flying only iridescent feathers; young crows have from its size, iridescent green or purple if pursued by a predator. Identifiable pink edges to their mouths. sheen, or its omnivorous nature. by their gray plumage, top knots, and

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bobwhite quail (top) willow ptarmigan (bottom, left) rock ptarmigan (bottom, right) california quail (opposite) Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, Florida Churchill, Manitoba Nome, Alaska Mount Baldy Area, California Named for their whistle, “bob-white,” Like many northern Arctic animals, The Rock Ptarmigan nests above tree Sometimes called the “Valley Quail,” this ground-dweller is native to pine Willow Ptarmigans have separate line tundra in barren regions of the this plump bird has an eye-catching, or woody growth from the Northeast summer and winter plumage. In sum- Yukon and British Columbia. Visually forward-facing black plume and a to Mexico. Popular game birds, they mer they are a brownish-red, while in similar to the Willow Ptarmigan, the black and gray scaled belly. The are distinguishable by their black cap winter, they turn primarily white—a male has a more prominent, black eye California Valley Quail is the state and black stripe behind the eye. snowy camouflage from predators. line in winter. bird of California.

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PROPERY OF TWIN LIGHTS PUBLISHERS PROPERY OF TWIN LIGHTS PUBLISHERS smaller open-country birds

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indigo bunting (previous page) eastern bluebirds (above) Common Yellowthroat Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio Chagrin Falls, Ohio Warbler (opposite) Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio The male Indigo Bunting is known This lovely thrush is drawn to fences for its blue-violet head and bright along orchards or farm country. The strange noise made by whistling blue back. Females have a tawny body Providing a bluebird house in this and saying the word “pish” is referred and blue-edged wings. They migrate setting is likely to draw the bird as to by birders as “pishing.” The sound after dark, traveling from the North- well. Note that the Western Bluebird may draw curious songbirds including east and Southwest to Mexico. species has a blue throat. this Common Yellowthroat Warbler.

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chipping sparrow (top) swamp sparrow (bottom, left) song sparrow (bottom, right) savannah sparrow (opposite) Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio The frail nest of the Chipping Spar- The Swamp Sparrow is the “dipper” The Song Sparrow’s success with Savannah Sparrows were named for row is lined with hair, earning it the of the sparrow family. Since its diet attracting mates or guarding its terri- the Georgia city where they were first name “Hairbird.” Nesting in residen- consists of shallow water invertebrates, tory may be directly related to the documented. Found in grassy habi- tial gardens or evergreens, it is prolific this bird can often be seen with its number and complexity of the male’s tats, they differ from other sparrows across the continent and is perhaps head underwater in an attempt to song parts. Its favorite habitat is a by their yellow brows, white crown most recognized by its trilling chirp. catch its lunch. brushy salt marsh area. stripe, and short tails.

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clay-colored sparrow (left) tree swallow (right) american tree sparrow (opposite) Devil’s Lake State Park, North Dakota Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio The Clay-colored Sparrow summers With a diet favoring seeds and berries, The American Tree Sparrow forages along the Great Lakes and winters in the Tree Swallow typically nests in holes and nests on the ground above northern Texas and Mexico. It is rare on the made by woodpeckers, near a source of tree lines. It is able to tolerate sub-zero eastern seaboard. It is distinguished water. With sleek, iridescent, blue-green temperatures if seed is available. During by its conical, dark-tipped beak and uppers and a forked tail, it winters far- a cold winter, seed-filled feeders can buzzing, insect-like song. ther north than any other swallow. draw these birds in flocks.

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golden-crowned white-crowned sparrow house sparrow (opposite) sparrow (left) (right) Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio Nome, Alaska Bosque del Apache, New Mexico One hundred House Sparrows were Identified by a hint of golden crown, This bird acquires its song from the introduced into Brooklyn during this bird inhabits the Yukon region in local flock where it is raised, creating 1851 and 1852. “Dust bathers,” they the summer then migrates to coastal multiple dialects of melodies and tone, can now be found in residential bird California. Observers define its three- even within their smaller habitats in baths from British Columbia to James toned whistle as “Oh dear me.” Canada and the Southwest. Bay and south to Panama.

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european starling (left) snow bunting (right) female house finch (left) male house finch (right) Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio St. Paul Island, Alaska Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio Referred to in the works of William A circumpolar breeder across the bar- Once a trendy, illegal Mexican import The House Finch is a seed-eater that Shakespeare, the European Starling rens of the Northern Hemisphere, the during the 1940s, the House Finch frequents bird feeders. It prefers access was introduced in New York’s Central Snow Bunting migrates to coastlines was nicknamed the “Hollywood to woodlands and often nests in Park in the late 19th century. It has where it builds nests in rock crevices. Finch.” conifers. Ornithologists note that the since become one of the most prolific It molts from a stark black and white redder the male’s breast, the more birds across the continent. winter plumage to buff and white. appeal it seems to have to the female.

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common redpoll (top) hoary redpoll (bottom) bobolink (opposite) Churchill, Manitoba Churchill, Manitoba Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio Foraging seeds, the Redpoll stores Similar to the Common Redpoll, the Native to open grasslands, the male food in its small throat pouch for rarer Hoary Redpoll has a smaller bill Bobolink’s plumage is distinctly later consumption—important as which gives its face a pushed-in look. unique during mating season, with its seeds are not always readily available Its downy feathers insulate against black under body and white back. in its most northern winter habitats. harsh cold, while in mild weather, it Common in the East, it migrates will pluck some of its own feathers. great distances to South America.

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northern mockingbird (left) phainopepla (right) American robin (top) house finch (bottom) Everglades National Park, Florida Tucson, Arizona Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio Stow, Ohio The repetitive tunes of the Northern Native to the Southwest and Mexico, Known for its large red breast, the Robin’s two- or three-syllable calls rise This species will frequent garden bird Mockingbird mimic other birds and the Phainopepla has glossy dark feath- American Robin is found throughout and fall, announcing the spring. They feeders. But beware, as they can also continue into the night throughout ers and a notable crown plume. It the United States and southern Can- can be detected by the presence of feed on cultivated buds and fruits, the South, the East, and southern fools predators by using other bird’s ada. Nesting birds are often seen on broken, pale-blue shells found beneath chewing through fruit or flowers to Canada. The territorial male will dive calls and hydrates itself by consuming lawns where they look (not listen) for trees, shrubs, and bushes from their access the seed. at intruders in a quick loop. huge quantities of mistletoe berries. worms, insects, and berries. The recently hatched chicks.

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red-winged blackbird say’s phoebe (left) eastern PHOEBE (right) Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio Orange County, California Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio A sign of spring, the polygynous male the nest just ten days after hatching. Nesting farther north in Alaska than When John James Audubon began will perch on a marshland cattail to Identified throughout the continent, other flycatchers, the Say’s Phoebe is banding and tracking American birds display its red and yellow colors and large migrating flocks commonly for- also found from midwestern prairies around 1840, this wagging-tailed sing its scratchy “oak-a-lee” song for age grain in harvested fields. to eastern California. Its common species was reportedly the first to be females. Hatchlings are blind and name honors entomologist Thomas banded. Male phoebes circle and dive featherless, yet they manage to leave Say’s 1819 expedition into the Rockies. noisily as part of the mating ritual.

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barn swallow (top) western kingbird (bottom) Eastern kingbird (opposite) Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio Chatfield State Park, Colorado Floodplain of the Cuyahoga River, Ohio The male Barn Swallow, named for its The Western Kingbird has a distinc- The Eastern Kingbird builds its sturdy nesting sites on barn beams and eaves, tive gray head, olive-gray body, and cup nest in trees or on high poles is marked by its striking, glossy blue pale-yellow to orange underbelly. The above water that is adjacent to open color; a long, forked, teal tail; and male’s dramatic courtship behavior areas across North America. The male zigzag flight. Males with the longest involves a twist, a vertical ascent, and is very territorial, attacking even tails are popular among females. a downward spiraling tumble. hawks if threatened.

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mourning dove (opposite) mountain bluebird (top) cowbird (bottom) Tucson, Arizona Durango, Colorado Portage Lakes Area, Ohio The Mourning Dove’s soft, vibrato Mountain Bluebirds nest in pairs in Cowbirds do not build nests nor do cooing is familiar across America. It decaying trees and trunks with cavities they raise their young. The female is the most abundant game bird in located among forest-fire sites in west- lays her egg in the clutch of another North America. More nutritious than ern North America. If natural sites are songbird’s existing nest. Usually the cows’ milk, the female’s regurgitated sparse, a bluebird will seek out a man- host bird will hatch, feed, and rear “pigeon milk” is critical to hatchlings. made bird house. the young Cowbird.

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northern wheatear (top) northern shrike (bottom, left) yellow-headed blackbird (bottom, right) eastern meadowlark (top) western meadowlark (bottom, left) horned lark (bottom, right) Nome, Alaska Newport Beach, California Nine Pipe NWR, Montana Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio Bosque del Apache, New Mexico Churchill, Manitoba After nesting in Alaska and Canada, The Northern Shrike feeds on insects, This bird attaches its nest to high Found in grasslands of eastern North Nesting from the Pacific to beyond the The only true lark that is native to all the Northern Wheatear will cross the but it also preys on small birds or marsh reeds, keeping an eye on egg- America, this bird has a clear, melodi- Great Lakes, the Western male variety North America, this bird is common Bering Strait and Asia to reach African mammals. It stores its kill for later stealing wrens. It can flock with other ous whistle. Not actually a lark, it is uses a “chase” during pairing. If a male in open country. Its most notable fea- grasslands. The name “wheatear” is a consumption, perhaps wise when win- blackbird species. The male is marked closer to the oriole and blackbird fam- has two mates, one female may initiate tures include a black face patch polite English adaptation of “white- ters in Canada and the northern by a brilliant yellow head, black body, ilies. The female’s pointed bill differs the chase; the male will usually chase against a pale-yellow throat and horn- arse”—referring to its white rump. United States make food scarce. and loud, “rusty-hinge-like” call. from the male’s more conical one. both females, one at a time. like white tufts behind its dark crown.

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smith’s longspur (previous page) winter wren (top) house wren (bottom, left) cactus wren (bottom, right) brown thrasher Churchill, Manitoba St. Paul Island, Alaska Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio McDowell Mountain, Arizona Florida Visually similar to other longspur Nesting in grassy clumps, Winter With a longer body and a stouter bill Arizona’s state bird, the Cactus Wren Nesting in thickets and shrubs, this species, the breeding Smith’s Long- Wrens are native to the high cliffs of than the Winter Wren, the House is seven to eight inches in length. shy bird with its black streaked breast, spur male will mate with multiple the Arctic isles, redwood forests of the Wren emits a loud alternating high- Building multiple, protected nests in rufous back, long tail, white wing females on multiple occasions in Pacific Coast, wooded areas of the low pitch of “see-see-see-oodle-oodle” the niches of large, thorny cacti in the bars, and yellow eyes, is best detected an effort to ensure its genetic domi- Rocky Mountains, as well as wood- when threatened. It nests in enclosed Southwest region, it will live in only by its impressive singing that often nance. lands of the Appalachian range. spaces and garden nest boxes. one—the rest are decoys. mimics other species.

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female purple finch (left) American Goldfinch (right) gray-crowned rosy finch (opposite) Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio St. Paul Island, Alaska The female Purple Finch’s coloring is Familiar across the United States and Found on barren mountains from drab compared to her male counter- southern Canada, this gregarious finch Alaska to the Northwest, this is the part’s showy raspberry shaded parts. issues its mating call “tsee-tsi-tsi-tsit” only finch species with a dark breast The state bird of New Hampshire, in June and July. Males exhibit a coloring. Its rump, wings, and belly this finch is less prolific than the handsome black cap, wings, and tail, are a rose shade; forehead and throat House Finch. and brilliant lemon-yellow bodies. are black; the back of the head is gray.

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tufted titmouse (top) gray catbird (bottom, left) chestnut-backed black-capped Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio chickadee (bottom, right) chickadee (opposite) Hurricane Ridge Area, Washington Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio Perhaps influenced by global warm- Observed from southwestern Canada ing, the Tufted Titmouse has been to Florida, the Gray Catbird makes its This bird makes its nests from fur and Across North America, this relatively traveling farther north each year. It is presence known with a cat-like whine hair dropped from deer, rabbits, or tame, backyard bird has been known discernable by the gray tuft atop its issued from dense thickets. Birders coyotes. Nests are found in coniferous to take seed from an open hand. The head and a loud whistled song of who imitate the call usually summon or deciduous tree cavities from the distinct “chick-a-dee-dee” can vary, “peter-peter-peter-peter.” the male of the species. central coast of California to Alaska. thus conveying different messages.

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great-crested acadian flycatcher (left) willow flycatcher (right) flycatcher (opposite) Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio Southwest Adirondacks, New York The Acadian Flycatcher nests on All flycatchers return to their previous This male’s bright yellow belly is hid- dense, coniferous, forest floors. It is year’s nest in wet, brushy, territory den so that its coloring camouflages it found from the southeastern Dakotas across the United States and southern against its snake-skin-lined nest in a to New England and the Southeast. Canada. A Willow Flycatcher that finds hollowed tree. Sightings require follow- Shy and quiet in its movement, it is cowbird eggs in a nest will build a new ing its strong, rising “wee-eep” call. a challenging bird to view. nest directly on top of the old one.

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blue-gray gnatcatcher (left) lapland longspur (right) Baltimore oriole (opposite) Brazos Bend State Park, Texas Nome, Alaska Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher is fearless “Longspur” refers to this bird’s hind Maryland’s state bird, the Baltimore when protecting its nest in deciduous toe claw. It breeds during the constant Oriole is easily identified by its bright woodlands or stream-side thickets. summer daylight in the most northern orange and black coloring. Its gray, Found from California to New Arctic regions. Winter flocks can tube-like nest is found in deciduous Hampshire and south to Texas, it can number up to several million birds. trees and woods. attack birds three times its size.

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curved-billed thrasher (top) oregon junco (bottom) RUFOUS-sided towhee Phoenix, Arizona California Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio Stick nests of the Curved-billed A medium-sized sparrow, the Oregon While the head and upper body are Thrasher are located in the center of Junco is known as a “snowbird.” It brown on the female, both sexes dense, thorny vegetation in south- summers throughout Alaska, Canada, exhibit reddish-brown sides and a western deserts. The bird’s double and mountainous regions of the white belly. This species is sometimes whistle “whit-wheet” is very distinct United States, then moves to more referred to as a “chewink” after the from any other thrasher species. southern elevations in winter. sound of its most common call.

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dark-eyed junco (above) white-breasted nuthatch (opposite) Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio Juncos typically build ground nests on The White-breasted Nuthatch its territory, it will sweep a piece of banks with overhanging tree roots or exhibits unusual behavior—it feeds by fur or vegetation around its nest rock ledges. With fifteen different hopping along tree trunks and cavity, masking its own scent from varieties, Dark-eyed Juncos are the branches, often hanging upside down. possible predators. most common feeder-birds across the It will jam a nut into a tree and ham- continent in winter. mer it open with its bill. Defending

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Rose-breasted grosbeak (opposite) evening grosbeak (above) Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio Observed in temperate climates squeaky “eek-eek” call sounds like Sighted throughout North America, throughout North America in the rubber soles on a hardwood floor. Its this bird will irrupt across the United summer, the Rose-breasted Grosbeak nest of grass and twigs is so delicate States and Canada based upon food winters in southern Mexico. Its song that the eggs may often be seen supplies. Drawn to sunflower seed, is similar to the American Robin, only through its netting. watch for its brown head and nape, sweeter and more melodic, while its and bright yellow brow and back.

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broad-tailed Rufous hummingbird (right) ruby-throated anna’s hummingbird (bottom) hummingbird (left) Durango, Colorado hummingbird (top) Newport Beach, California Durango, Colorado Magee Marsh, Ohio Small and very maneuverable, this red throat. The female exhibits a Seen from California, north to Alaska Seen from Idaho to the Rockies, this hummingbird may return annually to white throat with some red; an irides- Ruby-throats adapt to humans quickly and east to the Mississippi, females bird’s wings produce a distinct trilling the same location, even the same feed- cent black and green head and back; and are often drawn to the color red. build nests from plant down and noise during flight. Both sexes have iri- er. An elegant addition to any garden, and an orange, green, and black tail Most common in the eastern United spider webs. The male’s courtship descent green backs and crowns, while the male has an orange back, body, with rounded white tips. States, the male has a bright red gor- involves hovering high, a squeeky the male has a bright red throat patch. and tail with pointed black tip, and a get; the female has a white-tipped tail. warble, and diving down in a big arc.

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white-eyed vireo (top) red-eyed vireo (bottom, left) blue-headed vireo and BLUE-HEADED VIREO (opposite) Magee Marsh, Ohio Southwest Adirondacks, New York young cowbird (bottom, right) Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio The White-eyed Vireo’s white and This vireo is abundant in the deciduous Of the three different “Solitary Vireo” black eyes stand out against its yellow trees of eastern forests in the summer. Easily identified by its blue-gray head, species, the Blue-headed Vireo is the mask and gray crown. A 400,000 Its call, one of the few heard on a hot dark-brown eyes, and contrasting white most colorful. It has the easternmost year-old fossil of this specific species mid-day, is a series of abrupt, two- and spectacles, the Blue-head breeds across habitat and summers from Alberta to was identified in Florida. three-note whistles that are repeated as the Canadian provinces, south through Newfoundland, migrating south along often as forty times a minute. the Midwest, and the Carolinas. the Gulf and the Southeast coasts.

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ovenbird (top) warbling vireo (bottom) veery (opposite) Acadia National Park, Maine South Dakota Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio The Ovenbird’s name is derived from This bird’s preferred nesting habitats The Veery is partial to damp, boggy, its domed nest with a side entrance include seasonal woodlands or groves deciduous woodlands. Its call is a resembling a Dutch oven. Common near streams, from British Columbia to lovely, flute-like, falling spiral song. from the Midwest to eastern forests, New Brunswick and south to Virginia. Its common “vee-er” call gives this male birds may sing alternately to More easily heard than seen, its rapid bird its name. each other for long periods. twitter ends on a high-pitched note.

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chestnut-sided warbler (top) hooded warbler (bottom, left) western palm warbler bay-breasted warbler Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio (bottom, right) Magee Marsh, Ohio Venice, Florida This is the only warbler species that From Wisconsin to the Gulf Coast, At six inches, this large warbler nests displays a greenish-yellow cap, a white Hooded Warblers prefer shaded, sepa- All Palm Warblers wag their rumps, in stands of mature firs and hemlock breast, and distinctive reddish streaks rate-sex habitats. The male, with a emphasizing their yellow under-tails. throughout eastern Canada, primarily down its sides. The male warbler’s yellow face and a black hood and col- They will migrate to Florida and the from Ottawa and into Maine. It will mating song is an emphatically lar, prefers mature under-forests, while Caribbean in the winter but will sum- only wag its tail while feeding. accented “pleased-to-MEETCHA.” hoodless females like wooded swamps. mer all the way into northern Canada.

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magnolia warbler (top) blue-winged warbler (bottom) yellow warbler (opposite) Magee Marsh, Ohio Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio First classified from a sighting in a As shrubby, second-growth, man-made The male Yellow Warbler is identified Mississippi Magnolia tree, this bird’s habitats are developed, the Blue-winged by its golden-yellow plumage and breeding plumage is distinctive with Warbler population decreases, espe- rusty streaks on his breast. With vari- its bold black and white facial pat- cially in the Northeast. In a survival eties that range from northern Canada tern, gray cap, and wings with a white effort, the Blue-winged hybridizes to Panama, this warbler favors the patch. The female is more muted. with the Golden-winged. multi-floral rose as a nesting site.

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hermit thrush (top) scarlet tanager (bottom, left) White-Throated Sparrow eastern towhee (opposite) Acadia National Park, Maine Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio (bottom, right) Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio Of several spot-breasted thrushes seen Scarlet Tanagers might be referred to The Eastern Towhee’s delightful song from Alaska, south to coastal California, as “neck strainers”; birders must often Common in the Northeast, this bird’s has several notes followed by a trilled and east through the Maritimes, the look straight up into the top of the white throat patch and yellow spots “drink-your-teeeee.” Part of the spar- Hermit Thrush has the darkest, most forest canopy to see them. Viewed are distinctive. There are two morphs row family, Eastern Towhees nest in distinct marks. It nests in the shrubs mostly in the Northeast, tanagers are with white or tan crowns. They usual- low bushes or grasses from New of conifer forests in higher elevations. sensitive to forest fragmentation. ly mate with the opposite color form. England to Virginia and the Midwest.

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purple martins (left) great-tailed grackle boat-tailed grackle common gracklE Buckhorn, Ontario (top, right) (bottom, right) Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, Texas Florida Martins generally rely on man-made Part of the same family as orioles, brazenly snatch crumbs at outdoor nesting sites including clay pots, hol- In Central America, large, noisy grackle The male Boat-tailed Grackle is about blackbirds, and cowbirds, the Com- cafes, leaving quite a mess. During lowed gourds, and multi-holed bird roosts are frequently found in small four inches longer than the Common mon Grackle is regularly seen across evening stops, thousands of the birds houses. Purple Martins are actually town plazas. Their territorial chal- Grackle. Its longer, wider, “V”-shaped the Midwest and along the Atlantic may be seen—as well as heard—roost- dark steel-blue with brown-black lenges with other birds and sharp barks tail creases to form the appearance of Coast. An opportunistic feeder, grack- ing together in a single tree. wings; the female is browner. and whistles can be annoying. a boat’s keel when the bird is in flight. les will damage seedling crops or

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red-bellied woodpecker (left) downy woodpecker (right) pileated woodpecker (left) hairy woodpecker (right) Everglades National Park, Florida Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio Ironically, the Red-bellied Wood- The most common American wood- At sixteen to nineteen inches in length, Across North America, the Hairy pecker of the Southeast has only a pecker, the Downy is found through- the Pileated Woodpecker is the largest Woodpecker is easily recognized by its touch of red on its white underside, out North America, from Alaska to woodpecker found in North America. white body with contrasting black tail, while its brilliant red crown and hind Florida. It thrives in a variety of habi- It makes its presence known with a wings with white bands, a black mask, neck contrast with the black-and- tats from wilderness forests to urban loud hammering “kuk-kuk-kuk” call and a red patch on the back of its head. white bars on its back and wings. parks or backyard bird feeders. and large holes left in dead trees. The female’s head patch is black.

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red-headed woodpecker (left) acorn woodpecker (right) northern flicker (opposite) Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio California Noble County, Ohio One of the most aggressive and Drilling up to 50,000 holes in a single The male Northern Flicker is the yellow- omnivorous woodpeckers, the Red- tree or pole to store their acorns, an shafted form common to eastern and headed species will attack rivals and extended family of Acorn Wood- northern regions. The red-shafted form destroy their nests and eggs. It breeds peckers nests as a team to protect is a western bird. A hammering wood- in deciduous woodlands, preferring their cache. They make a distinct loud pecker, both forms prefer to lap up areas of dead or recently burnt trees. tapping and “waka-waka-waka” call. ground ants using their barbed tongues.

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steller’s jay (opposite) blue jay (left) northern cardinal (right) Mount Rainier National Park, Washington Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio Steller’s Jays are common in coniferous The Blue Jay is recognized by its loud The official bird of seven states, the forests from Alaska, along the Rockies, cackling “jay jay” calls and melodious, male has beautiful red plumage while to mountainous areas of lower Central whistling song, as well as its bright the female is tan with red highlights. America. They often imitate the cry of blue crown, back, and barred wings. Cardinals are common in the Mid- the Red-tailed Hawk to clear competi- Its territorial aggression is evident in west, New York, and New England. tion from a feeding area. parks and residential areas. They winter in Mexico.

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florida scrub jay (left) western scrub jay (right) gray jay (opposite) Florida California Churchill, Manitoba While this adult jay has bright blue This brightly-colored Scrub Jay of the Like a large chickadee and friendly shades, the youngling (seen here) bears American West is nonmigratory, to the point of stealing food from lighter browns and blues. Exclusive to remaining in lowlands and suburban human hands, this jay will brazenly Florida, it is an endangered species areas. Those nesting near oaks will raid forested campsites, from Alaska due to the reduction of the “scrub” bury caches of seeds or bugs, hiding to Labrador and across the northern habitat along Florida’s coastal regions. them from other jays. United States.

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snow geese (previous page) pacific loon (top) common loon (bottom) wood ducks (opposite) Bosque del Apache, New Mexico Churchill, Manitoba Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland, Ohio Presenting either an all-white body or The Pacific Loon nests on lakeside A symbol of peaceful wilderness, this Though exquisitely colored, the male a gray-brown body with a white head, platforms of roots and mud in Alaska loon's eerie, piercing call echoes across Wood Duck still relies on courtship Snow Geese migrate in large, bunched and northern Canada. It winters at Canadian lakes throughout the breed- behavior. His impressive wing dis- flocks or in broad “U” formations sea, mainly on the Pacific Coast, or ing season. The male measures up to plays, thin, rising and falling “zeet- across Pacific coastal areas to the on large lakes where it wails a high- three feet from its black head to its like” whistle, and mutual kiss-like Rockies and along coastal Texas. pitched warble. checkered black-and-white mantle. preening are all necessary to win his mate.

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female wood duck male wood duck (top) Mallard drake (bottom, left) female mallard (bottom, right) Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland, Ohio Castalia, Ohio Less colorful than her male counter- Striking in appearance, the male is The Mallard breeds in temperate and The female Mallard emits a cliché part, the female Wood Duck’s color- considered one of the most beautiful subtropical North America, migrating “quack” call. She protects her feathers ing provides camouflage. Her crest and of all ducks. The Wood Duck nests in as far south as Central America. The with frequent preening—squeezing oil cheek are gray; her breast is a mottled trees close to marshy areas, especially northernmost birds are larger, reflect- from a gland at the base of the tail onto white-brown; and her upper parts are where nest boxes are provided. ing Allen’s rule that climate tempera- her bill and across her plumage which olive-gray with a metallic sheen. tures affect size. insulates from environmental pollutants.

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masked duck (top, left) bufflehead (bottom, left) american coot (right) american black duck/mallard hybrid Brazos Bend State Park, Texas Huntington Beach, California Florida Castalia, Ohio A species known for its stiff tail held The smallest diving duck in North The American Coot’s slate-gray The American Black Duck often lighter in the head to neck, and a dark upright, breeding males have a rust- America, the Bufflehead nests almost plumage and white chicken-like beak cross-breeds with captive-bred mal- cap and eye line, the hybrid has the colored body with a black face. They exclusively in holes excavated by distinguish this rail from actual duck lards that now outnumber, and often Mallard’s notable iridescent green in nest along secluded mangroves or Northern Flickers. This duck is iden- species. While a swimmer, it does not overtake, breeding habitats. While the its cap. Both males have a bright pur- marshy coastlines from Texas through tified by its large bulbous head and have webbed feet, instead it has lobes pure American Black has a dark yel- ple speculum and white underwing Mexico and sometimes Florida. white coloring behind the eye. between its toes that aid in paddling. low beak, black-brown coloring that is linings.

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red-throated loon (opposite) pintail (top) black mallard hybrid female redhead duck Nome, Alaska Newport Beach, California (bottom, left) (bottom, right) Cleveland, Ohio Newport Beach, California This unique loon species of Canadian The Northern Pintail has a long, white lakes and Arctic coasts is small in size neck and bluish bill. The drake’s Hybrid Mallard and Black Ducks, Fast becoming one of North America’s and is able to take flight from a small plumage includes a velvet-brown while often darker than Mallards, may rarest species of duck, the female is land area. It searches for fish beyond head, and a splendid combination of take on any one of the Mallard’s visual marked with gray and brown plumage its nesting site and refuses duckling black, tan, and gray patches with attributes, making some hybrids hard and a bluish-gray bill. They are known transport on its back. bronze bands along the wings. to identify or differentiate. to lay their eggs in other ducks nests.

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canada goose female RING-NECKED duck (top) greater scaup (bottom) Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio Cleveland, Ohio Churchill, Manitoba The most familiar and widespread only to find residential or urban Found in smaller ponds across the con- Among duck hunters, this bird is goose in North America, migrating development where their presence is tinent’s temperate regions, this duck’s known as a “blue-bill.” Its common flocks of Canada Geese are lovely perceived as a nuisance due to their quiet call and rarely visible violet neck- name is probably derived from the sights throughout the fall across large size, noisy honking, and copious ring require special birding skills. Ring- bird’s infrequent “scaup scaup” call. America and Canada. Canada Geese calling cards. necks are usually identified by their size The scaup’s habitat and range are often return annually to familiar spots and the white ring around their bills. similar to the Ring-necked Duck.

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northern shoveler (top) RUDDY DUCK (bottom) blue-winged teal (opposite) High Island Area, Texas Phoenix, Arizona Winnie, Texas The Northern Shoveler is named for The Ruddy Duck is found along the Viewed only in flight, powder-blue its spoon-shaped bill that is fringed coasts of the Southeast, Gulf of underwings give this duck its name. with bristles, allowing it to strain Mexico, and the Northwest in winter The Blue-winged Teal breeds across food from mud and water. and the Canadian Rockies in summer. northern and central North America One of the stiff-tailed ducks, the male and is mostly seen in shallow ponds. holds its tail up for courtship displays.

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american WIDGEON (top) surf scooter (bottom, left) cinnamon teal (bottom, right) trumpeter swan Castalia, Ohio Huntington Beach, California Newport Beach, California Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming Also known as the “Baldpate” because This large sea duck breeds in Canada The Cinnamon Teal breeds in both Pure white with a black bill and mask, South Dakota and Nebraska, Minne- of its white forehead, this widgeon and Alaska and winters on the Pacific western North America and South up to five feet in length, and with an sota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. It breeds in the Northwest but migrates and Atlantic coasts. Its dramatic bill is America. Spotting a nest is difficult, impressive wing-span of over six feet, then migrates to the Southwest’s lakes throughout the rest of the continent. yellow with white, red, and black as it is concealed below matted, dead the Trumpeter Swan is the largest and streams, feeding on vegetation and A dabbler, its diet is mostly vegetation markings, while the female’s bill is plant-life. The female accesses the nest waterfowl in North America. It nests grains. Once mated, these graceful from ponds and fields. blue-black. via tunnels in the vegetation. in freshwater from Alaska to western swans usually remain together for life.

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clark’s grebe (top) red-necked grebe (bottom, left) horned grebe (bottom, right) young pied-billed GREBE Huntington Beach, California Anchorage, Alaska Manitoba Manitoba Recognized by its shrill whistle and The male Red-necked Grebe has a This bird’s yellow horned brows are The Pied-billed Grebe is common wavy croak, the Clark’s Grebe has a white chin, black crown, and rufous raised and lowered during mating rit- throughout North America. Although bill that is less green than the Western neck during winter breeding. Both uals in northwestern Canada. At rest, it can fly, it prefers to escape predators Grebe. Its feet are far back on the male and female build a floating, the grebe lays its neck on its back by diving, thus its nickname “Hell- body and a small lobe on its hind toe grassy nest that they anchor to emer- with one foot tucked up under a wing, diver.” While breeding, it has a black reduces drag and increases speed. gent grasses in marshy ponds. while using the other as a rudder. throat and a short, black-ringed bill.

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double-crested Anhinga (right, and opposite) CORMORANT (left) Everglades National Park, Florida Ding Darling NWR, Florida Known as the “snake bird,” this bird glands for waterproofing its feathers, The Double-crested Cormorant is the is sometimes mistaken for a snake it spreads its wings to dry. The male most numerous and widespread cor- when surfacing head-first from a dive. (right) has greenish-black plumage morant found in North America. From Latin America to North and silver-gray wings edged with long They are often seen drying their wings Carolina, it feeds by spearing fish with white plumes. by stretching them out in the sun. its long serrated bill. Lacking oil

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purple Gallinule (left) common moorhen (right) thick-billed murres (opposite) Everglades National Park, Florida Brazos Bend State Park, Texas St. Paul Island, Alaska Seen in wetlands from Florida to A member of the rail family, this bird Also known as “Brünnich’s Guillemot,” Central America, this gallinule has a inhabits marshes and ponds from east- colonies of murres breed in coastal purple-blue head, neck, and under- ern Canada and the Great Lakes, to areas along Arctic cliffs, nesting side; a green back; and yellow legs Chile. Long toes enable it to walk on directly on a ledge. Like other auks, with extremely long toes that aid in mud and floating vegetation where it they use their small wings to swim walking on top of floating vegetation. will attach its nest and feed on bugs. underwater for up to four minutes.

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parakeet auklets (opposite) crested auklet (left) least auklet (right) St. Paul Island, Alaska St. Paul Island, Alaska St. Paul Island, Alaska Parakeet Auklets breed along frigid Crested Auklets nest in huge colonies Abundant in North America, Least offshore islands in Alaska. Their terri- of up to a million birds. Feathers Auklets winter onshore but nest along tories extend only a few feet beyond a above the orange beak are bristly. A rocky coasts of the Aleutians. Their nest until birds move south for the tangerine-like odor that is emitted nests are often robbed by other auk- winter. As seen opposite, breeding during breeding will stave off fox, lets. Artic fox and rats have reduced auks “bill” and “duet” with each other. raven, and gull predators. their numbers as well.

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black-bellied whistling light-footed clapper rail virginia rail (bottom, right) horned puffin duck (top) (bottom, left) Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio St. Paul Island, Alaska Brazos Bend State Park, Texas Huntington Beach, California With long toes, this bird forages head Horned Puffins inhabit sea cliffs or Striking in its chestnut plumage, this This rail, found along the coast of first through marshy areas along the rocky islands off the Alaskan coast and “Tree Duck” nests in coastal tree cavities southern California, is one of twenty United States and Mexican coastlines British Columbia. Their large bills from Louisiana to South America. By Clapper Rail species found in the as well as swamps across the northern allow them to deliver several fish at a choosing a long-term mate, its behav- Americas. Visible at high tide, its col- United States and Canada. It deters time to their young. They winter on ior is more like a goose than a duck. oring blends into the dense marsh. predators by building multiple nests. the open sea, offshore from their nests.

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sora (top, left) clapper rail (bottom, left) red-faced CORMORANT (right) female red-breasted Newport Beach, California Merritt Island NWR, Florida St. Paul Island, Alaska MERGANSER (opposite) Ding Darling NWR, Florida Once known as the Sora Rail, this The Clapper Rail resides in saltwater The male’s eye-catching mating sometime aviator flies straight with marshes along the Atlantic, Gulf, and plumage includes a dark tuft; an iri- At over twenty-four inches, the male dangling legs then drops into the California coasts. Eastern birds have a descent black, green, and violet back; has a cat-like mating call that is water. Its whinnying call is heard in buff breast, while western birds are a double crest of white plumes on the answered by the female’s harsh “gruk.” marshy areas, although it is difficult chestnut. A downward-curved bill flanks, neck and rump; a blue-based It nests in northern Canada and Alaska, to see among briars, reeds, and cattails. aids in nabbing sea life and insects. bill; and its namesake red mask. farther north than other mergansers.

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PROPERY OF TWIN LIGHTS PUBLISHERS PROPERY OF TWIN LIGHTS PUBLISHERS gull~like birds

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black-legged kittiwake mew gull (top) mew gull hatchlings (bottom) arctic tern (opposite) (previous page) Anchorage, Alaska Anchorage, Alaska Churchill, Manitoba Bird Rock, Newfoundland The smallest white-headed gull in In their first few days, these fluffy lit- This bird has the longest migration of Identified by its white and gray body, North America, its “mew” call, size, tle brindle patterned chicks with pink any animal. From the Canadian Arctic black-tipped wings, and yellow bill, and yellow parts differentiate it from beaks will be fed insects and small it flies to Antarctica and back, spend- this cliff-nesting gull generally spends other gulls along the seacoast and fish. Later, they will begin to forage ing the entire winter at sea. When the winter on the open ocean where it marshy grasslands from Alaska to for bugs and master fishing with the fishing, it will fly into the wind, feeds on small fish and plankton. coastal Washington. essential plunge-dive. hover, sight its prey, and then dive.

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northern gannet (top) herring gull eggs (bottom) herring gull (opposite) Bird Rock, Newfoundland Trinity, Newfoundland Trinity, Newfoundland From the Atlantic Coast to the North Herring Gulls build nests of seaweeds Across North America, the white, Sea, gannet colonies nest on cliffs or and grasses on remote, rocky coastal gray, and black feathers, along with rocky islands. They have dramatic ground. They defend their nests the yellow bill generically define a black-tipped wings that span up to aggressively against foxes, birds of seagull. Scavengers, these fish lovers five feet. A mating pair will “bill” and prey, or humans by darting and emit- also raid trash cans and will even grab preen their long necks. ting a high-pitched, yodel-like call. a sandwich from a beach-goer’s hand.

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parasitic jaeger (top) laughing gull (bottom) bonaparte’s gull (opposite) Churchill, Manitoba Sanibel Causeway, Florida Churchill, Manitoba This jaeger breeds in Arctic regions of Named for its human-like call, this A small, dove-like bird, this gull has a the Alaskan coast and Canada, migra- small gull is identified by its black head. striking black head with white crescents ting to the Tropics in winter. They In the 19th century, its plumes were behind the eyes, along with a gray back, will swoop upon terns and gulls, hunted and eggs harvested to near and wings patched in white. Its com- stealing their fish. The farthest tundra extinction. Today, it is abundant along mon name honors 19th-century orni- dwellers hunt rodents, birds, and fish. the southern Atlantic and Gulf coasts. thologist, Charles Lucien Bonaparte.

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american white pelican (top) heermann’s gull (bottom, left) black skimmer (bottom, right) brown pelican (opposite) Placida, Florida San Diego, California Ding Darling NWR, Florida San Diego, California Up to fifty inches in length and with Masters of stealing fish from Brown The Black Skimmer’s eye has cat-like Upon catching fish in its three-gallon a wingspan that can exceed ten feet, Pelicans, the Heermann’s is the only vertical pupils. The lower beak section pouch, the Brown Pelican is often White Pelicans are excellent surface gull that breeds south on the offshore is longer than the upper, allowing it to pestered by thieving gulls perched on fishers. Multiple birds will herd fish islands of western Mexico and Cali- “skim” for fish. It breeds along coastal its back, looking to steal a meal. An in front of them, submerge their fornia and then winters farther north California and from Massachusetts to endangered species, pollutants cause heads, and scoop up their catch. than its nesting area. Texas. soft egg shells that are easily broken.

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PROPERY OF TWIN LIGHTS PUBLISHERS PROPERY OF TWIN LIGHTS PUBLISHERS large wading birds

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sandhill cranes (previous page) great egret (top) cattle egret (bottom) snowy egret (opposite) Bosque del Apache, New Mexico Venice, Florida Venice, Florida Ding Darling NWR, Florida This very large long-necked bird flies The symbol of the National Audubon The Cattle Egret is native to dry habi- Once hunted for its lace-like plumes, with its neck extended and its legs Society, the Great Egret was nearly tats of Africa and Asia, only reaching the Snowy Egret continues to be pro- trailing behind it. Adult Sandhills are extinct around 1900 from plume the Americas in the late 19th century. tected from extinction. This small, gray with a patch of red on their fore- hunting for hats. Second only in size Its name comes from perching on the delicate heron is identified by its yel- head and they have a long, pointed to the Great Blue Heron, this egret has backs of cattle where it eats the insects low face and feet, thin black bill, and bill. a lifespan of up to twenty-three years. that buzz around them. entirely white plumage.

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Little Green heron (top) ruddy turnstone (bottom) glossy ibis (opposite) Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio Nome, Alaska Florida The bluish-green gloss of the Little A true forager, the Ruddy Turnstone Native to Africa, the Glossy Ibis came Green Heron’s back feathers gleem in will overturn stones and other objects to inland wetlands of the Americas the sunlight. A smaller heron at four- in search of insects and invertebrates. only decades ago. Black at first glance, teen inches in length, its fishing strat- The male will scrape the ground as it is a lustrous purple-red, with irides- egy is rare among birds; it employs part of a courtship ritual and nesting cent green wings and tail, and a long, bait to attract and catch small fish. site selection process. gracefully-curved bill.

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yellow-crowned night black-crowned night little blue heron (opposite) heron (left) heron (right) Everglades National Park, Florida Ding Darling NWR, Florida Winnipeg, Canada Standing only about two feet, the With a high, squawking bark, blue- The stocky Black-crowned Night Little Blue Herron is all white until it gray plumage, and yellow crown, this Heron breeds across southern Canada. becomes an adult. Both sexes have heron beckons a mate. It breeds along It feeds at dusk or early morning in slate-blue feathers with a maroon neck wooded wetlands from Connecticut marshes and lakes, catching fish to be and head and are found in fresh-water to the Gulf and up the Mississippi. used as surface bait for larger fish. swamps, lagoons, and coastal thickets.

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american bittern least bittern (left) roseate spoonbill (right) Brazos Bend State Park, Texas Anuahc National Wildlife Refuge, Texas Everglades National Parks, Florida Almost three feet tall, with light and most obvious by its loud, deep, gut- Smaller and with softer coloring than A noisy shrimp-eater, the Roseate dark brown streaks, an American tural “oong-a-choonk” call. the American Bittern, the Least Spoonbill swings its long, submerged Bittern stands perfectly still with its Bittern is also a master of camouflage bill back and forth and shuts it instinc- head pointing up so as to blend in yet has a less boisterous “coo.” Strad- tively when food enters. It breeds with the marsh vegetation, making it dling reeds, it can feed in water too along mangroves in coastal Texas, practically impossible to see. It is deep for wading. Louisiana, and southern Florida.

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hudsonian godwit (top) white ibis (bottom) WOOD STORK (opposite) Churchill, Manitoba Sanibel Island, Florida Myakka River State Park, Florida A large shorebird, the Hudsonian The White Ibis nests in huge colonies Prehistoric in appearance, Wood Storks Godwit is marked by a relatively long, in fresh-water marshes or along the are bald with heavy, dark bills, have a upturned reddish bill. After breeding coast from Virginia to Florida. They pinkish sheen on their white wings, in the remote north, it migrates several are identified by their long, down- and stand three feet tall. Four-foot- thousand miles, non-stop, from the curved red bill. Their long, gray legs wide nests are built in cypress trees Subarctic to southern South America. turn red during breeding season. from South Carolina through Florida.

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green-backed heron (top, left) limpkin (bottom, left) tri-colored heron (right) great blue heron (opposite) Everglades National Park, Florida Myakka River State Park, Florida Ding Darling NWR, Florida Venice Rookery, Florida Using insects and feathers as bait, The Limpkin feeds on apple snails or At a length of twenty-two inches, this The Great Blue Heron is the largest the Green-backed Heron will wait shellfish extracted from their shells heron holds its head in an “S-curve” heron species on the continent. Its motionless, perched on low lying with its long, slightly curved bill. Its at rest. During breeding, the male breeding grounds or “heronries” are mangroves, waiting to ambush its screaming cry of “ow, ow, ow, ow, ow” exhibits long blue or buff plumes comprised of nests of sticks built prey of fish, frogs, or crabs. is prominent across marshlands of about the head, neck, and back. high in trees across North American Florida and Honduras. wetlands.

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PROPERY OF TWIN LIGHTS PUBLISHERS PROPERY OF TWIN LIGHTS PUBLISHERS shore birds

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spotted sandpiper (previous page) rock sandpiper (top) western sandpiper (bottom, left) upland sandpiper (bottom, right) stilt sandpiper (left) least sandpiper (right) Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio St. Paul Island, Alaska Nome, Alaska Souris River Basin NWR, North Dakota Churchill, Manitoba Churchill, Manitoba A rarity, the female Spotted Sandpiper The heavily-camouflaged Rock Ironically, this abundant shorebird The Upland Sandpiper, or “Upland This sandpiper nests in rushed-mead- The world’s smallest shorebird, the builds ground nests and defends the Sandpiper roosts along the northern inhabits grasslands, not shores. It Plover,” is the “shorebird of the ow knolls from Alaska to Manitoba Least Sandpiper is one of a group territory rather than the male. After tundra coasts of Alaska and regional migrates in spectacular flocks from prairie.” It nests in the grasslands of and Ontario. It can be found in fresh called “peeps.” It prefers drier edges of mating, she will lay eggs that are often islands. It nests on elevated rocks or the San Francisco Bay area to the Alaska and from the Midwest to New water ponds, bouncing its head up mudflats or inland ponds. Unlike some fathered by a different male, having mossy areas above the tidal line. Copper River Delta and its breeding England, often around airport fields. and down while probing its long, sandpipers that flock in thousands, it saved an earlier mate’s sperm. range in western Alaska. descended bill for mollusks. groups in dozens to hundreds.

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american woodcock (top) willet (bottom, left) snipe (bottom, right) red-necked PHALAROPE (opposite) Magee Marsh, Ohio Ding Darling NWR, Florida National Bison Range, Montana Churchill, Manitoba This quail-sized woodcock nests in The larger western species prefers wet Snipe present a sporting challenge to Red-necked females attract the male, wet, wooded areas in eastern North interior locations and has a slightly game hunters due to their camou- establish territories, and display the America. Its coloring and pattern different call than the lightly barred flaged plumage, call variations, and breeding plumage. The bird’s twirling resemble dead leaves making it diffi- Atlantic seaboard species. Both breed remote habitats. “Sniper” is a title motion in water creates a vortex cult to see as it rocks to and fro feel- farther south than other sandpipers, given to shooters who prevail in upwelling prey to the surface. It is ing for worms beneath its feet. nesting to Baja and the Caribbean. bringing down an illusive mark. referred to as the “phalarope spin.”

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black-bellied plover (top) AMerican Golden-Plover pacific Golden-Plover Semipalmated plover (top) whimbrel (bottom) Nome, Alaska (bottom, left) (bottom, right) Churchill, Manitoba Churchill, Manitoba Churchill, Manitoba Nome, Alaska A large plover, this species roosts Rather than its half-webbed or semi- Coastal bird-watchers listen for the along the Arctic Coast. It winters from The shorter-legged American Golden- Found in coastal flats, the Pacific palmated toes, this plover is recog- Whimbrel's “bibibibibibibi” in winter the southern Atlantic and Pacific coasts Plover is very similar to the Pacific Golden nests on Alaskan tundra, nized by its low-high “chu-wee”; its and “cur-lew” during migration. Not to Central America. It will feign a Golden-Plover. The male’s white stripe however, in winter it will remain on tawny black ring under a white neck easily flushed from its mossy roosts, it broken wing to divert predators away extends from its face to its chest, while California beaches or fly to islands in collar; and its smallish orange, black- is found in alpine spruce tundra from from the nest and then fly away. the Pacific’s stripe extends to its tail. the Pacific as far south as Australia. tipped bill. Alaska to central North America.

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marbled godwit (top) killdeer (bottom, left) dunlin (bottom, right) SHORT-BILLED dowitcher Churchill, Manitoba Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio Churchill, Manitoba (opposite) Churchill, Manitoba When classifying the Marbled The namesake “kill-deer” call can be Well known across the Northern Godwit, look for its pinkish bill with heard in farmlands, fields, and park- Hemisphere, the Dunlin will nest This bird is found from southern black tip and long gray-brown neck ing lots. In the barnyard, it appears to along the coastline of Alaska, on the Alaska and British Columbia to the or the spring-time presence of large, charge larger animals with lifted tail western Hudson Bay, and in northern Oregon and Virginia coastlines. With noisy flocks from central Alberta, and feathers—like a cat might raise its parts of Eurasia and then winter along its “tu-tu, tu-tu” call, it bobs its bill in through northern Minnesota. back and hair. coastlines to the equator. search of horseshoe or king crab roe.

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american avocet (top, left) lesser yellowlegs (bottom, left) black-necked stilt (right) american oystercatcher long-billed curlew (bottom) South Dakota Churchill, Manitoba Orange County, California (top) Desoto, Florida Honeymoon Island, Florida The Avocet has refined features: lithe, The Lesser Yellowlegs has brightly- Elegantly tall, this bird has long deep- These large shorebirds feature down- blue-gray legs, slender white body, colored legs that give it its name. It is pink legs and nests near water and Oystercatchers shy away from other ward-curving bills that can be over black wings, lean taupe neck, tear- often seen chasing insects and small alkali flats in Oregon, eastern Californ- shorebirds while nesting or feeding eight inches long—aiding them in drop face, and gracefully upturned fish through shallow water. It nests ia, and the Colorado River. To cool along northeastern and mid-Atlantic unearthing insects in Great Plains’ bill. As if choreographed, mating birds from Alaska to Quebec then winters summer nests, it “belly-soaks,” using beaches, oyster bars, or salt marshes grasslands or catching prawn along circle and extend their bills skyward. in California and the Southeast. its feathers to carry water to the nest. where they pry open bivalve mollusks. Mexican tidal mudflats.

158 birds of north america shore birds 159 index

Acadian Flycatcher...... 65 Curved-billed Thrasher ...... 68 Northern Shoveler ...... 108 Tree Swallow ...... 38 Acorn Woodpecker ...... 90 Dark-eyed Junco ...... 70 Northern Shrike ...... 54 Tri-colored Heron ...... 146 American Avocet ...... 158 Double-crested Cormorant ...... 114 Northern Wheatear ...... 54 Trumpeter Swan ...... 111 American Bittern ...... 142 Downy Woodpecker ...... 88 Oregon Junco ...... 68 Tufted Titmouse ...... 62 American Black Duck ...... 103 Dunlin...... 156 Osprey ...... 8 Upland Sandpiper ...... 150 American Coot ...... 102 Eastern Bluebird ...... 34 Ovenbird ...... 78 Veery ...... 79 American Crow ...... 28 Eastern Kingbird ...... 51 Pacific Golden-Plover ...... 154 Virginia Rail ...... 120 American Golden-Plover ...... 154 Eastern Meadowlark ...... 55 Pacific Loon...... 98 Warbling Vireo ...... 78 American Goldfinch ...... 60 Eastern Phoebe ...... 49 Parakeet Auklet ...... 118 Western Kingbird ...... 50 American Kestrel ...... 16 Eastern Screech Owl ...... 14 Parasitic Jaeger...... 130 Western Meadowlark ...... 55 American Oystercatcher...... 159 Eastern Towhee ...... 85 Peregrine Falcon ...... 8 Western Palm Warbler...... 80 American Robin ...... 47 European Starling ...... 42 Phainopepla...... 46 Western Sandpiper...... 150 PROPERY OF TWIN LIGHTSAmerican Tree SparrowPUBL ...... ISHERS . . . 39 Evening Grosbeak ...... 73 Pied-billed Grebe. . . . . PROPER...... 113 WhimbrelY OF . . . . . TWIN...... 155LIGHTS PUBLISHERS American White Pelican ...... 132 Gambel’s Quail ...... 29 Pileated Woodpecker ...... 89 White Ibis ...... 144 American Widgeon ...... 110 Glossy Ibis...... 139 Pink Flamingo...... 26 White-breasted Nuthatch American Woodcock ...... 152 Golden Eagle...... 6 Pintail ...... 105 ...... back jacket, 71 Anhinga...... 114, 115 Golden-crowned Sparrow ...... 40 Prairie Falcon...... 20 White-crowned Sparrow ...... 40 Anna’s Hummingbird ...... 75 Goshawk ...... 10 Purple Finch ...... 60 White-eyed Vireo ...... 76 Arctic Tern...... 127 Gray Catbird ...... 62 Purple Gallinule...... 116 White-throated Sparrow ...... 84 Atlantic Puffin ...... 2 Gray-crowned Rosy Finch ...... 61 Purple Martin ...... 86 Wild Turkey ...... 22 Bald Eagle ...... 9 Gray Jay...... 95 Raven ...... 28 Willet ...... 152 Baltimore Oriole ...... 67 Green-backed Heron ...... 146 Redhead Duck...... 105 Willow Flycatcher ...... 65 Barn Swallow...... 50 Great Blue Heron ...... 147 Red-bellied Woodpecker ...... 88 Willow Ptarmigan ...... 30 Barred Owl ...... 17 Great-crested Flycatcher...... 64 Red-breasted Merganser...... 123 Winter Wren ...... 58 Bay-breasted Warbler...... 81 Great Egret ...... 136 Red-eyed Vireo ...... 76 Wood Duck ...... 99, 100, 101 Black-bellied Plover ...... 154 Great Gray Owl...... 15 Red-faced Cormorant ...... 122 Wood Stork ...... 145 Black-bellied Whistling Duck . . . . 120 Great Horned Owl ...... 12 Red-headed Woodpecker ...... 90 Yellow-crowned Night Heron . . . . 140 Black-capped Chickadee ...... 63 Greater Scaup ...... 107 Red-necked Grebe ...... 112 Yellow-headed Blackbird ...... 54 Black-crowned Night Heron . . . . . 140 Great-tailed Grackle...... 86 Red-necked Phalarope ...... 153 Yellow Warbler...... 83 Black-legged Kittiwake ...... 124 Hairy Woodpecker ...... 89 Red-shouldered Hawk ...... 19 Black-Mallard/Hybrid ...... 105 Harlan’s Hawk...... 10 Red-winged Blackbird ...... 48 Black-necked Stilt ...... 158 Heermann's Gull ...... 132 Red-tailed Hawk ...... 11 PROPERY OF TWIN LIGHTSBlack Skimmer PUBL ...... ISHERS . . 132 Hermit Thrush ...... 84 Red-throated Loon . . . PROPER...... 104 Y OF TWIN LIGHTS PUBLISHERS Black Vulture...... 18 Herring Gull ...... 129 Ring-necked Duck...... 107 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher ...... 66 Hoary Redpoll...... 44 Rock Ptarmigan...... 30 Blue Grouse ...... 27 Hooded Warbler ...... 80 Rock Sandpiper ...... 150 Blue-headed Vireo ...... 76, 77 Horned Grebe ...... 112 Roseate Spoonbill ...... 143 Blue Jay ...... 93 Horned Lark ...... 55 Rose-breasted Grosbeak ...... 72 Credits: Blue-winged Teal ...... 109 Horned Puffin ...... 121 Ruby-throated Hummingbird . . . . . 75 Blue-winged Warbler ...... 82 House Finch ...... 43, 47 Ruddy Duck ...... 108 Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Boat-tailed Grackle ...... 86 House Sparrow ...... 41 Ruddy Turnstone...... 138 Birds. Bird Guide. 2003. 2007. Bobolink ...... 45 House Wren ...... 58 Ruffed Grouse ...... 24 www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/ Bobwhite Quail ...... 30 Hudsonian Godwit ...... 144 Rufous Hummingbird ...... 74 BirdGuide. Bonaparte’s Gull ...... 131 Indigo Bunting ...... 1, 32 Rufous-sided Towhee...... 69 National Audubon Society, Inc. State of Broad-tailed Hummingbird ...... 74 Killdeer ...... 156 Sandhill Crane ...... back jacket, 134 the Birds USA 2004. Audubon Magazine. Brown Pelican ...... 133 Lapland Longspur ...... 66 Savannah Sparrow ...... 37 September-October 2004. 2007. Brown Thrasher...... 59 Laughing Gull ...... 130 Saw-whet Owl ...... 14 http://audubon2.org/webapp/watchlist. Bufflehead ...... 102 Least Auklet...... 119 Say’s Phoebe ...... 49 New Hampshire Public Television. Burrowing Owl...... jacket front, 13 Least Bittern ...... 143 Scarlet Tanager...... 84 Nature Works. Nature Files - Animals. Cactus Wren ...... 58 Least Sandpiper ...... 151 Scrub Jay ...... 94 2007. http://www.nhptv.org/nature- California Quail ...... 31 Lesser Yellowlegs ...... 158 Semipalmated Plover ...... 155 works/nw4.htm. PROPERY OF TWIN LIGHTSCanada Goose .PUBL ...... ISHERS . . 106 Light-footed Clapper Rail ...... 120 Sharp-tailed Grouse . . . PROPER...... 24 Y OF TWIN LIGHTS PUBLISHERS Cattle Egret ...... 136 Limpkin...... 146 Short-eared Owl ...... 16 Seattle Audubon Society. Bird Web. Cedar Waxwing ...... 5 Little Blue Heron ...... 141 Short-billed Dowitcher ...... 157 Browse Birds. 2005–2006. http://bird- Chestnut-backed Chickadee ...... 62 Little Green Heron ...... 138 Smith’s Longspur ...... 56 web.org/birdweb/browse_birds.aspx. Chestnut-sided Warbler...... 80 Long-billed Curlew ...... 159 Snipe ...... 152 U.S. Geological Survey. Patuxent Chipping Sparrow ...... 36 Magnolia Warbler ...... 82 Snow Bunting ...... 42 Wildlife Research Center. Patuxent Bird Cinnamon Teal ...... 110 Mallard ...... 101 Snow Goose...... 96 Identification InfoCenter. Dec. 2000. Clapper Rail ...... 122 Marbled Godwit ...... 156 Snowy Egret ...... 137 2007. www.mbrpwrc.usgs.gov/ Clark’s Grebe ...... 112 Masked Duck ...... 102 Song Sparrow ...... 36 id/framlst/infocenter.html. Clay-colored Sparrow ...... 38 Merlin Winter Falcon ...... 20 Sora ...... 122 Waite, Mitchell. WhatBird: The Common Grackle ...... 87 Mew Gull ...... 126 Spotted Sandpiper ...... 148 Ultimate Bird Guide. National Common Loon ...... 98 Mountain Bluebird ...... 53 Spruce Grouse ...... 25 Geographic. 2002–2006. 2007. Common Moorhen ...... 116 Mourning Dove...... 52 Steller’s Jay...... 92 http://identify.whatbird.com Common Redpoll ...... 44 Northern Cardinal...... 93 Stilt Sandpiper...... 151 Common Yellowthroat Warbler. . . . 35 Northern Flicker ...... back jacket, 91 Surf Scooter...... 110 Cooper’s Hawk ...... 18 Northern Gannet...... 128 Swainson’s Hawk ...... 21 Note: “CC” indicates photographs that Cowbird ...... 53 Northern Harrier...... 10 Swamp Sparrow...... 36 have been taken under controled condi- Crested Auklet...... 119 Northern Mockingbird ...... 46 Thick-billed Murre ...... 117 tions.

160 birds of north america PROPERY OF TWIN LIGHTS PUBLISHERS PROPERY OF TWIN LIGHTS PUBLISHERS

PROPERY OF TWIN LIGHTS PUBLISHERS PROPERY OF TWIN LIGHTS PUBLISHERS

“A cooperative bird in good plumage, in perfect light, set against the right background… and I PROPERY OF TWIN LIGHTSwas fortunatePUBL enoughISHERS to have my camera to PROPERY OF TWIN LIGHTS PUBLISHERS capture the fleeting moment.” —Jim Roetzel