/ Summer Marsh/Tidal Grasslands Great Egret Common Also known as the common egret, large A New World , they are abundant egret, or great white heron. Up to 1m tall. breeders in North America, ranging from Distinguished from other egrets by its southern Canada to central Mexico. yellow bill and black legs and feet. Males They are small that have olive and females are identical in appearance. backs, wings and tails, yellow throats It has a slow flight, with its neck and chests, and white bellies. Adult retracted, characteristic of herons and males have black face masks. Females bitterns, and distinguishing them from are similar in appearance, but have paler storks, cranes, ibises, and spoonbills, underparts and lack the black mask. which extend their necks in flight. Killdeer Green Heron A medium sized plover. The adults have Relatively small. The neck is often pulled a brown back and wings, a white belly, in tight against the body. Adults have a and a white breast with two black bands. glossy, greenish-black cap, a greenish The rump is tawny orange. The killdeer back and wings that are grey-black frequently uses a “broken wing act” to grading into green or blue, a chestnut distract predators from the nest. During neck with a white line down the front, nesting season killdeer use open dry grey underparts and short yellow legs. uplands and meadows. Females tend to be smaller than males, and have duller and lighter plumage. The Grasshopper Sparrow green heron’s call is a loud and sudden A new addition to the park! This had kyow. seen a 98% decline in NY State since Great Black-backed Gull 1985. They build their nests as well- The largest member of the gull family, it concealed open cups on the ground is the largest gull in the world, noticeably under vegetation. The bird’s song is a outsizing a herring gull. It is fairly buzzy tik tuk zee, resembling the sound distinctive, as no other very large gull made by a grasshopper. with blackish coloration on its upper- wings generally occurs in the North Atlantic. The call is a deep “laughing” cry, Opportunistic kaa-ga-ga. Tree Swallow Least Sandpiper The adult tree swallow has iridescent This species has greenish legs and blue-green upperparts, white underparts, a short, thin, dark bill. They nest on and a very slightly forked tail. They nest the ground near water, and forage on in natural or artificial cavities near water mudflats, picking up food by sight, and are often found in large flocks. They sometimes probing. readily use nest boxes and are the subject of a research study at Freshkills Park. Osprey The osprey is a large raptor, reaching more than 2 ft. in length and almost Barn Swalllow 6 ft. in wingspan. Its diet consists The most widespread species of swallow almost exclusively of fish. It possesses in the world. It is a distinctive specialized physical characteristics and bird with blue underparts, deeply forked exhibits unique behavior to assist in tail and curved, pointed wings. The hunting and catching prey; as a result of barn swallow normally uses man-made these unique characteristics, it has been structure to breed and consequently has given its own taxonomic genus, Pandion, spread with human expansion. and family, Pandionidae. Northern Flicker Red-Winged Blackbird A medium-sized member of the A New World warbler, they are abundant woodpecker family. It is native to most of breeders in North America, ranging from North America, Central America, Cuba, southern Canada to central Mexico. the Cayman Islands, and is one of the They are small songbirds that have olive few woodpecker species that migrate. In backs, wings and tails, yellow throats addition to their ki ki ki ki call, one may and chests, and white bellies. Adult hear constant knocking as they often males have black face masks. Females drum on trees or even metal objects to are similar in appearance, but have paler declare territory. underparts and lack the black mask.