Green Iowa AmeriCorps Birds of Waterloo and Cedar Falls A Beginner’s Guide Introduction For some people, the idea of learning different species of birds can feel intimidating. They may know a few of the most common, such as a robin, cardinal, or a blue jay, but not much else. However, like all hobbies, with some learning the rewards can be worth the effort. Knowing what birds live in your town can provide a better sense of place, and connection to the natural world. It can feel like knowing the names of your neighbors, even if you aren't able to spend time with them. It only takes learning about a dozen species to be able to identify most of the birds you will see any given day. This guide will be focusing on the birds most likely to be seen around the neighborhoods of Waterloo and Cedar Falls. It won’t cover all of the birds that show up in the area, though. It skips the migrants, that are only here a few weeks out of the year, and rarities, those that only show up occasionally. It is hard to draw a line on which to include and which to skip, but since this is for the absolute beginner, the list will be shorter. This is to prevent feeling overwhelmed with too much information and options. Another thing to keep in mind is that birds can change a lot from the fledgling stage to adult, so there might be some common birds that will look unfamiliar while they wait to grow adult plumage. When and how to watch birds Anyone who has heard the dawn chorus can attest that mornings are the best time to bird watch. This is especially true for song birds. They like to sing in the morning the most because the cooler temperatures and slightly higher humidity help their songs travel farther. That said, any time of day is a good time to watch birds. The more you observe them, the more you will learn about how they live. Aquatic birds, and raptors like hawks and eagles, are more active throughout the day than song birds, so any time during daylight is a good time to look for them. The key to seeing as many birds as possible at home, is to set up a backyard that is safe and inviting to them. Depending on time and budget, focus on landscaping with native plants, shrubs, and trees. This is the foundation of a food chain that not only feeds the birds directly with fruit and seeds, but also feeds the insects other birds depend on. This is 2 also why it is so important to avoid pesticides. More and more studies are showing that domestic cats are a much larger threat to songbird populations than was thought before. Keeping cats indoors protects the birds and is better for the health of the cats. Color is often the easiest way to describe a bird. In addition to overall color, markings are a key. When you are lucky enough to have a bird stay still, start with the head and work your way down. Is the head all one color? Are there stripes? Is there an eye ring or a line through the eye? Same thing with the throat and chest of the bird. They can be solid, striped, or spotted. Sometimes there are easy markings to see on the wings, even in flight. On the tail there can be details that are easier to see in flight, like when the outer feathers are a different color. Size can be hard to guess when the bird is far away, but it’s a quick way to narrow down the list of possibilities. Often bird sizes are compared to the most well known birds; sparrows, robins, crows, and hawks. The bane of all birders is when the subject at hand is backlit, and colors are impossible to see. Combined with size, the shape of the bird can be helpful. In particular, bill shape can narrow down which group the bird would be in. For example finches and woodpeckers have very distinctive beaks. Some birds have longer tails, like mockingbirds, and others have shorter tails, such as meadowlarks. 3 American Robin One of the most well known and readily recognized birds, the robin is an easy bird to start with. It has an all black head, red-orange breast and belly, and the rest of the bird is a grayish color. Closer up you can see the incomplete white eye-ring. After watching robins enough you might notice that some are brighter with stronger contrast between the head and body. Those are the males robins. Females are a bit more washed out. The mnemonic device to remember their song is “cheerio, cheery-up, cheerio, wot wot.” They also have a distinctive call when they take off. Look for them feeding on invertebrates, especially earthworms after the rain. Robins have rather limited migration ranges, so they can be found in Iowa all year round, though more difficult in winter. Fun fact: Robins are members of the Thrush family, which has some of the most admired songs of all the birds. 4 American Crow This bird needs no introduction. Living in Iowa, it seems that every other bird you see is a crow. While easy to take for granted, they can be fascinating to watch, because they are intelligent and social. They are omnivores in the fullest meaning of the word. They are also scavengers, so they help fill in the cleaner role while vultures are down south. While we hear the “caw caw” sound the most, they are capable of dozens of other sounds. Fun Fact: Crows and ravens are part of the Corvid family. This is the most intelligent group of birds in North America. 5 Common Grackle Like starlings, common grackles like to flock in large groups. You will see them in areas along roadsides, or gathered together in trees. They don’t have a song as such, but make a lot of buzzy and wheezy sounds. A large flock of them can make quite a raucous noise. In the sun there is an iridescent sheen that distinguishes them from other blackbirds. In flight take note of the long, keeled tail. That fold in the center of the tail is unique to all species of grackle. Fun Fact: Grackles can be observed “anting.” This is when the grackles spread their wings by an ant nest and lets the ants climb all over them. This mutualistic relationship allows the ant to forage on the bird, and helps the grackles stay clean. 6 Northern Cardinal 7 Cardinals are dimorphic, which means the males and females have different plumage. It’s the bright red males that are usually featured in Christmas items. You can spot mating pairs as they chip back and forth to each other, as if saying “Here I am. Where are you?” They have several different whistle-like calls including “birdy-birdy-birdy-birdy,” “chew chew chew,” and “woit woit woit.” They have a finch like beak, that is used for crunching seeds. The crest goes up and down, depending on the cardinal’s mood. It can range from hard to see to full on mohawk. Note the black mask on the male. Fun fact: The cardinal is a very popular choice for state bird. Bird Feeders A little bit of research and planning can have a big impact on how many visitors your feeders attract. There are hundreds of helpful articles out there about the best way to select and set up bird feeders. A good thing to do first is to find out which birds are visiting your yard. From there you can choose the seed and feeders that are best suited for those birds. There are too many options to describe here, but you can put up one, several, or even set up a feeder right on your window. There are also a lot of make-at-home designs, ranging from simple enough for little kids to high quality works of art. 8 Blue Jay The Blue Jay earns its name from its color and its “jay jay” call. They also have a high whistle sound that can be confused for the call of a red-shouldered hawk. While a very pretty bird, they aren’t always admired. They sometimes bully smaller birds away from feeders, and the incessant jaying isn’t as pleasant to listen to as other songs. This bird is also here year round, and is a nice flash of color on a winter day. Fun fact: Jays are members of the Corvid family, which also includes crows and ravens. 9 European Starling This picture showcases an adult starling in full breeding plumage. From farther away though, it is much harder to see all these little details, so the birds could look all black. The rest of the year, the bill is dark, and the feathers aren’t as iridescent. Starlings travel in large flocks and you may have seen amoeba-like clouds of small black birds, called murmurations. In the air, their short tails and rounded bodies make them look like flying cigars. They are very noisy, with lots of different whistles, buzzes, and other chatter. The starling was introduced to Central Park by Shakespeare enthusiasts. While the other European birds died off, starlings thrived, and have been displacing natives birds as it works its way across the continent. Fun fact: Starlings can imitate sounds, so sometimes they sound like other birds.