IllinoisIllinois commoncommon American Redstart Setophaga ruticilla © Rob Curtis/The Early Birder BIRDSBIRDS Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura © Richard Day/Daybreak Imagery Eastern Kingbird Tyrannus tyrannus © Richard Day/Daybreak Imagery Wood Thrush Hylocichla mustelina © Rob Curtis/The Early Birder Yellow-rumped Warbler Dendroica coronata Eastern Meadowlark Sturnella magna Ruby-throated Hummingbird Archilochus colubris © Richard Day/Daybreak Imagery © Rob Curtis/The Early Birder © Richard Day/Daybreak Imagery Common Nighthawk Chordeiles minor © Richard Day/Daybreak Imagery Yellow-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus americanus © Richard Day/Daybreak Imagery Belted Kingfisher Ceryle alcyon © Richard Day/Daybreak Imagery White-throated Sparrow Zonotrichia albicollis © Richard Day/Daybreak Imagery Greater Yellowlegs Tringa melanoleuca Red-tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis Green Heron Butorides virescens © Richard Day/Daybreak Imagery © Richard Day/Daybreak Imagery © Richard Day/Daybreak Imagery Eastern Towhee Pipilo erythrophthalmus © Richard Day/Daybreak Imagery Common Loon Gavia immer © Rob Curtis/The Early Birder Red-bellied Woodpecker Melanerpes carolinus American Coot Fulica americana Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis © Richard Day/Daybreak Imagery © Richard Day/Daybreak Imagery © Richard Day/Daybreak Imagery Rose-breasted Grosbeak Pheucticus ludovicianus © Richard Day/Daybreak Imagery Ruby-crowned Kinglet Regulus calendula © Rob Curtis/The Early Birder Indigo Bunting Passerina cyanea © Richard Day/Daybreak Imagery Orchard Oriole Icterus spurius © Rob Curtis/The Early Birder Scarlet Tanager Piranga olivacea © Rob Curtis/The Early Birder Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum © Todd Fink/Daybreak Imagery Species List American Coot Fulica americana This poster was made possible by: Belted Kingfisher Ceryle alcyon irds are found worldwide in many habitats. Highly developed animals, birds are sensitive and Scientific Classification: Common Loon Gavia immer Illinois Department of Natural Resources All birds belong to the class Greater Yellowlegs Tringa melanoleuca responsive, colorful and graceful, with habits that excite interest and inquiry. Of the 9,000-plus Aves, which is subdivided Green Heron Butorides virescens Division of Education into 27 orders. Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis Division of Natural Heritage Color Key: Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum Illinois State Museum species of birds in the world, about 800 have been found in North America. More than 400 species Common Nighthawk Chordeiles minor I Aquatic species Eastern Kingbird Tyrannus tyrannus B I Grassland, woodland- Eastern Meadowlark have been recorded in Illinois, 205 of which have been documented as nesting in the state. These numbers edge, and open-area Sturnella magna Eastern Towhee Pipilo erythrophthalmus species U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Indigo Bunting Passerina cyanea Woodland species Funded Cooperatively by the IDNR and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are subject to change, however, because birds are generally mobile animals and may move into Illinois from I Orchard Oriole Icterus spurius Source: Red-tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis American Ornithologists’ Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura other areas. The 25 species depicted here are commonly found in Illinois and were selected to represent the Union, The Check-list of White-throated Sparrow Zonotrichia albicollis Yellow-billed Cuckoo North American Birds, Coccyzus americanus American Redstart Seventh Edition Setophaga ruticilla variety of birds that reside in or pass through our state. Many obstacles are placed in front of birds, whether Red-bellied Woodpecker Melanerpes carolinus Species Selection: Rose-breasted Grosbeak Pheucticus ludovicianus they're feeding, flying, nesting, migrating or simply surviving. The back of this poster describes several H. David Bohlen, Ruby-crowned Kinglet Regulus calendula Illinois State Museum Ruby-throated Hummingbird Archilochus colubris Scarlet Tanager Piranga olivacea aspects of bird life, including the diverse situations they encounter. Birds are not shown in Wood Thrush Hylocichla mustelina proportion to actual size. Yellow-rumped Warbler Dendroica coronata Characteristics Adaptations Communication Like mammals, birds are warm-blooded vertebrates, maintaining a constant internal body tem- Beaks, or bills, are used for capturing and eating food, feeding young, Birds communicate by vocalizations, such as songs and calls, other noises, such as tapping and perature regardless of external conditions. Birds have three characteristics that readily distinguish gathering nesting materials, building nests, preening, scratching, courting, drumming, and behaviors including courtship flights and dances. Without communication, many them from other animals: feathers; lightweight bones; and hard-shelled eggs. defending, and attacking. The shape and size of birds would starve, lose their way during migration, Blue Jay song pattern and be unable to defend a territory or find a mate. wing feathers each species’ bill is specific for the type of food Feathers assist in a variety of functions, such as flight, reg- it gathers. Seedeaters, such as the Northern Birds do not have vocal cords. To produce sounds, ulation of body temperature, protection, attraction of a Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), have a heavy, vibrations are sent across the syrinx (voice box) of a mate and differentiation of species. Contour and down bird. The more muscles a bird has attached to the Bald Eagle thick bill to crack seeds. Meat-eaters, such as feathers are the most common. Contour feathers cover the the Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leuco- syrinx, the more vocalizations it can make. For body of a bird and have a strong, hollow shaft and network cephalus), have a sharp, hooked bill to instance, the Northern Mockingbird (Mimus poly- of hooks, or barbules. The contour feathers on the tail and wings tear flesh. The American Robin glottos) has many muscles and can produce a variety of sounds, while the Rock Pigeon’s (Columba livia) are modified for flight. Down feathers are small and lie under the (Turdus migratorius) and other birds Northern Cardinal singular pair of muscles results in only a single “coo” contour feathers. They insulate the body and protect against sun- with a varied diet have a bill shape that Great Crested American sound. burn. Preening spreads oils over the feathers and “re-hooks” bar- Flycatcher Goldfinch allows them to eat many types of foods, bules. Feathers become worn and are usually replaced at least once such as worms and fruit. The American Woodcock (Scolopax minor) has a Songs are specific patterns of different types of notes (frequencies) repeated in succession and form- a year through the process of molting. Feathers generally comprise prehensile tip on its bill, adapted for grasping and allowing it to probe the ing a recognizable pattern. Calls are brief one- or two-syllable sounds, usually with no more than four 15 to 20 percent of a bird’s weight. barbules soil and grab earthworms. or five notes (frequencies) and with no organization or pattern. Songs are used to attract a mate and mark the territory necessary for production and rearing of young. Some birds hatch knowing how to State Symbol sing, while others must listen to adults of their species and then practice. Each species has its own spe- Extremely lightweight bones are necessary for flight. Birds have a high metabolic rate. To survive, they must eat great quan- In 1928, Illinois schoolchildren cific sounds. Some birds, such as the Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), have more than a dozen Bird bones are strong and porous, with internal braces. tities of food. Small birds eat large amounts of food in proportion to their selected the Northern Cardinal calls and songs. The Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) and Northern Mockingbird are among bird Many bird bones are filled with air and are connected to as the State Bird of Illinois. The size. Hummingbirds must eat twice their weight in food daily, while song- General Assembly made that species that can mimic bird songs, humans, and human products the respiratory system. Other bones are fused together, designation official in 1929. birds consume 10 to 30 percent of their weight in food each day. Most (for instance, a car alarm). increasing their strength. This bird’s characteristic color birds must search for food continually. Only a few birds, such as the Blue (scarlet in males, buff-brown bird skeleton and red in females), pro- When alerting others of danger, birds call. Calls are also made Jay (Cyanocitta cristata), American Crow nounced crest, heavy bill, and when feeding or migrating. Precocial young communicate with Birds lay hard-shelled eggs made mostly of calcium carbonate. The hard shell keeps the egg from (Corvus brachyrhynchos), woodpeckers, and distinctive song make it one of the most readily identified birds their parents through a location call. When a covey of Northern dehydrating and allows parents to sit on the eggs during incubation. The shell possesses micro- nuthatches, store food for future use. in the state. Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) is split up, they locate each other scopic pores that allow exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide with the atmosphere. Eggs occur in The Northern Cardinal is also the state bird for six other and rejoin the group through a gathering call. Greater Prairie-chicken a variety of colors and shapes. Colored and speckled eggs are laid in areas where they can be camou- Blue Jay Birds have a crop that holds food until it is