Common Loon Gadwall Pied-billed Grebe Great Blue Heron Tundra Swan American Coot Canada Goose Bald Eagle Mallard Red-tailed hawk American Black Duck Northern Harrier Green-winged Teal American Wigeon Northern Pintail Northern Shoveler Common Loon (Gavia immer)

In profile, loons are large bodied birds with a long spear-shaped bill pointed horizontal to water surface

Fast Flyers—runway required

Acid Rain and Lead Poisoning Grebes

Small, foot propelled diving birds Laterally compressed lobate feet Elaborate courtship dances Floating nests Feather bolls in gizzard

Pied-billed Grebe

 Loud, crying barks

 Submarine behavior —Secretive

 Local Breeder Swans and Geese

Tundra Swan Tundra Swan Canada Goose Snow Goose

Swans and geese are big-bodied grazers with long necks

Usually noisy in flight Canada Geese

Population variability at geographic level Consistent V-formation in flight Interesting landing maneuvers—Broyles thinks they look like “Klingon Warships”—you remember Star Trek Mallard

Speculum in both sexes bordered by black and white.

Human Adaptive American Black Duck Most likely to confuse with female Mallard

Sister species to Mallard “hybrid swamping”

Speculum of both sexes bordered only in black Male

Female Green-winged Teal

Green speculum American Wigeon Northern Pintail Northern Shoveler Gadwall Great Blue Heron

Very common in NY wetlands; migratory Patient fish hunter, will eat amphibians and crustaceans Colonial nesting-- Rookery American Coot Bald Eagle

Juveniles and 2nd year birds will have faint white along wing coverts and secondary flight feathers. Red-tailed Hawk

Large white breast and short fan-shaped tail.

Slow soaring flight—prey are largely small mammals.

Sit & watch-swoop hunting. Northern Harrier

Low flying hawk often seen over fields and marshes Wings held in slight dihedral with a conspicuous white rump Owl like facial features and slow hovering flight allow harriers to locate prey by sight and sound