VOLUME 1
HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE This guide is designed to help you recognize birds that visit River Garden. Use this as a record of what you observe - write in it, pin pictures in it, sketch in it. Please do not pick or disturb the plants, as you will be removing them from their home. If you need assistance, a ranger will be able to answer your questions.
FIELD GUIDE TO THE BIRDS THAT CALL RIVER GARDEN HOME OR STOP BY FOR A VISIT.
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CONTENTS 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30
American Robin American White Pelican Belted King Fisher Blue Jay Cardinal Common Grackle Cooper’s Hawk European Starling Great Blue Heron Mourning Dove Northern Mockingbird Red-Tailed Hawk Red-Winged Blackbird Rock Dove
YEARROUND SPRING
FALL
SUMMER
WINTER
AMERICAN ROBIN Turdus migratorius Easily identified by their warm orange breast, large round bodies, and long legs, the American Robin is a classic backyard songbird. From a sitting position, the American Robin appears as gray-brown, however, during flight, a small white patch can be clearly seen on the underside of the tail and along the lower stomach. Males have a dark almost-black head, while females have lighter colored heads, that contrast less with their gray undertones. The American Robin tends to eat a variety of things including berries, insects, and earthworms.
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YEARROUND
FIELD NOTES: The American Robin can live to be 14 years old.
AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN Pelecanus erythrorhynchos With a large white body, wide wings, and an elongated beak, the American White Pelican is hard to miss. Hiding beneath their broad bodies, are short legs and squareshaped tails. While they appear to be perfectly white, when they spread their wings black feathers can be seen on the tips. Feeding from the water’s surface, they must dip their beaks into the water to catch their prey, usually fish. Although they are large in size, they are often seen traveling in large flocks, soaring through the sky.
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WINTER
FIELD NOTES: They never carry food in their bills, contrary to popular cartoons.
BELTED KING FISHER Megaceryle alcyon A short and round bird with a large head, the Belted Kingfisher has a blue-gray coloring with white spots along the wings and tail. They can be easily spotted by the shaggy feathers sticking up towards the back of their head, known as the crest. Their legs are short, and their tails are medium length and square-shaped. The Belted Kingfisher can often be found seated by the edge of streams, lakes, and estuaries searching for small fish to feed on.
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YEARROUND
FIELD NOTES:
BLUE JAY Cyanocitta cristata The Blue Jay is a medium sized bird, a little larger than a Robin. They can be easily spotted by their vibrant blue feathering on their backsides, as well as a light gray tone on their underside. Blue Jays are songbirds, whose cheerful tunes can travel long distances. Are often found in forests, cities, and parks. They most often eat acorns and other nuts, and can be seen holding nuts and seeds between their legs while pecking them open with their beaks.
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YEARROUND
FIELD NOTES: Often mimic the calls of hawks.
CARDINAL Cardinalidae In between the size of a sparrow and a robin, the Cardinal is a typical medium-sized bird. It has a distinctly long tail, as well as a very short and thick red beak. Male Cardinals are a vibrant and noticeable red, while female cardinals are a pale-brown with red highlights throughout the feathers. Both male and female cardinals have distinguished crests, with the males being a bright red. Cardinals are often found sitting in low shrubs or trees, as they feed on the ground. You can often hear them chirping early in the morning, mostly in the summer months.
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YEARROUND
FIELD NOTES:
COMMON GRACKLE Quiscalus quiscula Relatively large, with long legs and a long tail. The Common Grackle have a flat head and a long, downward-curved beak. From a distance, the Common Grackle appears to be solid black, however up close one can see their iridescent body, as well as their golden eyes. The Common Grackle is found in a variety of habitats including agricultural feedlots, city parks, meadows, and woodlands.
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WINTER
FIELD NOTES: The female chooses the nest site.
COOPER’S HAWK Accipiter cooperii Medium in size, the Cooper’s Hawk is characterized by its warmreddish front, while its backside contains feathers that are a dark blue-gray. Younger Cooper Hawk’s have a lighter brown coloring to them instead of the reddish tints that the adult hawk’s display. As birds of prey, the Cooper Hawk eats other birds, mice, and bats. The hawk lives in an array of different habitats including dense forests and suburban backyards.
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FALL & WINTER
FIELD NOTES: Rarely flaps its wings continuously, instead it soars through the sky searching for prey.
EUROPEAN STARLING Sturnus vulgaris A medium-sized bird with a stocky body, short legs, and lean beak. In summer months, the European Starling has a purplish-green iridescent coloring. In the winter, the bird appears brown with white spots covering its body. The European Starling is most often found near human settlements in lawns, on sidewalks, and perched on wires. They fly around in large flocks, making constant noise through songs and whistles.
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YEARROUND
FIELD NOTES: Starlings can fly up to 48 mph.
GREAT BLUE HERON Ardea herodias The largest North American Heron. The Great Blue Heron has long legs, a curvy neck, and a sharp bill. Feathers are shaggy in appearance and appear blue-gray in color. In flight, the heron will curl its neck into an “S� shape. The Great Blue Heron uses its sharp beak to stab its prey in shallow waters. The heron can be found in fresh and saltwater habitats ranging from open coasts to backyard ponds. The heron will eat anything it can catch including fish, amphibians, reptiles, and small mammals.
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YEARROUND
FIELD NOTES: Only weigh 5-6 lbs. because of their hollow bones.
MOURNING DOVE Zenaida macroura Large round body, with short legs and long tail; particularly small head and bill in comparison to its body. Usually a tan-brown color with black spots along the wings and white tips with a black border along the tail-feathers. Mourning Doves are found almost everywhere except the deep woods. They can be found in fields or perched high on a telephone wire. The Mourning Dove eats seeds almost exclusively; however, they can sometimes be found eating snails.
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WINTER
FIELD NOTES: Eat approx. 12-20% of their body weight a day.
NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD Mimus polyglottos Medium-sized songbirds with small heads, long legs, and short, slightly curved, bills. Mockingbirds have a gray-brown coloring throughout their body, however it is paler on their undersides. A white patch can be seen on their wings during flight. The Northern Mockingbird can be found in a variety of areas including towns, parks, and open land. Their appetite depends on the season: mostly insects in the summer and fruits in the fall and winter. Mockingbirds tend to make themselves known. A male Mockingbird can learn 200 songs in its lifetime.
26
YEARROUND
FIELD NOTES:
RED-TAILED HAWK Buteo jamaicensis Large hawks with broad, round wings and a short tail. The Red-tailed Hawk has a brown coloring on its backside, with a pale, streaked, underside. Their tails are a “cinnamon-red� from above, while the underside produces a more pale coloring. The Red-tailed Hawk can be seen flying in circles over open land, searching for prey, which is most often small mammals, such as mice, rats, and squirrels.
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YEARROUND
FIELD NOTES:
RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD Agelaius phoeniceus A robin-sized bird with broad shoulders, a cone shaped bill, and a medium-length tail. Male Redwinged Blackbirds are a glossy black with red and yellow colored patches on their shoulders. Females are streaked with white but are brown overall. The Red-winged Blackbird is often found along water sources, such as marshes, or in pastures and feedlots. They eat mostly insects in the summer months and seeds in the winter.
30
YEARROUND
FIELD NOTES:
ROCK DOVE Columbidae Plump birds, with small heads, and short legs. They can be different in color, but most are a bluish gray with two black bands on the wings and a black tip on the tail. Their throats are iridescent, and their heads are usually gray. They are often found in cities, but can also be spotted by farmland and fields. They eat mainly seeds and fruits. They also scavenge for food left by humans, such as bread crumbs or litter left in the streets.
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YEARROUND
FIELD NOTES: Navigate by sensing the Earth’s magnetic fields.
Six Miles. Five Park Districts. One Memphis. REFERENCES American Audubon Society Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency The Cornell Lab of Ornithology DOCUMENTATION Robert Wilson Douglas Logan ILLUSTRATIONS qwynto
