Wildlife Identification Study Set

Vocabulary-style flashcards based on wildlife identification notes, covering avian characteristics and a list of mammals, reptiles, and amphibians.

Anhinga

Identified by a long tail, dagger like bill, long s-shaped deck, and lack of waterproof feathers. Males have black and silver streaked wings on the back, while females have a pale head, neck, breast, and wings with a dark belly.

Black crowned night Heron

A bird with long while head plumes, gray wings, a pale gray belly, and a defined black crown and back. It features all black bills, bright red eyes, and thick legs and neck.

Common moorhen / common gallinule

A charcoal gray bodied bird found from Canada to chile that swims like a Duck but walks like a rail. It has long and slender toes, lives in marshes and ponds, and is identified by a red shield over a yellow bill and a white "racing" stripe over the side.

Double-crested cormorant

Found in fresh and saltwater across North America, this dark bird has orange-yellow skin around the base of the Bill and chin, long kinked necks, and thin strongly hooked bills. It only possesses a double crest during breading season.

Great blue heron

A blue-gray patterned bird with a wide black stripe over the eye, a black crown, long orange-yellow bill, and head plumes. It has specialized chest feathers used as a washcloth to remove oil and scion from other feathers.

Great egret

A bird characterized by a complete white body, yellow-orange bills, and black legs.

Green heron

Identified by slender yellow legs, a velvet-green back and crown, a rich chestnut body, and a dark cap that raises into a short crest with dark gray wings.

Laughing gull

Found in Southeast and gulf coast beach locals; nonbreeding adults are identified by missing some black smudging around the eye.

Limpkin

A long-legged and long-necked bird located in Wetlands that feeds almost exclusively on apple snails. It is brown overall with white spotting on the back and sides and has a long and heavy yellowish bill.

Mallard (males)

Birds found in North America and Eurasia with a Gary green head, white collar, pale underneath, and a bright yellow bill. They have a blue "speculum" patch in the wing and a white tail with a curled black feather.

Mallard (females)

Birds with a brown matched body with dark spotting, orange and brown bills, orange legs and feet, and a blue "speculum" patch in the wing.

Muscovy Duck

An invasive species native to South America, Central America, Mexico, and portions of Texas. Males are the largest duck in Na; they hiss and are identified by white patches on wings, mostly black bodies with greenish gloss, and red facial skin.

Pied-billed grebe

A small bird, smaller than a crow, with a blocky head and a short, thick bill featuring a vertical black stripe. It is heavy-bodied and has almost no tail.

Sandhill crane

A bird that breeds in open prepares wetlands and fields in Na and can live up to $36$ years. Identified by a long slender neck, bright red crown, pale check, and gray overall feathers with tan body feathers.

Snowy egret

Found along the coast, it has an all white body, black bill, yellow skin @ base of bill, black legs, and yellow feet. It grows filmy, curry plumes during breeding season.

Tricolored heron

Identified by a mixture of blue-gray, lavender, and white with a white belly and yellowish logs. Breeding versions have pink legs, a bright blue patch of skin around the bill, and small white plumes.

White ibis

Native to the coastal southeast, it has a football shaped all white body, a long curved bill, red legs, and black wing tips.

Wood stork

A massive bird found in wetlands and preserves along the coast of FL., GA, and SC. It is white overall with black tail and flight feathers, featuring a tucked in neck at rest and an extended neck in flight.

Yellow-crowned night heron

A coastal bird with a blocky head, thick neck, and black head with a white cheek patch. It features a yellow crown, head plumes, and bright orange-yellow legs.