Species identification 3

Black Capped Chickadee

Comorant (pelagic or double crested)

Two common types in southern BC – Pelagic and Double-crested.

Identification

- Sleek black or dark-bodied waterbirds with long necks and hooked bills.

- In BC, the Pelagic Cormorant has a slender body and greenish-black plumage, while the Double-crested has orange facial skin

Behaviour / Adaptation

- Expert divers that chase fish underwater using powerful legs.

- Unlike other seabirds, their feathers are not waterproof (no oils like ducks)—helps them dive but must dry wings afterward. That’s why they spread their wings.

Fun fact

- Historically, cormorants were trained in Japan and China to catch fish for humans

Belted Kingfisher

Identification

- Stocky, crested bird with a large head and long bill. gives it a slightly “top-heavy” look

- Slate-blue upperparts with white underparts and a blue breast band (females also have a rust band).

Behaviour

- Found near both rivers and coastal waters—loud, rattling call often heard before seen.

- Hunts by hovering briefly or perching over the water, then plunging headfirst to grab fish with its bill.

- Excavates long burrows (up to 4 m) into vertical dirt or sand banks along shorelines.

Black Oystercatcher

Identification

- Striking black shorebird with bright orange bill, pinkish legs, and yellow eyes with red eye-rings.

- Seen often in pairs (during breeding season- spring and summer) and commonly in flocks outside breeding season.

Behaviour / Adaptation

- Uses strong bill to hammer and chisel and break a shell open or goes for the surgical precision approach to pry open shellfish like mussels.

- Loud, high-pitched call—often heard before the bird is seen.

- Nests in simple scrapes on bare rock, often on outer coasts.

Common Merganser

Identification

- Large duck with slender body, long serrated bill, and low flight profile.

- Males have white bodies with dark green heads; females are gray with rusty crests.

Behaviour / Adaptation

- Dives for small fish—serrated bill helps grip slippery prey.

- Often seen flying just above water surface in direct, purposeful lines.

- Moms raise the chicks on their own- males leave after mating (joins other males at feeding sites)

Ptarmigan

Identification

- Compact grouse with feathered legs and feet.

- Plumage changes b season: pure white in winter and mottled brown-gray in summer.

Behaviour / Adaptation

- Camouflage is seasonal—white in snow, brown in summer scree.

- Found in high alpine zones, feeding on buds, twigs, and alpine plants.

- Stays in cold environments year-round—unusual for birds.

Common Raven

Identification

- Large, all-black bird with thick bill and shaggy throat feathers.

- Often confused with crows but larger and with a deeper, croaking call, and a heavier bill. Raven tailfeathers when fanned out have a diamond shape versus crows with a fan shape.

Behaviour / Adaptation

- Highly intelligent corvid—problem-solving, tool use, and play behaviors observed.

- Omnivorous diet: eats carrion, berries, insects, human food scraps.

- Common in mountain areas, forests, and coastal headlands and islands.

Indigenous stories

- The trickster – In many First Nations stories along the BC coast (including Haida, Tlingit, Tsimshian, Kwakwaka’wakw), Raven is a powerful figure who can shape-shift, create, and deceive, often teaching lessons through mischief.

- Bringer of light – One well-known Haida story tells of Raven stealing the sun, moon, and stars from a greedy chief and releasing them into the world, bringing light to humanity.

Clarks Nutcracker

Identification

- Gray-bodied bird with black wings and white patches, in the crow/jay family.

Behaviour / Adaptation

- Feeds on and caches seeds from Whitebark Pine—can store thousands. (A fascinating mutualism between bird and tree!)

- Has an extraordinary spatial memory — can remember the locations of up to ~10,000 caches for months, even under deep snow.

- Some seeds not retrieved and grow into new trees—crucial to regeneration for the Whitebark Pine.

- Well adapted to high elevations and snowy mountain environments.

Grey Jay (canada Jay or Whiskey Jack)

Identification

- Fluffy gray bird with lighter underside and darker cap—friendly and bold.

Behaviour / Adaptation

- Caches food for winter—uses sticky saliva to glue food in tree bark.

- Known for approaching humans in campsites or alpine areas.

- (That food you feed them is usually cached, not eaten- they can do that all day!)

Steller's Jay

Identification

- Vibrant blue and black bird with a distinct crest—loud and bold.

- Common in forested areas and backyards.

- Member of the corvid family (along with crows and ravens)- very smart with complex social behaviours.

Behaviour / Adaptation

- Omnivorous—feeds on seeds, insects, and human food scraps.

- Plays role in seed dispersal by consuming and excreting seeds.

- Very intelligent and mimics other bird calls and sounds.

Varied Thrush

Pacific Wren

Pileated Woodpecker

Identification

- Very large woodpecker with red crest and black-and-white plumage.

- Creates rectangular holes in trees while foraging for insects.

- Nests in tree cavities it excavates—other species later use these nests (condo effect).

Behaviour / Adaptation

- Uses extremely long tongue to extract ants and beetle larvae from deep within wood.

- Helps spread fungi by transporting spores on beak and feathers.

Bald Eagle

Barred Owl

House Sparrow (invasive)

Northern Flicker

Identification

- Large brown woodpecker with black chest crescent and spotted belly.

- Western birds often have red underwings (Red-shafted Flicker) vs eastern version with yellow underwings

Behaviour / Adaptation

- Feeds primarily on ants—often seen on the ground unlike other woodpeckers.

- Calls and drumming start early—one of the first spring sounds (Feb).

- Excavates nest cavities in trees (condo builder like the Pileated woodpecker).

- Also the bird that’s pecking loudly on roof vents!

Red Breasted Nuthatch

Swainson's Thrush

Identification

- Brown bird with buffy eye ring—blends into forest understory. Hard to see, but easy to hear.

- Song is a spiraling, flute-like melody that carries through forest. (I think of it like an ascending spiral)

- You will start hearing it the 3rd week of May (Salmonberry bird- timing with the salmonberries!)

Behaviour / Adaptation

- Neotropical migrant—spends winter in South America, summers in BC.

- Forages for insects and berries in shaded forest floors.

- Very elusive—Hard to see, easy to hear.

Anna's Hummingbird

The other hummingbird in BC is the Rufous hummingbird, but it migrates to Mexico in late summer.

Identification

- Tiny, fast-flying birds with iridescent feathers and hovering ability.

- Anna’s is year-round in SW BC- even in freezing temperatures!

- The ability to slip into a type of hibernation (torpor) on chilly nights helps the Anna’s survive our cold and rainy winters.

Behaviour / Adaptation

- Feed on nectar and small insects—visit feeders with sugar-water (1:4 ratio- never honey or artificial sweeteners)

- When flying, their hearts, no bigger than an infant’s fingernail, beat 1,200 times a minute.

- Every 60 seconds they breathe 250 times.

- During normal flight, their wings typically flap 40-50 times per second

- In a typical day they will visit hundreds of flowers, dining every 15 minutes.

- Their tubular tongues work like pumps and are so long that, when retracted, coil up inside the birds’ heads, around their skulls and eyes

- Extremely fast wing beats—create buzzing or chirping sounds.