Week3 Ornithology Lab

Great Horned Owl\*

Order: Strigiformes, Family: Strigidae

Very large, appears angry, **large ear tufts**, slight facial disc. Males and females similar.

Snowy Owl

Order: Strigiformes, Family: Strigidae

**White plumage, hairy legs**. Males and females similar.

Northern Pygmy-Owl\*

Order: Strigiformes, Family: Strigidae

Small, **long tail, speckled head and back, streaked belly**. Males and females similar.

Great Gray Owl

Order: Strigiformes, Family: Strigidae

**Dramatic facial disc**, grey coloration with barring. Males and females similar.

Short-eared Owl

Order: Strigiformes, Family: Strigidae

**Tiny head, dark eye marks.** Males and females similar.

Northern Saw-whet Owl

Order: Strigiformes, Family: Strigidae

Lightish face, **fewer speckles, short tail**, reddish/brown. Males and females similar.

Belted Kingfisher\*

Order: Coraciiformes, Family: Alcedinidae

**Blue/white plumage, mohawk crest**, females banded belly.

Red-naped Sapsucker

Order: Piciformes, Family: Picidae

**Red forehead and chest, wedge-shaped forehead**, black/white checkered and barring. Males and females similar.

Lewis’s Woodpecker

Order: Piciformes, Family: Picidae

**Tweedy breast, grey fading down to pink**. Males and females similar.

Downy Woodpecker

Order: Piciformes, Family: Picidae

Smallest of type, white banded wings, **speckled, fluffy white breast.** Males and females similar.

Pileated Woodpecker

Order: Piciformes, Family: Picidae

**Pointed red crest, black body**, forked tail. Males and females similar.

Northern Flicker\*

Order: Piciformes, Family: Picidae

Black, **white spotted chest, colored cheek patch, red feather shafts**. Males and females similar.

American Kestrel\*

Order: Falconiformes, Family: Falconidae

**Verticle eye stripes**, red back

\*\*Two visuals to know\*

Male: **dark grey wing, yellow chest**

Female: Belly/wing not distinct colored

Merlin

Order: Falconiformes, Family: Falconidae

Gray wings, **messy chest/belly, dark tail with thin bands**. Males and females similar.

Prairie Falcon

Order: Falconiformes, Family: Falconidae

Long rounded tail, **mostly white underside, light brown top,** **light tear streaks**. Males and females similar.

Western Wood-Pewee

Order: Passeriformes, Family: Tyrannidae

Grey-brown, darker tail/wings, 2 faint wing bars. Males and females similar.

Cordilleran Flycatcher

Order: Passeriformes, Family: Tyrannidae

**Green/yellow belly, olive top, slight eye ring.** Males and females similar.

Western Kingbird

Order: Passeriformes, Family: Tyrannidae

**Yellow chest**, brown back. Males and females similar.

Say’s Phoebe

Order: Passeriformes, Family: Tyrannidae

Lighter grey head, darker tail, **pink/rusty belly, thinner bill**. Males and females similar.

Eastern Kingbird

Order: Passeriformes, Family: Tyrannidae

**White belly, white-tipped tail,** black back. Males and females similar.

Northern Shrike

Order: Passeriformes, Family: Laniidae

**Thick horizontal eye band, hooked beak**, grey, dark wings/tail. Males and females similar.

Warbling Vireo

Order: Passeriformes, Family: Vireonidae

Small, no wing bars, **pale yellow belly, light eyebrow.** Males and females similar.

Canada Jay

Order: Passeriformes, Family: Corvidae

**Long tail, white forehead with black head**, pale grey. Males and females similar.

Steller’s Jay

Order: Passeriformes, Family: Corvidae

**Blue lower belly, black barring**, puffy head. Males and females similar.

Black-billed Magpie\*

Order: Passeriformes, Family: Corvidae

**Very long tail,** black, **white patches on body and wings**. Males and females similar.

Clark’s Nutcracker

Order: Passeriformes, Family: Corvidae

Gray back, black wings, **white trailing edge on wings, white tail with some black feathers**. Males and females similar.

American Crow\*

Order: Passeriformes, Family: Corvidae

Smaller, shorter feathers. Males and females similar.

Common Raven\*

Order: Passeriformes, Family: Corvidae

**Thick and long bill**, long throat feathers. Males and females similar.

Black-capped Chickadee\*

Order: Passeriformes, Family: Paridae

**Black cap and throat, yellow underside**. Males and females similar.

Mountain Chickadee

Order: Passeriformes, Family: Paridae

**Striped black/white forehead**, grayer color. Males and females similar.

Horned Lark

Order: Passeriformes, Family: Alaudidae

**Yellow chin, dark eye mask**, black “horns”, brown top, white under. Males and females similar.