Bird Identification

American Goldfinch (AMGO)

Field Marks:

• small finch, conical bill

• notched black tail

• Two wing bars

• white under tail coverts

Breeding Males: lemon yellow, black cap, black wings/white bars

Nonbreeding Males: drab olive, some yellow on face, blacker wings than females

Breeding Female: olive-yellow, no black cap, blackish wings/tail,buffier wing bars

Age — HY(Hatching Year): Can’t be aged at a glance

Age— AHY (After Hatching Year): Adult males can be aged year-round; females can be aged in breeding season; in winter adult females and immature birds are similar

Brown Headed Huthatch (BHNU)

Field Marks:

• tiny huthatch, oversized head

• brown (not black) cap

• pale spot on nape

• blue-gray,buffy-white below

All Ages and Sexes

• Sexes and all ages look alike by plumage

Carolina Chickadee (CACH)

Field Marks

• black cap and bib

• crisp white cheek patch

• plain gray back, wings, tail

• flanks with a hint of brown, no bold wing edging

All Ages & Sexes

• sexes and ages look alike by plumage

Carolina Wren (CARW)

Field Marks

• Warm rufous-brown above

• buffy-orange underparts

• bold-whitish supercilium (eyebrow)

• long tail, often cocked up

• downcurved bill

All Ages & Sexes

• Sexes and ages look alike by plumage

Chipping Sparrow (CHSP)

Field Marks

• small, slim sparrow

• gray, unstreaked rump

• two think white wing bars

• black line through the eye

Breeding Adult (AHY)

• bright chestnut/rufous cap

• crisp white supercoloum (eyebrow)

• clean, unstreaked gray breast

• black beak

Nonbreeding Adult (AHY)

• similar colors and patterns as breeding birds

• colors more subdued than breeding birds (especially cap)

• pink beak

Chipping Sparrow (CHSP) - Juvenile

Field Marks

• lacks the white throat of WTSP

• lacks the prominent malar stripe of SOSP

Juvenile/First Fall (HY)

• crown streaked brown, chestnut reduced or absent

• breast and sides finely streaked (adults are clean)

Eastern Bluebird (EABL)

Field Marks

• plump thrush with short, straight bill

• blue on the wings and tail in all plumages

Adult Male (AHY)

• vivid deep blue head, black wings

• rich brick-red throat and breast

• white belly

Adult Female or Immature

• blue-gray back, duller blue wings/tail

• pale gray head

• muted orange-brown breast

• bold white eye ring

Eastern Bluebird (EABL)

• plump thrush with short, straight bill

• blue on the wings and tail in all plumages

Juvenile (HY)

• spotted breast and back — looks like a mini thrush/robin

• blue in wings and tail more subdued than in adults

• bold whitish eye-ring

• molts to adult female-like plumage by late summer

Eastern Towhee (EATO)
Field Marks

• chunky, long-tailed “big
  sparrow”

• rufous/rusty sides, white
  belly

• white corners on the tail

• eye typically dark red in
  the Piedmont (white in far
  SE coastal birds)

Adult Male (AHY)

• solid black hood, back, wings, tail

Adult Female or Immature

• same pattern but warm brown replaces the black

Eastern Towhee (EATO)
Field Marks

• chunky, long-tailed “big sparrow”

Juvenile (HY)

• heavily streaked brown above and below

• no solid black or brown hood yet

• size, long tail, and white wing patch still point to Towhee

• molts to adult female-like plumage starting in August

Northern Cardinal (NOCA)
Field Marks

• prominent crest

• thick, cone-shaped bill

• long tail

Adult Male (AHY)

• overall brillant red

• black mask from face to upper chest

• bright red-orange bill

Adult Female (AHY)

• fawn/buffy-brown overall

• warm reddish tinge on wings, crest, tail

• gray-to blackish mask, less defined than male’s

• same red-orange bill

Northern Cardinal (NOCA)
Field Marks

• body plumage resembles adult female

Juvenile (HY)

• key mark: bill is dark grayish-black, not red orange

• bill brightens to adult red-orange by fall

Northern Mockingbird (NOMO)

Field Marks

• overall gray above, pale gray-white below

• long, slightly downcurved bill

• two white wing bars

Adult (AHY)

• pain, light gray breast

• long

Pine Warbler(PIWA)

Field Marks:

• stout bill

• unstreaked olive beak

• two bold white wing bars

Adult Male (AHY)

• bright olive-yellow upperparts

• clear yellow throat/breast, faint-side streaks

Adult Female/Immature

• paler, duller olive-yellow to grayish-brown

• immature female can look almost gray

with little yellow

Prothonotary Warbler (PROW)

Field Marks

• olive back

• blue-gray wings and tail

• no wing bars

• unstreaked yellow underparts

• black eye, black legs, long pointed bill

Adult Male (AHY)

• head and breast bright golden orange-

yellow

Female/Immature

• head and breast a cooler, paler yellow

• slightly duller overall

Song Sparrow (SOSP)

Field Marks

• long, rounded tail

• gray to brown supercilium

(eyebrow), coarse head

stripes

• heavy streaking converging to a central breast spot

• prominent malar stripe

• no wing bars

Adult (AHY)

•  bold, coarse blackish-brown streaking

  ▪ well-defined central breast spot

Juvenile (Summer) (HY)

• finer, buffier streaking overall

• central breast spot often indistinct

Swamp Sparrow (SOSP)

Field Marks

• rich reddish-brown wings, no wing bars

• gray face

• clean pale throat

Adult (breeding-type) (AHY)

• solid, bright rufous cap

• clean, essentially unstreaked gray breast

Immature/Nonbreeding

• cap streaked brown, not solid rufous

• buffier face

• finely streaked breast

Tufted Titmouse (TUTI)

Field Marks

• gray crest — distinctive silhouette

• large black eye on plain gray face

• rusty- peach wash on flanks

• gray above, whitish below

All ages and sexes

• sexes and ages look alike by plumage

White- Breasted Nuthatch (WBNU)

Field Marks

• blue-gray back

• white face and underparts

• chestnut wash on lower belly/undertail

Male

• solid, glossy back cap onto the nape

Female

• cap often grayer/duller than male’s

White-throated Sparrow (WTSP)

Field Marks

• sharply outlined white throat patch

• yellow lores (spot between eye and bill)

• dark bill

• rusty-brown streaked back

White-Striped Morph (AHY)

• bold black and white striped crown

• bright, well defined yellow lores

• occurs equally in males AND females

Tan-Striped Morph (AHY)

• brown-and-tan striped crown (duller)

• duller lores, less crisp throat patch

• also occurs equally in males and females

White-Throated Sparrow (WTSP)
Field Marks

• body plumage resembles tan morph adult, but muted

Immature

• Key mark: faint streaks on the breast

• juvenile plumage (not shown) not observed in NC; young birds molt before migrating south

Dark-Eyed Junco (DEJU)

Field Marks

• pink, conical bill

• white outer tail feathers

• sharp line between dark hood and white belly

Male (AHY)

• deep, fairly uniform slate-gray hood and back

Female/Immature

• hood and back washed brownish or paler gray

• less uniformly slate overall

Gray-Cheeked Thrush (GCTH)

Field Marks

• cold grayish-brown above, no reddish tones

• faint, incomplete eye-ring

• grayish cheek

• evenly spotted breast

• gray-brown tail — no contrast with back

All ages and sexes

• sexes and ages look alike by plumage

• the rarest of the regularly-encountered Catharus thrushes here

Hermit Thrush (HETH)
Field Marks

• reddish-brown tail contrasts with duller olive brown back

• bold, clean white eye ring

• bold dark spotting on white breast

All ages and sexes

• sexes and ages look alike by plumage

Swainson’s Thrush (SWTH)

Field Marks

• bold, complete buffy eye ring and buffy lores — a “spectacled” look

• uniform olive-brown back and tail, no contrast

• evenly spotted, buffy-washed breast

All ages and sexes

• sexes and ages look alike by plumage

Wood Thrush (WOTH)

Field Marks

• largest, most colorful of this group

• bright rufous-orange head/nape fading to olive-brown rump/tail

• bold, larger round black spots on a white breast

• bold white eye-ring

All ages and sexes

• sexes look alike by plumage

• by fall, most juveniles have already molted out of their spotted juvenal plumage