Ornithology Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards about birds from lecture notes.

Very tall; blue-gray with a shaggy neck and yellow bill. Stalks fish in shallow waters.

Great Blue Heron

Adults are slate-blue; juveniles are all white. Forages slowly in marshes.

Little Blue Heron

Slender, blue-gray with reddish neck and white belly. Actively chases fish.

Tricolored Heron

Small and stocky with a greenish back and chestnut neck. Hunches at water's edge.

Green Heron

Shaggy heron, dark or white morph. Performs erratic fish-chasing dance.

Reddish Egret

Large white with yellow bill and black legs.

Great Egret

Medium white with black bill and legs, and yellow feet.

Snowy Egret

Short neck, white, and often seen in flocks following cattle.

Cattle Egret

Stocky, black-capped, active at dusk.

Black-crowned Night Heron

Gray body, yellow crown stripe. Feeds on crustaceans at night.

Yellow-crowned Night Heron

Tiny and elusive. Cinnamon and black plumage. Hides in reeds.

Least Bittern

Cryptic brown heron that freezes with bill up when startled.

American Bittern

Brown body, pale face, yellow bill (male). Resident in Gulf wetlands.

Mottled Duck

Tall, with pink bill and legs. Tree-nesting duck.

Black-bellied Whistling Duck

Cinnamon-colored with dark back. Less common than black-bellied.

Fulvous Whistling Duck

Small; males have blue wing patch and white crescent on face.

Blue-winged Teal

Small; males have green eye patch and chestnut head.

Green-winged Teal

Rusty red body, blue on wing. Males colorful.

Cinnamon Teal

Large spoon-shaped bill. Males have green heads, females are mottled brown.

Northern Shoveler

Subtle gray/brown duck with black rump. White wing patch in flight.

Gadwall

Males have white crown and green eye patch. “Squeaky” call.

American Wigeon

Slim duck with copper head with white stripe, long tail and elegant neck.

Northern Pintail

Males have red head and black breast. Often in coastal ponds.

Redhead

Black head and chest, gray back. “Diving” duck.

Lesser Scaup

Small; males in breeding plumage have blue bill and stiff tail.

Ruddy Duck

Slate-gray with white bill. Chicken-like with lobed toes.

American Coot

Red forehead shield, yellow-tipped bill, white side stripe.

Common Gallinule (Common Moorhen)

Vibrant purple-blue body, red bill with yellow tip, long toes.

Purple Gallinule (Purple Moorhen)

Small rail with yellow bill and black mask. Heard more than seen.

Sora

Elegant; black-and-white with rusty neck and upturned bill.

American Avocet

Black and white with long pink legs.

Black-necked Stilt

Double black chest bands. Loud “kill-deer” call.

Killdeer

Short bill, one chest band, orange legs.

Semipalmated Plover

Sandy back, thick black bill, one chest band.

Wilson’s Plover

Brown with white spots (in breeding), teetering tail.

Spotted Sandpiper

Tiny, yellow legs, fine bill.

Least Sandpiper

Black legs, slightly drooping bill.

Western Sandpiper

Small, black legs, straight bill.

Semipalmated Sandpiper

Heavily streaked chest sharply cut off from white belly.

Pectoral Sandpiper

Long bill; sewing-machine feeding motion.

Dowitcher (likely Short-billed)

Large gray shorebird; dramatic black-and-white wings in flight.

Willet

Tall with long yellow legs and slightly upturned bill.

Greater Yellowlegs

Smaller than Greater, with finer bill.

Lesser Yellowlegs

Very long downcurved bill; sandy color.

Long-billed Curlew

Dark gray with black head (breeding) and loud call.

Laughing Gull

Pale gull with black ring on yellow bill.

Ring-billed Gull

Large; pink legs and heavy bill with red spot.

Herring Gull

Large tern with orange bill and black crown.

Royal Tern

White with orange bill and black eye patch.

Forster’s Tern

Tiny, yellow bill and black cap. Nests on beaches.

Least Tern

Chunky tern with short thick black bill.

Gull-billed Tern

Small; dusky black body (breeding), gray wings.

Black Tern

Huge tern with thick red bill.

Caspian Tern

Black above, white below, red-and-black bill; lower mandible longer.

Black Skimmer

Coastal, plunging diver; brown with pale head.

Brown Pelican

Massive white bird with orange bill; soars high.

American White Pelican

Long forked tail, huge wingspan, males have red throat pouch.

Magnificent Frigatebird

Slim black bird with long tail and yellow throat patch with white v

Neotropic Cormorant

Bulkier, orange throat, more common inland.

Double-crested Cormorant

Small, brown with thick bill and black ring (breeding).

Pied-billed Grebe

Dark with red head; V-shaped flight profile.

Turkey Vulture

White head with dark eye stripe; dives for fish.

Osprey

Long wings, white rump; low glider over marshes.

Northern Harrier

Large raptor with white tail and dark band.

White-tailed Hawk

Medium hawk with long tail; agile flyer.

Cooper’s Hawk

Powerful falcon, dark head and sideburns, fast stoop.

Peregrine Falcon

Falcon-like scavenger with orange face, black crown, white tipped beak

Crested Caracara

Gray with white wing patches. Mimics other birds.

Northern Mockingbird

Pale with salmon sides and long forked tail.

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

Tiny, short tail, strong eye ring. “Che-bek” call.

Least Flycatcher

Gray-olive flycatcher with sad whistle call.

Eastern Wood-Pewee

Loud yellow-bellied flycatcher with black-and-white head.

Great Kiskadee

Large yellow belly, greenish back, sharp “kip” call.

Couch’s Kingbird

Similar to Couch’s, with buzzy calls and darker tail.

Tropical Kingbird

Large swallow, glossy blue-black. Males all dark.

Purple Martin

Long forked tail, blue above, reddish throat.

Barn Swallow

Bold singer; warm brown with white eye stripe.

Carolina Wren

Gray bird with black crest, common in TX.

Black-crested Titmouse

Rusty tail and wings, long decurved bill.

Long-billed Thrasher

Stocky blackbird with red eyes.

Bronzed Cowbird

Yellow warbler with black face mask.

Common Yellowthroat

Olive-gray with yellow patches on sides and tail.

American Redstart (female)

Brown, tiny bird with white stripe on back. Bubbly call.

Marsh Wren

Rare; large pink wader with downcurved bill. Likely a vagrant

American Flamingo

Pale, fast-moving sandpiper; runs along wave edges.

Sanderling