2. Birds

5. Feathers make the bird

14. Order Gaviiformes Loons Specialized for swimming and diving. Come ashore only to breed. In flight, head lower than body. Wingbeats fast. Eat fish, crustaceans, some water plants.

15. Common loon – Gavia immer

16. Order Podicipediformes Grebes Swimming and diving birds, smaller than loons. Flat lobes on toes. Short legs far back on body. Flight weak and hurried. Taxi before becoming airborne. Dive and pursue aquatic animals.

17. Pied-billed grebe – Podilymbus podiceps

18. Order Pelecaniformes Pelicans and their Allies Large, aquatic fish-eating birds with all four toes webbed. Most nest in large colonies and are silent outside breeding grounds.

19. American white pelican – Pelecanus erythrorhynchos

21. White pelicans in flight.

22. Brown pelican Pelecanus occidentalis

23. Brown pelican diving For fish.

24. Double-crested cormorant – Phalacrocorax auritus

25. Double-crested cormorant

26. Anghinga (snake bird) – Anhinga anhinga

27. Order Sphenisciformes Flightless birds that have stiff wings and distinct coloration (black or gray feathers on their backs and white feathers on their bellies). Their wing bones are fused to form flipper-like limbs and enable the birds to dive and swim with great skill.

28. Penguins

29. Order Anseriformes Waterfowl Aquatic, with webs between the three front toes. Long necks and narrow pointed wings. Flattened bills with tooth-like edges that serve as strainers.

30. Canada goose – Branta canadensis

33. Snow goose – Chen caerulescens

34. Mallard – Anas platyrhynchos

35. Pintail – Anas acuta

36. Blue-winged teal Anas discors

37. Blue-winged teal

38. Green-winged teal – Anas crecca

40. Wood duck (drake) – Aix sponsa

41. Female wood duck

42. Redhead – Aythya americana

43. Canvasback – Aythya valisneria

44. Ring-necked duck – Aythya collaris

46. Lesser scaup – Aythya affinis

47. Common goldeneye – Bucephala clangula

48. Bufflehead – Bucephala albeola

50. Hooded merganser – Lophodytes cucullatus

52. Order Falconiformes Eagles, Hawks, Falcons, Vultures Diurnal birds of prey. Strong beaks and talons.

53. Turkey vulture – Cathartes aura

54. Turkey vulture in flight

55. Black vulture – Coragyps atratus

56. Vultures (two black, one turkey) feeding on carrion.

57. Mississippi kite Ictinia mississippiensis

58. Swallow-tailed kit Elanoides forficatus

59. Cooper’s hawk Accipiter cooperii

60. Cooper’s hawk in flight

61. Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s hawks

62. Sharp-shinned hawk Accipiter striatus

63. Northern harrier – Circus cyaneus

64. Red-tailed hawk Buteo jamaicensis

65. Red-tailed hawk in flight

66. Red-shouldered hawk Buteo lineatus

67. Red-shouldered hawk in flight

70. Golden eagle Aquila chrysaetos

71. Bald eagle Haliaetus leucocephalus

72. Osprey – Pandion haliaetus

73. American kestrel – Falco sparverius

74. Peregrine falcon- Falco peregrinus

75. Order Galliformes Gallinaceous Birds Heavy-bodied, chicken-like land birds. Short, heavy bill. Wings short and rounded. Legs rather long. Flight not fast, but can burst into full flight from a sitting position. Capable runners that forage on the ground. Males of many species have elaborate courtship displays.

76. Chicken

77. Northern bobwhite – Colinus virginianus

78. Male bobwhite

79. Wild turkey Meleagris gallopavo

80. Order Ciconiiformes Herons and their allies Wading birds with long legs, neck and bill. Most feed on aquatic animal life in shallow water. Some have long plumes in the breeding season. Wings are broad and rounded, tail short.

81. Great blue heron Ardea herodius

83. Great egret Casmerodius albus

85. Snowy egret – Egretta thula

86. Cattle egret – Bubuculus ibis

88. Little blue heron – Egretta caerulea

89. Louisiana heron – Egretta tricolor

90. Green heron Butorides striatus

91. White ibis – Eudocimus albus

94. Wood stork Mycteria americana

96. Flamingos

97. Order Struthioniformes Ostrich, Kiwi a running bird with flat, raft-like sternum and strong muscular legs.

98. Ostrich

99. Emu

100. Kiwi

101. Order Gruiformes Cranes and their Allies Highly diverse group of wading birds with long legs. Other features such as size, body outline, bill shape and neck length are highly variable.

102. Sandhill crane Grus canadensis

103. Sandhill crane

104. Whooping crane Grus americana

105. Clapper rail Rallus longirostris

106. King rail – Rallus elegans

107. Common moorhen – Gallinula chloropus

108. Purple gallinule – Porphyrula martinica

109. American coot – Fulica americana

112. Order Charadriiformes Shorebirds and Gulls Diverse group of wading or swimming birds. mOst are white, gray or brown, with long pointed wings and webbed feet. Highly migratory. Most feed along shores, a few inland.

113. Killdeer – Charadrius vociferus

114. American woodcock – Scolopax minor

115. Common snipe – Gallinago gallinago

117. Sanderling – Calidris alba

118. Herring gull Larus argentatus

119. Laughing gull – Larus atricilla

120. Forster’s Tern Sterna forsteri

121. Caspian tern – Sterna caspia

122. Common tern – Sterna hirundo

123. Order Columbiformes Pigeons and Doves Small-headed, short-legged, swift-flying birds with pointed wings and fanned or tapered tails. All species coo, bob heads when walking. Eat grains, small seeds, acorns and fruit.

124. Mourning dove – Zenaida macroura

125. Rock dove – Columba livia

127. Order Strigiformes Owls Large-headed, short-necked birds of prey. Mostly nocturnal. Large eyes are fixed in sockets, so the entire head moves as the bird shifts its gaze. Flat, round or heart-shaped “facial disk” conceals the large external ear flaps. All fly silently, hunting for rodents and other mammals. Calls are distinctive hoots, wails, or whistles.

128. Eastern screech owl – Otus asio

129. Great horned owl Bubo virginianus

130. Barn owl – Tyto alba

131. Barn owl

132. Barred owl Strix varia

133. Order Caprimulgiformes Goatsuckers Nocturnal insect-eaters with large, flat heads, small bills, enormous mouths, and distinctive white patches in the wings and tail. Many are named for their call.

134. Chuck-will’s-widow – Caprimulgus carolinensis

136. Whip-poor-will – Caprilmulgus vociferus

137. Common nighthawk – Chordeiles minor

139. Order Apodiformes Swifts and Hummingbirds

140. Ruby-throated hummingbird – Archilochus colubris

141. Order Coraciiformes Kingfishers Large-headed, short-tailed birds that dive for fish, which they catch with their long sharp beaks. Perch motionless in the open, over water. Short legs.

142. Belted kingfisher – Ceryle alcyon

146. Order Piciformes Woodpeckers Have a strong bill, sharply pointed for chipping and digging into tree trunks or branches for wood-boring insects. Still tail used as a prop. Most species “drum” on resonant limbs, poles, or drainpipes. Flight is usually undulating, with wings folded against the body after each series of flaps. Usually nest in a cavity chiseled into a large branch or trunk.

147. Yellow-shafted flicker Colaptes auratus

149. Pileated woodpecker Dryocopus pileatus

150. Red-bellied woodpecker Melanerpes carolinus

151. Red-headed woodpecker Melanerpes erythrocephalus

152. Red-cockaded woodpecker Picoides borealis

153. Downy woodpecker Picoides pubescens

154. Hairy woodpecker Picoides villosus

155. Yellow-bellied sapsucker Sphyrapicus varius

156. Order Passeriformes Perching Birds Small to medium land birds. All have feet well adapted for perching: 3 toes in front and 1 long toe behind. Most are singers. Bill shape, feather colors, and habits are most useful for family identification. Most insectivorous species and some seed and fruit eaters are highly migratory.

157. Eastern kingbird Tyrannus tyrannus

158. Barn swallow Hirudo rustica

159. Purple martin – Progne subis

160. Blue jay Cyanocitta cristata

161. American crow – Corvus brachyrhyncos

162. Carolina wren – Thryothorus ludovicianus

163. Northern mockingbird – Mimus polyglottus

165. Brown thrasher – Toxostoma rufum

166. American robin - Turdus migratorius

167. Eastern bluebird Siala sialis

168. Cedar waxwing – Bombycilla cedrorum

169. Loggerhead shrike Lanius ludovicianus

171. Red-winged blackbird – Agelaius phoeniceus

173. Brown-headed cowbird – Molothrus ater

174. Northern cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis

175. Black-capped chickadee – Poecile carolinensis

176. House finch Carpodacus mexicanus

177. Indigo bunting – Passerina cyanea

178. Eastern towhee – Pipilo erythrophtalmus

179. Sparrows