Bird Identification: Wild Bird Species Identification

I grew up in a place surrounded by jungles. My father was a mining engineer, and his job took him from his home state, West Bengal in the east, to the coal mines in the state of Andhra Pradesh, in southern India, to a tiny little place called Kothagudem. The coal mines were built by the British, so were the solid bungalows that we lived in. These bungalows had sprawling gardens full of trees, bushes, flower beds, and lush creepers, which were of course full of the calls and songs of birds, from the ‘chirrup-chirrup’ of the house sparrow to the long drawn out ‘koo-oo koo-oo’ of the koel, or the Indian cuckoo – wild birds filled my life with their music.

The garden was separated from the wilderness of the jungles beyond by just a flimsy fence, which I easily slipped through to wander along narrow paths and listen to and catch sight of more birds – like a brilliantly hued kingfisher suddenly swooping down to dip its beak in a puddle of water, or a golden oriole sunning itself on a branch, or a coucal, with its distinctive reddish-brown wings, clumsily waddling away into the underbrush, or listen to the ‘twit-twoo’ cries of the bulbul, and if very lucky, when the monsoon clouds would growl and darken the skies, suddenly spot a peacock with its beautiful tail feathers unfurled in full bluish-green shimmering splendor!

This early introduction to birds lead me to read the ornithologist, Dr Salim Ali’s - better known as the ‘birdman of India’ - books like ‘The Book of Indian Birds’, ‘Pictorial Guide to the Birds of the Indian Subcontinent’, and his delightful autobiography, ‘The Fall of a Sparrow’ – which opened my eyes to the identification of the wild bird species that I have always lived with, and which has left a lasting thirst in me to learn all about the various wild birds all over the world.

Given below are a few wild birds along with their characteristic identification marks:

The Whooping Crane: Named because of its whooping call, this crane is listed as an endangered bird and is the tallest bird in North America, as well as the only species of crane that occurs solely here. When fully grown, they are white in color. The neck is long, which is kept straight while flying, and they have dark, long legs that trail towards the back during flight. When they fly, the black tips of their wings can be spotted.

The Great Egret: Weighing up to 950 g and standing 101 cm tall, this is a large sized bird indeed, and is also referred to as the Common Egret, White Heron, or Great White Egret. This wading egret occurs in most areas of the world where the climate is warmer temperate or tropical, such as the southern part of Europe as well as in Asia. In New Zealand, it is referred to as Kotuku. Its plumage is fully white, its bill is yellow in color, and its feet and legs are black. Its flight is slow, during which the neck remains retracted, distinguishing them from spoonbills, cranes, and storks, which keep their necks extended.

The Golden Eagle: This bird of prey is one of the most familiar in the northern hemisphere. Once occurring all over Asia, Europe, and North America, nowadays it is no longer seen in areas that are heavily populated. The colors of its plumage range from dark brown to blackish brown, with the nape and crown a dramatic golden color, which accounts for its name. The wingspan of this bird can reach up to 7 feet, or 2 m, while the length of its body can measure up to 3 feet, or 1 m.

Pileated Woodpecker: Almost the size of a crow, this is the largest sized woodpecker, and is found in most parts of North America. Its presence is announced in the forests that range all over the continent by the large, rectangular shaped excavations it makes in dead trees, and its loud calls that ring through the trees. With a red crest on its head, it has white markings on its wings, at the linings of the underwings and the base of the primaries. It has white and black stripes on its face, along with a white stripe that extends from the base of the bill and down the neck. It also has a white stripe below the crown and above the eye, and a white throat. It has yellow eyes and yellowish feathers on the nostrils. Its call is ringing and loud, which goes ‘kuk-kuk-kuk’, along with resonating drumming sound.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak: With bold patterns in rose, white, and black, the male can be identified quite easily. However, the female, which is striped and drab, is more difficult to do so, resembling a larger version of the finch or sparrow. Commonly occurring in forests, the song of the grosbeak resembles the robin’s, except that it is more melodic and softer. The belly of the male is white, the chest is red, and it has a black hood. The bill is cone-shaped, pale, thick, and large.

Northern Mockingbird: It has been given this name because of the way it imitates other birds’ songs. They occur from the southern parts of Canada right down to the southern regions of Mexico, as well as the Caribbean. Its plumage is grayish-brown in color with two white colored bars that run parallel on the wings, along with a white, broad patch on the wings that are visible when the bird flies

Great Black-backed Gull: This is the largest gull in the world. Its head is white, with the underparts being white and the upperparts being black. It bill is large and yellow, with the lower part having a red spot. The eyes are pale, with a red ring, and the feet and legs are pink. It flies with slow, deep beats of the wings and has the ability of soaring on updrafts or thermals. It occurs in the northeastern parts of North America and the northwestern parts of Europe. Its calls are deep, which sound like ‘gawp’ or ‘gowl’, or sometimes going ‘owk-owk-owk’ or ‘hah-hah-hah’. And when it breeds it makes low screeches that sound like ‘kreee-aaahh’.

Sarus Crane: This is the only crane that lives and breeds in Southeast Asia and India, and is also the tallest flying bird in the world. Also, it is the largest bird of India. The plumage of the body is a light gray in color, and a greenish, smooth skin covers the crown. The upper neck, throat, and the rest of the head have reddish-orange skin that is rough. There are grayish-white feathers that are over its ears, and there are black, long hair-like bristles covering parts of the neck and upper throat. The toes and legs are red in color. The female is slightly smaller in size compared to males. Pairs of cranes, which form bonds that last life-long, perform courtship dances that are elaborate, with a combination of prances, bows, and leaps, accompanied with calling to each other in duet.