Common
Name:
|
Swainson's
Thrush |
 |
| Scientific
Name: |
Catharus ustulatus |
Length:
(inches)
|
7.25" |
| Wing
Span: (inches) |
13" |
 |
Habitat:
|
Wet
cool wetlands, thickets and swamps. |
| Identification: |
Both
the male and female are slender song bird. Olive-brown
above, white belly, pale olive-brown flanks, dark spotting
on buff breast, buff eye ring. |
| Migration: |
They
are fairly common in the summer, usually arriving in
the Pacific Northwest from the middle of May to June.
They head south in late summer for Mexico and South
America. |
Feeding
/Nesting:
|
The
Swainson’s Thrush feeds on the ground and in foliage,
and eats a variety of insects, spiders, and berries.
Their nests are located from 2-40 ft. above the ground
on horizontal branches. The nest is made of twigs,
bark, moss, grass, plant fibers, lichens and skeletonized
leaves. The female lays 3-5 eggs, light blue with
brown spots and about 0.8 inches long. Incubation
takes 11-14 days and the young fledge in another 10-14
days.
|
Similar
Species:
|
All
of the Catharus thrushes are very similar, mainly different
by range and song. |
|
Common
Name:
|
Three-Toed
Woodpecker |
 |
| Scientific
Name: |
Picoides
tridactylus |
Length
(inches):
|
8.5" |
| Wing
Span: |
|
Habitat:
|
Coniferous
forests, burned over pines. |
|
Identification:
|
A
medium size, stocky woodpecker with short bill. Black
head with white face stripes, black and white barred
back, barred flanks. The male has a yellow cap and plain
black back. |
Similar
Species:
|
|
|
|
Common
Name:
|
Canada
Goose
|
 |
| Scientific
Name: |
Branta
canadensis |
Length
(inches):
|
25-45" |
| Wing
Span: |
|
|
Habitat:
|
Lakes,
ponds, marshes, grassland, open farmland. |
Identification:
|
Medium
waterfowl. Blackhead and heck, white "chin strap",
and bark black, white undertails coverts. In flight,
show dark wings and white u shaped rump band. |
Similar
Species:
|
Smaller
birds can be mistaken for the Brant, but the Canada
Goose black neck stops above the chest and has a broad
white "chine strap". |
|
Common
Name:
|
Barn
Swallow |
 |
| Scientific
Name: |
Hirundro
rustica |
Length
(inches):
|
6.75" |
| Wing
Span: |
|
Habitat:
|
Rural
buildings, culverts, and bridges. |
|
Identification:
|
A
largish swallow with long, slender, pointed windows
and long deeply forked tail. Blue and black above, pale
cinnamon or buffy white below, chestnut-red throat and
forehead, with white spots under the tail. |
Similar
Species:
|
|
|
|
Common
Name:
|
Chestnut-Backed
Chickadee |
 |
| Scientific
Name: |
Parus rufescens |
Length
(inches):
|
4.75" |
| Wing
Span: |
|
Habitat:
|
can
be found in coniferous forests and mixed woods in a
narrow range along the Pacific coast from SE Alaska
to central California. The only inland population occurs
in SE British Columbia and NW Montana. |
|
| Migration: |
|
Feeding
/Nesting:
|
They
acrobatically cling to branches, searching for insects
and seeds. They readily come to feeders for sunflower
seeds and suet. Its nest is made of moss, hair, feathers
and downy material, and is placed in a natural or excavated
cavity, or a birdhouse. The male does courtship feeding
of the female. The female does all of the incubation.
There are 6-7 white eggs with light reddish speckles.
The young break out in 11-12 days and then fledge 13-17
days later. Some birds have two broods in one season. |
Identification:
|
A
small short tailed woodland bird with large head. Chestnut-brown
flanks and back, whitish beneath, black throat patch
and sooty-brown cap, and white cheeks. |
Similar
Species:
|
|
|
Research
Sources:
East
Lake Washington Audubon Society
USGS
Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
|
