Identify Baby Birds With Big Beaks
Observing birds is a peaceful activity the entire family can enjoy. Watching baby birds as they begin to emerge from their nests is something that can be done for hours on end. The thrill of seeing these various species is being able to accurately identify which bird is which. Some baby birds will have spotting on their feathers, while others may only have fuzz left over from birth. Some birds will have bold colors and some might be gray or brown.
Instructions
1. Examine the feathers for variations in color. Chicks can be difficult to classify because their feathers differ from their parents because they have not yet molted. For example, the common tern chick has a fuzzy fluff of feathers that are brown down the back and white on the chest. The parent common tern has a gray chest and is black down the back. The osprey chick has long, black feathers with white tips and a white chest. The osprey parent is quite similar, only the black feathers do not end in white tips.
2. Evaluate the beaks of the birds for size and color characteristics. The Amer oystercatcher chick has a slender, long beak that is orange near the face. When the chick is older, the beak will be completely orange, but during adolescence it is brown at the tip. The sanderling has a sharp, lengthy beak that is solid black up to the area just before the face.
3. Determine the name of the baby chick by its overall size. The baby black skimmer is a relatively small bird, the height of a blade of wild grass. The chick will eventually grow to be the size of a common crow. The piping plover chick, however, is one fourth of the size of its parents at just 2 days of age. By molting time after its first winter, the piping plover will become the size of a common finch.
Related posts
Baby birds may only lighly resemble the adults.Many baby birds of diverse species look roughly the same in their earliest days: a naked or sparsely feathered reptilian-looking creature with oversi...
Make sure the babies are orphaned or abandoned before attempting to help.It's a heartbreaking sight--baby birds alone in their nest. Before you decide that the birds are orphaned or abandoned and...
Northern Californian Birding.Birding can invite a myriad of exciting sightings, including nests of baby birds. In Northern California birding is a popular hobby, but it can be a little perplexing...
Most baby birds in the wild do not want or need human help and many well-meaning people who take in wild animals do more harm than good. If the bird is injured or its parents are dead, there are a...
Take Care of Abandoned Baby BirdsIf you are a gardener or spend a lot of time outdoors, chances are that you will find an abandoned baby bird on the ground. It can be difficult to determine if the...
