Archive for the 'Bird Word' Category

• Colour morph: variations of colours of individuals of the same species, either lighter or darker plumage, as in some eagles.

Colour morphs, especially in some of the eagles of Australia, can be very confusing. I must explain that I am definitely NOT an expert in this area, so I won’t add to the confusion. Many of our eagles and hawks are confusing enough as it is – without the colour morphs thrown in to further muddy the water.

The only advice I can give is: study the field guides carefully – and ask someone more experienced!

For more in this series of articles check out the Glossary of Bird words here.

Collar: a contrasting coloured band of feathers on the neck of a bird.

The collar, neck and nape of a bird can refer to basically the same part of the bird’s body, just below the crown or top of the head and just above the back. Some species of birds have a distinctive band or collar of contrasting coloured feathers in this area, and this helps with identification.

Some birds even have a reference to this collar in their name and this helps to categorise the bird in the observer’s mind. Some examples are:

• Collared Sparrowhawk
• Collared Kingfisher
• Red-Collared Lorikeet (a subspecies of the Rainbow Lorikeet)
• Red-Necked Avocet
• White-Naped Honeyeater

For more in this series of articles check out the Glossary of Bird Words here.

Collared Sparrowhawk

Casual: a bird that has been observed outside its normal range.

I am convinced that most bird species do not read the Field Guides. They do not observe where they are supposed to be. They wander off the beaten track. They get lost. Or they decide to have a sea-change or a tree-change.

Whatever.

One thing is certain; many species can be observed from time to time way outside their normal range, where they are usually found. The Striped Honeyeater is a case in point. It is a bird mainly of the inland, in drier woodland scrubs, mallee associations and mulga.

The Striped Honeyeater has visited our garden on a number of occasions. It even nested quite close to our house. This record is the most south westerly occurence of this species. It cannot be classed as resident in this area as it only visits every few years. Its appearance here is classed as “casual.” One has to travel 50 – 100 km NE to observe it in its normal range.

The Spiny Cheeked Honeyeater (shown below) is another bird of the drier parts of Australia.

For more articles in this series check out the Glossary of Bird Words here.

Spiny Cheeked Honeyeater

• Cap: a patch of colour on the top of the head or the crown of a bird.

Some Australian birds have a distinctive cap on the crown of their head. In some cases this helps greatly in identifying the species, and in others it lends itself to the common name of the bird.

Here are some examples:

• Red-Capped Robin
• Red-Capped Plover
• Plum-Capped Finch (more commonly called the Plum-Headed Finch)

In other cases it is not the word “cap” that is used, but the alternative word “crown.” Here are some examples:

• Purple-Crowned Lorikeet
• Chestnut-Crowned Babbler
• Grey-Crowned Babbler
• Purple-Crowned Fairy-Wren

Look carefully at the head of the bird you are trying to identify. It can be very useful and even diagnostic.

For more in this series of articles check out the Glossary of Bird Words here.

Red Capped Robin

• Breeding plumage: feathers that are usually more brightly coloured than non-breeding feathers and which appear during the breeding season.

Just when beginner birders think they have a handle on identifying the birds common around their home and immediate district, along comes the breeding season. Here in Australia that is often late winter, through spring and into summer, from August through to about February, though this differs greatly between species. Some species seem to be able to breed around the year, and do so.

The problem this poses for the newbie birder is that some species take on quite different plumage patterns. The male Superb Blue Wren, for example, takes on a brilliant coat of colours during breeding.

It’s all rather confusing, actually.

Just another reason to have at least one good field guide, and to study it carefully.

For more in this series of articles check out the Glossary of Bird Words here.