Dixon CBC ID Practice

Identification Practice for the
Dixon Christmas Bird Count

Species observed in 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9-8 7-6-5 4-3-2 1 out of 16 years of the count.

This Learning-Feature was developed for the 2013 CBC season. As we prepare for the 2019 season, we now have 22 years of data. (See Updated Compilation)
This feature stresses the most commonly occuring species, so there is little change in the relative frequencies of those species.
A good preparation for the 2019 count is still provided.
An update of this feature will take place at a later date.

Species Recorded in 4 & 3 & 2 out of the 16 Years of the Count.

[These species represent 0.24% of all individuals counted over the 16 years.]

See Suggested Exercises and other Information at Bottom of Page

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English Name: Genus species:	Comments	Photos
Swans, Geese and Ducks
Gadwall Anas strepera Enlarge Map External Sites: Cornell USGS Image Search		Bosque del Apache Bosque del Apache
Northern Pintail Anas acuta Enlarge Map External Sites: Cornell USGS Image Search
Bufflehead Bucephala albeola Enlarge Map External Sites: Cornell USGS Image Search	Male on left. Female on right.	Orilla Verde Enlarge
Upland Game Birds
Ring-necked Pheasant Phasianus colchicus Enlarge Map External Sites: Cornell USGS Image Search		Click for Photos
Wild Turkey Meleagris gallopavo Enlarge Map External Sites: Cornell USGS Image Search
Scaled Quail Callipepla squamata Enlarge Map External Sites: Cornell USGS Image Search		El Bosque, Dixon Enlarge
Grebes
Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps Enlarge Map External Sites: Cornell USGS Image Search		Click for Photos
Diurnal Raptors: Vultures, Eagles, Hawks and Falcons
Rough-legged Hawk Buteo lagopus Enlarge Map External Sites: Cornell USGS Image Search		Click for Photos
Gruiformes: Coots, Cranes and Rails
Sandhill Crane Grus canadensis Enlarge Map External Sites: Cornell USGS Image Search
Smaller Wading Birds
Solitary Sandpiper Tringa solitaria Enlarge Map External Sites: Cornell USGS Image Search		Click for Photos
Pigeons and Doves
White-winged Dove Zenaida asiatica Enlarge Map External Sites: Cornell USGS Image Search
Cuckoos and their Allies
Greater Roadrunner Geococcyx californianus Enlarge Map External Sites: Cornell USGS Image Search		Lomas Blvd NE, Albuquerque Enlarge Bosque del Apache, NM Enlarge
Woodpeckers
Williamson’s Sapsucker Sphyrapicus thyroideus Enlarge Map External Sites: Cornell USGS Image Search	Female is pictured. Can be confused with Northern Flicker, but lacks many critical Flicker field marks. Male (not pictured) very distinctive. Click on Image Search for photos.	El Bosque, Dixon
Red-naped Sapsucker Sphyrapicus nuchalis Enlarge Map External Sites: Cornell USGS Image Search		Photo: Matt MacGillivray Alberta, Canada
Shrikes and Vireos
Loggerhead Shrike Lanius ludovicianus Enlarge Map External Sites: Cornell USGS Image Search		Click for Photos
Northern Shrike Lanius excubitor Enlarge Map External Sites: Cornell USGS Image Search		Maxwell, NM
Larks
Horned Lark Eremophila alpestris Enlarge Map External Sites: Cornell USGS Image Search		Photo: Jerry Friedman, Apodaca Enlarge
Nuthatches and Creepers
Pygmy Nuthatch Sitta pygmaea Enlarge Map External Sites: Cornell USGS Image Search		Click for Photos
Brown Creeper Certhia americana Enlarge Map External Sites: Cornell USGS Image Search	Easily overlooked, this brown-backed bird blends in with the bark it "creeps" on. Generally noticed when it flies to the base of a tree. After ascending the trunk, it flies again to the base of another tree. Note: Slightly decurved bill. Generally ascends trunk in a spiral motion.	El Bosque, December 1, 2012
Wrens
Winter Wren Troglodytes troglodytes Enlarge Map External Sites: Cornell USGS Image Search		Click for Photos
Mimids "Mimic Thrushes"
Northern Mockingbird Mimus polyglottos Enlarge Map External Sites: Cornell USGS Image Search		Rinconada Enlarge
Sage Thrasher Oreoscoptes montanus Enlarge Map External Sites: Cornell USGS Image Search		Airport Road, Santa Fe
Sparrows and their Allies
Swamp Sparrow Melospiza georgiana Enlarge Map External Sites: Cornell USGS Image Search		Click for Photos
White-throated Sparrow Zonotrichia albicollis Enlarge Map External Sites: Cornell USGS Image Search	Similar to White-crowned Sparrow. Note the yellow lores and the white-throat. Rare, but when present, seen mixed in flocks of White-crowneds.	Photo: Arthur Chapman, Ontario, Canada

Ideas for using this table:
Exercise #1:	Use a sheet of paper to cover left column of display. Describe every part of the bird pictured. (If no local photo exists, use "Click for Photos" Link) Name the species and check in left column to see if you are correct.
Exercise #2:	Use a sheet of paper to cover right two columns of display. Try to describe the species from memory. Check to see how well your description matches the photo. (If no local photo exists, use "Click for Photos" Link)
Exercise #3:	Use as simple flash cards: Use a sheet of paper to cover left column of display. Name the species and check in left column to see if you are correct.
Exercise #4:	For each species: Using a field guide, read the species account to determine the habitat where the bird is most likely to be found. If you have no field guide, use the "Cornell" link to see their species account. Scroll down to "Habitat".
Exercise #5:	For each species: Using a field guide, read the species account to get a sense of the sounds this species makes. Go to the "Cornell" link to access recordings of this species.

External Links in table below:
(Remote sites open in a new window.)
Cornell	Opens Cornell Lab of Ornithology's All About Birds site's species account in a new browser window. This site offers detailed information on every species including sound recordings.
USGS	Opens the USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter species account in a new browser window. Includes BBS and CBC maps, ID Tips and Taxonomy for each species.
Image Search	Shows the results of a Google image search for the species.
All Photographs by Robert Templeton unless otherwise noted. Copyright Information.

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Identification Practice for the Dixon Christmas Bird Count

Species Recorded in 4 & 3 & 2 out of the 16 Years of the Count.

Identification Practice for the
Dixon Christmas Bird Count