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Anna’s Hummingbird
Anna’s hummingbird is a medium-sized hummingbird with a typical length of 3.5 inches. Its bill is long, straight and thin. Generally, Anna’s hummingbird has a green back and gray underparts with greenish flanks. The adult male has a rosy-red iridescent crown and gorget and an entirely dark tail. The female and young birds have green crowns, gray chins and throats with variable amounts of thin, dark streaking or rosy red spots, depending on their age and gender. They have dark tails with white tips on outer tail feathers. Originally found only on the Pacific slope, from Baja California to San Francisco, Anna's hummingbird has increased its population and expanded its breeding range in recent years to Vancouver Island and east to southern Arizona. This expansion has been assisted by the introduction of exotic flowering plants, especially Eucalyptus, red-hot-poker and tree tobacco and by the proliferation of hummingbird feeders.
Bald Eagle
This large eagle is a blackish colour with a white head and tail and a heavy yellow bill. Its call is a squeaky cackling with thin squeals. The bald eagle breeds in Alaska and east across Canada and south to California. Its winters are spent along coasts and large rivers in much of the United States. It inhabits lakes, rivers, marshes and seacoasts and its nest is made of sticks bundled in a tall tree or on top of a cliff. Two or three white eggs are laid. This bird is primarily a fish eater, but also eats carrion and crippled waterfowl; this beachcombing habit has contributed to its downfall, as it accumulated pesticides from contaminated fish and wildlife. Hunting, poaching and the encroachment of civilization have also greatly reduced its population, although an intense recovery plan appears to be increasing its numbers.
Brant Goose
The Brant goose is similar to the Canada Goose but is smaller with a shorter neck and is darker, lacking the white cheek patches. It is dark brown above with a black head and neck; the neck has a white collar. The west coast variety has a darker belly than eastern varieties and was once considered a separate species. A low, guttural "ruk-ruk" distinguishes its call. This species breeds in coastal Alaska and the Canadian Arctic and winters along the Pacific coasts, south to California and the Carolinas. While breeding, the Brant goose prefers tundra and coastal islands; winters are spent in salt marshes and estuaries. The Brant goose feeds mainly on eelgrass and other marine plants, so it rarely strays from saltwater. It spends winters in large flocks, feeding, on mudflats. Migration takes place in irregular bunches rather than in lines, like other geese. Three to five eggs are laid in nests made of moss and down. Although a great number are shot by hunters, the goose's biggest danger is the steady loss of winter habitats to encroaching civilizations.
Canada Goose
The Canada goose is the most familiar and common type of goose in Canada. Its size decreases northward, with the smallest of the species living in the high Arctic coastal tundra. A brownish body with a black head, long black neck and white chin strap characterize this goose. A rich, musical honking is the call of the larger species and a high pitched cackling is that of the smaller. This goose lives throughout the majority of North America in lakes, bays, rivers and marshes. It is often seen feeding in open grasslands and stubble fields. It has become a semi-domesticated bird in city parks and on reservoirs. The Canada goose is well known for it's V-shaped migrating flocks and characteristic honk. It is chiefly a grazer, feeding in stubble fields and on marsh vegetation. There are 11 geographical races; some with populations well over one million and some barely over one thousand.
Common Merganser
The male of this species has flashing white sides, a green-black head, a white breast and a long, thin, red bill and feet. The female's body and sides are grey with a reddish-brown crested head and a white throat. The call is a low, rasping croak. Breeding grounds range across Canada, from eastern Alaska to Newfoundland, in wooded river areas and ponds. Mergansers winter in the south, as far as Mexico, mainly on lakes and rivers and occasionally on saltwater. The female lays six to 12 buff-coloured eggs in a down-lined hollow on the ground or in a tree cavity. The merganser feeds on small aquatic life, insects and water plants; it dives to pursue aquatic prey. Its hooked upper mandible and saw-like teeth are designed to catch slippery fish. This small, chunky duck is nearly helpless on land.
Glaucous-winged Gull
A large gull at 22 inches long, the glaucous-winged gull has a very large bill with a distinct gonydeal angle. A flat forehead and large bill give it a mean appearance; this species can often be distinguished by its shape alone. It has a white head, neck, breast, belly and tail with a pale gray mantle. Dark eyes, a bright yellow bill with a red spot and pink legs also characterize this bird. Juveniles have black bills and a pale brown bodies. The glaucous-winged gull nests on rocky cliffs among the seabird colonies of the coastal northern Pacific, from Alaska and the Aleutians south to northern Washington state. It winters from southern Alaska, south along the Pacific coast as far as Baja California, occasionally in the eastern Hawaiian islands. This species feeds on carrion, fish, invertebrates, seaweed and food stolen from other marine birds. During low tide, mussels and barnacles comprise much of its diet, but at other times sea urchins, chitons and limpets are preferentially gathered. Barnacles, sea urchins, molluscs and other resistant food items are gathered from the shore and dropped onto rocks from the air to crack them open. In the vicinity of humans, glaucous-winged gulls scavenge garbage from docks, dumps and shores and follow fishing vessels.
Great Blue Heron
This bird is grey-blue with black stripes over its eyes, black streaks on its white foreneck and a yellow bill. Ornate plumage on its head, neck and back decorate the breeding adult. Heights average 39-52 inches and a harsh squawk characterizes its call. The great blue heron resides along lakes, ponds, rivers and marshes from coastal Alaska, along south-central Canada to Mexico on the west coast. This adaptable bird’s large size enables it to prey on a variety of animals including fish, mice, small birds and insects. Such a wide variety of feed enables the heron to stay farther north during the winter months (as long as there is open water) longer than other species. Most of these birds nest in large groups amongst tall trees or in reed beds. Three to seven pale greenish-blue eggs on a shallow platform of sticks lined with a finer material characterize the nest. Young herons disperse in the late summer and can be found on small ponds in mountain waters or wherever there is fish. |
Loon
The common loon has a large, heavy body with a thick, pointed black bill. In the breeding season, its plumage, head and neck are black with white bands on the neck and white spots on its back. In the winter, the crown, hindneck and upper parts are dark grey and the throat and underparts are white. The call, which usually occurs at night and during migration, is a loud, wailing laugh or a mournful yodel and has been described as one of the most striking wilderness sounds, a strange, sad, mournful, unearthly cry, half laughing, half wailing. The loon breeds in the Aleutian Islands, Alaska and Northern Canada, south to New Hampshire, Montana and California. It nests on forested lakes and rivers and winter on coastal bays and oceans south to the Gulf Coast. The loon also breeds in Iceland. It is an expert diver whose eyes can focus both in water and in the air; it concentrates oxygen in its leg muscles to sustain it while diving to depths of up to 200 feet. Nearly-solid bones make the loon heavier than many other birds.
Mallard
The male has a greyish body, a chestnut-coloured breast and a green head with white neck rings. The inner feathers of its wings are a metallic purplish-blue, bordered in front and back with white. The female is a mottled brown with a white tail and the feathers of her inner wing are also purplish-blue. The mallard's bill is a mottled orange and brown. This duck breeds in the north and winters in the south, along coasts. It inhabits marshes, ponds and marshy lakes. In midwinter, mallards form pairs and migrate northward together, heading for the female's place of origin. There they build a down-lined nest to lay eight to 10 light olive-green eggs. The male stays until incubation is well underway, then leaves to join a flock of other males. The mallard often interbreeds with domestic ducks, producing a variety of odd-looking hybrids. It is normally a shy creature, but does occasionally become tame in city parks and on reservoirs.
Red-tailed Hawk
This large, stocky hawk has a light and dark phase. Its breast is whitish and its tail is rust coloured. Younger birds are duller, more streaked and lack the rust-coloured tail of the adult. This hawk's call is a high-pitched, descending scream with a hoarse "keer". The red-tailed hawk breeds throughout North America and winters across the United States, north to southern BC. It inhabits deciduous forests and open country of various kinds, including tundra, plains and farmlands. This species soars over open country in search of its main source of food, small rodents. Two or three white eggs, spotted with brown, are laid in a nest of sticks lined with bark and bits of green vegetation; nests are built in tall trees or on rocky ledges.
Ruffed Grouse
This chicken-like bird is a red-brown or grey-brown with a slight crest, a fan-shaped, black-banded tail and black ruffs on either side of its neck. The female makes soft hen-like clucks. In spring, the male beats the air with his wings, creating a drum-like sound. The grouse's natural habitat is deciduous and mixed forests, especially those with dense undergrowth and scattered clearings. Grouse are found from the tree line of Alaska and northern Canada south throughout the country. During the summer, the grouse feeds on insects, seeds, fruits and sometimes, a small snake or frog. The winter diet is much more limited, consisting of buds and catkins. A shallow, sheltered depression lined with leaves and filled with nine to 12 pinkish-buff, plain or spotted eggs characterizes the nest.
Sky Lark
The sky lark is typically 6.25 inches long, with brown upper parts and breast and an unmarked white belly. The sky lark can be distinguished from sparrows by its thin bill and from pipits by its streaked crown and back and by a white trailing wing edge. The sky lark is species introduced to Vancouver Island and today Victoria is home to one of the last sky lark populations in North America. Population decline is attributed to a number of factors, including changing agricultural practices, urban sprawl and loss of farmland and field habitat. The sky lark is a ground nester and will nest in the middle of a hay or plowed field. Predation by the European starling and the northwestern crow, which scavenge eggs and attack young, also plays a part in breeding success and, with an increasing starling population, the sky lark is now further burdened. Hearing the sky lark’s flight song can be quite frustrating because the bird stays at approximately 50 to 100 metres above the ground; it can therefore also be difficult to see, despite its song being quite clear.
Stellar’s Jay
Often mistakenly called the blue jay, Stellar’s jay has a dark crest on its head which it can puff up or fold back along its head. Larger than a robin, Stellar's jay can be distinguished from its close cousin by its solid black head and neck and iridescent blue back and body; the only white it has are tiny white eyebrows. The Stellar's jay lives only on the west side of and in the Rocky Mountains, while the blue jay lives only on the eastern side. Stellar's jay lives in conifer and pine-oak forests where food is available most of the year. It feeds on nuts, acorns, seeds, insects, berries, eggs and young chicks; it also scavenges fat (suet) and meat from animal carcasses. It often hides excess food in the soil, under branches, or in cracks in trees, to eat later when food is scarce (usually in the winter). Stellar’s jay builds a nest of mostly conifer twigs in a dense conifer tree (such as a cedar) at least four meters (12 feet) above the ground. The nest is placed on a horizontal branch or in a crotch and is lined with conifer rootlets. Usually three to four pale green eggs with spots are laid. The call of the adult Stellar’s jay is a cheeky "shack, shack, shack" usually repeated in groups of three; the call is often recognized by other birds and mammals in the area as a warning, as the jay tends to act as a watch dog, sounding an alarm.
Trumpeter Swan
This is one of North America's largest birds, at 60 to 72 inches high. The adult is white with a black bill, while younger birds are a dusky grey-brown. Its bill is pink with a black base and tip and its voice is a low-pitch bugling. Throughout British Columbia, this swan breeds in the north and winters in the west. Its preferred habitat is near marshes, lakes and rivers with dense vegetation. The trumpeter swan feeds on water, rooting in shallow, mucky water for roots and grasses. It also grazes on land. Nests are built on a bullrush-covered islands or beaver dams and contain four to six whitish eggs. In the early part of this century, this swan almost became extinct due to the draining of marshes, hunting and other disturbances, along with a low rate of reproduction.
Turkey Vulture
This eagle-sized bird is usually seen soaring over the countryside, its wings held upward in a wide, shallow "V". Its flight feathers are silver grey with a black lining. This brownish-black bird has a long tail and its head is small, bare and red. It hisses or grunts when feeding or at its nest, but is usually silent. The turkey vulture breeds in southern BC, central Saskatchewan and the Great Lakes southward, wintering in southeast to southwestern America. It prefers mainly-deciduous forests and woodlands and is often seen in nearby farmlands. Two white eggs with dark brown markings are placed in a rock crevice, a hollow tree or in a hollow fallen log without a nest or lining. The turkey vulture can coast for hours, swaying from side to side and riding on rising columns of warm air (called thermals) while searching for a carcass; it feeds chiefly on carrion and refuse. |
