Birds of Alaska: Falcon Pocket Guide™

107 Pages·2013·118.04 MB·English

by  Todd Telander

Birds of Alaska
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s Nature In Your Pocket™ ir
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n Birds of Alaska highlights 180 of the most common and sought-after o
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ti bird species in the Last Frontier. Anatomically correct illustrations a
a and detailed descriptions about each bird’s prominent physical attri- l
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g butes and natural habitat make it easy to identify birds in your back- sk
e yard, favorite parks, and wildlife areas. Informative and beautiful to a
a peruse, this is the essential resource when you’re out in the field.
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v TODD TELANDER is a natural science illustrator, wildlife artist, and
e the author and illustrator of many FalconGuides, as well as the
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y Scats and Tracks series. He lives in Walla Walla, Washington, with
his wife, Kirsten, and two sons, Miles and Oliver.
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u Cover illustrations © Todd Telander
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TODD TELANDER
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Birds of Alaska
Todd Telander
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To my wife, Kirsten, my children, Miles and Oliver, and my parents,
all of whom have supported and encouraged me through the years.
Special thanks to Mike Denny for his expert critique of the illustrations.
Versa insert
FSC logo
FALCONGGUUIIDDEESS®
Copyright © 2013 Morris Book Publishing, LLC
Illustrations © 2013 Todd Telander
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced or trans-
mitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval
system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing from the pub-
lisher. Requests for permission should be addressed to Globe Pequot
Press, Attn: Rights and Permissions Department, PO Box 480, Guilford, CT
06437.
FalconGuides is an imprint of Globe Pequot Press.
Falcon, FalconGuides, and Outfit Your Mind are registered trademarks of
Morris Book Publishing, LLC.
Project Editor: Lauren Brancato
Text Design: Sheryl P. Kober
Layout: Joanna Beyer
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Telander, Todd.
Birds of Alaska / Todd Telander.
pages cm. — (A Falcon field guide)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-7627-7931-4
1. Birds—Alaska—Identification. I. Title.
QL684.A4T45 2013
598.09798—dc23
2012038534
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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Contents
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
Notes about the Species Accounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi
Bird Topography and Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii
Nonpasserines
Geese, Ducks, Mergansers (Family Anatidae) . . . . . . . . . .1
Grouse, Ptarmigans (Family Phasianidae). . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Loons (Family Gaviidae). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Grebes (Family Podicipedidae) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Albatrosses (Family Diomedeidae) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Fulmars (Family Procellariidae) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Storm- Petrels (Family Hydrobatidae) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Cormorants (Family Phalacrocoracidae). . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Herons (Family Ardeidae). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Osprey (Family Pandionidae) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Hawks, Eagles (Family Accipitridae) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Falcons (Family Falconidae) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Rails, Coots (Family Rallidae). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Cranes (Family Gruidae). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Plovers (Family Charadriidae) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Oystercatchers (Family Haematopodidae) . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Sandpipers, Phalaropes (Family Scolopacidae) . . . . . . . . 33
Gulls, Terns (Family Laridae) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Jaegers (Family Stercorariidae) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Alcids (Family Alcidae). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Pigeons, Doves (Family Columbidae) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Typical Owls (Family Strigidae) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Hummingbirds (Family Trochilidae) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
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Kingfishers (Family Alcedinidae) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Woodpeckers (Family Picidae). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Passerines
Tyrant Flycatchers (Family Tyrannidae) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Shrikes (Family Laniidae) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Vireos (Family Vireonidae) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Jays, Crows (Family Corvidae) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Larks (Family Alaudidae) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Swallows (Family Hirundinidae). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Chickadees (Family Paridae) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Nuthatches (Family Sittidae). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Creepers (Family Certhiidae). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Wrens (Family Troglodytidae) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Dippers (Family Cinclidae) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Kinglets (Family Regulidae) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Old World Warblers (Family Phylloscopidae). . . . . . . . . . 72
Wheatears (Family Muscicapidae) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Thrushes (Family Turdidae). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Starlings (Family Sturnidae) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Wagtails, Pipits (Family Motacillidae) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Waxwings (Family Bombycillidae) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Longspurs, Snow Buntings (Family Calcariidae). . . . . . . . 78
Wood Warblers (Family Parulidae) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Sparrows (Family Emberizidae) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Tanagers, Grosbeaks (Family Cardinalidae). . . . . . . . . . . 87
Blackbirds, Orioles, Grackles (Family Icteridae) . . . . . . . . 88
Finches (Family Fringillidae) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
About the Author/Illustrator. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
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Introduction
Alaska, our largest state, is a treasure of wilderness. Because of its
position on the globe, it is also where birdlife from both Eastern
and Western Hemispheres make an appearance. Many European,
Asian, and African birds make the trek to Alaska, giving birders
of North America a rare chance to see a host of unusual species
(including the Northern Wheatear and the Arctic Warbler). In
addition, Alaska’s geographic diversity—remote oceanic islands,
open seas, vast expanses of arctic tundra, lush forests, and the
highest mountains in North America—provides for an incred-
ible number and variety of bird species (over 450 species have
been recorded). Many species spend the entire year here, but
most take advantage of the wealth of food available during the
short summer to breed here and return to southern climes for the
winter. Indeed, some of the greatest migrations occur in Alaska,
including the 20,000-mile round-t rip journey of the Arctic Tern.
From Black-f ooted Albatrosses offshore and swarms of Crested
Auklets on rocky islands to Snowy Owls on the open tundra, this
guide describes many of the most common birds you are likely to
encounter in this beautiful state, and should give you a good start
to your birding exploration and enjoyment.
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Notes about the Species Accounts
Order
The order of species listed in this guide is based on the most
recent version of the Check- List of North American Birds, published
by the American Ornithologists’ Union. The arrangement of some
groups, especially within the nonpasserines, may be slightly dif-
ferent than that of older field guides, but reflects the most r ecent
accepted arrangement.
Names
The common name as well as the scientific name is included for
each entry. Since common names tend to vary regionally, and
because there may be more than one common name for each
species, the universally accepted scientific name of genus and
species (such as Aethia cristatella, for the Crested Auklet) is more
reliable to be certain of identification. Also, one can often learn
interesting facts about a bird from the English translation of its
Latin name. For instance, the generic name Aethia derives from
a word meaning “seabird,” and cristatella refers to a small crest.
Families
Birds are grouped into families based on similar traits, behaviors,
and genetics. When trying to identify an unfamiliar bird, it can
often be helpful to first place it into a family, which will reduce
your search to a smaller group. With birds you are already familiar
with, try to understand what makes them fit into their particular
family. Characteristics like bill size/shape, feeding behavior, and
habitat preference can be remarkably consistent within a family.
Then, when you do encounter an unfamiliar bird, you can make
a pretty good guess as to what group it belongs to (or doesn’t!).
Size
The size given for each bird is the average length from the tip of
the bill to the end of the tail if the bird was laid out flat. Sometimes
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females and males vary in size, and this variation is described in
the text. Size can be misleading if you are looking at a small bird
that happens to have a very long tail or bill. It can be more effec-
tive to judge the bird’s relative size by comparing the size differ-
ence between two or more species.
Season
The season given in the accounts is the time when the greatest
number of individuals occurs in Alaska. Some species are year-
round residents that breed here. Others may spend only sum-
mers or winters here, and some may be transient, only stopping
during the spring or fall migration. Even if only part of the year
is indicated for a species, be aware that there may be individuals
that arrive earlier or remain for longer than the given time frame.
Plumage also changes with the season for many birds, and this is
indicated in the text and illustrations.
Habitat
A bird’s habitat is one of the first clues to its identification. Note
the environment (including vegetation, climate, elevation, sub-
strate, presence or absence of water) where you see a bird and
compare it with the description listed. Often you can narrow your
search considerably by noting what birds are not found in a par-
ticular habitat, or if they do not occur in a certain range.
Illustrations
The illustrations show the adult bird in the plumage most likely
to be encountered during the season(s) it is in Alaska. If it is likely
that you will find more than one type of plumage during this time,
the alternate plumage is also shown. For birds that are sexually
dimorphic (meaning, females and males look different), illustra-
tions of both sexes are usually included. Other plumages, such as
those of juveniles and alternate morphs, are described in the text.
vii
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Bird Topography and Terms
Bird topography describes the outer surface of a bird and how
various anatomical structures fit together. Below is a diagram out-
lining the terms most commonly used to describe the feathers
and bare parts of a bird.
crown
supercilium eye stripe
auriculars
eye ring
nape
lores mantle
upper mandible/culmen scapulars
medial and lesser coverts
lower mandible
greater coverts
chin
tertials
malar
secondaries
throat primaries
rump/uppertail coverts
breast
sides
vent
belly undertail coverts
tail (retrices)
flanks
viii
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NONPASSerINeS
Greater White- fronted
Goose, Anser albifrons
Family Anatidae (Geese, Ducks,
Mergansers)
Size: 28"
Season: Spring through fall
Habitat: Swamps and marshy tundra
The Greater White- fronted Goose is a medium- size goose that
breeds in Alaska and winters in western and southern parts of
North America. Its plumage is grayish-b rown above and on the
head and neck, with white tail coverts and a white terminal tail
band. The breast and flanks are barred with brown and black, and
the bill is pinkish, bordered at the base by white along the front
of the face (lacking in juveniles). The upper portion of the flanks
forms a thin, white line. These geese forage for a variety of plants
or small invertebrates in marshes or nearby fields. The adult is
illustrated.
1
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