The Sibley guide to birds

550 Pages·2000·54.714 MB·English

by  David Sibley

AUDUBON
NATIONAL SOCIETY
SIBLEY
Guide
to
B
irds
and
Written illustrated by
DAVID ALLEN
SIBLEY
U.S.A. $35.00
Canada $53.00
David Allen Sibley, America’s most the same way on every page,
I
gifted contemporary painter of birds, Ion. Comparing any species to
the author and illustrator of this
is
comprehensive guide. His beautifully - This line names the species or group
—
(genus, family, etc.) shown on the
detailed illustrations more than
— page.
6,600 in all and descriptions of 810
Common name
species and 350 regional populations will Latin name
L = length, ws = wingspan,
enrich every birder’s experience. WT = weight.
Measurements include not just
The Sibley Guides innovative design makes
length but also wingspan and weight
it entirely user-friendly. The illustrations are for every species. Length is measured
from bill tip to tail tip. Actual mea-
arranged to facilitate comparison, yet still cap- surements vary: length and wing-
span vary by at least +1-5%, weight
ture the unique character of each species. by +/-30% or more. A metric con-
version chart appears below.
The Sibley Guide to Birds provides a
Illustrations of flying birds are at the
wealth of new information: top, above the perched or swimming
birds, which are arranged from the
drabbest plumage at the top to the
brightest at the bottom.
• Captioned illustrations show many previously
unpublished field marks and revisions of known
marks.
Key features and field marks are de-
• Nearly every species is shown in flight. scribed alongside the illustrations.
Pointers connect field marks directly
• Measurements include length, wingspan, and to the illustrations. See Bird Topo-
I graphy (starting on page 15) for de-
weight for every species. tailed illustrations of the parts of a
bird.
• Subspecies and geographic variants are covered
thoroughly.
Voice is described in detail for each
• Complete voice descriptions are included for species and is compared to similar
species. Songs, typical calls, flight
every species. calls, and other common vocaliza-
tions are described.
• Maps show the complete distribution of every
species: summer and winter ranges, migration
routes, and rare occurrences. This space may show additional illus-
trations or text, describing geographic
or individual variation, hybrids, diag-
nostic behavior, etc.
Both novice and experienced
birders will appreciate these H
and other innovative features:
multiply by
neters 25.0
An
introductory page for each family or meters 2.5
group of related families makes comparisons 0.3
is 28.3
simple.
grams 0.45
Clear and concise labels with pointers
identify field marks directly.'
continued on backflap
n
0
OCT 1 9 200L
IKey to the Group Accounts
<Each group of related species is introduced by a summary of the characteristics of the group. These
jaccounts show all species in a family (or subfamily or order) for comparison. Look here to see the
range of variation in the group, as well as fundamental similarities and differences among genera.
1
1Indicates a new group is beginning.
—
(Common name of the family or Mimids
group. Family: Mimidae Latin name of the family (or the fam-
•
ilies) described in the account.
11 species in 4 genera. These medium-size,
long-tailed songbirds are generally solitary
They forage mainlyon the ground, using their
long, sturdy bills to toss leaves and sticks, rak- This paragraph highlights the gen-
ing the dirt in search of food. Most species fre- eral characteristics of the group and
quently run on the ground with their tails gives the numbers of species and
raised; they will often run to escape danger genera that are covered in the book.
rather than flying. Flight is generally low and
rapid. Nest is a bulky stickcup in a bush. Adults Typical habits and behaviors (includ-
are shown. ing nesting, foraging, etc.) are de-
Genus Mimus scribed.
All species in the group, except the
very rare, are pictured on this page.
They are grouped by genus and all
are shown to scale. In most cases the
Genus Dumetella Genus Oreoscoptes
relatively drab female or immature
plumages are shown, as these present
the greatest identificatuon problems.
Key to the Range Maps
Winter Shows the normal winter distribution of
The range maps show the complete distribu- the species. Many species are somewhat nomadic
tion of each species. Bear in mind that within in winter, occupying only parts of the mapped
range at any given time.
the mapped range, each species occurs only
in appropriate habitat and at variable density Summer For virtually all species this is the breed-
(common to scarce). ing range and is more consistently and uniformly
occupied than the winter range.
Year-round Indicates that the species can be
found all year in this area, even though winter and
summer populations may involve different indi-
vidual birds. Only a few species are truly resident.
Migration Main migration routes are shown, as
well as areas of regular dispersal and post-breed-
ing wandering. Note that migration also passes
through the summer and winter ranges.
Rare Green dots represent locations of rare oc-
currence (may be a single record or up to a few
records a year). These dots are included to show
broad patterns of occurrence, not necessarily
precise details of rare records.
1
7 8 10 11
T
TTtT rrTTT
iLii
16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
I
Digitized by the Internet Archive
2016
in
https://archive.org/details/sibleyguidetobir00sibl_0
AUDUBON
NATIONAL SOCIETY
SIBLEY
The
Guide
Birds
to
Written and Illustrated by
DAVID ALLEN
SIBLEY
«-
New
Alfred A. Knopf, York
UNO PIIRLIC LIBRARY
For Joan, Evan, and Joel
This is a Borzoi Book.
Published by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
Copyrighf © 2000 by Chanticleer Press, Inc.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in
the United States by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York, and simultaneously in Canada by Random
House of Canada Limited, Toronto. Distributed by Random House, Inc., New York.
www.randornhouse.com
Knopf, Borzoi Books, and the colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.
Prepared and produced by Chanticleer Press, Inc., New York.
Printed and bound by Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd., Hong Kong.
First Edition
Published October 2000
First Printing
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Sibley, David Allen, 1961-
National Audubon Society The Sibley Guide to Birds written
— /
and illustrated by David Allen Sibley. 1st ed.
cm.
p.
ISBN 0-679-45122-6
— —
1. Birds North America Identification. 1. Title.
QL681.S497 2000
598'.097-dc21 00-041239
National Audubon Society" is a registered trademark of National Audubon Society, Inc.,
all rights reserved.
7 1 3
Contents
Preface 7 Identification ofFillers 93
Acknowledgments 8 Diving Motions 97
Identification ofScoters 99
Identification ofGoldeneyes 99
9 Introduction
Classification of Birds 9
104 Diurnal Raptors
Learning to Identify Birds 9
Variation in Appearance 1 Eagles, Falcons, Hawks, Vultures
Learning Songs and Calls 13 Harrier Flight Shapes 108
Finding Rare Birds 14 Raptor Hunting Techniques 109
Ethics 14 Identification ofAccipiters 1 1
Extinct Species 14 Identification ofButeos 1 14
Identification ofFalcons 128
15 Bird Topography
134 Upland Game Birds
Parts of a Passerine 15
Head Feathers 16 Chachalacas, Grouse, Partridges,
Body Feathers 1 Pheasants, Prairie-Chickens,
Wing Feathers 18 Ptarmigan, Quail, Turkeys
Parts of a Shorebird 19 Exotic Game Birds 135
Parts of a Duck 20
Parts of a Gull 20
Molt and Plumage 22 150 Gruiformes
Coots, Cranes, Limpkin, Moorhens, Rails
North American Birds
Habits ofRails 153
Species Accounts
158 Shorebirds
23 Loons
Avocets, Curlews, Dowitchers, Godwits,
Jacanas, Lapwings, Oystercatchers,
26 Grebes
Phalaropes, Plovers, Ruff, Sandpipers,
Snipe, Stilts, Turnstones, Willet,
Woodcocks, Yellowlegs
30 Albatrosses, Petrels,
and Shearwaters Rare Shorebirds 161
Aging and Identification ofShorebirds 181
Identification ofPeeps 187
41 Storm-Petrels
Aerial Displays ofSnipe and Woodcock 193
Identification ofPhalaropes 194
46 Pelecaniformes
Anhinga, Boobies, Cormorants,
196 jaegers and Skuas
Frigatebirds, Gannets, Pelicans, Tropicbirds
Jaeger Bill Shapes 196
Cormorcmts ami Auh'm^a 50
hlentifhatiun ofSulids 54
202 Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers
57 Wading Birds Hybrid Gulls 204
Identification ofGulls 208
Bitterns, Egrets, Flamingos, Herons, Ibises,
Spoonbills, Storks
hieiitificatiofi of White Herons 59 241 Alcids
Identification ofDark Ibises 66 Auklets, Dovekie, Guillemots, Murrelets,
Murres, Puffins
70 Swans, Geese, and Ducks Identification ofMurres 243
Identification ofSwans 73
Geese Head and Bill Shapes 79 254 Pigeons and Doves
Domestic Waterfowl 89
Exotic Waterfowl 89
Identification ofScaup 93 262 Parrots and Their Allies
267 Cuckoos and Their Allies 410 Mimids
Anis, Cuckoos, Roadrunners Catbirds, Mockingbirds, Thrashers
271 Owls 416 Starlings and Mynas
284 Goatsuckers and Swifts
418 Wagtails and Pipits
292 Hummingbirds
422 Silky-Flycatchers and Bulbuls
Identification ofHiinuningbirds 302
423 Waxwings
303 Trogons
304 Kingfishers 424 Wood-Warblers
Parulas, Redstarts, Warblers, Waterthrushes
306 Woodpeckers
Blue-winged x Golden-winged Hybrids 428
Driunniing Sounds 306 Warbler Plumages 437
Identification ofFall Warblers 442
Identifying Songs 447
320 Tyrant Flycatchers
Aberrant Passerines 458
Flycatchers, Kingbirds, Pewees, Phoebes,
Wood-Pewees
459 Tanagers, Cardinals, and
Their Allies
340 Shrikes and Vireos
Bananaquit, Cardinaline Buntings,
Cardinals, Dickcissel, Grosbeaks, Tanagers
350 jays. Crows, and Their Allies
Identification ofTanagers 461
Crows, Jays, Magpies, Ravens, Scrub-jays
Identification ofGrosbeaks 467
Identification ofCardinaline Buntings 470
362 Larks
Open-Ground Birds 362 472 Emberizine Sparrows and
Their Allies
364 Swallows Emberizine Buntings, juncos, Longspurs,
Sparrows, Towhees
Molt in Swallows 364
Identification ofSpizella Sparrows 484
371 Chickadees and Their Allies Sparrowlike Birds 492
Identification ofEmberizine Buntings 503
Bushtit, Chickadees, Titmice, Verdin
Drab Gray Birds ofthe Arid Southwest 378
507 Icterids
Blackbirds, Bobolink, Cowbirds, Grackles,
380 Nuthatches and Creepers
Meadowlarks, Orioles
384 Wrens Identification ofMeadowlarks 509
Identification ofOrioles 518
Scold Notes 384
Sedge Wren and Grass Sparrows 388
523 Finches and Old World Sparrows
392 Old World Warblers, Thrushes, Crossbills, Finches, Goldfinches, Grosbeaks,
and Their Allies Old World Sparrows, Redpolls, Siskins
Bluebirds, Dippers, Gnatcatchers, Kinglets, Red Crossbill Types 530
Robins, Thrushes, Warblers, Wrentit Identification ofRed Crossbills 531
Exotic Finches 537
Identification ofGnatcatchers 398
Typical Thrushes 402
Robinlike Songs 403 538 Species Index
Preface
In the narrow view, this book is the prod- keep at it for so long. Well, 1 would hesitate
uct of about five vears of work, but the to do it again, but the work has been im-
larger volume of work was done before mensely satisfying. The rewards have been
that. In the broader view, the project goes in the process more than in the product, as
back to the 1970s, when first started play- studied each species and compiled my
1 1
ing with the idea of producing a field guide. notes and sketches into a concise presenta-
As traveled around the continent during tion. This was merely the finish work after
I —
the 1980s studying, sketching, and watch- twenty years of watching.
—
ing birds ideas began to form about just kept on bird-watching for those two
1
how my field guide would be different. decades for all the reasons that anyone
wanted a book that would show every watches birds. Birds are beautiful, in spec-
1
plumage and every subspecies, at rest and tacular as well as subtle ways; their colors,
in flight. A book that would give details shapes, actions, and sounds are among the
on the plumages and habits of each most aesthetically pleasing in nature. Then
species, describe songs and calls, and show there is the adventure of seeking out scarce
the complete distribution of each species, species in remote wilderness or in special-
all on the same page and all in a format ized habitats close to home; the wonder of
that would allow easy comparisons be- seeing thousands of birds pass by on migra-
tween species. tion; the excitement of finding a stray from
For more than five years (1988-1993) some far corner of the globe. The pre-
I
worked sporadically on a field guide, and dictable and the unpredictable events in
even though was unhappy with the lay- birding make every day unique.
I
out and ultimately repainted all of the On top of everything else is the intellec-
work from that period, the time was well tual challenge of identifying birds, which
spent researching the birds, refining my offers rewards at every level and draws on
painting technique, and working out some so many disciplines. For the neophyte there
of the inevitable compromises of the book is the challenge of making sense of the
(no single book could accommodate every- birds in the garden; for the expert there are
thing wanted to include). The ideas that complex identification problems and distri-
I
finally crystallized into this book came to butional patterns to be unraveled. Making
me during a trip to Europe in the fall of a contribution to the field requires nothing
1993, and by July 1994 I had started paint- more than careful observation. 1 still learn
ing the final draft. new things every time go birding, and
I I
From then on it was five years of desk am certain that the opportunities for learn-
work. People often ask how was able to ing will never end.
I
David Sibley
March 2000
MA
Concord,
Audubon
National Society
The mission o^ NAFlONAL AUDUBON SOCIEI'Y is to conserve and restore natural ecosys-
tems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats, for the benefit of humanity and the
earth's biological diversit}'.
One of the largest environmental organizations, Audubon has 550,000 members, 100
sanctuaries and nature centers, and 508 chapters in the Americas, plus a professional
staff of scientists, educators, and policy analysts.
The award-winning Audubon magazine, sent to all members, carries outstanding articles
and color photography on wildlife, the environment, and conservation. Audubon also
publishes Audubon Adventures, a children's newspaper reaching 450,000 students. Audubon
offers nature education for teachers, families, ^nd children through camps and work-
shops, plus unique, traveling degree programs through Audubon F’xpedition Institute.
Audubon sponsors books, on-line nature activities, and travel programs to exotic places
like Antarctica, Africa, Baja California, and the Galapagos Islands. For information about
Audubon, please contact: NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIld'Y Membership Dept., 700 Broad-
way, New York, NY 10003-9562; [phone] or [phone]; www.audubon.org
7
ACKNOWLEOCiMENTS
should begin by thanking everyone who nia, Berkeley and Irvine; North Carolina
I
has ever taken the time to talk with me State Museum, Raleigh; Louisiana State Uni-
about birds, and especially everyone who versity, Baton Rouge; Cornell University, Ith-
has published anything about bird identifi- aca, New York; Library of Natural Sounds,
cation. heir ideas, in one form or another, Cornell University Laboratory of Ornithol-
I
New
have been incorporated into this book. ogy; University of Alaska, Fairbanks;
I
wish it were possible to name more of Jersey Audubon Society's Cape May Bird
them, as this book represents the combined Observatory; Point Reyes Bird Observatory,
work of many hundreds of people. Below, Stinson Beach, California; Manomet Bird
I
name only the people who were directly Observatory, Manomet, Massachusetts; Uni-
consulted on this project, but the contribu- versity of Georgia, Athens; Savannah River
tions of all the others are no less significant. Ecology Laboratory, Aiken, South Carolina;
have been fortunate to have lived at and University of Arizona, Tucson.
I
Point Reyes, California, and Cape May, New My family has supported my desire to
Jersey, and to have worked for WINGS, draw birds since preschool days; the love and
Inc., making friends and sharing ideas with support of my parents, Fred and Peggy Sib-
many of the best birders in North America. ley, has carried me through all these years,
Thanks to all. and the practical benefits of having an or-
For answering queries, reviewing drafts, nithologist father cannot be overstated.
my
and providing photos, reprints, and other thank agent, Russell Galen, for
I
material assistance, thanks to Per Alstrom, smoothing the way.
John Arvin, Richard C. Banks, Bob Behr- Thanks to the editing and design team at
stock, Chris Benesh, Craig Benkman, Louis Chanticleer Press (Amy K. Hughes, George
Bevier, Bryan Bland, Tony Bledsoe, Rick Bow- Scott, Lisa R. Lester, Drew Stevens, Anthony
ers, Eric Breden, Ned Brinkley, Rick Cech, Liptak, Melissa Martin, Vincent Mejia, and
Patrick Comins, Richard Crossley, Mike Bernadette Vibar) and Thumb Print (Areta
Danzenbaker, Jon Dunn, Pete Dunne, Barny Buk, James Waller, and Jeffrey Edelstein) for ^
Dunning, Vince Elia, Chris Elphick, Ted Eu- their careful and expert handling of what
banks, Shawneen Finnegan, Kimball Garrett, must have seemed like an endless task.
Frank Gill, Bob Hamlin, Keith Hansen, Paul thank John Cameron Yrizarry for re-
I
Holt, Steve N. G. Howell, Alvaro Jaramillo, viewing all the original artwork (sometimes
Kevin Karlson, Kenn Kaufman, Greg Easley, more carefully than did myself) and for
I
Sheila Lego, Paul Lehman, Tony Leukering, offering many helpful suggestions.
Ian Lewington, Jerry Liguori, Bruce Mac- Thanks to Vince Elia and Shawneen
tavish. Bob Maurer, Killian MuIIarney, Mar- Finnegan for help in preparing -the range
leen Murgitroyde, Frank NicoIIetti, Michael maps, to Paul Lehman for reviewing all the
O'Brien, Brian Patteson, Ron Pittaway, Noble maps, and to Gary Antonetti and Ortelius
Proctor, Peter Pyle, Gary Rosenberg, Margaret Design for creating the final maps.
Rubega, Will Russell, Ray Schwartz, Debra Thanks to technical reviewers Will Rus-
Love Shearwater, Mitchell Smith, P. William sell, Kimball Garrett, Jon Dunn, Steve N. G.
Smith, Rich Stallcup, Clay and Pat Sutton, Howell, Chris Elphick, and Frank Gill. Will
Fhede Tobish, Joe, Sandy, Catherine, and Russell provided generous support and ad-
Michelle Usewicz, John Vanderpoel, Dave vice at all stages of this project, from in-
Ward, Paige Warren, Sophie Webb, Sheri dulging my wanderings in the early years to
Williamson, Tom Wood, Gail Diane the careful reading of the entire manuscript.
Yovanovich, and John Cameron Yrizarry. must single out the influence of the
I
Staff at the following institutions provided late Ray Schwartz, whose companionship
logistical support and/or access to collec- and support through the formative years of
tions: California Academy of Sciences, San this project were a constant source of
Francisco; VIREO and the Academy of Nat- strength.
ural Sciences, Philadelphia; American Mu- Last, thank my wife, Joan Walsh, and
I
seum of Natural History, New York; United my sons, Evan and Joel, who really made
—
States National Museum, Washington, D.C.; me believe that could do this and then
I
Peabody Museum, Yale University, New managed to put up with the lifestyle that
Haven, Connecticut; University of Califor- developed as a result. It's done!
8