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Partly cloudy skies this evening will give way to cloudy skies and rain overnight. Low 36F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch..
Partly cloudy skies this evening will give way to cloudy skies and rain overnight. Low 36F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.
Updated: March 6, 2022 @ 7:46 pm
Just as people can often be identified by the way they walk, different species of birds fly differently according to weight, wing span, how they feed and distances traveled. The author looks at the characteristic flight patterns of some local feathered friends.
Just as people can often be identified by the way they walk, different species of birds fly differently according to weight, wing span, how they feed and distances traveled. The author looks at the characteristic flight patterns of some local feathered friends.
If you spend days in the forests hunting you begin, after time, to notice all species of wildlife have their own particular identifying motions.
An experienced hunter is keenly attuned to the species he or she is pursuing. You come to instantly pick up the particular motion a squirrel makes coming down a tree or the way they hop through the leaves looking for acorns. The twitch of a deer’s ear or tail is instantly identifiable, not just as a motion your eye picks up, but a motion that surely identifies it as belonging to a deer.
Birds likewise can be recognized by their individual characteristics. After time the acute observer is able to identify what bird he’s observing by shape, size, wing shape and motion.
Say you see a large bird soaring high in the air. Almost without exception it will be one of four different types. The options are a hawk, eagle, osprey or turkey vulture. If the bird is seen clearly enough you should be able to tell which of the four within seconds. Just how do you do that, you ask?
FIRST, estimate its size.
If smaller, a wing span of two feet or less, it’s almost certainly a hawk. Soaring hawks fly with their wings held level to the ground. The tail will be spread in a triangular shape and the head of sufficient size to be easily seen. If the tail is a reddish orange you’re looking at a red-tailed hawk. If the tail is banded in one-inch black and white stripes it’s a broad-winged hawk. Since the hawk is a solidly built bird it has enough weight to soar cleanly and smoothly. You can get a sense of the bird’s weight by its flight and should look for this characteristic, just as a heavier person runs differently than a lighter person.
If the bird’s wingspan is over two feet you look for different signs.
Turkey vultures are very common and among the easiest to identify. First, they are a very light bird in relation to their wing area. This makes them very tippy in any sort of breeze. You’ll notice them rock suddenly from side to side; the heavier the wind, the more they tip. Turkey vultures also hold their wings angled upward. They make an easily noticeable shallow V-shape if you’re looking for it. Dihedral is the aeronautical term. The wing tip feathers are also widely spaced, like spread fingers.
EAGLES ARE the largest and heaviest of the four. Their heads are bigger than hawks in relation to the body. Their wings are held level and as they soar you get an impression of solidity and weight. They are not easily differentiated from hawks at a distance; you need a good look at them and a good idea how far away they are to estimate their size accurately. The surest sign is seen when a mature eagle banks, revealing the pure white head and tail. Closer up, the longer, heavier head and immense size will tell you it’s an immature eagle if it doesn’t have the white head and tail 5-year-old mature eagles have.
Ospreys, larger than hawks and smaller than eagles, don’t have pure white heads. Their wings have easily-seen, irregular white patches on the bottom. The wings also slope forward from the neck half way out and then decidedly turn backward. This forward-backward, V-shaped wing is the most distinguishing feature at a glance.
Woodpeckers and some other birds have their own methods of flight. They flap their wings rapidly, rise, then begin falling, flap rapidly again and repeat the process about every two seconds. This gives them a smooth, forward moving up and down flight not unlike uniform waves seen from the side.
Ravens and crows look alike at a glance, but ravens are roughly twice the size of a crow with a heavier beak and slightly roughed crown to their heads. Crow heads are always smooth. When a crow banks they don’t always open their tails; ravens because of their heavier weight always spread their tails, which are not a smooth curve at the end. Raven tails slope toward the center and that way can be instantly identified. Ravens also croak while crows caw.
Great blue herons have a wide wingspan of 5.5 to 6.6 feet and fly with a majestic, slow wing beat. Their long neck is curved back against the body while flying, their long yellow bill clearly visible. Their long, long legs and feet dangle out behind a short tail as they slowly cruise along about 20 to 30 miles an hour. The large size, slow wing beat and long legs distinguish them.
As a rule, birds fly or soar to get from point A to point B or to hunt, but only one bird that I have noticed flies for the simple joy of flying. What bird is this, you ask? Why, it’s a humble bird and common in cities: pigeons.
Pigeons fly in flocks, playing follow the leader, and simply delight in their swift flight. They bank, swoop, climb and dive in crazy maneuvers, skimming through the air at speeds up to 77 miles an hour. Around and around, up and down, circle and bank for no other purpose that I can see except for the simple delight they feel in speed and maneuverability.
Oh, how I envy them.
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