Identifying Birds
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by
ChimpMods
We have encountered many different birds among the various sites at Chimp&See. During classification, there is a simple Bird button, but many birds can be identified further and tagged in more detail. If you would like to help identify and tag birds, this guide is for you!
How to use this guide:
Below, you will find the descriptions of the various bird species we have seen so far at C&S. The first section contains a list of the most common birds seen frequently across multiple clips, and often, multiple sites. Each species on the list has a corresponding description further down the page. The second section is the main guide, which groups species according to broad traits they all share (poultry-like, predatory, etc.). The final section is special tag cases, which includes any bird tags that are not at the species level, but identified beyond a simple Bird label. All descriptions include (when available) images of the bird as seen at C&S as well as links to the corresponding videos. Sometimes, videos contain vocalizations, which can be helpful in identifying a species.
Keep in mind that birds are an incredibly diverse group (in scientific terms, an entire Class) of animals and it would be impossible to cover every possible species we might observe at C&S. Also be aware that the descriptions here are for mature adult birds and that sometimes young or developing birds may have different plumage. This guide will continue to be updated as more data becomes available, and, of course, if you have a question about anything, just ask on the discussion boards.
Tagging:
The order and capitalization of tags is not important. However, pay close attention to the use of dashes (-) and/or underscores (_) to separate the words. You'll also notice that sometimes 2 tags are used to differentiate between species or sub-species. See the full List of Official Tags for specifics.
When tagging, we want to be as specific as we can while maintaining accuracy. If you have examined this guide and think you have found something new or you cannot make a positive match to the birds listed here, tag the video with the general tag #bird only and then in a separate comment, tag the video with #need_ID so that someone can easily find the video for further identification later. You are welcome to comment with what you think the bird is, but please refrain from using a hashtag (#) unless you are quite certain of its identity.
Common Birds at Chimp&See:
If you are new to identifying birds, try comparing your video with the birds on this list first. These birds are frequently seen in videos at C&S. Each one is matched with its group to help locate it within the guide:
White-breasted Guineafowl (poultry-like)
Crested Guineafowl (poultry-like)
Olive Ibis (water bird)
Great Blue Turaco (other bird)
Abyssinian Roller (songbirds)
White-crested Hornbill (hornbills)
Nkulengu Rail (poultry-like)
Greater Blue-eared Starling (songbirds)
Long-tailed Glossy Starling (songbirds)
Posted
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ChimpMods
Poultry-like birds:
These birds spend much of their lives on the ground and resemble chickens or other domesticated fowl.
White-Breasted Guineafowl (Agelastes meleagrides)
Tag/Keyword Collection: #white_breasted_guineafowl
Sites: CS5, RW6, MF7, LS9, DB12, AV15
White-breasted Guineafowl are white above and black below. The head lacks feathers and is bright red in color. They are frequently seen in large groups, scratching and foraging on the ground.
Video ACP000e44j
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Crested Guineafowl (Guttera pucherani)
Tag/Keyword Collection: #crested_guineafowl
Sites: QW1, CS5, RW6, MF7, LS9, CF14, AV15
Crested Guineafowl are dark colored birds with a speckled plumage pattern covering most of their bodies and a solid, light-colored bar running along the edge of each wing. They generally appear darker in color than Helmeted Guineafowl. They have grey faces and a short crest of black feathers on top of their heads. They are frequently seen in large groups, scratching and foraging on the ground.
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Helmeted Guineafowl (Numida meleagris)
Tag/Keyword Collection: #helmeted #guinea_fowl
Sites: DL11 only
Helmeted Guineafowl have speckled plumage, but generally appear paler in color than Crested Guineafowl. They lack the black-feathered head of Crested Guineafowl and instead have a small bony crest (casque). The face can appear light blue or white in videos with red markings along the bill and chin sometimes visible. They are frequently seen in large groups, scratching and foraging on the ground.
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Double-spurred Francolin (Pternistis bicalcaratus)
Tag/Keyword Collection: #double-spurred #francolin
Sites: DL11 only
Double-spurred Francolin are mainly brown with a lighter chest and belly and black mottled markings covering most of their bodies. They have yellow bills, legs and feet. There is a black line running through each eye with a white eyebrow and black bar above each brow. The top of the head is solid brown in color.
Video ACP0006meb
Forest Francolin (Peliperdix lathami)
Tag/Keyword Collection: #forest #francolin
Sites: DB12 only
Forest Francolin have a mottled brown back and wings, a black-and-white speckled chest, and a white/off-white belly and underside. There is a dark brown strip running along the top of the head. The face is mostly white or grey with a dark line running through both eyes. The bill and throat are black and the legs and feet are yellow.
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Handsome Francolin (Pternistis nobilis)
Tag/Keyword Collection: #handsome #francolin
Sites: RS13 only
Handsome Francolin are mostly covered in a grey plumage with brown mottling on the wings, down the chest and along the upper back. They have red-orange bills with red-orange patches lacking feathers surrounding the eyes. Their feet and legs are also red-orange. They appear less mottled than the other francolins in this guide when seen in black and white.
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Grey-throated Rail (Canirallus oculeus)
Tag/Keyword Collection: #grey-throated #rail
Sites: RW6, MF7
Grey-throated Rails have small heads on short, narrow necks and short tails. Like most rails, they spend the majority of their time on the ground. The neck and chest are rusty reddish-brown in color and the back and wings are a basic dark brown. The underside is marked with alternating stripes of light and dark brown and there are obvious white spots that often peak out from under the wings. The face is off-white and the short, pointed bill is a pale yellow/grey.
Video ACP0004qgl
Nkulengu Rail (Himantornis haematopus)
Tag/Keyword Collection: #nkulengu #rail
Sites: RW6, MF7, CD8, AV15
Nkulengu Rails have small heads on short, narrow necks and short tails. Like most rails, they spend the majority of their time on the ground. They are mostly covered in mottled dark brown plumage. The head is lighter, being light grey on top and fading to off-white on the bottom. The short, pointed bill is black and the legs and feet are orange.
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Stone partridge (Ptilopachus petrosus)
Tag/Keyword Collection: #stone_partridge
Sites: DL11 only
Stone partridges look very much like small, greyish-brown chickens. They have a small, red skin patch around each eye and their heads are slightly more grey than their bodies. They have some mottling around the head and chest and solid coloration on the rest of the body and tail. Their undersides are off-white/pale brown and they have pink bills, legs and feet.
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Predatory birds:
This group includes all the tags in the “Raptor” section of the Official Tag/Keyword collection. These birds all prey on other species. Prey can be alive or already deceased, in which case, the bird would be considered a scavenger. The majority of raptors are large birds and broadly shared characteristics include large talons and strong, sharply-curved bills. Note that many raptors have different characteristics as juveniles, which may not match the adult descriptions here.
African Fish Eagle (Haliaeetus vocifer)
Tag/Keyword Collection: #african_fish_eagle
Sites: DL11 only
African Fish Eagles look similar to American Bald Eagles. They have black wings with rusty brown patches, as well as a rusty brown belly. The head, chest and upper back are white. The bill is yellow with a black tip. The legs and feet are also yellow.
Video ACP00079ws
African Crowned Eagle (Stephanoaetus coronatus)
Tag/Keyword Collection: #african_crowned_eagle
Sites: GS16 only
African Crowned Eagles are large, robust birds. The head is mostly brown with a black throat and there is a tuft of feathers on the head that when extended roughly resembles a crown. The bill is black with a yellow base and the legs and feet are yellow as well. The body is mostly black with bold, thick mottling of rusty brown, black and white on the chest and stomach. The wings are mostly black on top, sometimes with a row of lighter feathers mid-way down. The underside of the tail has black and white horizontal bars and the underside of the wings are primarily white with a row of rusty brown feathers near the front.
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African Harrier-hawk (Polyboroides typus)
Tag/Keyword Collection: #african_harrier-hawk
Sites: LS9 only
The African Harrier-hawk is mostly covered in grey plumage. The ends of the tail and wings are black and there are often spots of black along the wings. There is a large horizontal white stripe that wraps around the tail about mid-way down. The chest and especially the belly and upper legs are speckled with grey and black, creating a finely-striped appearance. The head is grey with yellow skin around each eye. The bill is white at the base and black towards the end. The legs are yellow. They are larger than the Dark Chanting Goshawk.
Video ACP0005w37
Dark Chanting Goshawk (Melierax metabates)
Tag/Keyword Collection: #dark_chanting_goshawk
Sites: DL11 only
Dark Chanting Goshawks are relatively slender raptors with primarily grey plumage. The belly and upper legs appear finely striped with black and white feathers. The ends of the wings are black and the tail is black with white-tipped feathers. The legs are orange and the bill is orange with a black tip. They are smaller than the African Harrier-hawk
Video ACP0006kjx
Black Sparrowhawk (Accipiter melanoleucus)
Tag/Keyword Collection: #black_sparrowhawk
Sites: GS16 only
The Black Sparrowhawk is primarily black above and white below, though there is considerable variation in the amount of coloration on the underside with some birds being heavily mottled with black on chest and belly (these dark morphs are more rare). It has rusty-brown eyes, a black bill with a yellow base, and yellow legs and feet.
Video ACP000d1je
Palm Nut Vulture (Gypohierax angolensis)
Tag/Keyword Collection: #palm_nut_vulture
Sites: RW6 only
The Palm Nut Vulture is primarily white. The head, neck, chest and belly are all white. The wings are also mostly white, but a portion of the end of each wing is covered in black feathers; the amount of black depends varies depending on how they are folded and on the individual, but there is always a significant amount of black along the back of each wing. The short tail is black. The bill is relatively long and off-white or pale grey and the legs are pale yellow. There is a pale red patch of skin around each eye.
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Hornbills:
Hornbills are a family of birds with long, heavy, downward-curving bills. Broadly, hornbills are omnivorous and although they do prey on other animals, they are not strictly predatory and are distinct enough to deserve their own section here.
Northern Ground Hornbill (Bucorvus abyssinicus)
Tag/Keyword Collection: #ground_hornbill
Sites: DL11 only
As their name implies, Ground Hornbills are ground-dwelling. They are capable of flight, but are typically seen walking around on land. They are the largest of the hornbills at almost 3 feet tall. They have predominantly black plumage with a large white patch on the wings that is more or less visible depending on how the wings are positioned. The large head has a black bill with a large tubular, horn-like protrusion (casque) on top. There is a pale red or yellow patch on the bill in front of each eye. The neck has a balloon-like throat pouch (wattle) that is pale blue in females and mostly red in males. The eyes are also surrounded by a pale blue patch of bare skin.
Video ACP0006fyq
Grey Hornbill (Tockus nasutus)
Tag/Keyword Collection: #grey_hornbill
Sites: DL11 only
Grey Hornbills are small hornbills with large heads and long tails relative to the rest of the body. The plumage is mostly a speckled black and white on top, sometimes with more of a brownish hue. The belly is white. The head is black on top with a white stripe running in an arc from behind each eye to the back of the head. In males, the bill is mostly black with a long triangular off-white patch in front of each eye. In females, the bill is largely orange-red at the end with an off-white patch near the eye.
Video ACP00065tt
Piping Hornbill (Bycanistes fistulator)
Tag/Keyword Collection: #piping_hornbill
Sites: MF7 only
Piping Hornbills are small with long tails and stubby bills compared to most other hornbills. They are mostly black with a white belly. They also have white markings along the ends of each wing and the underside of the tail. The short bill is off-white with grey markings.
Video ACP0004od7
Red-billed Hornbill (Tockus erythrorhynchus)
Tag/Keyword Collection: #red-billed_hornbill
Sites: DL11 only
Red-billed Hornbills have a long, slender red bill and black and white speckled plumage on a slender body. The belly and head are mostly white with a black stripe on the top of the head. They spend much of their time foraging on the ground.
Video ACP0006384
White-crested Hornbill (Horizocerus albocristatus)
Tag/Keyword Collection: #white-crested_hornbill
Sites: CS5, RW6, CD8, LS9, DL11, AV15
The White-crested Hornbill is mostly black with an extremely long black tail. The head is white with a crest of fluffy white feathers tipped in black. The bill is black with a long, off-white stripe extending out from in front of each eye. There is also a long, but subtle thick ridge (casque) running along the top of the bill.
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Water birds:
Birds in this group spend the majority of their time in or near bodies of water, although they are not always within sight of water in the C&S videos.
Hamerkop (Scopus umbretta)
Tag/Keyword Collection: #hamerkop
Sites: DL11 only
The Hamerkop is easily recognizable. It is entirely covered in dull, brown-grey plumage with a distinct spiky crest of feathers extending from the back of the head. The head is large relative to rest of the body with a dark, thick, pointed bill. They are frequently seen wading through shallow water.
Video ACP000692d
Hadada Ibis (Bostrychia hagedash)
Tag/Keyword Collection: #hadada #ibis
Sites: CS5, MF7, CF14
Hadada Ibis are large, long-necked birds. They are mostly dark brownish-grey in color. The wings have large patches of iridescent blueish-green feathers. The tail and wing tips are often slightly darker than the rest of the body, sometimes with a dark blue hue. The smooth, grey head is small with an off-white streak running along the lower jaw line. The long, thin bill is curved slightly downwards and is mostly black, although it has a stripe of red along the top near the face. The legs and feet are pale pink/grey.
Video ACP000augb
Olive Ibis (Bostrychia olivacea)
Tag/Keyword Collection: #olive #ibis
Sites: AV15 only
The Olive Ibis is a large, long-necked bird, primarily greyish-brown in color, although they can appear almost black in poor lighting. A large portion of each wing is covered in iridescent green feathers. The ends of the wings are slightly darker and can have a blueish hue. The head and neck are lighter than the rest of the body and the head has a crest of frizzy feathers that are often splayed, but otherwise lay mostly flat along the back of the head. There is a slightly paler patch of feathers on each cheek. The legs, and feet are pale pink/orange. The bill is shorter than that of the Hadada Ibis.
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Songbirds:
This is a very diverse group, but generally songbirds are small and agile fliers. Many are quite colorful and have a large vocal repertoire.
Black-throated Coucal (Centropus leucogaster)
Tag/Keyword Collection: #black-throated #coucal
Sites: RW6 only
Coucals (members of the Cuckoo family) are relatively large songbirds. Black-throated Coucals are primarily black with a white belly. They have heavy bills, long tails (almost the length rest of the body) and a distinctive crest of black feathers extending well above the top of the head.
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Dark-capped Bulbul (Pycnonotus tricolor)
Tag/Keyword Collection: #dark-capped #bulbul
Sites: DL11 only
Dark-capped Bulbuls are primarily dull brownish-grey with an off-white belly. They have a relatively long, thin tail. The head is dark, with a small crest of feathers often extended. The underside of the base of the tail is usually bright yellow. The bill is dark and pointed with a slight downward curve.
Video ACP0006zsa
Fine-spotted Woodpecker (Campethera punctuligera)
Tag/Keyword Collection: #fine-spotted #woodpecker
Sites: DL11 only
The Fine-Spotted Woodpecker's backside is yellow with small, irregular spotting. The spotting transitions to horizontal stripes along the feathers of the wings and tail. The face is pale grey and there is a bright red cap of feathers, as well as an additional stripe of red feathers along each cheek. The bill is long, straight, and pointed. Like most woodpeckers, they often perch on vertical surfaces, such as the trunks of trees.
Video ACP0006gbx
Forest Robin (Stiphrornis erythrothorax)
Tag/Keyword Collection: #forest #robin
Sites: DB12 only
The Forest Robin is dark grey above with a white belly. The chest is a bright orange-yellow. The tail is short and the head large relative to the rest of the body. There is a patch of white in front of each eye on the otherwise dark grey face.
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Abyssinian Roller (Coracias abyssinicus)
Tag/Keyword Collection: #Abyssinian #roller
Sites: DL11 only
Abyssinian rollers are colorful birds. They are primarily light blue with a brown back and dark blue wings. The wings actually have several lines of color, starting with dark blue at the shoulder, followed by a thick line of light blue, followed by another thick line of dark blue and ending in black tips. The tail is dark surrounded by strips of light blue with 2 thin feathers extending well beyond the rest in adults. The head is large relative to the rest of the body and the black bill is thick and pointed, with pale white feathers immediately surrounding it.
Video ACP0006mpy
White-crowned Robin Chat (Cossypha albicapilla)
Tag/Keyword Collection: #white-crowned_robin_chat
Sites: DL11 only
The White-crowned Robin Chat is characterized by a white cap, black top, and orange-yellow chest and underside. They have long, but broad tails and spend a fair amount of time on the ground, though they also spend time traveling through and perching in trees.
Video ACP00066t1
Red-capped Robin Chat (Cossypha natalensis)
Tag/Keyword Collection: #red-capped_robin_chat
The Red-capped Robin-chat is a mostly yellow-orange bird, with a rusty-red (sometimes slightly grey) crown, and dark-grey wings with white markings. The tail is also dark-grey, with yellow-orange feathers along the sides when splayed. The eyes are black.
Video ACP000cwbd
Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)
Tag/Keyword Collection: #collared_dove
Sites: DL11 onlyhttps://static.zooniverse.org/www.chimpandsee.org/subjects/56b1ddd88f753200018f16b4/previews/56b1ddd88f753200018f16b4_13.jpg
The Collared Dove is a pale brownish-grey bird resembling a feral pigeon. There is a black band of feathers wrapping around the back of the neck. Like other doves, the head is small with a short bill. Collared Doves are native to much of Europe and Asia, but have been introduced to other areas, including much of North America where they are now considered an invasive species. They spend much of their time foraging on the ground, often in small groups.
Video ACP00070af
Tambourine Dove (Turtur tympanistria)
Tag/Keyword Collection: #tambourine_dove
Sites: GS16 only
Tambourine Doves are primarily dark above and white below. The face and forehead are white, as well as the chin, chest and belly and there is a white stripe that extends at a downward angle from behind the eye. The area around the eye is black with a black mark extending from the eye to the bill. The back, wings, and tail are dull grey/brown with two darker spots on each wing.
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Black Bee-eater (Merops gularis)
Tag/Keyword Collection: #black_bee-eater
Sites: GS16 only
Black Bee-eaters are small birds with slender bills. Plumage is primarily black, with light blue to blue-green mottling along the chest, belly and rump. The brow also has a line of pale blue feathers, though occasionally this is lacking. The chin and throat are bright red and the underside of the wings also have a reddish hue. The birds can be heard vocalizing in the video below.
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Blue-breasted Kingfisher (Halcyon malimbica)
Tag/Keyword Collection: #blue-breasted_kingfisher
Sites: GS16 only
Blue-breasted Kingfishers have a white chin and belly with pale blue chest, back, and tail. The wings are mostly black and the top of the head is greyish. There is a black stripe that runs through the eyes and continues through the heavy bill, with a thin white line just above it, over the eyes. The top half of the bill is reddish-orange, as are the feet and legs.
Video ACP000d8jy
Greater Blue-eared Starling (Lamprotornis chalybaeus)
Tag/Keyword Collection: #greater_blue-eared_starling
Sites: DL11 only
Greater Blue-eared Starlings are extremely colorful in bright light. Their feathers are iridescent and reflect mainly green and blue. There is a plain black mark on the face that runs in front of each bright yellow eye and sometimes extends behind the eye. The tail is short compared to the Long-tailed Glossy Starling. The black bill is short compared to that of woodhoopoes. They often congregate in medium to large groups while foraging on the ground.
Video ACP0006wdo
Long-tailed Glossy Starling (Lamprotornis caudatus)
Tag/Keyword Collection: #Long-tailed_glossy_starling
Sites: DL11 only
Long-tailed Glossy Starlings are extremely colorful in bright light. Their feathers are iridescent and reflect green, blue and purple. Most of the head is black and not iridescent. The eyes are yellow. The tail is long; as long or slightly longer than the entire rest of the body. The Greater Blue-eared Starling has a much shorter tail. Compared to woodhoopoes, the black bill is short and the tail lacks white markings. They often congregate in medium to large groups while foraging on the ground.
Video ACP00079ei (The starling is in a tree in upper left, then flies to the ground; not to be confused with the Abyssinian Roller in the middle of the frame)
Other birds:
This category includes birds that do not easily fit into any other group.
Great Blue Turaco (Corythaeola cristata)
Tag/Keyword Collection: #great_blue_turaco
Sites: CS5, LS9, AV15
Great Blue Turacos are large and distinctive. They are primarily deep blue with a long yet slender tail which has a broad blue-black stripe midway down. The underside of the tail is white at the base and black towards the end. The belly is white/pale yellow. The bill is heavy and curved, and bright yellow with a red tip. They have a fan-shaped crest of blue-black feathers on the top of the head. The distinct vocalizations of these birds have also been captured in a number of videos on C&S.
Video ACP0005w6a
White-necked Rockfowl (Picathartes gymnocephalus)
Tag/Keyword Collection: #white-necked_rockfowl
Sites: CD8 only
White-necked Rockfowl are slender and long-legged with a long, thin tail. They are black above and white below. The head is orange with a round patch of black behind each large, black eye and a heavy, triangular, black bill. White feathers start at the chin and extend down the narrow neck and the rest of the chest and belly. The wings and tail are black.
Video ACP000536r
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Black-billed Woodhoopoe (Phoeniculus somaliensis)
Tag/Keyword Collection: #black #woodhoopoe
Sites: DL11 only
Black-billed Woodhoopoes are colorful birds in bright light. Their plumage is iridescent and reflects blue and purple in bright light. In less-ideal conditions, they appear mostly black with a perhaps hint of blue. There are spots of white on each wing and on each side of the tail, though these are not always visible. They are slender birds with long tails. The black bill is slender and curves downwards (note that the Green Woodhoopoe has an orange-red bill).
Video ACP0006u9w
Green Woodhoopoe (Phoeniculus purpureus)
Tag/Keyword Collection: #green #woodhoopoe
Sites: DL11 only
Green Woodhoopoes have colorful iridescent plumage like the Black-billed Woodhoopoe, but reflect mostly green and blue in bright light. Under less-ideal conditions, they appear mostly black with perhaps a hint of dark green and blue. They are slender birds with long tails. There are spots of white along the edges of the wings and tail. The long, thin bill is red-orange in color, an important distinguishing feature helping differentiate this bird from the Black-billed species. (Note however, that immature birds may have partially black bills.)
Video ACP0006gf6
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ChimpMods
Special cases:
These tags are for birds that have been identified beyond the simple #bird classification, but not yet to species level. Sometimes videos are not clear enough to make a species determination or need further investigation. Some of these tags are probably best left to professionals, but some are easy enough that anyone can use them.
Wood Dove
Tag/Keyword Collection: #wood_dove
Sites: CD8, DL11, RS13, AV15
Wood Doves are greyish-brown, pigeon-like birds in the genus Turtur. They make ‘cooing’ calls and often forage on the ground in groups.
Video ACP0005bxq
Akalat
Tag/Keyword Collection: #akalat
Sites: DB12, CF14
Akalats are medium-sized insectivorous songbirds in the genus Sheppardia
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Alethe
Tag/Keyword Collection: #alethe
Sites: RW6, RS13
Alethes are a genus of small insectivorous songbirds.
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Bittern
Tag/Keyword Collection: #bitternSites: MF7, LS9
Bitterns are water birds in the Heron family. They wade in shallow, calm water stalking aquatic prey. Their necks are generally shorter and thicker than other herons, though still long relative to the rest of the body. The heavy bill is long, straight, and sharply pointed.
Video ACP0005x8o
Owl
Tag/Keyword Collection: #owl
Sites: GS16
Owls are nocturnal, predatory birds. They generally have stout bodies, large round heads with flat faces, large eyes and small, highly curved bills. We have had just one owl sighting at C&S.
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Posted