Birds of North America Illustrations

Bachman's Sparrow Breeding Male: Medium-sized sparrow with brown-streaked gray upperparts and buff underparts except for white belly. Face is gray with brown crown and a thin, dark line extending back from eye. Tail is long, dark, and round-tipped. Upper mandible is dark. Sexes are similar. Juvenile is buff and streaked underneath.

Bachman's Warbler Breeding Male: Small warbler with olive-green upperparts, yellow forehead, throat, and underparts, faint white eye-ring, and black crown and bib. Female and juvenile are duller and lack black on crown and breast. Believed to be extinct.

Bahama Mockingbird Breeding Male: Medium-sized mockingbird with gray-brown upperparts and dark-streaked, pale gray underparts. Wings are dark with two white bars and white feather edges. Tail is long and white-tipped. Sexes are similar. Juvenile lacks dark streaks.

Bahama Swallow Breeding Male: Medium-sized swallow with dark blue-green upperparts and cap extending below eye, steel-blue wings, white underparts, and deeply forked tail. Female is duller and smaller. Juvenile has brown upperparts.

Bahama Woodstar Breeding Male: Medium-sized hummingbird with iridescent green upperparts, violet-pink throat, partial white collar, and mixed buff- and olive-green underparts; may have pink-tinged forehead. Forked tail is black with orange-brown center. Bill is slightly decurved. Female is duller with pale gray throat, and orange-brown belly and outer tail feathers.

Baikal Teal Male: Small dabbling duck with striking head pattern of pale brown, green, white, and black. Breast is pink with dark spots, flanks are gray bordered with vertical white stripes, and long scapulars are chestnut-brown, black-and-white. Wing speculum is green with buff upper border and white lower border. Undertail coverts are black. Female is mostly brown with dark-centered feathers on back and sides, dark spots on breast and a distinctive white spot at base of bill.

Baird's Sandpiper: Medium-sized sandpiper with scaled, gray-brown upperparts and white underparts except for dark-spotted, gray-brown breast. Crown, face, and neck are buff with fine, dark brown streaks. Rump is white with dark central stripe extending through the center of gray-brown tail. Sexes are similar. Winter adult is grayer and has fewer streaks. Juvenile is similar to breeding adult but with scaled appearance on back highlighted by white-edged feathers.

Baird's Sparrow: Small sparrow with pale-streaked, rich dark brown upperparts, white underparts, and dark streaks on upper breast and flanks. Orange-brown crown is marked with fine dark lines. Sexes are similar. Juvenile has scaled appearance.

Bald Eagle: Large, hawk-like bird with dark brown body and white head and tail. Heavy bill, legs, feet, and eyes are yellow. Sexes are similar. Juvenile is dark brown with variable white mottling on wings and tail for the first four years of life.

Baltimore Oriole Breeding Adult: Small oriole, mostly bright orange with black hood and back. Wings are black with orange shoulder patches and white-edged feathers. Black base and center form a T-shaped mark on tail. Female and immature have olive-brown upperparts and burnt-orange underparts. First year male is similar to female but has black throat patch.

Bananaquit: Small and short-tailed with short, decurved bill. Black above with white underparts. Belly washed with yellow, bold white eye stripe.

Band-rumped Storm-Petrel: All black storm-petrel with conspicuous white band across rump. Large slightly notched tail. Sexes similar. Juvenile much like adult.

Band-tailed Pigeon: Large dove with small, purple-gray head and a broad neck with distinctive, thin white band on nape. Back and wings are purple-gray and underparts grade from purple-gray neck and breast to white belly. Tail is pale gray with dark band at base. Bill and feet are yellow. Sexes are similar. Juvenile lacks white neck band.

Bank Swallow: Small swallow with brown upperparts, white underparts that curl up onto throat, and brown breast band. Tail is notched. Sexes are similar. Juvenile has faint wing-bars and a grizzled appearance on head.

Barn Owl: Medium-sized owl with glaring white, heart-shaped facial disk, no ear tufts, and long legs. Upperparts are orange-brown with fine white spots and dark bars. Underparts are white with small black spots. Female is darker than male.

Barn Swallow: Medium-sized swallow with glittering blue-black upperparts and red-brown forehead. Breast is red-brown with dark band and belly is white to orange. Tail is deeply forked with long outer streamers. Female and juvenile are duller and have shorter tail streamers.

Barnacle Goose: Medium-sized goose with distinctive white face and jet-black head, neck, and upper breast. Wings and back are silver-gray with black-and-white bars. Belly is white. V-shaped white rump patch and silver-gray underwing linings are visible in flight. Sexes are similar.

Barred Owl: Medium-sized, large-headed owl with large, brown eyes, concentric rings around pale face, and no ear tufts. Upperparts are brown with white markings. Underparts are white with dark bars on breast and dark streaks on belly. Heavily streaked, spotted, and variegated brown, white, and buff overall. Sexes are similar.

Barrow's Goldeneye Male: Medium-sized diving duck with black upperparts, contrasting white shoulder bars, and white underparts. Head is large, glossy, and purple-black with golden yellow eyes and a crescent-shaped white patch behind its usually dark bill. White wing patches are visible in flight. Female has dark brown hood, white collar, dark gray body, white wing patches, and usually yellow-orange bill. Juvenile resembles female but with darker bill; juvenile male has a faint white crescent on face.

Bar-tailed Godwit: Large shorebird with long, upcurved bill, scaled, brown, black and gray mottled upperparts and plain, pale red-brown underparts. Tail is white with distinctive dark bars. Sexes are similar. Winter adult is gray overall and lacks red tones. Juvenile is intermediate between breeding and winter adult.

Bay-breasted Warbler Breeding Adult: Medium-sized warbler with dark-streaked gray upperparts and buff underparts with chestnut-brown patches on breast and flanks. Head has dark brown crown and black mask. Wings are black with two white bars. Female is much duller. Winter adult and juvenile resemble female but are washed with olive-green.

Bean Goose: Large goose with scaled brown upperparts and pale gray-brown underparts. Head and neck are dark brown. Bill is black with yellow-orange saddle. Tail is dark with white undertail coverts. Legs and feet are orange-pink. Sexes are similar.

Belcher's Gull: Formerly known as the Band-tailed Gull, a medium-sized gull native to South America and accidental in California and Florida. Breeding adult has a mostly white body with black back, distinctive black tail band, and yellow legs and feet. Wings are black with white trailing edges. Bill is yellow; lower mandible tipped with red, upper mandible tipped with black. Sexes are similar. Winter adult is similar but has a smoky brown head. 1st winter juvenile is heavily washed in brown, has dark tail band and dark feather centers on upperwings and back; legs and feet are tinted pink; bill is black tipped with dark red. 2nd winter juvenile resembles 1st winter but has more uniformly brown wing feathers, darker back, and pale yellow legs and feet.

Bell's Vireo: Small vireo with faint, broken eye-ring, thick and slightly flattened hooked bill, and two wing bars. Upperparts are gray and underparts are white with pale yellow wash on sides. Eastern race has gray-green upperparts and distinct yellow wash on underparts. Sexes are similar.

Belted Kingfisher: Medium-sized kingfisher with a distinct, bushy crest, white collar, and large, dagger-like bill. Upperparts are blue-gray and underparts are white. Male has blue-gray breast band. Female has blue-gray breast band and chestnut-brown belly band.

Bendire's Thrasher Fresh Male: Medium-sized thrasher with olive-brown upperparts and spotted buff underparts. Bill is short, gray and only slightly decurved with pale pink lower mandible base. Eyes are yellow-orange. Tail is long, olive-brown above, black with white tips below, and has brown undertail coverts. Sexes are similar.

Bermuda Petrel: Medium-sized petrel with gray-brown upperparts shading to black on the rump; underparts are mostly white except for dusky sides of upper breast. Base of tail shows a white band. Face and forehead are white; large black-brown cap extends to eye level. Short heavy bill is black. In flight shows black gray upperwing and white underwings with black margins and tips. Sexes are similar; juvenile resembles adult.

Berylline Hummingbird Breeding Male: Medium-sized hummingbird with glittering green back, head, nape, throat, and breast. Wings and tail are rufous. Bill is black; lower mandible has red base. Undertail coverts are cinnamon-brown. Female is duller and with pale gray belly and undertail coverts.

Bewick's Wren: Small wren with unstreaked, gray to red-brown upperparts and plain white underparts. White eyebrows are conspicuous. Tail is long and white-edged with dark bars. Sexes are similar.