Birds of North America Illustrations

Falcated Duck Male: Medium-sized dabbling duck named for long, black and white, sickle-shaped (falcated) tertial feathers extending over black rump. Body white, black, gray in finely-scaled pattern; bolder on breast. Crested iridescent head is green and purple-brown. Throat is white with black ring; black tail and black-green speculum are both edged in white. Bill is black; top of base has small white spot. Female has scaled brown appearance overall with paler belly, gray bill, slight crest, short tertials, and no bill spot. Juvenile resembles female but is a paler buff-brown.

Fan-tailed Warbler Breeding Male: Small, secretive warbler with dark gray upperparts, red-brown underparts, and white-tipped tail. Head has yellow throat and patches. Juvenile is dark gray with two thin white wing-bars and pale yellow vent. Very rare visitor to desert canyons in southeastern Arizona.

Far Eastern Curlew: Largest curlew with very long heavy bill, the longest of any shorebird. Dark brown with heavily streaked underparts. Sexes similar. Juvenile nearly identical to adult but streaking on underparts is finer.

Fea's Petrel: Medium-sized petrel with gray-brown upperparts and white belly. Breast is white with a partial gray brown breast band. Wings are bent back at the wrist and have a dark M pattern across upperwings and lower back. Underwings are mostly dark. White face shows dark mask around the eyes. Uppertail coverts are pale, tail is gray. Sexes are similar. Some adults are much paler.

Ferruginous Hawk: Large hawk with white head and streaked, rust-brown shoulders, back, and feathered legs. Underparts have scattered rufous streaks. Wings are gray-brown. Tail is white with rust-brown wash. Dark morph is red-brown with white flight feathers. Sexes are similar, but female is up to one and a half times larger than male. Juvenile lacks rust-brown on legs and has duller back.

Ferruginous Pygmy Owl: Small owl with plain brown upperparts and white underparts with thick, brown streaks. Round head has stripes and no ear tufts. Nape has two conspicuous black patches outlined in white. Tail is long and rufous with dark brown bars. Sexes are similar.

Field Sparrow: Medium-sized sparrow with rufous cap and unstreaked, buff breast. Eye-ring is white and bill is pink. Sexes are similar. Juvenile has gray-striped crown and streaked underparts.

Fieldfare Breeding Male: Large, robin-like thrush with rufous back and gray head and rump. Underparts are brown-barred white on breast and sides, and white on belly. Wings are rufous. Tail is dark gray to black. Sexes are similar.

Fish Crow Breeding Male: Medium-sized crow with black body and dark, heavy bill. Sexes are similar. Very similar to American Crow, but call is different.

Five-striped Sparrow Breeding Male: Medium-sized sparrow with dark, gray-brown upperparts, gray underparts, and white belly. Head has white eye-line and eye-ring, and black-and-white throat stripes. Sexes are similar.

Flame-colored Tanager Breeding Male: Tropical tanager with flame red-orange body, black wings with white wing bars and spots, and black-streaked back. Face has pale gray-tinged ear patch bordered with black. Female and juvenile are washed olive-green above and olive-yellow below.

Flammulated Owl: Small owl with two color morphs (gray-brown and rufous) with many intermediate forms. Head has ear tufts, dark eyes surrounded by rust-brown, pale-gray facial disk, and white eyebrows that start at the bill. Sexes are similar.

Flesh-footed Shearwater: Large, bulky shearwater with dark brown body and darker head and tail. Bill is large and pink with a dark tip. Wings are dark with brown-edged coverts that become paler with wear. Legs and feet are pale pink. Sexes are similar.

Florida Scrub-Jay Breeding Male: Medium-sized, crestless jay with gray upperparts and underparts, blue head, and pale eyebrows. Throat is gray and breast has blue-gray streaks. Wings and tail are blue. Sexes are similar.

Fork-tailed Flycatcher Breeding Male: Medium-sized flycatcher with pale gray upperparts, black head, inconspicuous yellow crown stripe, and white underparts. Wings and spectacularly long, deeply forked tail are black. Sexes are similar. Juvenile has brown head.

Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel: Medium-sized storm-petrel with blue-gray upperparts and pale gray underparts. Forehead is dark gray and eye patch is gray. Primaries are darker gray than other flight feathers. Tail is forked and feathers are narrowly white-tipped. Sexes are similar.

Fork-tailed Swift Breeding Male: Large swift, brown-black overall with white throat and rump, scaled belly, and long, deeply forked tail. Sexes are similar. Juvenile has pale forehead.

Forster's Tern Breeding Adult: Medium-sized tern with pale gray upperparts, black cap, and white underparts. Bill is orange with black tip. Wings are pale gray with paler primaries. Tail is pale gray and deeply forked with dark inner edge and white outer edge. Legs and feet are orange. Sexes are similar. Winter adult lacks black cap but has distinctive black eye patch, gray streaks on head, dark bill, and dull orange legs and feet. Juvnile resembles winter adult but has brown markings on back, nape, head, and upperwings that fade and orange-based black bill that darkens by end of summer.

Fox Sparrow: Large, chubby sparrow that varies from dark brown or gray-brown in the west to rich rufous in the east; upperparts may be so dark that back pattern is difficult to discern. Underparts are heavily streaked, converging at midbreast into a large, dark spot. Tail is slightly notched and tinged rust-brown. Heavy bill has dark upper mandible and yellow lower mandible. Sexes are similar.

Franklin's Gull Breeding Adult: Medium-sized gull with gray back and white underparts. Head is black with white eye-ring; bill is orange with black spot near tip. Wings are relatively short with white-bordered or spotted black tips. Legs are red-orange. Sexes are similar. Winter adult has white head with streaked dark gray cap and dark bill; white underparts may be tinted pink. Legs and feet are dark red. Juvenile resembles winter adult but has brown wash on upperparts and nape, which gradually fades by 1st winter.

Fulvous Whistling-Duck: Large, long-legged, long-necked duck with dark brown back and white V-shaped rump patch. Head and underparts are buff with white throat and vent. White-edged side and flank feathers form a striking border between sides and back. Tail is black with white undertail coverts. Bill, legs, and feet are blue-gray. Sexes are similar. Juvenile resembles adult but is duller overall. Occasionally perches in trees.