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Owls | Raptors | Mammals
Other photos This page is dedicated to all types of birds that aren't Raptors, Owls, or Passerines. It includes waterfowl, wading birds, game birds and others. It encompasses 13 Orders and 21 Families. The most numerous birds from these orders to be seen in wildlife rehab centres are waterfowl (ducks and geese), although wading birds are seen too.
(Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) Family: Pelecanidae Description: The American White Pelecan is one of the worlds largest birds. They are primarily white with black wing tips. The legs and feet are bright orange as is the bill which has a fibrous plate on the upper mandible that is shed after eggs are laid. They are about 158cm long, have a wing span of over 2m and can wiegh anywhere from 5 to 8kg. The lower mandible has a pouch or "gular sac" which can hold up to 13 litres of water. Distribution: The American White Pelecan can be found in the eastern portions of the province. The species was just recently removed from the "Endangered List" in Alberta but still has a small and sparsely distibuted population in the province, but numbers are slowly increasing. They prefer shallow, turbid lakes far from human disturbance. Pelican colonies may be found in lakes in the boreal forest, aspen parkland and prairie regions of Alberta. Intersting Notes: The American Pelecan is one of the worlds, not to mention Alberta's, largest birds with a wingspan of up to 3m. Pelecans feed from the surface of the water by plunging their heads into the water, scooping up fish in their gular sac, squeezing out excess water, and swallowing. They feed mainly on minnows and non-game fish. They may be seen in flocks, skimming low over lakes just barely above the surface of the water (inset picture). Breeding birds may fly 240km from their nest to feed.
Pelicans are very social and group their nests together in colonies. They may
use the same nesting site for many years. Usually, an isolated, little disturbed island in a lake is chosen.
Pelicans are very sensitive to human disturbance which can result in in abandonment of a nest. Human
disturbances including habitat loss and toxic contamination are the chief causes of pelican
population declines in recent decades.
(Ardea herodias) Family: Ardeidae Description: The Great Blue Heron is a large, blue-gray bird with a long, curving neck and long dark blue stilt-like legs. The back and wing covers are blue-gray, thighs are a chestnut brown. There is a black stripe that extends above the eye and ornate plumage on the head, neck and back. The long, sharp bill is yellowish. Sexes are similar and measure 127 to 137cm long with a wingspan of up to 1.8m. Distribution: The Great Blue Heron is not a common bird but may be found in central and southern Alberta east of the foothills. They prefer to nest near rivers, lake edges, marshes, saltwater shores, and swamps. Intersting Notes: A lot of people seem to think these are "cranes". They are not. Cranes are a completely different type of bird. Herons fly with their necks curved whereas cranes fly with their necks and legs fully extended.
This species may seen standing motionless on stilt-like legs in freshwater shallows as it waits for its prey.
At just the right moment, this heron quickly thrusts its long, sharp, spearlike bill into the water to capture it.
The great blue heron fishes in both night and day, with most of ts activity around dawn and dusk.
They have a varied diet which includes fish, frogs, salamanders, lizards, snakes, shrimps, crabs, crayfish, dragonflies, grasshoppers, and many aquatic insects.
(Branta canadensis) Family: Anatidae Description: Depending on which source you use, there are as many as eleven subspecies of Canada Goose that vary a great deal in markings and size. The most common species seen in Alberta is Branta canadensis moffitti. The Canada Goose is easily recognisable by its characteristic black head and crown, long black neck, and whitish "chin strap" going from cheek to cheek. It is the second largest waterfowl - only the trumpeter swan is bigger - measuring anywhere from 65 to 122cm long with a wingspan of almost 2m, Canada geese can weigh as much as 8 to 10kg....depending on the subspecies. Distribution: Canada geese can be found province-wide in Alberta with greater concentrations in central and southern regions of the province. Although very common today - almost to the point of being a nuicance - the Canada goose once all but dissappeared from Alberta due to excessive hunting and drought in the 1930's. Intersting Notes: Canada geese mate for life and are very protective of their partner. They are among the few birds whose families stay together at the end of the breeding season. Young travel with their parents to southern wintering grounds and return to the same breeding ground the following year. During migration they form long, honking, irregular "V" formatations acroos the sky.
Canada geese usually build their nests on the ground near water.
A site is chosen by the female with good visibility that allows her to see intruders approaching.
Nests are commonly built on small islands, riverbanks and sometimes on muskrat and beaver houses.
They have also been seen using the nests of other birds such as ospreys, hawks, owls and herons.
The female incubates the eggs while the male stands gaurd. Parents are very proctive of the young
and on occasion a large "gang" will form with a few adults in charge of 50 to 60 goslings.
(Aix sponsa) Family: Anatidae Description: The wood duck male is a very colourful bird. The head is iridescent green and blue with a prominant crest. The throat is white with marks extending up to a purple face. The breast is chestnut coloured and speckled with white. There is a white "sholder slash". The back and hindquarters are dark. The female is very drab by comparision with a dull brown mottled body, dark crest and white teardrop-shaped eye-ring. They are a smallish duck measuring 38-53cm with sharp claws for perching. Distribution: Alberta is at the northern limit of this duck's normal breeding range. They can be found in the North Saskatchewan and Bow River basins and points south. They breed in areas of wooded lakes and ponds, sloughs, and streams with areas of suitable cover. Intersting Notes: One of the most unique characteristics of wood ducks is their ability to perch in trees - the Wood duck is Canada's only perching duck. Woodies often nest in hollow trunks or limbs of trees or will use an abandoned nest of a larger woodpecker.
At the turn of the century the Wood Duck was a threatened species in North America.
Conservation efforts in past years have helped the Wood Duck's numbers climb. They often
have large clutches which, in addition to their high nesting sites, has helped this species
survive.
(Anus platyrhynchos) Family: Anatidae Description: The Mallard is most common and perhaps the most recognisable duck in the province. The male Mallard has a glossy, brilliant head and upper neck, a rich chestnut breast and a white collar. The back and wings are greyish brown, with a purplish-blue patch on the wing - called a speculum. The bill is yellowish and the legs and feet are orange. There are two central black feathers that curve back above the tail which are also identifying characteristics of the Mallard. The female Mallard is a considerably less colourful. Its body is brownish throughout with the breast heavily streaked with buff and darker brown. The most identifying characteristic is a the white-bordered, blueish-purple speculum on the wing. The female has an orangishe bill, legs and feet. The Mallard is a somewhat large duck measuring 50 to 70cm in length with a wingspan of 90 to 109cm. Distribution: The Mallard is a very common duck found throughout Alberta anywhere suitable habitat is available. They can be found near marshes, sloughs, ponds, lakes, rivers, islands...basically anywhere near water. Mallards typically reside in the province from late March to late November, however many individuals remaim in some regions of Alberta year-round. Intersting Notes: The Mallard is perhaps the most abundant duck in Alberta - in Canada and the U.S. for that matter. It is the ancestor of many domestic ducks. The Mallard is a typical member of the surface-feeding group of ducks, also called dabbling ducks. They feed by "tipping up" their tails in a vertical position and dabbling in shallows for seeds of sedges and willows, emergent weeds, plant roots, aquatic ivertebrates, amphibian larvae, and fish eggs. It also feeds on land on grasses and grains.
Mallards may lay up to 15 eggs however 8 to 12 is typical.
The female sheds down from her belly to line the nest during the laying period and earl stages of incubation.
Incubation starts after the last egg has been laid ensuring that all the ducklings will hatch at approximately the same time.
(Charadrius vociferus) Family: Charadriidae Description: The Killdeer is a medium-sized shorebird with a grayish-brown back and crown and white breast with two distinguishing black bands. The tail and rump are rusty coloured and are quite visible when the bird is in flight. They have a white collar and white above the bill and a dark band below the eye and around the nape of the neck. The longish legs are pale and its bill is black. Sexes are similar in both size and colouration. They measure about 23 to 28cm long from bill to tail, a wing spread of 50cm, and weigh about 90 to 100g. Distribution: The Killdeer is quite common and can be found throughout Alberta with greater concentrations in the southern half of the province. They breed in open areas with minimal vegetation cover in grasslands, meadows, lake and river banks, pastures, sandy beaches and many other habitats. The nest is often a shallow depression in an area with a gravelly substrate . Intersting Notes: The Killdeer gets both its common name and scientific name Charadrius vociferus from its call. The loud, shrill "kill-dee" is made by both male and female -- "vociferus" comes from the Latin "vocal"
Killdeer have a "run-stop-and-snatch" feeding style and use their long bill to feed on a variety of invertebrates including insects, grubs and worms.
Killdeer are famous for their ability to draw danger away from their nests.
To lure away predators one parent will fake a "broken wing" crouching on the ground with one wing spread and hanging as though broken.
It flops around as if in severe pain moving away from the nest drawing any predators away from the area.
For non-carnivorous animals, but nevertheless threatening grazers that may accidently step on the nest, the Killdeer uses a more frontal attack, flying directly at the intruder in an attempt to drive it away.
(Catoptrophorus semipalmatus) Family: Scolopacidae Description: The Willet is a large, plump shorebird 36 to 41cm long, grayish brown on its upper parts lightly streaked with black. The throat and belly are whitish with motled streaking. The dark wings have a distinguisable white wing-bar that is visible in flight. The bill is amost black at the tip and lightens towards the base. Legs and feet are blueish-gray. Distribution: The willet is not a common bird but may be found south of St. Paul and east of the Rocky Mountains. They nest near water in moist, wet meadows and edges of sloughs and lakes.
Intersting Notes:
Durinting courtship, Willets show a bright white wingflash which contrasts sharply with it black wingtips.
Willets often nest in scattered colonies.
When an intruder approaches the nesting area, excited members of the colony unite and circle overhead protesting noisily to drive the intruder away.
The Willet gathers much of its food from pecking at the ground for insects, larvae, worms, small molluscs and crustaceans.
(Colaptes auratus) Family: Picidae Description: Distribution:
Intersting Notes:
References
This page last updated August 31, 2000
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