Bird Comparison Photos

Hopefully, most of the Bif readers have already read about the Biggest Week In American Birding from some of my fellow BiF bloggers.  The Biggest Week is organized and hosted by Black Swamp Bird Observatory (BSBO) where I am fortunate enough to be the executive director.  (Thus, my absence from BiF for the last few months!) It's truly a wonderful event, and it generates a a great deal of support for habitat conservation in the region. As you might imagine, a 10-day birding festival is a monumental task, but the event isn't all that BSBO does.  We also offer outstanding education programs, including our Ohio Young Birders Club for ages 12 - 18, and our free programs for schools, where K-12 students visit the Observatory to participate in songbird banding studies and learn about migration and the importance of protecting stopover habitat.

Another aspect of BSBO's mission involves the study of migratory birds, and this research served as the basis for the Observatory when it was founded in 1992.  Our primary songbird research station is one of the largest in the country in terms of numbers of birds per net hour, an indication of the incredible volume of birds that pass through this region of NW Ohio, and the habitat that makes this region a globally important bird area. 

Our banding studies allow us the opportunity to study birds in a remarkable way, and we do our best to make the time we have the birds in our hands as meaningful as possible.  In addition to all of the incredibly useful data we collect, we also try to take photos.  By photographing birds in a variety of ways, we can produce materials that help unravel the mysteries and challenges of bird identification, and reveal some of the truly extraordinary features of these feathered gems.

We share many photos on the BSBO's  Facebook page, and some of the images that people enjoy the most are those that show similar and/or multiple species together.  I thought it might be fun to share some of them here, but I hope you'll [Like] BSBO on Facebook, too!

I'll leave the photos unlabeled at first, allowing you to guess the species.  But don't worry, I'll reveal the answers at the end!

Photo #1

One of my favorite things is when the kids at our school programs call these guys "Oreos!"  I always tell them that they do NOT like to be dunked in milk, and their center doesn't taste nearly as good!

Photo #2

Is this a cool photo, or what?!?!  Five brown thrushes - all in a row.
Can you name them, left to right?!

Photo #3

Lots of colors in the names of these birds, as well as one fine city!

Bonus Vireo Photo!

Photo #4

Two similar warblers...

The "business end" of the same two warblers! ;-)

Photo #5

Here's a hint, they both sound a bit like insects!

Bonus Sparrow Photo!

Photo #6

One of these things is not like the other.....

Photo #7

Sandpipers!

Photo #8

You know what Barry Manilow would say if he ever got to hold a bird this adorable, don't you?  He would say, "and wren ... will I hold youuuuuu again?" ;-)

Photo #9

A Sparrow Primer!

Photo #10

And finally, the show-stopper!
The opportunity for side-by-side comparison of these two species doesn't
come along that often.  And when you DO have them this close, the similarity between the bird on the left and the bird on the right makes you wonder
how often they are correctly identified in the field.

Okay, are you ready for the big reveal?!  

Photo #1

 Adult Male Baltimore Oriole  //  Young Male Orchard Oriole 

Photo #2

Gray-cheeked Thrush, Hermit Thrush, Swainson's Thrush,
Veery, and Wood Thrush

Photo #3

Red-eyed Vireo, Blue-headed Vireo, White-eyed Vireo, and Philadelphia Vireo

Bonus Vireos

Warbling Vireos (left) and Philadelphia Vireos (right)
It's all about the yellow in the throat in spring! 

Photo #4

Orange-crowned Warbler //  Tennessee Warbler 

A close-up of the undertail coverts that help separate the two species.
Tennessee (left) Orange-crowned (right) 

Photo #5

Henslow's Sparrow  (top)
 Grasshopper Sparrow(bottom)

Bonus Henslow's / Grasshopper Sparrow Photo

These two elusive grassland sparrows are seldom seen this well. Grassland habitat is in serious decline, and along with it, the grassland birds that depend on it for their survival. Banding studies help us identify the specific needs of these birds, allowing us to help land owners better manage the precious areas we still have left.

Photo #6 

Least Flycatcher // Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Photo #7

Semipalmated Sandpiper (top)
Least Sandpiper (bottom)
The difference in bill shape is very evident when the birds are this close and this still.
Both birds are in juvenile plumage.

Photo #8

Marsh Wren // Winter Wren
They really are adorable little birds, aren't they?! 

Photo #9

Swamp Sparrow,  White-throated Sparrow,  Song Sparrow, and Fox Sparrow


Photo #10

Female Connecticut Warbler, Young Male Mourning Warbler, Female Mourning Warbler!

Having the birds together, and this close, you can really see that the eye ring of the Connecticut is much more solid and bold.  The split eye ring of the female Mourning just doesn't "pop" like the Connecticut's.  But in the field, it can be a real challenge to separate these two wonderful birds. 

Some fun facts about Photo #10...

This photo was Liked 365 times and shared more than 230 times on the BSBO Facebook page, and when Birds & Blooms Magazine shared it on their page, it was Liked more than 760 times!   

I hope you enjoyed these comparison shots.  We feel honored each day that we are fortunate enough to spend time in the field with these amazing creatures, and I know you feel the same way. Many thanks to the research team at BSBO for the incredible work that they do for birds.  This work would not be possible without the support of dozens of amazing volunteers that help our research staff conduct these studies. 

Thanks for reading, and remember, BIRDS RULE!