Dowitcher Identification
Birders notoriously find it difficult to tell Short-billed and Long-billed Dowitchers apart. I have got a request to do an identification explanation on them so here goes, I hope it will be helpful. Short-billed Dowitchers and Long-billed look so similar. Using their habitat is helpful but not diagnostic. Short-billed Dowitchers tend to prefer Salt water and brackish water and Long-billed Dowitchers tend to prefer fresh water. However, I have OFTEN seen Short-billeds in freshwater and Long-billeds in brackish and salt water. Therefore, DO NOT rely on habitat. Another feature many people will tell you to rely on is spotting on the side of the flanks of Short-billeds and barring on the side of Long-billeds. Usually this is a mark that you can use but it is not always as distinct as you like. I have seen Short-billeds with a barred appearance to the flanks. It is only at the side of the breast where you have to look for this diagnostic feature for the spots on a Short-billed and t...
thanks for posting these interesting news articles mel. it must be very sad for you after seeing those attwater's greater prairie chickens in texas to now know they are doomed to extinction within the year. it is disturbing to know how many species or birds and animals will be extinct due to our own doing. regarding the birds dying in the oil sands it is no surprise the oil and gas industry pretends they don't cause any harm to wildlife but hundreds of birds and mammals have died in those tailing ponds. it seems it doesn't matter which party is in federal government power. the federal government has demonstrated two things that they don't care about first nations peoples and they don't care about wildlife and their habitat.
ReplyDeleteIts sad to hear about the attwatter's greater prairie chickens sadly i think they are doomed for extinction with only five birds left in the wild
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