McGILL BIRD OBSERVATORY

This section of the MBO website is intended to be an ever-developing reference guide for banders, as well as others interested in some of the finer points of bird identification.  While we strive to maintain a high standard of accuracy, errors can occur, and there are also some birds which can stimulate considerable debate.  If you believe any photos are mislabeled, please e-mail us (mbo@migrationresearch.org) with your input. 

Many of the pages are only partially complete at present, and we will add to them as we band birds of different plumages.  We also welcome the submission of photos we can use to expand the range of species/ages/sexes covered in this guide.  Note that our intention is to develop a photographic reference that highlights key features useful in determining age and sex, but that for a more thorough treatment of each species, we highly recommend the two-part "Identification Guide to North American Birds" by Peter Pyle (Slate Creek Press, 1997 and 2008), which has formed the basis of much of our knowledge about the species presented here.

The text in the photo library assumes a level of familiarity with terminology used by banders with respect to moult and ageing.  We have started to compile an introduction on some of the frequently used terms and techniques, and welcome any suggestions for additions to it.

How to use this guide:  The MBO Photo Library is designed to help with identifying the age and sex of individuals, generally assuming that species have already been correctly identified.  Any number of popular field guides provide good species-to-species comparisons with an easier overview than is possible with the way we have laid out this website.  However, for the warblers and sparrows we have developed some additional tips based on field experience that may be useful complements to other published sources.  The sections below outline the key information presented in each of the species accounts.

Seasonal status:  For many species, an approximate estimate of their abundance at MBO throughout the year is presented.  To some degree this reflects the overall patterns of occurrence in the Montreal area, but in some cases differs quite considerably due to the specific habitats present at MBO (e.g. various ducks are present in Montreal through the winter, but there is no open water for them at MBO).  The abundance of species is assessed by the following scale:
   common - generally present daily, in moderate to large numbers
   fairly common - generally present daily, but usually in small numbers
   uncommon - present on a majority of days, but usually in small numbers
   rare - present on a minority of days
   occasional - has been recorded, but not annually

Quick tips:  For each species, we have pointed out a few key features to concentrate on.  These tend to provide the best information for ageing and/or sexing the species.  There can be exceptions to every rule, and it's always wise to base conclusions on multiple characteristics, but we hope that in most cases these tips will help focus attention on the most informative ones, thereby improving accuracy and reducing handling time.  The tips are listed in decreasing order of priority in terms of reliability and ease of assessment.  While most characteristics are easier to assess if the bird is in the hand, many of them can with practice also be recognized on free-flying birds.

Click here to enter the Photo Library

© 2002-2009 The Migration Research Foundation Inc.