Identifying and Counting Waterbirds in Africa
– Training Course –
– Module 3 –
How to identify a species
North of Africa - Palearctic Migrants
Module 3 – How to identify a species
Authors
Designed and written by
Nathalie Hecker nat.hecker@yahoo.fr
Photographs
Steve Garvie sgarvie@aol.com, www.pbase.com/rainbirder
Illustrations
Cyril Girard girardcyril3335@neuf.fr, www.cyrilgirard.fr
Translation
Rachel Wakeham moosekeeper77@hotmail.com
This training course is one of the tools of : Hecker N., 2012. Identifying and
Counting Waterbirds in Africa – A toolkit for trainers. ONCFS, Hirundo-FT2E.
France
Module 3 – How to identify a species
Presenting the Module
Technical
explanations
Indoor
exercises
Fieldwork
3
Module 3 – How to identify a species
Objectives of Module 3
At the end of this Module you will be able to:
•match a species to a family or genus by its silhouette;
•identify a species and explain your choice.
Module 3 – How to identify a species
Approach
Identifying a bird is knowing:
“why it’s this species”
and also “why it’s not that species”.
It is therefore necessary to be able to name a
bird and tell it apart from similar species.
Module 3 – How to identify a species
A species?
Little Egret
Kingdom Animal
Phylum Chordata
Class Bird
Order Pelecaniformes
Family Ardeidae
Genus Egretta
Species garzetta
Module 3 – How to identify a species
Family and genus
Module 3 – How to identify a species
Large wading birds
Spoonbills
Cranes
Storks
Ibises
Herons
Module 3 – How to identify a species
Waders
Snipes
Plovers
Stilts
Godwits
Curlews
Thick-knees
Tringa sandpipers
Calidris sandpipers
Module 3 – How to identify a species
MOORHENS
ANATIDAE
geese
GREBES
surface-feeding and diving ducks
Module 3 – How to identify a species
RAPACES
RAPTORS
CORMORANTS
harrier
osprey
LARIDAE
gulls
terns
Module 3 – How to identify a species
To which family does this bird belong?
Indoor exercise
Learning how to match a bird to a family based on the
description of its shape
Equipment:
“Waterbird silhouettes” factsheets S3.1.a and S3.1.b
Procedure:
1. One trainee describes the bird’s shape and
matches it to a family or group
2. The other trainees can add to the description
Module 3 – How to identify a species
To which family does this bird belong?
13
Module 3 – How to identify a species
To which family does this bird belong?
14
Module 3 – How to identify a species
To which family does this bird belong?
15
Module 3 – How to identify a species
To which family does this bird belong?
16
Module 3 – How to identify a species
To which family does this bird belong?
17
Module 3 – How to identify a species
To which family does this bird belong?
18
Module 3 – How to identify a species
To which family does this bird belong?
19
Module 3 – How to identify a species
To which family does this bird belong?
20
Module 3 – How to identify a species
To which family does this bird belong?
Indoor exercise
Learning how to match a bird to a family based on the
description of its shape
Equipment:
Field guide
“waterbird silhouettes” factsheet
Procedure:
1. With the book open, a trainee describes the shape of a
waterbird chosen by the trainer from the field guide
2. With their books shut, the other trainees look through
the sheet of silhouettes and work out which family it
belongs to. They can ask questions to add to the
description.
Module 3 – How to identify a species
How to use the field guide
Three stages of identification
Observation  description looking in the field guide
Use the field guide to
• Look up birds in a family
• Compare the bird to the illustration
• Read the accompanying text about the species
• Check the distribution map
• Be aware of similar species
Module 3 – How to identify a species
Describe and identify a species
Indoor exercise
Describe a bird methodically and accurately to identify its
species
Equipment:
Silhouette factsheet, field guide
Procedure:
1. With the book shut, a trainee describes the shape of the
bird shown in the slide and matches it to a silhouette
2. The other trainees confirm the choice of family
3. The trainee describes the colour of the plumage, bill and
legs, and if possible the habitat where the bird is found
4. The trainee looks in the field guide and suggests several
options, then quantifies the final choice by “It’s this one
because ... and not that one because ...”
Module 3 – How to identify a species
Describe and identify a species
Module 3 – How to identify a species
Describe and identify a species
Module 3 – How to identify a species
Describe and identify a species
Module 3 – How to identify a species
Describe and identify a species
Module 3 – How to identify a species
Describe and identify a species
Module 3 – How to identify a species
Describe and identify a species
Module 3 – How to identify a species
Describe and identify a species
Module 3 – How to identify a species
Describe and identify a species
Module 3 – How to identify a species
Describe and identify a species
Module 3 – How to identify a species
Describe and identify a species
Module 3 – How to identify a species
Identify a species
Fieldwork
Equipment:
Telescope, binoculars, field guide, factsheet
Procedure: working in pairs
1.
2.
3.
One trainee watches a bird with the telescope and
describes it in detail out loud, also describing the
behaviour, calls (how frequent and how loud) and
habitat
The second trainee takes notes
They match the bird to a group then find it in the field
guide to identify it
Module 3 – How to identify a species
Waders
• These species can be difficult to identify!
• Identification must be methodical and rigorous
Module 3 – How to identify a species
Waders: the main morphological criteria
to note
Silhouette
•Is it thin and slender?
•Is it squat and “round”?
•Is it in between, and neither slender or squat?
Head
•Is it big, medium or small?
Neck
•Is it visible?
•Is it long or short?
Bill
•Is it long or short?
•Is it straight or curved?
•Is it fine or broad?
Compared to the rest of the body and overall
silhouette
Remember, if the bird is resting its neck may look short when it
would seem long in another position
compared with the length of the head seen from the side
Legs
•Are they long or short?
– long legs: clearly visible tibia and long tarsus
– short legs: barely visible tibia and short tarsus
Module 3 – How to identify a species
Waders
Plovers and Lapwings
round and squat silhouette
large head
short, straight bill
short, often barely visible neck
long legs (plovers) to very long legs (lapwings)
Module 3 – How to identify a species
Waders
Calidris sandpipers
- squat silhouette
- medium-sized head
- short to medium, slender, straight or
down curved bill
- fairly short, often hardly visible neck
Module 3 – How to identify a species
Waders
Tringa Sandpipers
- thin and slender silhouette
- small head
- medium to long, slender,
- straight or slightly upturned bill
clearly visible neck
- generally long legs
Module 3 – How to identify a species
Waders
Godwits and Curlews
- large size
- small head
- very long straight or down-curved
bill
- long neck
- very long legs
Module 3 – How to identify a species
Waders
Snipes
squat silhouette
large slightly square head
medium to very long bill
short neck
medium to short legs
Module 3 – How to identify a species
Waders
Black and white birds
Three easily recognised species thanks to their black and white plumage
Module 3 – How to identify a species
To what group does this wader belong?
Indoor exercise
Establish which group of waders a bird belongs to
Equipment:
“Identifying common waders found in North of
Africa - Palearctic species: characteristic shapes of
main families” - S3.3
Procedure:
1. A trainee describes the shape of the wader shown
in the slide and matches it to one of the six groups
of waders
2. The other trainees agree or disagree with the
choice
Module 3 – How to identify a species
To what group does this wader belong?
Module 3 – How to identify a species
To what group does this wader belong?
Module 3 – How to identify a species
To what group does this wader belong?
Module 3 – How to identify a species
To what group does this wader belong?
Module 3 – How to identify a species
To what group does this wader belong?
Module 3 – How to identify a species
To what group does this wader belong?
Module 3 – How to identify a species
To what group does this wader belong?
Module 3 – How to identify a species
To what group does this wader belong?
Module 3 – How to identify a species
What is this species?
Indoor exercise
Identify which species a wader belongs to
Equipment:
“Identifying waders” factsheets S3.2 and S3.3
Procedure:
1. One trainee describes the shape of the bird shown in
the slide and matches it to one of the six groups of
waders
2. The other trainees agree or disagree with the choice
3. The first trainee opens the field guide, suggests several
options and gives a well-argued final decision by saying
“It’s this one because ... and not that one because... ”
Module 3 – How to identify a species
What is this species?
Module 3 – How to identify a species
What is this species?
Module 3 – How to identify a species
What is this species?
Module 3 – How to identify a species
What is this species?
Module 3 – How to identify a species
What is this species?
Module 3 – How to identify a species
What is this species?
Module 3 – How to identify a species
What is this species?
Module 3 – How to identify a species
What is this species?
Module 3 – How to identify a species
Identifying waders
Fieldwork
Equipment:
Telescope, binoculars, field guide, key to waders
Procedure: working in pairs
1. One trainee watches a wader through the telescope
and describes it in detail out loud, as well as its
behaviour, calls and habitat
2. The second trainee makes notes
3. They match the wader to a group then look for it in
the field guide to identify it
Module 3 – How to identify a species
Making a list of species present
Fieldwork
Equipment: telescope, binoculars, field guide
Procedure: working alone or in pairs
1. Each trainee or pair should make a list of the
species present, within a time limit
2. Once the time is up, each trainee or pair should
present their list of recorded species
Module 3 – How to identify a species
Difficult observation conditions
Fieldwork
Equipment: telescope, binoculars, field guide
Procedure: working alone or in pairs
Each trainee or pair should identify a bird on the
ground chosen through the telescope by the trainer. It
should be difficult to identify due to brightness,
distance, or the species itself.
Module 3 – How to identify a species
Thanks for your attention!