Once again Jory has agreed to provide 10,000 Birds readers with an identification quiz. Good luck and remember to post your guesses in the comments!
It’s Wednesday. That means time to put on your “10,000 Birds Avian Thinking Cap” again.
This quiz is structured around tidbits that I find interesting when browsing various reference sources (field guides, websites, etc). Like Goldilocks, the quiz cannot be too hard or too easy, it must be “just right”. One just never knows, however.
Remember the guidelines. Try to guess the species in as few clues as possible. ABA area birds only. Answer will be posted this coming Saturday.
Five things you probably didn’t know about this species:
* Many thousands pass thru the James Bay area Canada in late summer.
* May migrate up to 5,000 miles non-stop (that’s longer than most commercial flights ).
* Surprisingly, little is known about this bird due to the remoteness of breeding and wintering sites.
* Migratory flight lines are along narrow corridors.
* Winters in a just handful of locations … exposing the population to potentially dangerous crashes.
Five things you might know about this species:
* Mostly feeds by touch rather than sight.
* Pointed wings.
* White stripe in wing.
* Black tail.
* “Arguably the best place to see (this species) is on road-side flooded fields along the Gulf of Texas during April.”
Check Saturday for the answer. Good Luck!
Hudsonian godwit?
Red knot and ????
Common Nighthawk
Duh! Some points fit, but nighthawks obviously wouldn’t be in flooded fields.
I also think Hudsonian Godwit, one of my favorites. Your quizzes are great!
-Mike
Hudsonian Godwit.
Mike, glad you like the quizzes! I love creating them, and learn a lot doing the research. Hopefully I’ll remember some the details when I go out in the field.
– Jory