Identifying the Sex of a Bird and Project Gutenberg
One of our readers posted a straightforward question:
"Do you have any thoughts on how to identify male and female genders for Common Grackles and Morning Doves?"
The short answer to the question is that for mourning doves there are three things to look for:
- The male is slightly larger
- The males are more aggressive in mating season
- The female is less reddish below
- Males will fluff out their shoulders to make a ruffled collar
- Males will droop their wings and sing to impress the female
- The female is smaller and duller in color
Well, aside from watching birds, I have a small library of bird books and Web references. But there's a resource out there that cannot be over-rated: Project Gutenberg. Care to read all of Frank M. Chapman's "What Bird is That?" complete with illustrations? Just check out this site: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/31751/31751-h/31751-h.htm. Granted... As the photo below shows, the search engine takes a bit of getting used to, but with a little practice, the fun never stops.
If you don't mind wandering through old books (including bird books), Project Gutenberg is for you. (There's even some audio books in there, so look carefully.)
That ought to keep you busy for a while!
As always, see you by the feeders,
CapeCodAlan
P.S. Rumor has it that another contest is afoot... Stay tuned...
Cornell Ornithology Laboratory: Inside Birding
Cornell Ornithology Laboratory: All About Birding
Comments
Thanks CCA,
Your suggestions are helpful. Also thought the "Project Gutenberg" was an excellent reference. Goes to prove my theory, "The Older I get, the Dumber I Become." Of course, it's a little more challenging when you are trying to identify the gender of a solo bird.
Cheers,
Harry "Gipper" Morris
Posted by: Harry "Gipper" Morris | April 23, 2010 11:03 AM