Gwaii Haanas Guest House and Kayaks Haida Gwaii / Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia, Canada Birds of Haida Gwaii (2) Family Cathartidae (New World Vultures) Small unfeathered head and hooked bill aid in consuming carrion.  Recent evidence indicates a relationship to storks NAME SIZE QUANTITIES RESIDENCE NESTING Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura L69cm W175cm hypothetical     Family Accipitridae (Hawks, Kites, Eagles) A large family of diurnal bird of prey, equipped with hooked bills and strong talons.  Males are usually smaller than females NAME SIZE QUANTITIES RESIDENCE NESTING Osprey Pandion haliaetus   L56-64cm W147-183cm rare     Northern Harrier Circus cyaneus   X>Y L43-58cm W97-122cm rare     Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus X>Y L79-94cm W178-229cm common resident yes Accipiters Comparatively long tails and short, rounded wings give these woodland hawks greater agility.  Flight is several quick wingbeats and a glide.  The three species in North America are confusingly similar Sharp-Shinned Hawk Accipiter striatus X>Y L25-36cm W51-71cm uncommon resident yes Cooper's Hawk Accipiter cooperii X>Y L36-51cm W74-94cm rare     Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentilis X>Y L53-66cm W102-117cm rare resident yes Buteos High-soaring hawks, buteos are among the easiest daytime birds of prey to spot.  Often soar with wings in a shallow V, called a dihedral. Red-Tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis X>Y L56cm W127cm uncommon resident yes Rough-legged Hawk Buteo lagopus X>Y L56cm W142cm casual Winter     Family Falconidae (Caracaras, Falcons) These powerful hunters are distinguished from hawks by their along and wings , which are bent back at the wrist, narrow and pointed.   Females are larger then males. NAME SIZE ABUNDANCE RESIDENCE NESTING American Kestrel Falco sparvesius X>Y L27cm W58cm rare     Merlin Falco columbarius X>Y L31cm W64cm rare     Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus X>Y L41-51cm W91-112cm uncommon resident yes Gyrfalcon Falco rusticolus X>Y L51-64cm W127-163cm casual Winter     Family Phasianidae (Partridges, Grouse, Turkeys) Ground-dwellers with feathered nostrils, short, strong bills, and short, rounded wings.  Flight is brief but strong.  Males perform elaborate courting displays.  In some species, birds gather at the same strutting grounds, known as leks, every year NAME SIZE ABUNDANCE RESIDENCE NESTING Ring-necked Pheasant Phasianus colchicus YL84cm XL53cm rare resident, introduced yes Blue Grouse Dendragapus obscurus Y>X L51cm uncommon resident yes Rock Ptarmigan Lagopus mutus Y>X L36cm accidental       Family Rallidae (Rails, Gallinules, Coots) These marsh birds have short tails and short, rounded wings.  Most species are local and secretive.  Some, especially the rails, are identified chiefly by call and habitat. NAME SIZE ABUNDANCE RESIDENCE NESTING Virginia Rail Rallus limicola Y>X L24cm casual     Sora Porzana carolina Y>X L22cm casual     American Coot Fulica americana Y>X L39cm uncommon winter     Family Gruidae (Cranes) Tall, stately birds with long necks and legs and fairly long, heavy bills.  Tertials droop over the rump in a "bustle" that distinguishes cranes from herons.  Cranes fly with their necks fully extended and circle in thermals like raptors.  Courtship includes their frenzied, leaping dance.  NAME SIZE ABUNDANCE RESIDENCE NESTING Sandhill Crane Grus canadensis Y>X L86-122cm W185-229cm uncommon uncommon transient Spring/Summer yes   Family Charadriidae (Lapwings, Plovers) These compact birds dart across the ground, stop, then run off again. NAME SIZE ABUNDANCE RESIDENCE NESTING Black-bellied Plover Pluvialis squatarola L29cm common transient   American Golden-Plover Pluvialis dominica L26cm uncommon transient   Pacific Golden-Plover Pluvialis fulva L25cm uncommon transient   Semipalmated Plover Charadrius semipalmatus L18cm common Spring/Summer yes Killdeer Charadrius vociferus X>Y L27cm uncommon Transient Summer/Winter yes   Family Haematopodidae (Oystercatchers) These chunky shorebirds have laterally flattened, heavy bill that can reach into mollusks and pry shells open;  they also probe sand for worms and crabs. NAME SIZE ABUNDANCE RESIDENCE NESTING Black Oystercatcher Haematopus bachmani X>Y L45cm common resident yes   Family Scolopacidae (Sandpipers, Phalaropes) The majority of these shorebirds have at least three plumages.  Most begin molting to winter plumage as they near or reach winter grounds. NAME SIZE ABUNDANCE RESIDENCE NESTING Greater Yellowlegs Tringa melanoleuca L36cm uncommon transient   Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes L27cm uncommon transient   Wandering Tattler Heteroscelus incanus L28cm uncommon Spring / Fall Transient   Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola L20cm accidental     Solitary Sandpiper Tringa solitaria L22cm casual     Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularia X>Y L19cm uncommon Summer yes Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus L45cm uncommon Spring/Summer, transient   Marbled Godwit Limosa fedoa X>Y L46cm casual Spring   Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica X>Y L41cm accidental     Hudsonian Godwit Limosa haemastica X>Y L39cm accidental     Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres X>Y L24cm uncommon rare transient Winter   Black Tumstone Arenaria melanocephala X>Y L24cm common common transient Winter   Surfbird Aphriza virgata X>Y L25cm uncommon uncommon transient Winter   Rock Sandpiper Calidris ptilocnemis X>Y L23cm uncommon Winter   Red Knot Calidris canutus X>Y L27cm rare transient   Sanderling Calidris alba X>Y L20cm common common transient Winter   Dunlin Calidris alba L22cm common common transient Winter   Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea X>Y L22cm accidental     Semipalmated Sandpiper Calidris pusilla X>Y L16cm uncommon transient   Western Sandpiper Calidris mauri X>Y L17cm abundant transient   Least Sandpiper Calidris minutilla L15cm common common transient Summer yes White-rumped Sandpiper Calidris fuscicollis X>Y L19cm accidental     Baird's Sandpiper Calidris bairdii X>Y L19cm rare transient   Red-necked Stint Calidris ruficollis X>Y L16cm accidental     Pectoral Sandpiper Calidris melanotos Y>X L22cm uncommon transient   Sharp-Tailed Sandpiper Calidris acuminata Y>X L22cm rare transient   Upland Sandpiper Bartramia longicauda X>Y L31cm casual     Buff-breasted Sandpiper Tryngites subruficollis L21cm casual Spring/Summer   Ruff Philomachus pugnax YL31cm XL25cm casual     Dowitchers Medium-size, chunky, dark shorebirds, dowitchers have long, straight bills and distinct pale eyebrows.  Feeding in mud or shallow water, they probe with a rapid jabbing motion. Dowitchers in flight show a white wedge from barred tail to middle of back.  Separating the two species is easiest with juveniles, more difficult with breeding adults, and very difficult in winter except by distinctive calls.  Both species give the same song, a rapid di di da doo, year-around. Short-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus griseus X>Y L28cm uncommon rare transient Summer yes Long-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus scolopaceus X>Y L29cm uncommon transient   Stilt Sandpiper Calidris himantopus X>Y L22cm casual     Common Snipe Gallinago gallinano X>Y L27cm uncommon resident yes Phalaropes These elegant shorebirds have partially lobed feet and dense, soft plumage.  Feeding on the water, phalaropes often spin like tops, stirring up larvae, crustaceans, and insects.  Females, larger and more brightly coloured than the males, do the courting; males incubate the eggs and care for the chicks. In fall, adults and juveniles (particularly Wilson's and Red Phalaropes) rapidly molt to winter plumage; many are seen in transitional plumage farther south. Wilson's Phalarope Phalaropus tricolor X>Y L24cm accidental     Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus X>Y L20cm common transient   Red Phalarope Phalaropus fulicaria X>Y L22cm rare Fall, transient   TO PAGE 3 Back to bird families list MAPS ACCOMMODATION KAYAK RENTAL BOAT EXCURSIONS TRANSPORTATION PRICES TO CONTACT US PHOTO ALBUM QUESTIONNAIRE WILDLIFE GWAII HAANAS NATIONAL PARK HAIDA GWAII TABLE OF CONTENTS

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