BirdsAll familiesCentral & Northern Georgia Area
28-36" (71-91 cm). Heavy-bodied, thick, pointed, usually black or dark gray bill held horizontally. Breeding plumage, head, neck black with white bands on neck; back black with white spots. In winter, crown, hindneck, upperparts dark grayish; throat, underparts white.… read more
12-15" (30-38 cm). Pigeon-sized. A stocky, uniformly brownish water bird, with stout whitish bill that has black ring around it during breeding season.… read more
30-35 (76-89 cm). Orange throat pouch and long neck. Long hooked bill tilted upward when swimming. Adults have short tuft of feathers over each eye during breeding season. In flight, the neck shows a slight crook.… read more
35-41" (89-104 cm). W. 4'7" (1.4 m). All-white heron with yellow bill, black legs. Breeding plumage, has long lacy plumes on back. Smaller Snowy Egret has black bill, legs, yellow feet.… read more
39-52" (99-132 cm). W. 5'10" (1.8 m). Large, mainly grayish heron with a pale or yellowish bill. Flies with neck folded, not extended. In southern Florida an all-white form, "Great White Heron," has greenish-yellow rather than black legs.… read more
23-34" (58-86 cm). Medium-sized, streaked brown heron. Outer wing appears blackish brown in flight, contrasting with lighter brown of inner wing and body. Adults show long black stripe down side of throat.… read more
20" (51 cm). Small, stocky white heron, with buff on crown, breast, and back during breeding season. Legs pale yellow or orange in adults, blackish in some immatures. Bill short, yellow or orange; dark in juveniles. No other small white heron has a yellow bill.… read more
16-22" (41-56 cm). A dark, crow-sized heron. Crown black, back and wings dark gray-green or gray-blue (depending on lighting); neck chestnut colored. Bill dark; legs bright orange. Immatures have streaks on neck, breast, and sides.… read more
25-30" (64-76 cm). W. 3'5" (1 m). Adult slate blue with maroon neck. Bill grayish with black tip; legs greenish. Immature is white, usually with dusky tips on primaries. Snowy Egret, smaller, all white, with black bill and legs, yellow lores and feet.… read more
20-27" (51-69 cm). W. 3'2" (97 cm). Small, white heron with a slender black bill, black legs, and yellow feet. In breeding season, it has long lacy plumes on its head, neck, and back. Immature bird has yellow stripe up back of leg.… read more
22-27" (56-69 cm). W. 3'8" (1.1 m). Adult slate-gray with black head, white cheeks, yellowish crown, plumes, black bill, yellow or orange legs. In flight, feet, part of legs extend beyond tail. Immature grayish brown, finely speckled with white above.… read more
23-28" (58-71 cm). W. 3'8" (1.1 m). A medium-sized, short-necked heron with black crown, back, gray wings, white underparts. Bill short, black, legs pinkish or yellowish. In breeding season it has 2 or more long white plumes on back of head.… read more
23-27" (58-69 cm). W. 3'2" (97 cm). Adult white with black wing tips (usually hidden at rest); bare face and down-curved bill are red; legs red in breeding season, otherwise slate-gray. Immatures brown above and white below, with brown bill and legs.… read more
25-32" (64-81 cm). W. 6' (1.8 m). Eagle-sized blackish bird, In flight, wings held upward in a wide, shallow V; rolls, sways from side to side. Flight feathers silvery below. Tail long; head small, bare, reddish; gray in immatures.… read more
22-24" (56-61 cm). W. 4'6" (1.4 m). Black, with white patch near each wing tip, conspicuous in flight; head bare, grayish; feet extend beyond short tail. Flaps its shorter and rounder wings more often and more rapidly than Turkey Vulture.… read more
17-20" (43-51 cm). A beautiful, crested, multicolored duck. Male patterned in iridescent greens, purples, and blues with distinctive white chin patch and face stripes; bill mainly red; tail long. Female grayish with broad white eye ring.… read more
Male, 25-29" (64-74 cm); female, 21-23" (53-58 cm). Male, brown head, white underparts, neck, white line extending onto head, grayish back, long black pointed central tail feathers. Inner wing, metallic brown. Female mottled brown, gray, slender.… read more
18-23" (46-58 cm). Male is brownish with white crown, green ear patch, and bold white shoulder patches easily visible in flight. Female is mottled brown with grayish head and whitish shoulder patches. Bill pale blue in both sexes.… read more
17-20" (43-51 cm). Large shovel-shaped bill. Male has green head, white body, and chestnut flanks. Female streaked brown with pale blue shoulder patches; similar to female Blue-winged Teal, but bill much larger.… read more
12-16" (30-41 cm). Male,chestnut head, green ear patch, flashing green inner wing, pale gray sides, pinkish breast with a vertical white stripe down the side. Female is dark brown without distinctive markings.… read more
14-16" (36-41 cm). Brown with pale blue shoulder patches. Male, gray head, white crescent in front of eye. Female mottled brown, gray, obscure patterning on face, pale blue shoulder patches like the male.… read more
18-27" (46-69 cm). Male, green head, white neck ring, chestnut breast, grayish body; inner wing, metallic purplish blue, bordered with white. Female, mottled brown, with white tail, purplish-blue inner wing, mottled orange brown bill.… read more
19-22" (48-56 cm). Sooty brown with paler head and conspicuous white wing linings and violet speculum; olive or dull yellow bill. Sexes similar. Female Mallard paler and sandier, with bill mottled with orange and black, and whitish tail feathers.… read more
18-21" (46-53 cm). Male is a medium-sized grayish duck with white patch on hind edge of wing, black rump, and sandy brown head. Female mottled brown, with white patch on hind edge of wing.… read more
15-18" (38-46 cm). Head angular. Head of male glossed with purple, not green. Female dark brown, small white face patch. In flight, white stripe is shorter than that of the Greater Scaup, which extends three-fourths of the wing's length.… read more
14-18" (36-46 cm). Male, black back, breast; purple-glossed, black head; pale gray flanks; vertical white mark on side. Female brownish, narrow white eye ring. Bill pale gray with white ring. Angular shape of head, white ring on bill, distinguish from the scaup.… read more
19-24" (48-61 cm). Male, whitish body, black chest, reddish head with low forehead. Long bill gives head a distinctive sloping profile. Female grayish, sandy-brown head. At a distance males can be distinguished by their white bodies.… read more
Small races, 22-26" (56-66 cm); large races, 35-45" (89-114 cm). Brownish body with black head, long black neck, conspicuous white cheek patch. The smaller Brant has a shorter neck and lacks white cheek patch.… read more
13-15" (33-38 cm). Male largely white, with black back, black head with greenish, purplish gloss, large white patch from behind eye to top and back of head. Female all dark, with single whitish patch on cheek. Fast flier, with a rapid wingbeat.… read more
16-20" (41-51 cm). Male, white body; black back; black-appearing (glossy greenish) head; round white spot in front of eye. Eye bright yellow. Female grayish, warm brown head, white neck ring, dark bill. Both have large white wing patch, conspicuous in flight.… read more
25-31" (64-79 cm). Pure white, black wing tips; bill pink, black "lips"; legs pink. Dark phase, bluish-gray upperparts, brownish underparts, white head, neck. Blue-phase birds have spread westward, often seen among thousands of white Snow Geese.… read more
16-19" (41-48 cm). Slender pointed bill. Male has white, fan-shaped, black-bordered crest, blackish body, dull rusty flanks, white breast with 2 black stripes down side. Female, dull gray-brown, with warmer brown head, crest. Both show white wing patch in flight.… read more
14-16" (36-41 cm). Long tail, often held straight up. Breeding male, chestnut body, black crown, white cheeks. Female/winter male are dusky brown, whitish cheeks of female crossed by dark stripe. Male's bill is blue in breeding season, black at other times.… read more
14-20" (36-51 cm). W. 28" (71 cm). Long tail, short rounded wings. Adult slate-gray above, with dark cap, and finely rust-barred below. Immature brown above, whitish below with fine streaks. Tail tip rounded, not squared-off.… read more
10-14" (25-36 cm). W. 21" (53 cm). Long, narrow, square-tipped tail, short rounded wings. Adult slate-gray above, pale below, with fine rust-colored barring. Immature, brown above with whitish spots, creamy white below with streaks on breast, barring on flanks.… read more
18-25" (46-64 cm). W. 4' (1.2 m). Light-phase birds have whitish breast, rust-colored tail. Broad, rounded wings, white chest. Young birds duller, more streaked, lacking rust-colored tail . Variable in color, some blackish in West, these usually retain rusty tail.… read more
16-24" (41-61 cm). W. 3'4" (1 m). Large, long-winged hawk with white barring on dark wings, rusty shoulders, pale underparts barred with rust, narrowly banded tail. In flight shows translucent area near tip of wing, visible from below. Young birds streaked below.… read more
13-15" (33-38 cm). W. 33" (84 cm). A stocky, pigeon-sized hawk. Adult plain brown above, barred with rusty color below, with broad black-and-white tail bands. Immatures similar, but sparsely spotted or blotched below, and with tail bands less distinct.… read more
16-24" (41-61 cm). W. 3' 6" (1.1 m). Long-winged, long-tailed hawk with a white rump, often seen gliding over marshes with wings held in a shallow V. Male, pale gray back, head, breast; wing tips black. Female, young, brown above, streaked below.… read more
30-31" (76-79 cm). W. 6-7' 6" (1.8-2.3 m). A large blackish eagle with white head, tail, heavy yellow bill. Young birds lack the white head and tail, and resemble adult Golden Eagles, but are variably marked with white and have a black, more massive bill.… read more
©2007 eNature.com