American Dipper

A tiny kingfisher of lowland and foothill forest interior. Deep, cobalt blue head and wings with eye-catching paler blue patch on the back and pale orange belly. White throat and ear patch, with pale buff spot behind the bill. Flies overhead like a blue, speeding bullet. Devilishly difficult to see. Similar to Azure Kingfisher, but Papuan Dwarf-Kingfisher is smaller, lacks the blue on the sides of the chest and isn’t associated with water. Voice, high-pitched “cheep!” calls.

Massive raptor with rather long, heavy bill; broad, plank-like wings; and relatively short, graduated tail. Looks like a flying barn door and soars with wings rather level (not slightly raised like Golden Eagle). Plumage dark overall. Adult has paler brown head and body, white tail, yellowish bill. Immature starts with mostly brown tail streaked white, blackish bill; attains fully white tail in about 4 years. Generally uncommon, mainly found along seacoasts and larger rivers (feeds predominantly on fish).

Plump, medium-sized shorebird with very long bill. Extremely similar to Long-billed Dowitcher, and often flocks with it. Best distinguished by voice: a rapid series of notes, “tu-tu-tu”, lower-pitched and almost always in a series, unlike single piercing “keek!” of Long-billed. At all ages, look for subtle structural differences: Short-billed averages flatter-backed, slightly shorter-billed, and slightly shorter, especially noticeable when in a mixed flock. Breeding birds are intricately patterned with a variable amount of orange on the underparts. Short-billed usually has some white on the belly, and paler upperparts with bolder golden and white markings. Also look for messy and extensive spotting on sides, not sparsely barred like Long-billed Dowitcher. Nonbreeding plumage is brownish-gray overall with a paler belly; extremely similar to Long-billed but averaging slightly paler and more patterned, especially on the breast and sides. Juveniles are easiest to identify: look for bright golden markings on the tertials and scapulars. Short-billed breeds in grassy wetlands and tundra, and can be found in a variety of wetland habitats in migration and winter. A very early fall migrant, with southbound birds appearing in the U.S. by late June. Usually in flocks, feeding actively like a sewing machine. Tends to favor saltwater marshes, beaches, and mudflats. Somewhat less likely in freshwater habitats than Long-billed, but much overlap, especially the hendersoni subspecies that migrates primarily through the center of the continent.