Field Journal 2: ID and Flight Physiology

Date: 02/21/21
Start Time: 3:00pm
End Time: 5:00pm
Location: Trinity Woods
Weather: 24℉, little to no wind, sunny with no clouds/precipitation
Habitats: Secondary forest, behind urban area.

I decided to observe some Black-capped Chickadees in the woods behind Trinity campus. I really enjoyed watching the four chickadees that I saw flitting around from branch to branch. I would classify their flight pattern as slow flitting short flights with quick wing beats. By flitting, I mean that their flight was quite erratic and abrupt. Their wing type is elliptical. Another species that I observed for comparison was a House Sparrow. Their flight pattern could be described as a swift bounding flight, also with an elliptical wing. Their wing flaps are a few fast wing beats interrupted by gliding through the air with their wings pulled to the sides.

There is a relationship between wing shape, flight style, and habitat niche because the shape of a bird’s wing determines how it is able to fly. The different types of mobility that wing shape allows determines which habitats different birds are able to inhabit. Birds with smaller wings, like Black-capped Chickadees and House Sparrows, are able to maneuver better in the canopy and understory of a forest because there is less space to fly. In addition, their rapid wing beats and fast flight allows them to forage for food on the ground and fly up into the trees quickly in the event of a threat. Birds with longer wings are able to glide, and often can be found in more open spaces. For example, hawks and owls use their longer wings to glide through the air, searching for prey.

Using flight patterns to identify a Black-capped Chickadee could be useful because of their distinct flitting flight. If I saw a Black-capped Chickadee but wasn’t able to see any of its field marks, I could definitely be able to identify it by recognizing its flight pattern. Additionally, I could distinguish it from a House Sparrow, based on the fact that Black-capped Chickadees do not glide in between rapid wing beats.

Posted on February 22, 2021 03:35 AM by elenarbernier elenarbernier

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