Question of the Week
Q. My wife has spotted a pair of what I thought were Black Ducks, she insists that they were mainly black with orange/ yellowish feet and bills. She says that they look more like the long neck of an egret. We are in Aurora, Illinois, 40 miles west of Chicago and have several creek-fed lakes. What could this be so I can get pictures and identify them? —Kevin
A. First of all, thank you for providing such a detailed description and telling us where you live. We receive lots of identification questions from all over the continent, and location information really helps us narrow down the possibilities.
That said, I'm not sure what these could have been. Green Herons live in your area—they can look pretty dark and they do have orange feet, but you'd be unlikely to see them swimming like a duck. American Black Ducks would be rare in your area during nesting season. Around settled areas, it's always possible to see an odd breed of domesticated duck that isn't in any field guide—but the long, egret-like neck sound unusual. The other possibility is that you've seen a Double-crested Cormorant. These can be found on inland lakes, have long necks and narrow orange bills, and often swim in the water.
You'll find more ID help on Green Herons, Black Ducks, Double-crested Cormorants, and nearly 600 more species in our All About Birds species guide. Good luck!
Past Questions of the Week
Q. What are these birds nesting in my chimney? —Patti
Q. Is West Nile virus killing off my Blue Jays? —Rosemarie
Q. Why are loons chasing each other across my lake? —Judy
Q. My babies have hatched and flown. Should I clean out the nests for future use? —Steve
Q. Please could you tell me if pelicans have teeth? —Ewan
Q. This afternoon I opened my door and a beautiful white and gray dove walked into my garage. It went to an empty hutch so I gave it fresh water and food. It was very tame. One leg has a plain green band and the other leg has a red band with numbers on it. What should I do?
Q. I've just upgraded my optics. What should I do with my old binoculars?
Q. Can you give me a list of the birds most frequently seen, or known to reside, in the Gulf of Mexico? I cannot seem to find a list anywhere on the Internet. If the list is too extensive, could you tell me which birds in the Gulf area are endangered or threatened (especially by the BP oil spill)? —Lynn
Q. I recently moved to the top (28th) floor in a high-rise condo building close to the lakefront in Chicago. I was an active bird watcher and had many feeders in my backyard in the suburbs. Do you have any suggestions for feeding/feeders or will I be wasting my time? I have a 13 x 17 foot terrace with glass doors. I would like to put out a feeder. —Michael
Q. I live in Southern California and recently have noticed small compacted bundles of what appears to be fur and small bones scattered under a large pine tree in my yard. Someone said it is from owls regurgitating what they can't digest. Is this true?
Q. While trying to take a picture of a mother Blue Jay sitting on her eggs, I unintentionally spooked her. She flew away and has not returned to her nest. Will she ever return & what if she doesn't what will happen to her eggs? Should I bring them in & try to hatch them myself?
Q. Do birds play?
Q. I found a baby bird on the ground. What should I do? I don't want it to die.
Q. My husband bought me a really great pair of binoculars, but whenever I try to look through them, everything sort of blacks out and I can’t see a thing. How can I adjust them?
Q. A bird keeps flying into my window, on purpose! Why is it doing this? I'm afraid it will hurt itself. What should I do?
Q. I’m interested in doing more than just looking at my backyard birds, but isn’t birding an expensive hobby, with state-of-the-art equipment and a lot of travel?
Q. Why don't birds get cold feet?
Q. How can Bald Eagles survive in northern areas after all the lakes have frozen?
Q. Why do birds have such elaborate and varied courtship rituals?
Q. I live in the woods in northern Minnesota, and I often wake up to a Winter Wren singing near my cabin. How does such a tiny bird produce so many sounds so quickly?
Q. We live in South Philadelphia, in a row home, so I have been a witness to several unusual mimicries by starlings. They imitate cats, and my boyfriend's motorcycle alarm. I was wondering if this is normal behavior for a starling? The cat call in particular is so realistic that I spent 10 minutes looking for the "cat" before I realized that it was a bird. (from Alitzah)
Q. There's a strange partly white bird in my yard. It looks like a chickadee except for some completely white feathers on its head and wing. What is it?
Q. How do you pronounce a scientific name? What's the proper pronunciation for this bird species, Tympanuchus phasianellus?
Q. How much does a bird eat? (from Bill)
Q. Have I been seeing the same Great Blue Heron for 28 years? (from Carolyn)
Q. I've seen a crow with tags on its wings. What is it? (from David)
Q. Are turkeys bred and eaten in Europe? (from Kat)
Q. Do birds store food for the winter? (from Tim)
Q. Who is the "Lincoln" that the Lincoln's Sparrow is named for? (from Mary)
Q. How can I keep birds from hitting my windows? Hawk decals don't seem to work. (from Buzz)
Q. Why are Blue Jays far more noisy in fall than earlier in the summer? (from Linda)
Q. There's a flock of 25 birds that look like female cardinals in my tree. What could they be? (from Aubrey)
Q. Is it possible I've heard a whole flock of swans migrating overhead late at night? (from Carol)
Q. Is there a simple way to get rid of or eradicate starlings? (from William)
Q. Do bird songs have frequencies higher than humans can hear?
Q. I've heard you can tell if birds are migrating on a particular day by looking at a weather map! How does that work?
Q. Do vultures find dead animals by smell or by tracking predators or scavengers on the ground?
Q. How do birds prepare for long migrations?
Q. There are so many field guides to choose from! How do I pick one?
Q. Why can't penguins fly? (from Jean)
Q. I live in a high-rise apartment with a tiny balcony. Is there any way I can attract birds all the way up on the 17th floor?
Q. We're watching some Canada Geese at work and starting to wonder if these babies will recognize their parents after they're grown up?
Q. Do birds sleep, and how? (from Jean)
Q. We have an Aunt that insists the only name is "Canada Goose." We believe we can also say "Canadian Goose." Are we wrong? (from Sandy)
Q. Do birds come to feeders because they see the seed or can they smell it? (from Charlotte)
Q. Is there any way for me to protect my Sparrow's bird house from an aggressive Blue Jay? (from Bernadette)
Q. A bird is singing all night long outside. Short of changing the front yard landscape, what do I need to do to quiet this bird? I lay awake almost every night listening to this bird just outside my window. Eventually, I get up and shake the tree until the bird takes flight. Is there an easier way to "get rid" of it—at least until sunrise? (from David)
Q. There is a larger egg with speckles in a nest with four other smaller white eggs. What birds in N New Jersey tend to 'borrow' others' nests for their eggs? (from Debbie)
Q. We have baby ducks in our fountain at work that are being picked off by crows. Is there any way to save them? (from Sandi)
Q. What makes Indigo Buntings look new?