To use the deck plan, first select a deck you want to view. You will then see a birds eye view zoomable image of that deck. To view information about a particular. Do all birds fly south in the winter Why do birds migrate What types of seeds do birds like to eat In fact, some experts believe the widespread use of bird feeders. Watch the latest Featured Videos on CBSNews. View more videos on CBS News, featuring the latest indepth coverage from our news team. Two Little Black Birds Two little black birds Sitting on the wall, One named Peter, The other named Paul. Fly away Peter Fly away, Paul Come back, Peter WHY is our attempt to answer all the questions every little kid asks. Have a question Send it to why mentalfloss. Bird bodies are made to fly. They have light. Identifying Black Birds Cornell Lab of Ornithology Bird. Sleuth K 1. 2 Cornell Lab of Ornithology Bird. Sleuth K 1. 2Whether youve watched one ominously portrayed in a horror movie, perched on a telephone line outside your house, or pictured on a Baltimore football jersey, youve probably seen a black bird. But can you tell what kind of black bird it is  crow, raven, grackle, starling, cowbird  With simple online research and focused observation techniques, you can quickly become familiar with these black birds and develop the bird identification skills necessary to distinguish individual species. While there are many different species of black birds, we will focus on the most common of these birds the American Crow, Common Raven, European Starling, Common Grackle, and Brown headed Cowbird. When trying to identify birds, there are four main concepts to keep in mind size and shape, behavior, color pattern, and habitat. Watch the Cornell Lab of Ornithologys video series Inside Birding for further information on these concepts. Size and Shape. Heres a little cheat sheet of the relative sizes of these black birds. Your first impulse may be to identify birds based on unique plumage details. However, its best to first observe the birds size and shape. Rule out certain species by comparing the size of the bird in question to the size of birds youre already familiar with. For example, if youre trying to identify a Common Grackle, observe that its larger than a Northern Cardinal and about the same size as or maybe slightly smaller than a Blue Jay. Consequently, we know that this bird cannot be a crow or a raven since they are both much larger than a Blue Jay. We also know that this bird is probably not a Brown headed Cowbird or a European Starling since both of those birds are generally smaller than Northern Cardinals. European Starlings have fan like tails and  can appear completely black under strong sunlight. Photo by Janetand. Watch When Black Birds Fly ' title='Watch When Black Birds Fly ' />Phil. The tail length of a Brown headed Cowbird is nearly half its body length. Photo by Janetand. Phil. Its also helpful to observe the size and length of the tail or beak. Compared to the Brown headed Cowbird or the Common Grackle, the tail of the European Starling is significantly shorter and fan like. Behavior. Observing how the bird acts, what its eating, or what it sounds like can provide crucial identification information. This skill is demonstrated with the behavioral differences between American Crows and Common Ravens. Crows are very social birds if you see a massive flock of large black birds, youre probably looking at a murder of crows. Ravens tend to be solitary or in pairs. Crows and ravens also have different calls and sounds. Generally, American Crows have the standard caw caw caw caw call,which is simple and scratchy. Birds arrived comparatively late on Planet Earth. First came insects, in the unimaginably distant past. For over 100 million years or more they ruled the skies. Black Soldier Fly Blog BioComposting with Black Soldier Fly Larvae Fascinating, Responsible and Rewarding. The Common Ravens call is a  deep, gurgling croak. Remember that birds have a variety of calls with different meanings, so not all crow calls will resemble that simple caw caw caw sound. Learn more about bird communication with our free download Bird Communication. Color Pattern. Its important to remember that the sex andor season can affect a birds plumage think of an American Goldfinch in the summer breeding season compared to one in the winter. Luckily for these five species, sexual or seasonal color pattern differences only exist for Brown headed Cowbirds and European Starlings. Female Brown headed Cowbirds have different color patterns than males. Photo by Janetand. Phil. Male Brown headed Cowbirds have a brown head and black body, whereas female Brown headed Cowbirds are completely brown. Additionally, European Starlings may appear black with a green purple tint during summer months. But in the winter, they have brownish  feathers and their small white spots are more apparent. Keeping these intraspecific occurring in the same species differences in mind, we can still make generalizations about the differences in plumage patterns. For instance, American Crows and Common Ravens are black from head to toe, whereas the other three species are not. From a distance, Common Grackles look completely black, but actually have glossy blue purple heads, bronze bodies, and unmistakable yellow eyes. The contrast between the brown and black plumage on male Brown headed Cowbirds is a telling detail. And the European Starlings have distinctive white spots and yellow beaks upon closer inspection. You can also observe color differences other than plumage patterns. For instance, Common Grackles have bright yellow eyes and European Starlings have yellow or tan beaks. Habitat. A range map of the Brown headed Cowbird from All. About. Birds. org. When thinking about habitat, consider both your geographic location as well as your immediate surroundings. Not all of these birds can be found year round across the US. For example, Common Grackles are not usually seen in the Western United States, and Common Ravens are not generally in the East. Some birds are more likely to be spotted in suburban or developed areas, some on forest edges or in forested areas, some in fields and open spaces. Some black birds can even be found in all of those habitats. As a broad generalization, Common Grackles, European Starlings, and American Crows are more likely to be spotted near urban or suburban settlements compared to Common Ravens or Brown headed Cowbirds. To find information about habitats and ranges, go to All. About. Birds. org. Also, be aware of your locational bias when you go birding out of town. Just because youre used to seeing crows in your state or by your house doesnt mean that the black bird you spot is a crow. The Spongebob Squarepants Movie Movie Dvd on this page. Hopefully youve learned some of the more obvious and subtle differences between these black birds. But in case you forget some of them, remember that the most important thing is to make a variety of observations when identifying birds, rather than focus on one particular trait. Ideas for class activities Intro activity to lesson label each corner of the room as size and shape, behavior, color pattern, and habitat. Have the students go to the corner that they consider the most important ID observation. Call on a couple of students from each corner to explain their choice. Elaborate on their responses to explain the strengths and weaknesses of that particular type of observation and emphasize the importance of using all types of observations. Mini research projects Divide your class into five groups, one for each type of black bird. Have each group explore. All. About. Birds. Make charts to organize the information and have students present their research to the rest of the class. Have students write a paragraph about the bird they researched or one they didnt research, in which they creatively describe the birds appearance, habitat, and behaviors without using its name. Read the paragraphs and have the class discuss and identify the mystery bird. Do some birding Put these identification skills to work by going on a nature walk and observing local birds. Have students find a partner or get into small groups to discuss and share their observations. If students have difficulty identifying the birds, have them take notes on the birds appearance, behaviors, and habitat. Then identify the bird through class brainstorming and online investigation. Or download the free Merlin Bird ID  smart phone app to help students identify birds while outside.