If you ask people what they love about birds, their answers will most probably
have something to do with the fact that birds are colourful. Seeing a beautifully
coloured turaco (lourie), a Crimson-breasted Shrike or sunbird, leave as all in awe.
In order to use colour as
an identification guide it is important to note in detail the colour markings of
a bird. To be able to do that you will have to know the basic anatomy of a bird,
for instance where is its back, mantle, tarsus, and culmen. All field guides
provide detailed sketches that will greatly assist you in this regard.
Please note that the
identification of colour is very subjective. What is red to one person, might be
orange to another. Keep this in mind when you compare your field notes to the
descriptions given in your field guide.
Also remember that birds
do undergo colour changes. A good example is certain male birds that change from breeding
plumage in summer to non-breeding plumage in winter and visa versa. A colourful
Southern Red Bishop will change to a dull brown like the females in winter. The
same is true of the male Long-tailed Widowbird - during the winter there is now
sign of his long black tail that he laboriously carry around in summer - all in
an effort to impress the females! This change in colour is characteristic of
many bishops and weavers so beware.
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