Follow That Bird! Species Profiles

Click on the different species below to learn more about each of these birds.

A large hawk with broad wings and a short tail flies through a clear sky with its wings spread wide

Species Profile: Swainson's Hawk

Learn more about the Swainson's hawk, a raptor with a thin body and narrow wings that migrates impressive distances.

A duck-like bird, called a Pacific loon, swimming through clear water. The bird has dark feathers with white stripes, red eyes, a light gray head and a pointed bill.

Species Profile: Pacific Loon

Learn more about the Pacific loon, thought to be the most abundant loon in North America.

A long-billed curlew flying over a body of water with green hills in the background

Species Profile: Long-billed Curlew

Learn more about the long-billed curlew, North America's largest shorebird.

A small, blue and yellow bird, called a Kirtland's warbler, held in a researcher's hand

Species Profile: Kirtland's Warbler

Learn more about the Kirtland's warbler, an endangered bird that nearly went extinct in the past.

A brown pelican, with a gray-brown body, white neck and head, and long bill

Species Profile: Brown Pelican

The brown pelican is a large, unique bird that lives on shorelines and small islands in colonies with thousands of individuals. This species is common along coastlines of the southern and western United States, the Caribbean, and parts of Mexico, Central America and northern South America.

Species Profile: Black-crowned Night Heron

Learn more about the black-crowned night heron, a medium-sized heron with a stocky build, black crown, gray body and bright, red eyes.

A researcher holds a medium-sized bird with white and gray-brown feathers, called a black-bellied plover

Species Profile: Black-bellied Plover

Learn more about the black-bellied plover, a large shorebird with a short neck and a distinctive black belly and face.