5 Large Birds With White Chests You May See In Your Backyard
As an amateur birdwatcher, you may have spotted a large bird with a white chest visiting your backyard or neighborhood park. With so many bird species sporting some white plumage, how can you identify what you saw?
If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer: The most likely large white-chested birds in North America are herons like the Great Blue Heron, egrets like the Great Egret, geese like the Snow Goose, pelicans like the American White Pelican, and gulls like the Herring Gull.
This helpful guide will teach you how to recognize 5 common big birds with pale chest plumage. You’ll learn key identification tips, including size, shape, beak color, and distinguishing marks. Our handy comparison chart summarizes field marks so you can confidently put a name to that intriguing white-breasted bird.
Great Blue Heron
The Great Blue Heron is one of the most majestic birds you may see in your backyard. With its tall stature and distinct white chest, it is hard to miss. Here is some information about this fascinating bird:
Size and Shape
The Great Blue Heron is a large bird, standing at an impressive height of around 3 to 4 feet tall. Its wingspan can reach up to 6 feet, making it quite a sight to see when it takes flight. Despite its size, the Great Blue Heron is surprisingly lightweight, weighing only around 5 to 6 pounds.
Its long legs and neck give it a unique and elegant appearance, making it easily recognizable.
Field Marks
One of the key features of the Great Blue Heron is its white chest, which contrasts beautifully with its grayish-blue body. Its head is crowned with a black cap, and its long, sharp bill is yellow. When in flight, you can easily spot the Great Blue Heron’s long, trailing legs that extend beyond its tail.
These field marks make it relatively easy to identify this beautiful bird.
Behavior
The Great Blue Heron is a patient and stealthy hunter. It can often be seen standing motionless near bodies of water, waiting for the perfect opportunity to catch its prey. With lightning-fast reflexes, it can strike with its sharp bill and snatch fish, frogs, and even small mammals.
Despite its size, the Great Blue Heron is an excellent flyer, capable of reaching speeds of up to 30 miles per hour. It is also known for its impressive ability to soar effortlessly in the sky, making it a truly remarkable bird.
If you want to learn more about the Great Blue Heron, you can visit the All About Birds website, where you can find detailed information, photos, and even listen to its unique calls.
Great Egret
The Great Egret is one of the largest birds with a white chest that you may come across in your backyard. This magnificent bird is known for its elegant appearance and graceful movements.
Size and Shape
The Great Egret is a tall and slender bird, standing at an impressive height of around 3 to 4 feet. Its wingspan can reach up to 4.5 to 5.5 feet, making it a truly majestic sight to behold. Despite its large size, the Great Egret is surprisingly lightweight, weighing only about 2 to 3 pounds.
Color Pattern
The most striking feature of the Great Egret is its brilliant white plumage. Its chest is particularly notable, as it is adorned with a pristine white color that contrasts beautifully with its long, slender neck and sharp, pointed beak.
This white color extends to its wings, giving it a stunning appearance when in flight.
Distinguishing Features
Aside from its size and color pattern, the Great Egret has a few distinguishing features that make it easily recognizable. One of these features is its long, S-shaped neck, which it uses to its advantage when foraging for food in shallow waters.
Additionally, it has long, black legs that enable it to wade through marshes and wetlands with ease.
The Great Egret is also known for its ability to stand completely still for long periods, patiently waiting for its prey to come within reach. This behavior, combined with its striking appearance, makes it a favorite subject for photographers and birdwatchers alike.
If you’re interested in learning more about the Great Egret and other fascinating birds, be sure to check out the Audubon Society website. They provide a wealth of information on bird species and conservation efforts.
Snow Goose
The Snow Goose is a large bird that can be commonly seen in North America. It is known for its white chest, which stands out in contrast to its dark wings and body. This bird species is migratory, and during the winter months, they can be found in large flocks in coastal areas, wetlands, and farmlands.
Snow Geese are known for their distinctive honking sounds as they fly in V-shaped formations.
Identification Tips
When trying to identify a Snow Goose, pay attention to its size and coloration. Snow Geese are medium to large-sized birds, with a wingspan of up to 53 inches. They have a white body, including the chest, and black wingtips. Their bills are usually pink or orange, and they have bright orange legs.
Juvenile Snow Geese have a darker plumage but still retain the white chest.
White Morph vs. Blue Morph
The Snow Goose has two distinct color morphs: the White Morph and the Blue Morph. The White Morph is the most common and easily recognizable. These birds have white plumage with black wingtips. On the other hand, the Blue Morph has a bluish-gray body with a white head and neck.
The Blue Morph is less common and often seen in mixed flocks with the White Morph.
It’s fascinating to observe the Snow Goose’s behavior and migration patterns. These birds travel long distances during their annual migration, with some individuals flying from the Arctic regions to as far south as Mexico. Their ability to navigate vast distances is truly remarkable.
If you’re interested in learning more about Snow Geese and their conservation efforts, you can visit the Audubon Society website. There, you’ll find detailed information about their habitat, diet, and ways to help protect these magnificent birds.
American White Pelican
Large Size
The American White Pelican is one of the largest birds you may spot in your backyard. With a wingspan of up to 9 feet, this magnificent bird commands attention with its impressive size. In fact, it is one of the largest flying birds in North America.
Its body is predominantly white, with black flight feathers visible when in flight.
Long Bill
One of the distinguishing features of the American White Pelican is its long, broad bill. This bill can reach up to 18 inches long and is used for scooping up fish from the water. Unlike the brown pelican, which dives from the air to catch its prey, the white pelican is a surface feeder.
It swims calmly on the water’s surface and dips its bill to catch fish, using its pouch as a net to trap them.
Flight Profile
When in flight, the American White Pelican showcases a graceful and majestic profile. Its large wingspan allows it to soar effortlessly through the air, often gliding in groups known as “kettles.” These kettles can consist of hundreds of pelicans, creating an awe-inspiring sight as they ride the thermals.
Despite their size, these birds are surprisingly agile in flight, executing sharp turns and dives with ease.
If you want to learn more about the American White Pelican, you can visit the All About Birds website, a comprehensive resource for bird enthusiasts. There, you will find detailed information about their behavior, habitat, and migration patterns, as well as stunning photographs and videos of these magnificent birds in action.
Herring Gull
Variable Plumage
The Herring Gull is a large bird with a white chest that you may commonly see in your backyard. One interesting fact about Herring Gulls is that their plumage can vary depending on their age. Juvenile Herring Gulls have predominantly brown plumage with speckles, while adults have a more distinctive white chest and gray wings.
This variability in plumage can make it exciting to spot different Herring Gulls in your backyard.
Wingtips and Bill
Another characteristic feature of the Herring Gull is its wingtips. When in flight, the Herring Gull’s wingtips appear dark, contrasting with the rest of its wings, which are pale gray. This distinction helps in identifying the bird from a distance.
Additionally, the Herring Gull has a yellow bill with a red spot on the lower mandible, making it stand out even more.
Behavioral Clues
Observing the behavior of Herring Gulls can provide valuable clues for identification. These birds are opportunistic feeders and are often seen scavenging for food near water bodies, such as lakes, rivers, and coastal areas.
They are known for their distinctive call, which resembles the sound “laughing,” and their territorial displays, which involve posturing and vocalizations.
If you want to learn more about Herring Gulls, you can visit All About Birds, a comprehensive website that provides detailed information about various bird species.
Conclusion
Spotting an unfamiliar large white-chested bird can be puzzling for novice birders. But armed with the right identification tips, you can confidently tell a Great Blue Heron from a Snow Goose, or distinguish between an egret and a gull.
Use field marks like size, proportions, plumage patterns, beak shape, and behavior to make an ID. With practice, you’ll soon be able to recognize majestic herons, graceful egrets, geese, pelicans and common gulls.
Your backyard birding skills will soar as you unlock the mysteries of these remarkable white-breasted birds.
