This is Bird Note.

Descriptive names can be a great help when you're getting to know a new bird,

like the five-striped sparrow.

Like many sparrows, this little bird is mostly dark gray and brown,

but the five white stripes radiating from the

center of his face, and that distinctive song, are unmistakable.

Similarly, the band-tailed pigeon gets their moniker from the band of light gray feathers at the tip of

their tail that these stocky birds display in

flight. Or the bard owl. That name isn't because these owls are excellent storytellers

or jailbirds either. It actually refers to their striped backs and streaked chests,

like alternating bars of colors running across their bodies.

The streak-bacterial and lineated woodpecker have similarly patterned plumage.

They'd be joined by the flamulated owl. A tiny raptor with streaky feathers and a flash of orange,

whose name evokes the ephemeral shapes of a flickering flame.

Whether a bird be flamulated, lineated, banded, or barred,

you can learn more about them at birdnote.org.

I'm Ariana Remmel.

Birdnote is grateful to the many contributions of Dr. Gordon Oriens and for his ongoing support of the show.