Wild game hair identification

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Often interuppted with several slow deep wing beats. Formerly Shy Albatross. Both the Salvin's and Chatham are out of the North American range.

White-tailed Hawk. White-tailed Hawk: Large hawk, dark gray upperparts and head, distinct brown wash on shoulders and back, and white rump. Breast is white; belly and undertail are white with inconspicuous, fine bars. Wings are dark gray above, paler below. Tail is white, broad black band near tip.

Yellow legs, feet. White-winged Tern. White-winged Tern: Small tern, black head, body, and underwing coverts; white rump, vent, upperwing coverts, and tail; flight feathers are pale gray. Bill is dark red to black; Red legs and feet.

Fluttering, uneven flight with slow, shallow wing beats. Hovers before dipping for prey. Wilson's Phalarope. Wilson's Phalarope: This medium-sized sandpiper has gray-brown upperparts, red-brown streaks on back and shoulders, red-brown markings on white underparts, gray crown, white face, black eye-line, a black needle-like bill, gray wings and a white tail and rump.

Female is brighter; paler crown and grayer upperparts. Feeds on crane flies and brine shrimp. Red-tailed Tropicbird. It has a coral red bill and black legs and feet. It mainly feeds on flying fish. Swift, purposeful flight, alternates fluttering wing beats with glides. Hovers while hunting and in courtship. Laughing Kookaburra. Laughing Kookaburra: Large, noisy kingfisher, dark brown upperparts, brown-washed white underparts.

Head and neck are white, and dark brown eye-stripe is conspicuous. Bill is large and two toned with black upper and pale brown lower mandibles. Tail is rufous with broad, black bars. Black-headed Gull. Black-headed Gull: Small, white gull with partial hood, white crescents above and below eye, and white-gray back. Red bill. Wings with black tips and black bases of primaries. Non-breeding adult lacks hood, black mark behind eye, and black tip on bill. Juvenile like winter adult but more black on wing and tail with black tip.

Cerulean Warbler. Cerulean Warbler: The male is sky-blue with faintly streaked upperparts and black-streaked white flanks. A black band separates a white throat and belly. Wings have two bold white bars. The female has unstreaked blue-gray upperparts and a yellow wash on face and breast with pale streaks on flanks, and yellow eyebrows.

The immature bird is paler and more olive over all. Prefers to stay high in the crowns of mature deciduous trees, making it difficult to see. Harris's Sparrow. Harris's Sparrow: Large sparrow with dark-streaked, brown upperparts and white underparts with dark-streaked sides.

Head has stark black crown, face, and throat. Gray cheek patch is marked by a thin, black line. Bill is pink. Alternates rapid wing beats with brief periods of wings pulled to sides.

Laughing Gull. Laughing Gull: This medium-sized gull has a gray back, white underparts and neck, a black hood and red bill. The wings are gray and white-edged, and black at the tips; tail is white. The legs and feet are black. Diet includes insects, fish, shellfish and crabs. It has a slow flight with deep wing beats and soars on updrafts. It is named for its laughter-like call.

LeConte's Sparrow. LeConte's Sparrow: Small sparrow, brown-streaked back, brown-streaked gray nape, pale gray underparts with streaks on sides, pale yellow breast. Head is flat with brown stripes. Face is pale yellow-orange with gray cheeks. Legs, feet are pink-brown. Lesser Black-backed Gull. Lesser Black-backed Gull: Medium-sized gull with dark gray back and wings. Head, neck and underparts are white.

Rump and tail are white. Bill is yellow with red spot near tip. The wings have dark tips with white spots; legs and feet are yellow. Eyes are yellow with red orbital rings. Lincoln's Sparrow. Lincoln's Sparrow: Medium sparrow, dark-streaked pale brown upperparts, white underparts with dark streaks. Head has brown crown with gray central stripe, and nape, pale eye-ring, and brown streak extending behind eye.

Upper mandible is dark, lower mandible is pale orange-brown. Little Gull. Little Gull: The smallest of all gulls, with pale gray upperparts and white nape, neck, breast, belly, and tail.

Hood is black and extends onto upper neck. Underwings are dark. Bill is dark red with black tip. Legs and feet are red-orange. Strong direct flight with deep wing beats.

Thayer's Gull. Thayer's Gull: Having had full species status since , as of , the AOU considers this gull to be a subspecies of the Iceland Gull and has lumped it there. To see this please jump to the Iceland Gull species account.

Willow Ptarmigan. Willow Ptarmigan: Small grouse, winter adult is all white with dark-edged tail and small orange-red eye combs. Summer bird has rust-brown upperparts, head, breast, white eye-ring, orange-red eye comb, white wings, belly, leg feathers; brown tail. Unlike other ptarmigans, the male stays with the female and defends its nest-it is known to attack anything that comes to close. White-tailed Ptarmigan. White-tailed Ptarmigan: Small grouse, mottled brown overall, white on wings, breast, belly, red eye comb, white-edged brown tail, legs covered with white feathers.

It is the smallest of the ptarmigans, and the only one that nests south of Canada. Lives most of its life above timberline. Bobolink: Small, lark-like blackbird, all-black except for buff nape, white rump, and white wing patches. Tertials and wing coverts are lined with buff. Tail feathers are sharply pointed. Eats caterpillars, insects, seeds and grains. Strong undulating flight.

Red-eyed Vireo. Red-eyed Vireo: Medium vireo with olive-brown upperparts and white underparts. Head has a gray cap, white eyebrow, black eyestripe, and red eyes. Blue-gray legs and feet. Alternates short glides with series of rapid wingbeats. May hover briefly to pick berries or insects from foliage. Yellow-throated Vireo. Yellow-throated Vireo: Large vireo, olive-gray upperparts, gray rump. Throat and breast are bright yellow, belly is white.

Eyes are dark. Spectacles are yellow. It is the most colorful member of its family in North America. Eastern Kingbird. Eastern Kingbird: Large flycatcher, blue-black back, wings, black tail with white terminal band, white underparts. Head is black, has inconspicuous red crown feathers visible when bird is displaying. Fluttering stiff-winged direct flight with shallow wing beats. Snow Bunting. Snow Bunting: Medium-sized, strikingly white sparrow with black back, central tail, and wing tips.

Forages on ground for seeds, insects, larvae and caterpillars. Swift flight, alternates rapidly beating wings with brief periods of wings pulled to sides.

Sage Thrasher. Sage Thrasher: Small thrasher, gray upperparts, dark-streaked white underparts with pale brown wash. The head is gray, bill is short and slightly decurved.

Wings are dark with thin,white bars. Fast flight on shallow wing beats. Lapland Longspur. Lapland Longspur: Medium sparrow-like bird, brown-streaked black back. Underparts are white, streaked black on sides, flanks. Crown, face, and throat are black; nape is red-brown. Broad white stripe from eye to sides of breast.

Bill is yellow with dark tip. Tail is long, white edges. Blue-footed Booby. Blue-footed Booby: Large, gull-like seabird with white body, brown wings and brown-streaked head and back.

The blue-gray bill is long and stout. Legs and feet are powder blue. Plunge dives for fish from 50 feet above shallow water. Alternates rapid, deep wing beats with sailing glides. Red-footed Booby. Red-footed Booby: This black-tailed white-morph is a small booby with a white head, body and tail. It has a pale blue, pink-based face and pale blue bill. It has black flight feathers and bright red legs and feet.

The brown form is brown overall with darker flight feathers. Strong steady wing beats with glides. It feeds on fish and small octopi. Sexes are similar, but the female is much larger. Masked Booby. Masked Booby: This large seabird has a white body, black trailing edge on the wings, and a pointed black tail. The head has black mask and a long pointed yellow bill.

The legs and feet are yellow-gray. It plunge dives from 40 feet for small squid and flying fish. It alternates strong rapid wing beats with glides. Sexes are similar, but the female is larger. Brown Booby. It has a blue-gray to yellow bill and yellow legs and feet. To acquire food, it plunge dives from 30 to 50 feet.

Black-vented Shearwater. Black-vented Shearwater: Medium shearwater, brown-black upperparts, white underparts, brown mottling on sides of breast and flanks. Tail is dark. Eats fish, crustaceans, and squid. Quick low flight with short stiff wingbeats followed by glide. Soars in high winds. Northern Fulmar. Northern Fulmar Light Morph: This large gull-like bird has gray upperparts and white underparts, head, neck, and tail.

Dark morph has uniformly dark gray body and paler primaries. It has a short, thick yellow bill with a tube on top. Feeds mainly on fish, squid and zoo plankton. Flight alternates stiff wing beats with periods of gliding and banking. Great Shearwater. Great Shearwater: Large shearwater, scaled, gray-brown upperparts, white underparts, brown markings on belly.

Dark cap contrasts with white face. Tail is dark above with conspicuous white rump band and gray below. Dark, hooked bill. Pink legs, feet. Flies on deep wing beats followed by long glide. Cook's Petrel. It feeds mostly on fish and squid. Rapid and erratic flight. Streaked Shearwater.

White head has variable light to heavy pale brown streaks. Upper tail coverts can be white, forming a pale horseshoe. Feeds on small fish and squid. Flies with loose angled wings. Light, graceful flapping and gliding. Buller's Shearwater. Buller's Shearwater: This medium-sized bird has gray upperparts and white underparts. The head has a white face and black cap. The bill and tail are black. A dark gray M-pattern is visible across the upperwings and back in flight. It rotates deep steady wing beats with long glides.

It soars in high winds. It feeds on krill, small fish, and jellyfish. Manx Shearwater. Manx Shearwater: Small shearwater with brown-black upperparts and white underparts, underwings and undertail coverts. Black head is darker than back. The bill is dark. Wings are long, slim, and straight. Tail is short and pointed. Feeds on fish and squid. Alternates long glides and rapid wing beats. Vesper Sparrow. Vesper Sparrow: Medium sparrow, black-streaked gray-brown upperparts, white underparts, and streaked breast and sides.

White face has brown cheek patch and white eye-ring. Wings are gray-brown with two pale bars and rufous shoulder patches. Tail is notched and dark with white edges. Stejneger's Petrel. Outer primaries form an M shape across lower back.

Blue-gray legs and feet and gray-brown, mottled white tail. Feeds on fish. Rapid erratic flight with fast wing beats followed by arcing glides. Bell's Vireo. Bell's Vireo: Small vireo, faint, broken eye-ring, thick, slightly flattened hooked bill, one or two faint wing bars.

Upperparts are gray and underparts are white with pale yellow wash on sides. Eastern race has gray-green upperparts and distinct yellow wash on underparts. Barnacle Goose. Barnacle Goose: Medium goose, distinctive white face, jet-black head, neck, and upper breast. Wings and back are silver-gray with black-and-white bars.

Belly is white. V-shaped white rump patch and silver-gray underwing linings are visible in flight. Black bill,legs and feet. Strong direct flight. Audubon's Shearwater. Audubon's Shearwater: Small, stocky seabird with dark brown upperparts and white underparts. Underwing coverts are white. Tail is dark brown with short, gray undertail coverts.

Bill is dark and legs and feet are pink. Fish and squid make up most of its diet. Alternates rapid wing beats with glides. Western Spindalis. Western Spindalis: Small tanager, black-gray back, dark rufous nape, rump. Throat patch is yellow, bib is red-black, breast and collar are yellow-orange, belly is white. Head is black-and-white striped. Dark gray bill. Wings are dark with white patches.

Tail is black with white edges. Tufted Titmouse. Tufted Titmouse: The largest titmouse, it has gray upperparts, pale gray underparts, rust-brown flanks. Head has dark gray cap and crest, pale gray face, and white eye-ring. Wings and tail are gray.

Most spend their entire lives not far from their birthplace. Red-headed Woodpecker. Red-headed Woodpecker: Medium-sized woodpecker with black upperparts and tail, and white underparts and rump.

The head, throat, and upper breast are dark red. Wings are black with large white patches. This is the only woodpecker in the east with a completely red head.

Wood Thrush. Wood Thrush: Medium thrush, rust-brown upperparts, white underparts with heavy dark brown spots. Eye-rings are white. Black bill has creamy pink base on lower mandible. In the early s, its range began to expand north, forcing the Veery and Hermit thrushes to find another habitat. Horned Lark. Horned Lark: Medium-sized lark with pale or dark brown upperparts and white underparts.

Face and throat are pale yellow to white and mask, cap, and ear tufts are black. Bag limits and antler point restriction have been removed in the state's new CWD zones. Alex Therrien took the giant muskox while checking on a closed hunting lodge in a remote part of the Northwest Territories.

Remove the Rear Quarter Steve Sanford Step Two: Remove the Rear Quarter Using a slicing motion, insert your knife under the leg to the inside of the scrotum or udder and draw it toward the rear. Remove the Backstraps Steve Sanford. Want more of the Great Outdoors? To remove the breast fillets, pull or cut the skin back from the breast. Find the breast bone and make an incision on each side of it to loosen the breast fillet from the bone. Working from the rear of the breast forward, pull off the fillet, using the knife where needed.

Repeat this process for the other side of the breast. If you plan on roasting, smoking, or deep-frying your whole turkey, leave the skin on and do not fillet it. Instead, gut the bird as described above and pluck it. A paraffin treatment see "Waterfowl" may help remove the pinfeathers.

To dress a pheasant, make a small lateral incision on the underside of the breast with a clean knife. Pull the skin and feathers off the carcass. From the topside, cut down both sides of the back, starting near the head and cutting through to the last rib. Separate the carcass by pulling the breast apart from the neck, back, and legs. The intestinal tract, heart, lungs, and liver will remain attached to the back portion.

Avoid cutting the crop, gizzard, or intestines since bacteria associated with foodborne illness may be found in these organs. Place the heart and liver in a plastic storage bag and store on ice. If the organs smell offensive or exhibit greenish discharge, black blood, or blood clots in the muscle, do not consume meat from these carcasses; properly discard them.

Remove the feet and lower legs at the joint below the drumsticks. For purposes of identification, leave the head or a fully feathered wing required by the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Remove all visible dirt, feces, feathers, and bloodshot areas. Wipe out the cavity with individual paper towels, then prop it open with a clean stick or hang the carcass to aid in air circulation. If you wash the cavity with water, dry it quickly to prevent spoilage. After cleaning the cavity and in preparation for transport, place carcasses in plastic storage bags and pack on ice or snow.

Do not pile warm birds together, as this will hamper cooling. During transport, keep the carcasses out of sunlight. To remove excess blood, soak grouse, pheasant, quail, and partridge in cold water for hours. It is important to dress the carcass as soon as possible and to remove all visible dirt, feces, feathers, and bloodshot areas.

Remove entrails, taking care not to break the gall bladder sac on the liver since bile destroys meat flavor. Place variety meats such as the heart and liver in a plastic storage bag and store on ice. For purposes of identification, leave the head or a fully feathered wing intact required by the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Many experts recommend that ducks and geese be plucked rather than skinned because the skin helps retain flavor and moisture during cooking.

Dry pluck as many feathers as possible. To remove pinfeathers and down, use a paraffin treatment. For four ducks, place two cakes of paraffin in 4 quarts of water, bring to a boil, and dip the birds one at a time. Cool to harden the paraffin, and then scrape off the wax, down, and pinfeathers with a small, dull knife. If washing the cavity with water, dry the area quickly to prevent meat spoilage. After cleaning the cavity and in preparation for transport, place the carcasses in plastic storage bags and pack on ice or snow.

With more than 20, different species, fish constitute the largest and most diverse class of vertebrates. Pennsylvania's numerous waterways and lakes provide ample opportunity for catching one of the many that are native to this state. Wherever you decide to fish, properly handling and processing your catch will ensure a safe product for consumption. Fish in safe waters. Because of the possibility of heavy metal or pesticide contamination, you should contact your local office of the Pennsylvania Department of Health or the Fish and Boat Commission to determine the safety of fishing waters.

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission maintains a website that includes news releases and field reports from lakes and rivers throughout the state. Plan ahead and decide what you will do with the fish immediately after you catch them since the quality of the meat declines soon after they are caught. If you plan to release the fish, do so immediately; waiting until the end of the day to decide diminishes their chances of survival. Live fish can be kept on stringers or in live wells, as long as they have enough water and mobility to enable them to breathe.

Check fish for signs of disease or parasites. Healthy fish have bright, clear eyes and red gills; diseased fish may have sunken eyes, discolored skin, loose scales, and white, bloody, or slimy gills. To reduce the risk of exposure to disease, wear disposable plastic gloves while handling fish. During processing, use clean water, pre-moistened wipes, or alcohol swabs to clean the knife frequently between cuts to keep from dragging bacteria into the flesh.

Wash your knife, hands, and cutting boards often with warm soapy water. Once fish have been killed, they should be cleaned promptly since enzymes, bacteria, and oxygen all begin working to diminish the quality of the meat. Enzymes will spoil the meat rapidly and cause "off" flavors. Enzymes in living seafood help build tissue, contract and relax muscles, and digest food.

After harvest, they continue to work, digesting or breaking down the flesh, softening it, and lowering its quality. Enzymes also produce more food for bacteria, which increases the rate of spoilage.

Bacteria are the major cause of seafood spoilage. Millions of bacteria live on the surface, on the gills, and in the gut of living fish and shellfish. After harvest, they invade the flesh through the gills, along blood vessels, and directly through the skin and belly cavity lining. These bacteria grow and multiply, producing the "fishy" smelling and tasting compounds associated with old seafood. If food-poisoning bacteria are present, they can multiply and cause illness.

Finally, oxygen in the air attacks the oils in seafood and causes rancidity, "off" odors, and "off" flavors. This commonly occurs in fatty fish such as salmon and mackerel. To clean a fish, first wash it in clean water. Decide whether you will skin or scale it. If you scale the fish, remove scales by scraping the fish gently from tail to head with the dull edge of a knife or spoon.

If you skin the fish, scaling is not necessary. Instead, cut down the middle of the back of the fish and loosen the skin around the fins. Remove the skin with a pair of pliers, pulling the skin from the head to the tail. Remove the head by cutting through to the backbone above the collarbone.

Break the backbone over the edge of the boat, a cutting board, or a table, and then cut any remaining tissue holding the head to the body. Remove the dorsal or large back fin by cutting the flesh along each side and pulling the fin out.