Identifying Vertebrates

Compared to invertebrates and plants, identification of vertebrates is straightforward. The real challenge with some vertebrates is in making and recording your observations.

Birds

It is safe to assume that any bird we sight in Australia will have been described (scientifically), assigned an accepted ‘common name’, well-studied, documented, and photographed. Contrast this with the situation for invertebrates!

Of course, bird identification still takes practice and careful observation, particularly with shorebirds, seabirds, and the famous ‘LBBs’ (little brown birds)! And birds tend to move - quickly.

Observations and data

Photography

Digital photography has been a boon for birdwatchers. We take loads of photos, even when we know they won’t be great shots. It is sometimes the least promising looking photo, showing just the right feathers or beak angle, which can absolutely nail the species identification.

Observing behaviours

The more familiar we become with the behaviours and general movements of a bird species, the easier it is to recognise. For example, when we first moved to live here in the forest, we struggled to distinguish a Brown Thornbill from a Striated Thornbill. Up close the differences are obvious, but when they’re bouncing about in the foliage it is more difficult. Yet now we rarely confuse them, even without reaching for binoculars. They each have a highly distinctive ‘GISS’ (or jizz) – literally, the ‘General Impression, Size and Shape’. For birds, ‘general impression’ equates to movement, stance and behaviours.

Bird calls

Of course, bird calls can be invaluable in recognising species. Most surveys of forest birds are actually based on bird calls rather than direct observations. This takes a lot of experience, of course, yet already we can confidently identify many of our local birds based on their calls alone.

Mammals

Again, a relatively easy group, particularly for our home lists. There are not that many different species listed for our region. The small, nocturnal mammals are perhaps the most difficult, and there are only about a dozen species ... not counting the 18 bats(!). And, beyond marvelling at their dusk and evening aerial antics, actually making observations of our local bat species is something we have yet to even attempt.

Observations and data

The large and iconic animals, such as wallabies, wombats and possums, are simple. And we have yet to get serious about surveying the small, nocturnal animals – the entries on our species lists have come mostly from chance or occasional observations. For example: 

- Night-vision video footage, using a motion-sensitive trail camera. The infrared images are often good enough for identification, especially for larger mammals.

- Very occasional spot-lighting, usually looking for the larger gliders and possums we hear calling. As spot-lighting will inevitably disrupt the animals' (and birds') normal behaviours, we strictly limit our nocturnal exploration of our home forest to just a few nights each year. And we sometimes take advantage of a full-moon for some natural spot-lighting!

- The chance discovery of a dead animal. We have found a couple of dead bats. But very little else. Anything that dies in the forest is quickly recycled, particularly in Summer when the goannas are on the prowl.

Reptiles

This is another reasonably straightforward group, provided we can get good photographs. And, as with mammals, the list of possible species in any one location is likely to be quite a short one. Although it gets a little trickier in some desert regions.

Observations and data

Photographs

For small skinks, good photographs are essential. Even though there are only 13 species of skink in this area, the differences between them can be quite modest: the width of stripes, the relative length of toes, and the pattern of scales around the head.

And the same is true for snakes. For example, the photos in field guides would suggest that an Eastern Brown Snake and a Tiger Snake are very different in appearance. They can be, but are not always. In our region, Tiger Snakes often lack stripes and can be VERY similar in appearance to Brown Snakes. To distinguish the species, we have used the pattern of scales around the nostrils and the colour of the iris… features that really do depend on a good photograph.

Frogs

We see frogs only occasionally. Many of our local species are tree frogs - they spend most of their adult lives among the vegetation and, for some species, high up in the trees. Several species breed in the small pond we created, but they don’t spend a lot of time there. But the pond does mean we hear their calls, and calls can be particularly useful.

Observations and data

Photography

When we do see a frog, we are keen to photograph it. A range of features are helpful, including: size; colour and pattern on back; colour of belly and inside ‘thighs’; eye shape.

Calls

As for bird calls, the video function on a phone is a handy tool for recording frog calls. And frog calls, in combination with a list of species in our area, makes identification quite straightforward.

Tadpoles

We have taken advantage of the frog pond we built to make some up-close observations of developing tadpoles. In addition to our intrinsic interest in their embryonic and larval development, tadpole morphology can help with species identification. Alone it is rarely enough, but it can be helpful when combined with observations of the adults.