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Alaska Spill Response Wildlife ID Aid 

TAKE A “WILDLIFE MINUTE” AND RECORD WHAT YOU SEE 

Katmai NPS/D.Kurtz Creative Commons/Mike s Birds 

iStock 
During an active spill, report wildlife observations or other wildlife related concerns 

to your supervisor or Incident Command. At any time, you can also report to:

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Spill Response Team 

907.242.6893

fwsakspillresponse@fws.gov

iStock 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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HOW TO USE THIS FIELD AID We want to know what you see! 

This guide contains basic characteristics of 

6 Bird groups and 7 Marine Mammal groups 

• No wildlife ID experience needed 

• No binoculars needed 

You can use a permanent marker to record 

your wildlife counts right on the Field Aid. 

(Marks can later be erased with rubbing alco 

hol and the Field Aid can be reused.) 

STEPS

Each time you see an animal or group of similar animals: 

q Notice the shape & appearance of the animal 

(body shape, wing size, leg length, etc.). 

q Notice the behavior of the animal (swimming, 

fying, wading, etc.) and the habitat that surrounds 

it (ocean, tundra, wetland, etc.). 

q If more than one animal, estimate the number of 

animals of that type you see. 

q Flip through your Field Aid to fnd the page of the 

group that best matches your animal in its shape, 

appearance, habitat, and behavior. 

q Record the number of animals you see in the “Count” 

box, on that group’s page. Use your permanent marker! 

q As you see more animals, continue recording their 

numbers on the correct pages. 

q On the last page of the Field Aid, tally and record the 

total number of individuals you have seen in each group. 

q Record notes of important observations on the last page. 

q Report your counts and notes to a supervisor or to 

the USFWS Spill Response Team. 

q Size charts in the bottom right corner of bird ID 

pages show the general size of birds in that group 

as compared to a sparrow, robin, raven and a goose. 

Cornell Lab of Ornithology/Merlin Bird ID App 

Thank you for helping us take care of Alaska’s wildlife. 
 

Legs: relatively long, often visible in flight

Wings: slender

Bill: thin, 

vary in length

Often form tight flocks

SHOREBIRDS Sandpipers, Plovers, Oystercatchers, Phalaropes 

SHAPE & APPEARANCE 

COUNT 

Bird illustrations courtesy of David Sibley 

Body: slender
SHOREBIRDS Sandpipers, Plovers, Oystercatchers, Phalaropes 

• Inhabit aquatic areas: coastlines, bays, river deltas, 

interior wetlands. 

• Nest on the tundra or in boreal forest close to water. 

• Excellent waders, 

rarely swim. 

• Scurry in or near 

shallow waters. 

Christopher Harwood 

Lucas DeCicco 

Milo Burcham 

Lucas DeCicco 

HABITAT BEHAVIOR 
LONG-WINGED SEABIRDS 

SHAPE & APPEARANCE 

Gulls, Terns, Petrels, Albatross, 

Shearwaters, Cormorants 

COUNT 

Bird illustrations courtesy of David Sibley 

Bill: slender, short 

to medium length 

Wings: long, narrow May flock to feed

Body: streamlined 
LONG-WINGED SEABIRDS 

• Inhabit deep ocean 

environments. 

• Gulls frequently come 

to land. 

• Most nest on islands, 

often in colonies. 

• Soar over water. 

• May congregate to feed on 

schools of fsh. 

• Some dive into water. 

Creative Commons / Marlin Harms 

Gulls, Terns, Petrels, Albatross, 

Shearwaters, Cormorants 

HABITAT BEHAVIOR 

 
FOOTBALL-SHAPED SEABIRDS 

SHAPE & APPEARANCE 

COUNT 

Puffns, Auklets, Murrelets, 

Murres, Guillemots 

Bird illustrations courtesy of David Sibley 

Neck: thick 

Body: heavy, football shaped 

Feather shading: dark colored back, light colored chest 

Bill: blunt 

or pointed 

Head: large 
HABITAT BEHAVIOR 

• Inhabit ocean environments. 

• Many nest on island cliffs, often in colonies. 

• Spend more time swimming than long-winged 

seabirds. 

• “Run” across water to 

take fght. 

• Flight is fast, straight, 

and low over the water. 

• Swims underwater. 

FOOTBALL-SHAPED SEABIRDS Puffns, Auklets, Murrelets, 

Murres, Guillemots 

Christopher Harwood 
WATERFOWL Ducks, Geese, Swans, Loons 

COUNT 

SHAPE & APPEARANCE Bird illustrations courtesy of David Sibley 

Often fly in V-formation

Body: rounded 

Neck: long 

in fight 

Wings: wide 

Head/bill: distinctive shape 
• Fly with fast wing beats, 

don’t soar. 

• Often vocal in fight. 

• Feet are often visible 

during water take-off 

and landing. 

• “Run” across water to 

take fight. 

• Sea ducks dive 

underwater. 

• Inhabit coastlines and wetlands. 

WATERFOWL Ducks, Geese, Swans, Loons 

Kevin Cole 

HABITAT BEHAVIOR 

Katmai NPS/D.Kurtz 

 
BIRDS OF PREY Eagles, Falcons, Hawks, Owls 

COUNT 

SHAPE & APPEARANCE 

Head: owl – rounded, 

others – triangular 

Wings: long 

Neck: short 

in fight 

Bird illustrations courtesy of David Sibley 

Tail: fanned or 

squared in fight 

Bill: short, 

hooked 
 

HABITAT BEHAVIOR 

• Often soar over land or 

sit on exposed perches. 

• Hunt in open country or 

over water. 

• Usually solitary. 

• Inhabit coastlines, tundra and inland environments. 

BIRDS OF PREY Eagles, Falcons, Hawks, Owls 
 

Bird illustrations courtesy of David Sibley 

LAND BIRDS All other land birds you see, record here! 

SHAPE & APPEARANCE 

COUNT 

Highly variable in size and shape 
• Throughout Alaska. • Many leave Alaska during winter months. 

LAND BIRDS All other land birds you see, record here! 

Kent Miller 

Alex VanDerStuyf 

HABITAT BEHAVIOR 

 
Barry Troutman 

SEA OTTER OR RIVER OTTER? 

SEA OTTER 

• Swim: belly up, foating 

• Inhabit: salt water 

• On land: rarely, awkward movement 

Deanna Lynch/USFWS 

COUNT 

RIVER OTTER 

• Swim: belly down, body low 

• Inhabit: fresh and salt water 

• On land: often, agile movement 

COUNT 
COUNT COUNT COUNT 

SEALS, SEA LIONS, WALRUS 

SEA LIONS 

• Head: External ear faps 

• On land: Walk on front and 

hind fippers 

• Group size: Large groups 

• Vocalizations: Bark or roar 

• Body: No patterns 

Burkanov/NOAA

SEALS 

• Head: No external ear faps 

• On land: Scoot on belly 

• Group size: Solitary or a few 

• Vocalizations: Soft, quiet grunts 

• Body: Spots, rings, or patches 

WALRUS 

• Head: No visible ears, large tusks 

• On land: Walk on front and 

hind fippers 

• Group size: Small to large groups 

• Vocalizations: Variety of sounds 
WHALES AND DOLPHINS 

SMALL WHALES AND DOLPHINS 

Porpoise, Dolphin, Killer Whale, Beluga 

• Size: smaller 

• Dorsal fn: generally visible, more pronounced 

• Surfacing movement: more rapid, smaller arch 

LARGE WHALES 

• Size: large 

• Dorsal fn: small, if any 

• Surfacing movement: slow, tail visible 

International Whaling Commission International Whaling Commission 

COUNT COUNT 

n Often seen when surfacing 

n Dorsal fn and blowhole 

n Often seen when surfacing 

n Dorsal fn and blowhole 
OTHER WILDLIFE IDENTIFICATION RESOURCES 

Merlin Bird Identifcation App 

http://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/download/ 

Inputs to this app are basic – your location, 

bird size, and bird color. These are used to 

quickly narrow down who you’re looking at. 

Seek App 

https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/seek_app 

This app uses image recognition technology. Simply take a picture of the plant or 

animal you are trying to identify, and let 

Seek fgure out what it is! 

Even if you don’t have these apps, taking pictures of wildlife that you see while responding to a spill is an excellent way to report wildlife observations. 

This aid was created by: 

Claire Montgomerie / USFWS (editor), Eric Cline / Terragraphica (design) 

All bird illustrations courtesy of David Sibley unless otherwise noted. 

To view license to Creative Commons photos, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ 

Produced by: 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Marine Fisheries Service, 

and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game 
TOTAL COUNTS 

Date 

Long-winged Football-shaped 

Shorebirds Seabirds Seabirds Waterfowl Birds of Prey Land Birds 

Sea Otters River Otters Seals Sea Lions Walrus Large Whales 

Small Whales 

and Dolphins Notes: (For example: Are animals oiled? Are young present? Are there dead animals?)