In many bird species, males and females look alike. In Antarctica, I once heard a tourist ask one of our naturalists how to differentiate male penguins from females. His response: If you see it lay an egg, it is a female. In other words, they all look alike.

In this the third of 6 posts, I will show various bird species, all of which have been spotted on my Toronto area nature walks over the years, in which the female and the male do NOT look alike.

Rose-breasted grosbeak (female)

Rose-breasted Grosbeak (male)

Mallard (female)

Mallard (male) photo: wikimedia

In Northern Flicker, the male has a “mustache” and the female does not.

Northern Flicker (female)

Northern Flicker (male)

In Ruby-throated Hummingbird, the female does not have a red throat.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird (female) photo: Ken Sproule

Ruby-throated hummingbird (male)

Baltimore Oriole (male)

Baltimore oriole (female)

Miles Hearn