The Wildlife Center uses a four-letter alpha code for avian species treated at the Center. Alphabetic (“alpha”) codes, abbreviations of English or scientific bird names, have long been used by ornithologists. They allow more efficient data entry than filling out the full English or scientific name of a species as well as providing consistency in recorded information. These abbreviations are for some of the more common avian patients that are admitted to the Wildlife Center.
Raptors
American Kestrel: AMKE
Bald Eagle: BAEA
Barn Owl: BANO
Barred Owl: BADO
Black Vulture: BLVU
Broad-winged Hawk: BWHA
Cooper's Hawk: COHA
Eastern Screech-Owl: EASO
Great Horned Owl: GHOW
Long-eared Owl: LEOW
Merlin: MERL
Osprey: OSPR
Peregrine Falcon: PEFA
Red-shouldered Hawk: RSHA
Red-tailed Hawk: RTHA
Sharp-shinned Hawk: SSHA
Short-eared Owl: SEOW
Turkey Vulture: TUVU
Other Birds
American Coot: AMCO
American Woodcock: AMWO
Barn Swallow: BARS
Belted Kingfisher: BEKI
Black-billed Cuckoo: BBCU
Brown Pelican: BRPE
Canada Goose: CANG
Chimney Swift: CHSW
Common Loon: COLO
Common Nighthawk: COMI
Double-crested Cormorant: DCCO
Downy Woodpecker: DOWO
Great Blue Heron: GRHE
Green Heron: GRHE
Killdeer: KILL
Mallard: MALL
Mourning Dove: MODO
Northern Flicker: NOFL
Pied-billed Grebe: PBGR
Pileated Woodpecker: PIWO
Red-bellied Woodpecker: RBWO
Red-headed Woodpecker: RHWO
Ring-billed Gull: RBGU
Ring-necked Pheasant: RNEP
Ruby-throated Hummingbird: RTHU
Ruffed Grouse: RUGR
Sora Rail: SORA
Tree Swallow: TRES
Whip-poor-will: WPWI
White-breasted Nuthatch: WBNU
Passerines
American Crow: AMCR
American Goldfinch: AMGO
American Robin: AMRO
Baltimore Oriole: BAOR
Blue Jay: BLJA
Brown-headed Cowbird: BHCO
Brown Thrasher: BRTH
Carolina Wren: CARW
Cedar Waxwing: CEDW
Common Grackle: COGR
Common Raven: CORA
Eastern Bluebird: EABL
Eastern Kingbird: EAKI
Eastern Phoebe: EAPH
Eastern Towhee: EATO
European Starling: EUST
Gray Catbird: GRCA
Golden-crowned Kinglet: GCKI
Great-crester Flycatcher: GCFL
Hermit Thrush: HETH
Inidigo Bunting: INBU
Northern Cardinal: NOCA
Northern Mockingbird: NOMO
Pine Siskin: PISI
Rose-breasted Grosbeak: RBGR
Rufous-sided Towhee: RSTO
Slate-colored Junco: SCJU
Swainson's Thrush: SWTH
Tufted Titmouse: TUTI
Wood Thrush: WOTH