This weekend, the species known as Coug Dads will migrate to Pullman.

You will probably find them causing traffic in our streets and wait lines in our restaurants as Pullman suddenly doubles in population.

Much like bird watching, certain visual traits of dads can help identify them. Here’s a brief guide to identifying some of the more common breeds.

The “Sandals-and-Socks Dad,” often referred to as the “Birkensock,” is probably the most easily recognizable of the species.

They exhibit sandals worn on top of socks, often of the Birkenstock brand and often in contrasting colors. There are also accounts of this kind of Dad wearing Hawaiian-themed shirts and arguing the benefits of fanny-packs during small talk. They tend to have a well-developed sense of humor and do not care much about what people think of them.

The “Cool Dad,” or the “Fathora,” does not immediately catch the eye with outlandish colors or mix-matched prints. They wear mostly neutral colors. They’re in-tune enough with popular culture to know that dark wash jeans are their friend, but maybe not in-tune enough to know that fedoras have a cringe-worthy connotation.

Similar to the Stellar Jay, this species has most of the right elements to pull together a cool look, but they’re just not quite a Blue Jay. They might try to look like someone who doesn’t have most of their time tied up with family, work and episodes of “Deadliest Catch.” But we know, we can tell.

The most common Dad wardrobe I’ve witnessed is that of the “Polo-Pop.” No, they do not pop the collars of their polo shirts, they tuck their polo shirts into their belted, light wash boot cut jeans. Combined with a sensible work boot or Merrells, you have a Dad that falls into this category.

He’s up for outdoor adventures like hiking and camping. He has likely been wearing the same clothes for years. Maybe you’ve said something about this. It doesn’t faze him. He sees clothing for its practical purposes only, and might be an engineer.

Rare but there, the “’80s Dad” hasn’t thought about clothing since 1986. Most Dads retain an ‘80s look because part of the ‘80s made it into the ‘90s, but this dad is an original.

He’s been rocking a man ponytail, windbreakers, ripped jeans and Ray Bans for so long that he’s accidentally been back on trend a few times. You don’t see him wear it often, but you know he owns a velour track suit. He is fun, caring and (like most Dads) unconcerned about fashion.

It’s hard not to notice the hordes of fathers crowding into Walmart or the bars, or sitting outside the fitting room at Macy’s looking really bored. Whether or not your dad is visiting, I hope this guide will add some entertainment to the weekend’s festivities.

Addy Forte is a senior apparel design and merchandising major from Seattle. She can be contacted at 335-1140 or by [email protected]. The opinions expressed in this column are not necessarily those of the staff of The Daily Evergreen or those of the Office of Student Media.