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A shape on a branch. A distinctive call. Bird-watchers are a bit like detectives in the way they search for clues. For the birder, that means not just looking at a bird but studying its every feature: the color of its eyes, the size and shape of its bill, the position of folded wing tips in relation to the tail.
Size
As you learn to recognize certain birds, you quickly become familiar with their size relative to other species. Here’s an easy way to speed up the process: First, select five or six common birds of varying sizes (for example, the House Sparrow, American Robin, Rock Dove, American Crow, Canada Goose, and Great Blue Heron, left to right below), then use these to gauge the size of other birds you see.
Shape
Here are a few questions to ask yourself about a bird’s shape:
- Is its body compact and stocky or slender?
- Is its neck long or very short? What about its legs?
- What shape is its bill? Conical? Hooked?
- Are its wings long and pointed or rounded?
- Is its tail short, long, squared at the tip, notched, forked, rounded, or pointed?
- Does the bird sit upright or perch with its body held almost horizontal to the ground?
Color and Pattern
Often the first detail that catches a birder’s eye is color. The brilliant red of a male Northern Cardinal is hard to miss. As important as color, though, is the pattern colors make on a bird. Examine the eyebrows, eye rings, eye lines, or mustaches on a bird’s head. Wing patterns can be helpful, too, as can rump and tail patterns.
Behavior
Some birds walk, swim, or fly in so characteristic a manner that they can be identified solely by their behavior. Behavioral clues can be obvious or subtle. Regardless, they’re helpful in identifying birds under a variety of circumstances.
Vocal Clues
Since it’s often easier to hear birds than to see them, you’ll identify more birds than you could with binoculars alone if you learn to recognize their vocalizations. These can be divided into two categories: songs and calls.
- Songs are usually given by adult males on territory during the nesting season, though they may also be heard during migration and, in some species, during the winter as well.
- Calls or call notes are generally simpler and often given throughout the year in a variety of situations to express alarm, to maintain contact with other members of a flock, or during interactions with a mate or young.
Habitat and Range
Few beginning birders realize how specific species can be in their habitat requirements. Knowing habitat preferences greatly increases the chances of finding particular birds. In many cases, habitat alone helps identify species. For example, even if they can barely be seen or heard, blackbirds in northern bogs are almost certain to be Rusties.
Distinctive Profile
Many species can be identified by shape alone. Almost every North American species has a unique outline formed by a combination of body size, length and shape of bill, and length of wings and legs. Of all a bird's characteristics, its silhouette is the least subject to change. If you know a bird’s shape, you won’t be misled by unfamiliar aspects of its plumage. |
