Helpful Hints to Bird ID
October 25th, 2022 by georgann
OR
(AT FIRST I COULDN’T SEE IT, AND THEN IT DISAPPEARED!)
Nothing can be more discouraging to a novice birder than being out in the field with an experienced professional who rattles off the names of 50 birds in 50 seconds. Frustrated, many people give up, feeling overwhelmed by this magical performance.
There is no magic to bird identification–just simple techniques to a systematic approach. While there is no substitute for being out in the field and seeing birds, there are some helpful hints that can prepare you before going outdoors. A little time spent learning the right way to identify birds can make all the difference.
1. Becoming familiar with the orders and families of birds.
First of all, decide what order, or major category, a bird belongs to. If you know your ducks, hawks, shorebirds, owls, woodpeckers, doves, hummingbirds, waders, fowl-like birds, and songbirds, then you have at least narrowed down your selection to a distinct group. Orders of birds are usually distinguished by major features such as:
*body size or shape, beak shape, leg and neck length,
*behavior–does it swim or soar, climb tree trunks, wade, perch
or sing
*habitat–is it on the beach, mudflats, marsh, pond, or tree canopy
Examples: 1. A long legged bird with a long, slender neck is
carefully walking along the edge of a pond. (Ciconiiformes order–
waders).
2. A large bird with slotted wingtips soars overhead. (Falconiformes order–birds of prey).
3. A small bird, sitting on a limb, throws its head back
and sings a beautiful melody. (Passeriformes order–songbird).
Divisions within orders are called families. Birds can often be placed into their families by looking closely at more subtle clues. This is especially important with songbirds which are divided into many families. Families of birds are told apart by detailed characteristics such as:
*tail and wing length or shape
*beak shape and length
*posture–does it sit upright or horizontally
*flight patterns–does it bounce or coast while flying
*habitat–is it in fresh or salt water, in the understory or canopy
*in a field or the thickets surrounding the field
*in a flock or alone
Examples: 1. Looking closely at the wader at the pond, you notice it has a
long, decurved beak. (Threskiornithidae family–ibises and spoonbills).
2. The bird of prey soaring gracefully above appears to have a
short, fan-shaped tail. (Accipitridae family–Buteo or hawk).
3. The small, yellow songbird begins to flit nervously, gleaning insects from the surrounding leaves with its tiny, pointed beak. (Parulidae–warblers).
Nearly all field guides arrange birds according to their relationships to each other, i.e., orders, families, genera, and species. If you are not familiar with orders and families of birds, spend some time with your favorite field guide studying the major characteristics of each order and family. Try to learn one bird from each order and one bird from each family of songbirds. If you learn the characteristics of one duck, then you know all the ducks. If you know one wren or one thrush, you know them all.
2. Choosing the exact species.
Choosing among the individual possibilities within the order or family is based on specific details such as color or markings of each bird. However, there is no need to memorize the entire plumage of every bird. Usually one or two field marks are all you need.
For example, you already know a robin because of its rufous breast. But how many birders (even professionals) ever really notice the robin’s white marks on its outer tail feathers, or its incomplete eye ring, or the thin black stripes under its chin? Still, it doesn’t help to describe a robin as a brown bird with an incomplete eye ring when the rufous breast is a much more discriminating field mark.
Knowing which field mark to look for is important since you often only get a fleeting glimpse
of a bird. Experience in the field and studying your field guide will help you learn which field marks are important.
Examples: 1. You have narrowed your wader down to an ibis.
It has a white body with a pink face and beak.
(White ibis Eudocimus albus).
2. As the hawk turns in a thermal, its tail catches
the sun. It appears to be uniformly reddish-brown.
(Red-tailed hawk Buteo jamaicensis).
3. This bright, yellow warbler turns to face you and exposes reddish-brown streaks on its chest.
(Yellow warbler Dendroica petechia).
3. Putting it together in the field.
Now is the time and place to put all this preparation to work for you. Pull together your impressions of what the bird appears to be, using what you learned about the characteristics of orders and families. Very often, your first hunch is correct. Then, look for detail. If you have decided it is a duck, then ask, “does it appear to stay on the surface of the water or is it diving?” Ask yourself, “does that songbird sit upright and sally out for insects, or does it sit at my feeder crunching seed?” Memorize one or two important field marks and then look for the bird in your book.
Remember, your field guide is your friend. Don’t make things difficult by beginning at page one and frantically turning pages until you stumble upon the right picture. Using a systematic, logical approach will save you many moments of beginner frustration.
Birding Adventures, Inc.
Georgann Schmalz
Ornithologist
www.birdingadventuresinc.com