Getting Started With Bird Identification
If you like bird watching, it is a certainty that you’ll want to learn how to identify these birds. It is exciting when you are able to correctly identify a bird while out bird watching. This isn’t as easily done as said, however - it can be very difficult at times. A good field guide can be your friend in this regard. However, you’ll have to have some knowledge of your own even to be able to accurately use the field guide. If you’re just starting out as a bird watcher, then, there are a few things you can do that will help you identify birds more accurately.
The Size of the Bird
One thing that will help you identify birds is to first take a look at the size of the bird you are trying to identify. Is it the size of a robin? A chicken? Perhaps an ostrich? Size is important here, as is the ability to evaluate the body type of the bird you are watching. Is the bird plump, skinny, short, or very long? Take a look at the entire body and take every feature into consideration, including the size and shape of the wings, tail and beak.
What Color or Pattern Is the Bird?
What colors does the bird exhibit? Look at the colors and try to match them with the size and shape. As you become more experienced, you’ll learn what colors certain types of birds usually are, which will help you identify them; sometimes you’ll even be able to do this by color alone! However, colors, too, can be tricky. The lighting may affect the color that the bird appears. Be sure to check the colors that are on each part of the body as well. Are the legs a certain color, the wings a specific color, or does it have any specific markings anywhere on the body? With a good pair of bird watching binoculars you can take your time to study the birds up close without scaring them away.
Where Are You?
You can also identify birds by location in many cases. Where are you when you bird watch? Are you on the water, inside a large forest? Are you enjoying some backyard birding? There are certain birds that live in specific habitats. Is the bird in the water, is it wading or swimming, does it actually climb the tree, how and where does it fly, and does it move its tail? All of these things will help you when you want to identify the birds you watch.
Listening to Identify Birds
One of the most important things to keep in mind when you’re watching birds is that how they sound can help you figure out what they are, too. Every bird species has a unique song; if you listen, you may be able to identify the bird you’re watching just by what you can hear. If you listen closely, you might even see some birds that you would never have seen otherwise. It’s not always helpful to listen when you identify a bird, but it’s another piece of information that can definitely help you.
So, next time you go out bird watching, keep all of these tips in mind. They’ll help you identify the birds you see, and this will make it a much more rewarding and fun experience for you, too.
