The ABC’s of Backyard Bird Identification
BY THE WILD BIRD CENTER, WEATHERFORD, TX
I
t is easier to care about something you are familiar with it,
it has a name and an identity. We see that in backyard bird
watching. You could easily spend the rest of your life watching
and learning the nuances of bird behavior and identification,
but your enjoyment of birds can be significantly enhanced in
just a few minutes. In fact, it’s easy as A, B, C.
A
B
B is for Behavior. Watch what the birds do. Do they come to
the feeder and stay, eating seed after seed (finches), or do
they pick one or two seeds, then fly off to the trees to eat
them (titmice and chickadees)? Do they prefer to feed on the
ground, or on a feeder? What foods do they prefer? Are they
usually at the suet, or on the nyjer feeder? Do they seem to
operate singly, or in flocks?
A is for Appearance. Look at the birds at your feeders and
note the similarities and differences. One of the keys to identi-
fying birds is comparing and contrasting with one you already
know. A good field guide will be helpful with this, as will binoc-
ulars, but getting started need nothing more than looking out
the window and making notes.
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The color and feather pattern are often the most apparent
visual characteristics, but other details will help you too. What
is the shape of the bird? Is it a little ball with a tail (a chicka-
dee) or longer and more slender (a goldfinch)? What size is it?
Smaller than a sparrow? Larger than a robin? Are there wing
bars? What color are they? What about facial markings (cheek
patches, eye lines, eyebrows, eye-rings)? What shape is the
beak? Is it conical, like a sparrows. Is it pointed, like a chicka-
dees? Is it long? Short? What other strong visual elements are
there?
Painted Bunting