Show a baby a crow and tell him it’s a “bird”. The next time that baby sees an eagle; he’ll identify it as a “bird”. Introduce a Barn Owl to a kid as just “owl” and next time he spots a Dusky Eagle Owl, he’ll identify it as “owl”. See the connection here?
Identification works on associations. The characteristics, appearance, features of any entity act as clues that demystify its identity. In the game of Birding, a rather sweet and enjoyable sport, the only tough catch is the identification of birds. How can you spot something and instantly know what that bird’s name is? I mean, field guides are real lifeguards, no doubt there, still! How do you possibly flip through 1000’s of birds and stop at exactly what you’re seeing, especially when birds only give you fleeting glances?
It is for these circumstances that the skill of identifying birds needs to be developed. They say information is power, and that my friend is indeed true. A little homework before stepping out into the field makes this herculean task of identifying a little less terrifying and a little more enticing.
So How to go about Identification of bird?
First and foremost familiarize yourself with the field guide you follow. And remember the two rules:
1. The rule of elimination: While considering any bird species, think of which all species it couldn’t be. Work backward, eliminate your options and narrow it down instead of guessing in the dark.
2. Expect the expected: Remember the bird you see is most likely to be one of those found commonly in that area instead of some fugitive from faraway lands. So before you jump on that 1%, why not bank on the 99% and check it first?
Personalize your field guide. Use colored markers to classify birds by season, local from migratory birds; basically, divide and conquer. It’s much easier to look through a section of 300 birds than a complete block of 1300.
Learn about bird families and first identify the group that a bird belongs to, and after that go for field marks. All this will help you in identification of bird.
Birds are those creatures which are shy in nature; they don’t reveal themselves so easily especially if they sense that everything isn’t normal in their surroundings. Ephemeral sights, fleeting glances are all we get. And yet to make that teasing glance still memorable and worth it, here are some clues to help you crack open that birdie’s identity.
1. The bird’s silhouette, shape, and size.
2. It’s plumage and coloration
3. It’s behavior
4. Habitat preferences
5. Voice and Songs
You can also check out Bird watching apps article link here to help you in the identification of bird.
You get better with experience and just like a puzzle master you’ll also learn which clue to focus on first.
Let’s look at each of these one by one.
Silhouette, Shape, and Size
Do you know what I love about silhouettes? Silhouettes work even when nothing else does, be it the worst lighting or birds being back-lit or even in shadows. If you know your silhouettes, there’s nothing to stop you. As a matter of fact here’s a site which can help identify the silhouette, check it out: https://digitalatlas.cose.isu.edu/bio/birds/main/ident/bvk2wf.htm
Let’s talk about size. The major advantage size offers is that it limits choices. How big is the bird? Is it as small as a sparrow? Or is it as big as an eagle? Often sizing birds is a bit tedious and for this, there’s a trick. Make your own scale or classes of bird sizes. For example: Take one group as size of a sparrow, another of pigeon and maybe third of gulls? By comparing the bird you are watching with these sizes, you can get a fairly good measure of the size of the bird in question, in your head.
One more thing, often times when a bird feels threatened or alarmed, it elongates its neck. Birds picking up seeds often appear chubbier than they actually are. Birds in flight might seem smaller or bigger depending on how far they are from you. So what am I saying? I’m saying that size is a relative measure which sometimes changes according to the situation of the bird. So what should you do in such cases? It’s simple. Just watch the bird for several minutes, let it settle down to identify the bird.
Shape. The shape is another tool that decrypts a bird’s identity. Observing the shape and noticing the details requires a keen eye. Is the bird plump or sleek, is it crested or not, does it have long legs or short legs, what about its bill, are the wings broad, short and rounded or are they pointed, long and narrow?
Bills and legs are often important indicators of identity. And of course the tail! Do look at the tail.
Birds are known to be the most colorful members of the fauna world. And is it not this color that draws us to them? Of course, it is. And this color helps us pin down the species identity very often.
The dictionary defines “plumage” as the layer of feathers covering a bird and also their pattern, color, and arrangement. Coming from a French word Plume which literally means feathers, I guess, it can be rightly said that plumage gives us crucial info about a bird.
Have you heard the term “Field Marks”? Well, these are the different plumage clues that play a crucial role in the identification of bird.
Field marks can be broadly categorized under two headings:
Field marks of Bird’s head
This includes markers like a crest, the color of eyering, crown stripe, eyeline, eyebrow stripe, the mustache ( also known as Whisker mark or malar stripe), the color of the beak and yes, the lore( i.e. the area between the base of beak and eye).
Noting these markers while observing the bird come in real handy as the field markers are usually specific to species, and therefore, unique.
Field marks of the wings
Just like the head, wings are a box full of clues too. The most prominent of which are wingbars (stripes across the wings). You know the presence or absence of wingbars even divides the bird families into smaller groups like in case of warblers and sparrows. Other field marks include – wing patches (blocks of color on the wings), wing lining (feathers covering the underside of the wings), wing tips etc.
Other important questions worth asking while observing a bird include – “Is the tail differently colored than the rest of the body? Are the upperparts and the underparts of the same color? Does the tail have different colored feathers at the tip?”
There’s just one small problem. Feathers of a bird reflect light and as such under some lighting situations may cause the bird to look different. Moreover, in some species, the plumage of breeding and non-breeding birds is different. So you have to keep a note of that.
Just like dogs behave in a different manner than cats, birds also behave in a different manner than other birds. They act in unique ways, they move in unique ways. Their foraging habits and their flying habits also differ.
There are many bird species which are alike in appearance but differ in behavior.
Take for example, Pipits and Larks. To a beginner birder, it’ll be difficult to point the difference just by their appearance. But if one were to observe the way they act it’ll be quite eminent. Pipits are very active in their movement and stand upright. Larks are often slower and have a crouching stance.
Behavior can help you ID a bird in seconds, it’s just that to develop that kind of expertise you’ll have to spend quite a lot of time in the fields watching birds go about their business, yes, even if they are the most common birds.
So let’s take a look at the indicators, shall we?
Posture:
It’s not just in humans that some sit upright while some slouch. Birds have been getting inspired by us too you know. And that precisely is the first thing you ought to note about a bird’s posture- is it horizontally aligned or vertically?
You know warblers tend to slouch while flycatchers prefer to be upright even though they are almost of the same size.
Next look at the bird’s demeanor- is it curious, attentive? Or is it laid-back?
How do they move?
Movement of a bird says a lot about its attitude. Notice whether they hop like sparrows, or walk like pipits, or climb like woodpeckers? Do they perch from branch to branch? Or do they return to the same spot again and again?
What do they do with their prey once it’s caught? If you see a bird near a river, beating something that’s caught in its beak on a rock again and again and then swallowing, you can be almost sure it’s a kingfisher.
Also notice whether the bird bobs its tail or wags its tail. Movement of tail also opens up new doors of identification.
Flight Patterns
Another tool you’ll find useful. There are 3 types of flight patterns:
i. Gliding Flight: Often seen in vultures, eagles, storks, ravens, kites etc.
ii. Flapping Flight: Small birds like finches, sparrows etc.
iii. Bounding Flight: Or Flap-bounding wherein short bursts of flapping are mixed with intervals where wings are folded against the body, commonly seen in Zebra Finches, that too at all flying speeds.
And let’s not forget about hovering. Hummingbirds are the master of hovering and Kingfishers also show some hovering skill though for short durations.
Foraging Behavior
Birds have developed a wide variety of ways in which they forage and consume their food.
They have specialized bills for the food they consume.
Foraging styles of swallows, warblers, finches, flycatchers are all different even when they are of almost same size. Different types of foraging styles are:[*]
Do they flock or fly solo?
Ever seen a flock of kingfishers chilling together? Nope, I don’t think so. But Starlings are often found making mesmerizing formations in the sly together.
It becomes easier to identify a bird if you know what kind of company they prefer.
It is important to understand what type of surroundings a bird prefers. You won’t find a duck deep inside a forest; instead, you’ll find it near a water-body. Even birds are territorial. Birds found in desert areas won’t be found in tropical forests and the ones found in the marsh and wetlands wouldn’t be found in grasslands. Understanding a bird’s habitat serves dual purpose:
It helps in the identification of bird and also helps in knowing and learning more about the bird. If you know beforehand what type of birds are found in the area where you are going birding, doesn’t it reduce your ID search space by multitudes?
So I suggest you make a key to mark the habitats of different birds and use abbreviations for the same to speed up the learning process.
Have you seen The Big Year? Remember Brad Harris, the de-facto master of “Birding by ear”? Though not practiced by many birders (because it requires practice and dedication of next level), listening to calls and songs of birds is an extremely amazing way of identifying birds.
Do you know that song and call are two different things?
A call is a fairly simple brief sound like a squeak, a peep, a chirrup, or a squawk etc.
A song, on the other hand, is a beautiful composition of melodious notes strung together and often associated with courtship.
The best way to bird by ear is by practicing out in the fields. How do I start? For that, I would recommend you listen to recordings of calls and songs which are now very easily available on the internet and memorize them just like you do with songs of AR Rehman, Rafi or Kishore Kumar.
Keep this point in mind though- just like we have dialects, so do the birds. Sometimes you might encounter different variations of the same song by the same species of bird. So that’s nothing to worry about, it’s okay. Enjoy that too.
And yes if you haven’t yet watched the movie, go watch “The Big Year” now. I’m sure you’ll be inspired to learn how to Bird by Ear. Plus, it’s a great watch, for birders.
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