If you have been following my backyard birding series, you have learned tips and tricks to get started, including suggestions for feeding and providing shelter to make your yard appealing to birds. Now it’s time to start identifying the feathered visitors. Identifying birds can be both challenging and rewarding. There are over 400 species of birds in Virginia. Luckily, there are simple ways to narrow down the possibilities.

 Look for clues to help you identify a bird.

Birding is like an ongoing scavenger hunt. When I first began birding, I didn’t own binoculars, so I took my long lens camera on a walk in my neighborhood on a winter afternoon. When I saw something land on the ground and hop around the ice, I aimed my camera and clicked away.

Once I got home and could enlarge the images on a computer screen, I saw a tiny grayish-green bird with a bright yellow patch on its head. I had never seen anything like this before. I used the Audubon app field guide to identify this new discovery…a female Golden-crowned Kinglet. Bam – I was hooked.

What else was out there that I had never noticed before? Turns out, a lot. In my own neighborhood, an entire world of birds came alive. Soon I was identifying Dark-eyed Junco, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren and White-throated Sparrow.

On the pond, I identified Lesser Scaup, Hooded Merganser and Ring-necked Duck. The bird world was so much more than cardinals, blue jays, robins and mallards. It all started with that adorable Golden-crowned Kinglet, my “spark bird.”

 Don’t be fooled by this bright red Scarlet Tanager! It has black wings and tail,
no crest and a song like a robin, clues that it is NOT a Northern Cardinal. 

5 helpful items

Before you begin, gather a few items to assist with identification. 

1. Notebook

Keep a small notebook to take notes on what you see and hear. You may think you’ll remember but once you are presented with several similar options, you will be grateful for the reminders you recorded. Jot down as many details as possible. Color, shape, size, field marks, behavior, sounds, etc. For example, you may record these details about a Carolina Wren… smaller than a robin, buff brown above, butterscotch below, white eyebrow, signing loudly, pair in a tree. 

2. Camera

If you can take photos, they may be the best tool to assist with identification. However, do not get so caught up in taking a photo that you miss the opportunity to really observe the bird and its behaviors and sounds. Sometimes you only have a moment to gather information before the bird is gone. Use that moment wisely. If you only have your cell phone, that's okay! If a bird is close enough, even cell phone pictures can be helpful. 

3. Field guide (an app, a library book or your own)

A good field guide is a must. If you do not own one, download a field guide such as the Audubon app. Spend some time browsing the field guide to become familiar with species you may encounter in your yard. Download the app here. You could also check out a field guide from your local Virginia public library, a free option that helps you decide which field guide you like the most. 

4. Bird ID app

Another option for using technology is a bird identification app, such as Merlin Bird ID. This app will ask simple questions about what you saw and generate a list of likely matches. It also can listen to bird song to identify the bird or you can add a photo you took to the app for it to estimate which bird it is. Download the app here. 

5. Binoculars (borrowed or your own)

If you're just getting started in birding, you may not own binoculars yet, but that's okay! If you go birding on a ranger-led birding program, then the ranger will likely provide at least one pair of binoculars to share. Going on your own but still want to try a pair out? Plan ahead and find a Library of Virginia or one of our Virginia State Parks that offer nature backpacks to check out for free. These backpacks not only include binoculars, but helpful park materials like bird guides, trail maps, and more. Families will love these backpacks! 

The size and shape of this Pileated Woodpecker make it easy to identify.
It is the largest of all the woodpeckers with a bright red crest.
Other clues include its behavior of excavating stags
and its loud pecking and drumming.

7 clues

You see a bird. Now what? Look for these clues.

1. Size and shape

It may be helpful to compare what you see to a species you already know. For example, is it bigger or smaller than a sparrow? Is it shaped like a hawk or vulture? Is the head a similar shape to a Mallard? Include details such as a long or short tail, a thick or curved bill, webbed or singular toes. Size and shape will help lead to the next identification clue – bird group.

2. Group

Birds are grouped into families. Identifying the group or family will narrow down your choices very quickly. Owls, herons, hummingbirds, doves and swallows are grouped in very different families. Using size and shape, find the group or groups in your field guide that contain similar birds.

3. Field Marks

These are the characteristics of a bird that separate it from other species. Does the bird have a white eye ring or an eyebrow? Does it have spots or stripes? Is the breast clean or streaked? Are the legs yellow or pink? While some field marks can be a dead giveaway, they are not always obvious, especially when a female, juvenile or molting bird looks very different from a mature male in breeding plumage. Record as many field marks as possible but include other clues as well.

Field marks for this Cedar Waxwing include a dark “mask” and throat,
yellow-tipped tail, a crest on its head and a yellow belly.

4. Behavior

What is the bird doing? Is it creeping up a tree or soaring overhead? Bird species tend to exhibit similar behaviors so pay attention if a bird is perched on a fence, scavenging on the ground or wading in water.

5. Time and location

Seasons and habitats are vital information for identifying a bird. On occasion, a bird may wander outside of its normal range but generally, birds are reliable on the locations they choose to inhabit during the seasons. A bird that lives in a coastal wetland is unlikely to be seen in a mountaintop pine forest, for example. Also, an American Goldfinch and a female Western Tanager may look a lot alike, but only one will be found in Virginia. Take note of the habitat and season and compare this to the range map in your field guide. 

This Green Heron prefers to forage in wetlands and is unlikely to be
found in other habitats. It is common in Virginia
in the warmer months but migrates south in winter.
It belongs to the family of Herons, Egrets and Bitterns.

6. Sound

There are some bird species that can only be identified by sound. A great example of this in Virginia is an American Crow and a Fish Crow. Both are common in Virginia and look nearly identical but the caw-caw-caw of an America Crow and the nasal-sounding ah-ah calls of a Fish Crow are very different. Even if you are not comparing two similar species, listening to the bird’s song or call in your field guide app can confirm your identification.

7. Similar species

Once you believe you have found a match in your field guide, check for similar species. Most print field guides will alert you to similar birds that could cause confusion. On an app, look for “similar birds” to be sure you are not confusing a Downy Woodpecker with a Hairy Woodpecker, for example.

 The Eastern Meadowlark looks nearly identical to the Western Meadowlark
but its western cousin won’t be found in Virginia.
Always check a species’ range in your field guide.

Bonus tip: Ask the birding community online

Lastly, if you are really struggling to identify a bird, there are Facebook groups where you can post questions or photos and the online community will assist. There are lots of online resources out there. Don’t be shy to use them. The more birds you can identify, the more enjoyable birding will be for you.

Editor's Note:

If you missed Jessica's earlier posts on backyard birding, find them here:

Backyard birding - tips to get started

Backyard birding - feeding tips

Backyard birding - shelters