Did you know? You can easily identify a wood thrush by common field marks, like a while eye ring and spotted chest.
Even if you know your local birds, sometimes an unfamiliar one will appear, which doesn’t match anything you’ve seen before. Here are some pointers and questions to consider the next time you spot a baffling bird.
Take it all in
Don’t immediately reach for your field guide. Instead, pay attention to the bird. What does it look and sound like? How does it move? The book won’t fly away, but the bird will.
ROLF NUSSBAUMER Yellow-billed cuckoo
Compare size and shape
A bird’s size is hard to judge, so compare it to a well-known bird. It’s more helpful to say “robin-sized” or “smaller than a sparrow” than estimate its size in inches. Notice its body and bill shape, too. Is the bird stout or slender? Long-tailed or short-tailed? Is the bill thin like a warbler’s or thick like a finch’s?
Consider surroundings
An open field is home to other birds than a forest or on the open waters of a lake. Even within the same habitat, different birds will seek out different niches. Is your mystery bird hopping on the ground, climbing up a tree trunk or flitting around the tips of twigs? These behaviors offer good clues.
STEVE & DAVE MASLOWSKI Eastern bluebird with juvenile
Look for field marks
The markings on a bird can tell you a lot. Does it have a ring around its eye or a stripe above it? Is the chest spotted or striped?
Watch out for tricky birds
Some oddities can be chalked up to perplexing plumage of common local species. Is it possible the bird is leucistic with patches of white feathers? Could it be stained from something it was eating? Could it be a young bird with juvenile plumage different from that of its parents?
Write down details
Don’t rely on memory alone. It’s best practice to record your observations before you look in a book or online to identify the bird. If you start writing a description while the bird is still around, you may notice details you would otherwise miss.
Take a photo
Even a distant image may help pin down the ID. If your phone has a camera, take advantage and snap several pictures. Just don’t waste a lot of time trying to get the perfect shot; you need to look at the bird, too.
What to do if You Spot a Rare Bird
Birds sometimes wander outside their normal ranges. If you identify such a stray at your favorite birding spot or feeder, here’s what you should do:
- Consider whether you should share the sighting. If the bird is truly rare, hundreds of birders may want to see it. That’s fine if it’s a public park, but could be a problem if it’s a feeder outside your bedroom window.
- If you decide to report the sighting, confirm the ID with good photos and share them with a local expert. Check with the National Audubon Society, audubon.org, for nearby chapters or centers. Or, contact the American Birding Association at aba.org/contact.
CHRISTINE HAINES Look for brown creepers as they move stealthily up tree trunks.
Nancy depalo says
Check out the app for smart phones called merlin to assist with bird ID
Anne says
I love that app!
mp3 cililin panjang says
I’d like to find out more? I’d want to find out more details.
Carol Roberts says
Every fall, huge flocks of Bohemian waxwings visit Newfoundland and Labrador, eating what is left of the mountain ash berries. Where are these birds coming from and going to? They ate still here Dec 17 2015.
Deidra says
Don’t feel bad. I am in Spring Valley Lake , CA and I get Cedar Waxwings in the winter and have no idea either where they come from or where they go to.
Judy Balous says
First article about mystery birds: TYPO!
It’s a white ring around eyes,…not a while ring!
Jim says
I get the Cedar Waxwings at my bird bath in the spring and fall of the year. They are beautiful and I love seeing them.
Diane says
I love the Merlin Bird ID app on my phone. It has helped me out several times.
Jackie Wilkinson says
I had a Robin, normally in Britain at this time, yesterday in a car park in Southern Germany!