Never suffer from identification confusion again! Here's how to tell the 20 most commonly confused species apart, including corvids, hawks, and more.
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House Finch vs. Purple Finch
To correctly distinguish a house finch from a purple finch, look at the bird’s face, back, and wings. On a house finch, the bird features a noticeable brown stripe beneath the eye, and the back and wings are predominantly brown. On a purple finch, the face is mostly reddish purple, as is the bird’s back. Reddish coloration also extends to the wings. In addition, the purple finch’s coloring is typically darker than the house finch’s bright red.
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Downy Woodpecker vs. Hairy Woodpecker
The biggest difference between these two is their size: a downy woodpecker is much smaller than a hairy. If you’re not seeing both birds at the same time, though, telling whether your backyard visitor is a downy or a hairy woodpecker can be tricky. The easiest way to differentiate them is to look at the bird’s beak. If the beak is close to the same size as the bird’s head, you’re seeing a hairy woodpecker; if the beak is smaller than the head, you’re seeing a downy.
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Common Raven vs. American Crow
Again, if you were to spot these birds together, it’d be clear who is who — but if you’re not, the differences between them become less obvious. The common raven is larger than the American crow, but the raven also features a pointed tail in comparison to the crow’s shorter, squared tail feathers. Ravens tend to be more solitary than crows, so if you’re seeing a large flock of the same bird, it’s likely you’re seeing crows, rather than ravens. Finally, American crows give the classic “caw, caw!” call heard in a variety of media, while ravens’ calls sound more like croaks.
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White-Crowned Sparrow vs. White-Throated Sparrow
At first glance, these two look like the same bird. However, if you look closer, you’ll notice a spot of yellow above the white-throated’s eye that the white-crowned lacks. In addition, the white-throated sparrow boasts a prominent white throat patch — their namesake — that the white-crowned sparrow doesn’t have.
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Rufous Hummingbird vs. Allen’s Hummingbird
Even expert birders can struggle to distinguish between these two hummingbird lookalikes. The easiest way is to look for green on the bird’s back, which could — but won’t always, necessarily — indicate you’re looking at an Allen’s. Rufous hummingbirds have a larger range within the United States than the Allen’s, so it’s also worth looking at a range map to see whether your mystery bird would be a rufous, by default.
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Blue Grosbeak vs. Indigo Bunting
While this duo certainly appears similar at a quick glance, there are several easy field marks to help you tell them apart. A thick bill and the presence of rusty-colored feathers on the wings is a great indicator that you’re looking at a blue grosbeak, rather than an indigo bunting. Overall, blue grosbeaks are larger than indigo buntings.
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Cooper’s Hawk vs. Sharp-Shinned Hawk
Cooper’s vs sharp-shinned hawks can present a challenge even for the most seasoned birders. A good starting point is to observe the bird’s head. Sharp-shinned hawks have a rounder head as compared to the Cooper’s hawks’ blocklike head, and while the Cooper’s hawk looks like it’s wearing a “cap,” the gray coloration on the sharp-shinned’s head is more uniform. You might also look at the bird’s tail. A Cooper’s hawks’ tail is typically rounded at the end, while the sharp-shinned’s tail is flat.
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Summer Tanager vs. Scarlet Tanager
At first, these two both look like bright red blotches of color in the trees. Give them a closer look, however, and you’ll see the scarlet tanager’s black wings and tail. In contrast, the summer tanager’s body is uniformly red.
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Common Grackle vs. European Starling
Look beyond the surface-level similarities, and you’ll be able to easily distinguish between a common grackle and a European starling. The starling’s yellow or yellow-black bill, orange legs, and speckled plumage quickly and easily separate it from the common grackle, who has a black bill and more uniform coloration. If you’re able to get a look at the bird’s eyes, note the color — common grackles have striking yellow eyes which sets them apart from many birds. Finally, the grackle’s tail is longer than the European starling’s.
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American Tree Sparrow vs. Chipping Sparrow
At first glance, these two look remarkably similar — and they’re not likely to respond to requests to hold still so you can get an accurate I.D. Thankfully, there are a few quick ways you can tell them apart. First, look at the stripe by the bird’s eye. On a chipping sparrow, the stripe is black; on an American tree sparrow, the stripe is rusty-colored. American tree sparrows feature a black spot on their breast, while a chipping sparrow’s breast is uniformly gray. Lastly, the American tree sparrow’s bill is two-toned black and yellow, while the chipping sparrow’s is entirely black.
