Learn Key Features
Birds are very active, so observation time can be brief. In order to look up the bird later in a field guide, the observer must try to quickly note features while the bird is in view.
Features that are especially helpful when trying to tell similar species apart:
- Wing bars
- Eye-lines
- Eye-rings
- Breast markings
- Tail spots
- Bill color
- Leg color
The diagram to the right highlights these and other important features that can help you tell birds apart.
Eye-ring or Eye-line
Determining whether the bird has an eye-ring or eye-line can help distinguish a Bell's vireo from a red-eyed vireo.
distinguishing feature.
Jim Rathert
Plain Wing or Wing Bar
Focus on the wing and determine if the bird has a plain wing or wing bar to distinguish an eastern phoebe from an eastern wood-pewee.
Breast Spots or Breast Streaks
Distinguishing between breast spots and breast streaks can help distinguish a wood thrush from a brown thrasher.
MDC staff
MDC staff
Every bird species exhibits its own identification clues, including size and shape, color and field marks, songs and calls, behavior traits, and habitats where they are most likely to be found. Some species can be identified from just a few clues, while others require careful observation of every detail and trait.
Size
How big is a certain bird compared to one you already know, such as a house sparrow or a crow?
Shape
Is the shape of the bird slender like a mockingbird, or chunky like a meadowlark?
Bill Characteristics
Is the bill cone-shaped like a cardinal's or small and thin like a warbler's?
Wing Shape
Are the wings shaped like those of a chimney swift or a red-tailed hawk?
Tail Shape
Is the tail deeply forked like that of a barn swallow or rounded like that of a blue jay?
Tail Movements
Does the bird cock its tail up like a wren or flick its tail like an eastern phoebe?
Knowing what to expect when
One of the clues to identifying birds is to know what to expect seasonally. For example, the chipping sparrow and the American tree sparrow look similar. Both have wing bars, eye-lines and plain breasts. The chipping sparrow, however, is a summer resident while the American tree sparrow occurs in Missouri only in winter.
Knowing what to expect where
Each species of bird is associated with a particular habitat or habitats. Habitats usually have certain vegetative or landform characteristics that provide the species food and shelter. Knowing the habitat associations of a species enables you to know where to look for it.
Generally, the more habitats you visit, the more kinds of birds you will see. An understanding of habitat associations also will enable you to know what to expect where, and can, therefore, be used to identify birds.
For example, although the upland sandpiper and greater yellowlegs are somewhat similar in appearance, the upland sandpiper is found on grasslands, while the yellowlegs is usually found along shorelines when in Missouri.