Which detail is emphasized in the text but not the image?
The first step in bird identification is learning to observe. Watch, listen, and record your observations in a journal using descriptive words and
sketches, or photograph birds to capture a permanent, detailed image that you can study later.
If you are just starting to watch birds, consider familiarizing yourself with the ones that you see daily. What are their general characteristics? Are
they big or small, colorful or drab? Do they sit still or flit from branch to branch? Then, try comparing new birds that you see with the common birds
that you already know. Is your new discovery the size of a sparrow, a robin, or a crow? Is its bill short or long, hooked or straight?
Crown
Outerial
feathers
Back
Rump
Uppertal
Coverts
Head-
Nostri
Leg
Selly
Upper Beak
Lower Beck
Throat
Breast
Wing
adapted from What Is That Bird?
Source: US Fish and Wildlife Service
Learning the basic form and structure, or morphology, of a bird will help you to make
comparisons of birds. Concentrate on the shape and size of the beak, including the relative size of
the upper and lower beak; length of the outer tail feathers, upper tail coverts, and throat, and the
coloration of the crown and breast. It will also help you to think about the types of habitat in which
you are most likely to find specific birds, since the birds that you see may be migratory and will only
be in your area at a specific time of the year.
Some people can identify a bird just by its song or call. Once you start to listen to the calls
around you, you will start to learn them, too. Do you know any memory devices that could help you
recall a song or call and identify the bird associated with it? Can you distinguish differences in
rhythm, pitch, tone, and repetition?
Studying the behavior of a bird is also often helpful in identifying it. Knowing characteristic bird behavior can be an important aspect of bird
conservation and management, since erratic behavior can signal a stressed or unhealthy bird. Because birds move around a lot, they can be
vulnerable to a variety of different threats.
There are many resources to help new bird watchers, or "birders," learn to identify different birds. If you are already a seasoned birder, try to find
ways to encourage other people, of all ages, to get hooked on birding, and atever resources you use to identify birds around you, just remember
that the most important thing is to have fun!