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Identifying Backyard Birds

The difficulties of identifying backyard birds seem insurmountable to many people.

"All I can see," said someone to me, "is a speck, and then a streak of something flying, and it is gone. They all look alike to me."

Identifying some backyard birds are easier because we encounter them at close range, and they are considerate enough to delay long enough to give us a good look.

But other backyard birds are exceedingly shy, and give us only a fleeting glimpse. That may be all that is needed in identifying them, if the bird has any distinguishing peculiarity.

One can in time come to know what family the bird belongs to, if you have any sort of fleeting glance of it.

Size, form and manner of flight tell a great deal- even before we can distinguish color.

The use of their wings by birds in flight varies greatly.

  • The chimney swift moves its wings quite rapidly and continuously, with intervals of gliding, and they are shaped long and narrow throughout.
  • The swallow's wings are pointed and broader at the base than the swift's, nor do they move quite so fast or so irregularly.
  • The meadowlark, with short, rounded wings, flutters and sails alternately.
  • The kingbird poises with rapidly quivering, extended wings, as does the kingfisher, but when the latter starts on, it proceeds with rather slower and more decisive flappings.
  • Most sparrows and finches have a quick, continuous flight, with rapid wing-beats in succession and short pauses, but some, like the goldfinch, go by jerks, rising and falling in deep undulations, usually calling as they fly, as though each jerk forced air through the larynx.
  • The woodpeckers also have a wavy flight, but they are larger, and can be readily distinguished.
  • The warblers are slender little birds with a sort of flickering flight.

  • The blue jay's long tail attracts notice, and he progresses by a regular series of flappings.

Identifying backyard birds can also be revealed through their positions in standing, and in their paces or other motions.

  • Flycatchers and bluebirds stand very erect, as do thrushes and the cedar waxwing. But the flycatcher soon reveals himself by darting out after an insect.

  • The thrush stands still for quite a while, — in the woods, unless it be a robin, — while the bluebird will more likely take an apple tree, fence, or wire, and he is smaller than the robin.

  • The waxwing has a pronounced crest and usually goes in flocks. The spry movements in the foliage will distinguish a warbler from the sedate vireo.
  • The blackbird walks, as do the larks, starlings, pipits, oven-birds, and water thrushes, while the robin, sparrows, and others, usually hop.

  • The fox sparrow, the thrasher and the chewink scratch away among the dead leaves, but the variegated chewink can never be mistaken for the other brown bird, nor could the fox sparrow for the big thrasher, even if he had not left for the north before the thrasher arrives.


The birds that climb thereby distinguish themselves from all others.

  • One will know that the nuthatch is not a woodpecker when he persists in running down-hill on the tree-trunk.
  • The slender brown creeper, climbing in upward spirals, appears different from the robust woodpecker.

It will be of great help to learn the principal groups and families of birds in a general way, and their peculiarities.

When it comes to identifying backyard birds, especially members of the finch or warbler families, note the characteristics of their form, color, and marking, and look it up in a book. Also, our website is a tremendous source of help in identifying backyard birds.

Need Help Identifying A Backyard Bird?

Ask away! For bird identification, if possible, upload a photo of the bird, and our audience of readers will help identify it! The maximum image size accepted is 800x600. You will need to resize any photo larger than 800x600 pixels using your graphics software or a free Web-based resizer, such as Picnik.

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What Other Visitors Have Said

Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...

Yellow bird  starstarstarstarstar


I am trying to figure out what this little yellow bird is that visited my suet feeder the other day. I've looked in a bird book and been searching ...

Bird seen in Salt Lake City  starstarstarstarstar
About 5" long. Basic wren-like shape with pointed beak. Gray with distinctive yellow belly going right up to beak. Remarkable gray tuft on head that pointed ...

Can you help me identify this bird?  starstarstarstarstar
This bird came to my feeder in north central Minnesota. It was really had to get a picture as it was always moving, but I did manage to get this photo ...

Backyard Arizona bird with thin beak and black half-circle on breast  starstarstarstarstar
Saw a new bird in our backyard today in Phoenix, and have no idea what it is. We heard an odd squawk, and saw this fellow perched on our hummingbird feeder ...

what kind of bird is this?  starstarstarstarstar
a little grey and black color bird with a yellow color across its tail feathers crashed into my picture window. the little fellow was okay, he flew away ...

What Bird is This?  starstarstarstarstar
This bird was found in my sisters window in Bath, Maine.

Need help identifying a backyard bird  starstarstarstarstar
The first time I saw it, it almost flew into me because it flew under the roof of my porch and then tried to fly through the roof. It finally got away ...

Waterfowl  starstarstarstarstar
Located on stock tank outside Fairfield, TX. Long orange beak, longer legs than a duck, dark gray color on top half of body with a white stripe the length ...

connecticut pond bird  starstarstarstarstar
strange bird living in my pond. Long orange legs and feet....about 2 feet high. Grey back. Long, curved beak and white chest. Seems to just wade and ...

Help Identify This Bird  starstarstarstarstar
I live in Roswell, GA and would like to know what kind of bird this is. Thank you!

Please help to identify  starstarstarstarstar
The bird in question is a robin size bird with a red body and a blue head. The red is the color of a cardinal, however, this bird is larger and chunkier ...

Baby Bird Saved by Good Samaritan  starstarstarstarstar
I noticed a birds nest several weeks ago above my front porch. Last week, as I was going to clean up the bird droppings on my patio, I noticed that one ...

Like a bigger hummingbird  starstarstarstarstar
In Southwestern Ontario, this bird visited my bird feeder today. The best way I can describe it, is that it immediately reminded me of a hummingbird, only ...

Mysterious bird  starstarstarstarstar
Finch-like bird. Slightly larger than a sparrow. Most prominent feature is the white tail. I'm no bird expert, but I suspect this could be an escaped domestic ...

what kind of bird is this??  starstarstarstarstar
The storm yesterday blew this bird to our back door. He loves being held, seems like anyway. We are animal lovers, so I want to do what is best for the ...

Baby Bird Fall Out of Nest  starstarstarstarstar
All input welcomed...what to feed? How to feed? What species,etc.


Comment
First things first! This page on my site gives you tips on how to feed ...

Marcia in Folsom  starstarstarstarstar
I have a nest just 4 feet from my door from my garage. I was so excited and did see two eggs. This is in my side yard where my dog is. I have been taking ...

looked like a woodpecker  starstarstarstarstar
I saw 2 birds the other day in my backyard that looked woodpeckers but they had a red triangle on their breast area. They were a little big bigger than ...

Identify Gray / Brown Bird Eastern South Flordia  starstarstarstarstar
This bird was filmed in my backyard in the West Palm Beach Florida Area.
We have only seen it once on film and it showed up for a very short time.
It ...

what is this bird called?  starstarstarstarstar
there are a flock of them that perch together and they make like a jungle bird type call

Robin with Juvenile Plumage  starstarstarstarstar
Here are photos I took of a juvenile robin and an adult robin. At first I thought I found a new kind of bird in my backyard. Then I realized that it was ...

Coolbreeze  starstarstarstarstar
It's a hawk but I think it is a red shouldered hawk. It landed on my bird feeder and I got within 6 feet of it to take pictures.


Comment
Handsome,...

YELLOW RUMPED WARBLER  starstarstarstarstar
I took a picture of a little bird when
we went camping and this is what I found in
my bird book! I'm I right?????
If so they have beautiful colorings....

ID this bird  starstarstarstarstar
About the size of a robin....Yellow on breast....white head....charcoal wings and tail. Black horizontal streak with eye
in the middle.??

Comment ...

Can anyone identify this bird?  starstarstarstarstar
These birds returned numerous times to the top of a dead tree on an island we were camping on, in Haliburton, Ontario this past weekend. There were sometimes ...

Honeywillya Garden  starstarstarstarstar
This two new birds showed up in our garden last evening, we always have bluebirds but these two are new, Do you know what they are.



Comment
It'...

new bird?  starstarstarstarstar
I have lived in Kenosha most of my life - 60 years - and have never seen this bird before. It looks like a robin with red breast but has a white ring around ...

Help!!  starstarstarstarstar
We found this baby bird on our deck- Looks like it crashed into our house?? My mother has volunteered to nurse it back to heath for release if I can find ...

Help  starstarstarstarstar
He was eating grape jam when I spotted him. He looked close to a Baltimore Oriole but smaller. The orange on him was more redder and he had a black top ...

bird with black around neck  starstarstarstarstar
Bird has black rings around neck and has laid her eggs on the ground.

Comment
Possibly a Black-and-White Warbler. They can be found in North Carolina,...

night bird  Not rated yet
Check out this bird that was in our backyard tonight. It was about the size of an owl with long legs. Have no idea what it is.
You can tell it's size ...

White and green "hawk" in Sun Lakes, AZ?  Not rated yet
We get a lot of Gambel Quails in our yard but today, sitting atop our Gazebo in the yard, was a mid-sized bird that looked like a hawk. It was about 18 ...

White bird with black wings - seen in Atlanta area  Not rated yet
This bird was sighted in the Atlanta, GA area in mid-November. It appeared to be in transit and was only around for an hour or so. Size appears to be ...

Large Mystery Flock Spotted in Field while Driving  Not rated yet
I think I found a large flock while migrating the other day. I was driving in West-Central Indiana and came across three fields absolutely littered with ...

High pitched squeak at night?  Not rated yet
The bird comes to the yard every night and sits in the trees up high it emitts a high pitch squeak (chirp) almost like and baby rodent, with no pattern....

Hawk? Eagle?-Falcon?-Can't find it in any bird book  Not rated yet
He/she has been in my front yard a few times. He likes to sit on my wishing well and watch the cars go by. (Go figure)If I go outside, of course he will ...

sixohaze  Not rated yet
I saw this grey bird with a greenish, moss like fur at our steps. She wouldn't move when I came close. after a while she left, but the next day he's returned....

Debbie Menzo  Not rated yet
The bird I saw today was very sophisticated in stance, and was a blend of pale cream, and tan. It seems it had a very organized body frame while perched....

small moss green bird  Not rated yet
Please help me identify this bird... S/he was a small moss green bird (about the size of a parakeet), with soft yellow throat. Not shy, hopped from ...

Pics of Flickers  Not rated yet
Here are a few pics I took of Flickers that I promised to post for Jeff of Phoenix, AZ. Is this the bird that you saw at your hummingbird feeder?

What kind of bird of prey has a blue beak?  Not rated yet
It was perched on a telephone wire (and not a very high one) over a meadow's edge just outside of Buffalo, New York. It seemed to be some sort of bird ...

Tall bird with long skinny legs   Not rated yet
Tall bird with long skinny legs walking around a mucky canal in southeastern michigan


Comment
Likely a Heron.

Can you help me identify this bird?  Not rated yet
It was in our backyard in Ottawa, Ontario. I have never been good at identifying birds that are slightly more "plain". (Not that plain is bad! ;) Gold ...

New backyard bird help  Not rated yet
Wandered through the backyard today and was being swooped by a Currawong. Couldn't get the best photo of it but its a similar size to the Currawong. Please ...

White pigeon shaped birds that roost on a detached breakwater off of Ventura Harbor  Not rated yet
It appears smaller than the western gull, but it is shaped very much like a large pigeon. It sometimes is in groups of three to five. It seems at home ...

Desert Bird  Not rated yet
Thank you for your help.

I don't know anything about birds, but these little fellows have me very intrigued.

I live in the Phoenix area, and a nest ...

What kind of bird is this?  Not rated yet
Orange beak, Red tuft on head, Brown gray back, Orange under red wings South central Pennsylvania. Thrush size.

Comment
I suspect it is a juvenile ...

Are they woodpeckers or doves?  Not rated yet
I seen these birds outside today & have never seen them before. They seem to be a adult & baby. They were digging in the grass maybe for grubs.When they ...

cardinal with black head orange beak  Not rated yet
Looks like a cardinal with a black head and very orange beak red brighter than regular cardinal and seems larger. i believe that the female was also here....

I'm not sure what type of woodpecker this is, Does anyone know?  Not rated yet
I wasn't sure if this was a Northern Flicker? and if it was male or female?
There are two of them..

Comment
Yes they are Northern Flickers, and ...

Professor  Not rated yet
I observed this bird circling above Nichols Arboretum in Ann Arbor at 9.40 on July 17.

Comment
Looks like a Red-tailed Hawk.

Striped breast with really long beak  Not rated yet
He is brown black and white. Has stripes on this chest that are blackish-brown and whitish. He has a long, long brownish beak. Looked like he might ...

Cedar Waxwing  Not rated yet
My location is Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The bird outside my window was sitting on a crab apple tree. It is the end of June.

The bird had a regal head,...

What kind of birds?  Not rated yet
They are black with yellow chest and yellow around the neck and they have pointed wings. They are building a mud next on our front porch. Not able to ...

Help ID  Not rated yet
Sorry no picture, this bird looks like a robin red breast but with a skinnier, longer body and neck and a longer beak.

A Blue Grosbeak and What?  Not rated yet
This blue grosbeak appeared in our backyard a few weeks ago. Several days after he arrived,the blue bird in the inset photo arrived along with some buddies....

what kind of bird is this  Not rated yet
Bird is about the size of a sparrow. Mostly gray with a little darker color on wing tips. On the very top of head is a white stripe, with a smaller black ...

Orangevale CA Pair of birds nesting  Not rated yet
Light tan, long beak, large dark eye. Pair are nesting in the vine on the pergola at my house. Near Greenback and Hazel.

Comment
Looks like they ...

what is this Sacramento, Ca. bird?  Not rated yet
This bird lives in the trees and makes a very loud 'squeaky door' sound and is repetitive.

Medical Science Librarian  Not rated yet
The bird has white underneath (stomach area) beigy brown on back and head and has a couple of dark rings around neck. Almost looks like it is waering a ...

Possibly a Cooper's Hawk  Not rated yet
It actually posed on my front sidewalk last Spring. I do feed the birds and it was probably looking for a meal. Very young and very striped breast....

Frequent Backyard Guest  Not rated yet
I see this bird daily and I thought at first glance it was a female cardinal. The more I see it, I'm not sure. Can you help?


Comment
Sherry, I'...

2 in a nest  Not rated yet
I wish to identify these birds that are sharing the nest.


Comment
Aren't they darling! Soon ready to learn to fly. A lot of baby birds look very ...

"Tuffted" House Finch?  Not rated yet
This bird has been at my hanging feeder since mid April. It looks like a House Finch, but has a distinctive tufted head. Is he a one-of-a-kind bird or ...



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