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Bird Identification
Acorn Ecology Certificate
Course Self-Study Tutorial
Getting Started
• First try and get to know the birds in your garden and in your local area this will
give you a good basic knowledge and practice at identifying the commoner
birds.
• The most important thing to remember when trying to identify a bird is to
spend as long as you can looking at it or listening to it. Try and remember the
details before reaching for your bird guide, this will also help you remember the
same species next time you see it.
• Take a note book and pen. Note down details of birds and species you see, it
is good practice to keep records and is a valuable learning tool.
• Be prepared! This course will give you some guidance on how to learn to
identify birds, not on specific species ID, this is something you can learn in your
own time at your own pace.
Make an investment:
• A good bird guide is essential.
• A pair of binoculars with a range of
between 8 – 10 and magnification of
between 30 – 50 (remember that higher
magnification is not necessarily better, use
what you feel comfortable with).
( and a telescope is good for water birds.)
Getting Started
Getting started/Hints on
Birdwatching
Hints on bird watching:
• Best time of year for different types – habitats e.g estuaries in winter,
woodland in spring.
• Best places – reserves, estuaries, woodlands
•What to wear – dark, non-rustling clothes
•How to behave – walk slowly, keep your distance, no sudden
movements
•Go with an expert – bird walks, classes, events
•Join BTO/RSPB – immerse yourself in birds, training, events
We will go through a few key things that will help you learn to identify birds:
• Habitat / location
• Size & shape
• Plumage
• Calls & songs
• Behaviour
Identifying birds
Where is it?
Look at the habitat and find out about species that you could
potentially see there and familiarise yourself with them.
Woodland Heathland
Reedbed Coast
Where is it?
• Look at distribution maps considering where you are and the season.
• All good books will have a guide on how to use distribution maps.
• Remember that some birds may be seen outside of their normal distribution
and season, but it may be worth considering if it is another similar species.
• Also look at the rarity of a species; if it is a ‘vagrant’ this means it is an
accidental visitor and you are not likely to see it. Always start by assuming it’s a
common species.
Size and shape
Waders Geese Passerines Herons Woodpeckers
Owls Raptors Divers Grebes
Ducks Thrushes Corvids Swallows
Families have distinctive shapes
Legs and feet
Legs and feet are other distinctive features.
Avocet – Blue legs
Peregrine – Baggy trousers
Oystercatcher – Red legs
Yellow-legged Gulls - ….!
Redshank – Red “shanks”
Legs and feet
Feet ... Anatomy of a bird’s leg.
Beaks
Features such as the beak,
each adapted for different diets
are also a distinctive feature.
Beaks
There are some very
distinctive beaks,
and some can be
used as a very easy
identification feature.
Curlew Little Egret Shoveller
Crossbill Puffin
Wing shape
Wing shape is an adaptation to the lifestyle of the
species and in many cases it is very distinctive.
Wing shape in flight
Swift
Golden Eagle
Manx Shearwater
Marsh Harrier
Honey Buzzard
When you can identify the different
shapes and sizes of different families
you can begin to look at the plumage
in more detail, above are some
descriptive words.
Summer plumage dunlin
Winter plumage dunlin
Plumage
Plumage
Features such as the supercilium and
the orbital ring may be key in
identifying a bird.
Sardinian
warbler; note
bold orbital ring Aquatic warbler;
note prominent
supercilium
Willow warbler Wood warbler Chiffchaff
Willow warbler Wood warbler Chiffchaff
Song Some birds can’t be told apart by their plumage, and plumage may vary between
individuals, but the songs are often very distinctive and a key ID feature
Song • It is a good idea to familiarise yourself with bird songs and calls and you will
find by doing this you will see more birds.
• You can listen to bird songs online at www.rspb.org.uk and there are a number
of bird song CDs available as well as an iPhone App.
•Put your CD onto an MP3 player and take it out in the field with you (make sure
the tracks are labelled with the bird’s name).
•When listening to a bird song CD you may want to put a track on repeat and
read the description of the bird song from your book. For example if the book
describes the song as “chattering and warbling” listening to it will help you
understand what this means and you will get to know the different descriptive
words.
• When you are watching a bird, see if it calls or sings, if it does, try and
remember what it sounds like.
•Don’t be too daunted! It sounds hard but you will be surprised by how many you
probably already recognise.
Behaviour
Dipper; bobs up and
down on rocks in rivers
Pochard; dives and blows
bubbles underwater
Gannet; dives out of the
air head first into the
water
Green woodpecker; flies with
heavy undulations
Treecreeper; does what it
says on the tin!
Kestrel; hovers before
diving for its prey
Some birds are recognisable from their behaviour alone…
Behaviour 2 Here are some more behaviour
examples…
Skylark – singing in flight
Peregrine Falcon - stooping Starling – mass flocking
Pipit – skulking and wags tail Wagtail – wags it tail
Merganser – dives, tail submerged
Summary
• It is important to LOOK and LISTEN when identifying birds. When
you are looking at a bird you are not familiar with take note of its key
identification features; size, shape, plumage, legs, feet, beak, song
or call and its behaviour. The more time you spend looking, the
faster you will get to know each species.
• Preparation is key, if you find yourself without your bird book then a
note book and pen is a good substitute, now you know what you’re
looking for.
• Bird watching can be very rewarding so keep and open mind and
try to enjoy yourself!
References
Books:
•Bird Guide – Collins
•Bird songs and calls of Britain and
Northern Europe – Collins
Web sites:
•www.rspb.org.uk
•www.bto.org
•www.birdsofbritain.co.uk