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Newsidentifying! Avian Art

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Why Birds? Mural Project
The Sketch by
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ID TIPS John James
Audubon's Birds
How to Identify Birds of America

Before you judge a bird by its color, use these eight clues to guide you.
AUDUBON BIRD

GUIDE
Read On
Search for
Birds in Your
Area
 Quick ID Guides
Curious about a bird you see on the regular? You can likely find it below.

Get to Know These 20 Common What's That Bird at Your Suet

Birds Feeder?

More
Comparison
Tips

How to Tell a Raven From a
Crow
These black birds may belong to the same
family and look similar in some ways, but
several distinctive traits help set them apart.
Stylish and Social, Winter Is That a Swallow or a Swift?
Waxwings Provide a Telling the two apart can be tough, but some
Wonderful ID Challenge clues lie in how they fly and where they sleep.
Bohemian and Cedar Waxwings look very
similar and are more likely to intermingle in the
colder months. Here’s how to tell them apart.

ID Tips News ID Tips

ID TIPS

A Beginner’s Guide to IDing Cooper’s and Sharp-Shinned Hawks

The differences are subtle, but shape and size can help in a big way.

Read On
More Raptor
ID Tips

Look Up! An Introduction to Six Quick Questions to Help Three Basic Ways to Identify Is That G
Identifying Raptors in Flight You Identify Red-Tailed Hawks, Eagles, Falcons, and a Bald Ea
When hawks and falcons stream across the sky Hawks Other Raptors In its youth, o
in large numbers, you need a distinct set of They're one of the most familiar raptor species First, break them down into groups. Then you feathers on it
birding skills to tell them apart. in North America, but they can still be tricky to can start picking out the finer details like size with its rarer,
ID. and flight.

Birding From Audubon Magazine Identification

 Birding

Birdist Rule #71: Figure

Out What Kind Of
Chickadees You’ve Got
I’ve probably said this about every bird at one time or
another, but this time I mean it: Chickadees are the best
birds. They’re just the best...

Read On

All Birdist ID
Advice

Birdist Rule #65: How to Tell Birdist Rule #60: Figure Out Birdist Rule #20: Identify Your Birdist R
the Difference Between What Kind of Vulture Is First Gull Wrens Li
Crows Circling You They are not easy, but they are worth it. And how to fi
Uh, wait … there’s more than one kind? (And creep your friends out while you're at it.) Probably.

The Birdist’s Rules of Birding The Birdist’s Rules of Birding The Birdist’s Rules of Birding

Featured Species: Know Your Nuthatches Adopt a Bird

White-breasted Nuthatch Pygmy Nuthatch Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown-headed Nuthatch
N U T H ATC H E S N U T H ATC H E S N U T H ATC H E S N U T H ATC H E S

Learn How to Identify

Birds by Ear
When you're ready to level up your ID game with songs
and calls, our guide has everything you need to know.

Get Started

Song Sparrow. Photo: Putneypics/Flickr CC (BY-NC 2.0)

Advanced ID
and Tips

Four Quick Tips for Understanding the Basics of How to Tell If a Bird Is Albino A Duck H
Identifying Hybrids Bird Molts Not all white birds are albino, and not all albino Quickly I
A mix of two different species, these birds trick As the seasons change, so do birds' feathers. A birds are white. on the W
experts and novices alike. birder should be prepared. Take limits req
—a useful skil
breaks down

In the Field In the Field Birding FAQs

ALL ID STORIES

Dark-eyed Juncos, Backyard Gems, Come in a

Dazzling Array of Colors
 Dazzling Array of Colors
The six flavors of junco were long considered separate species. Recent science
shows that they instead boldly exhibit evolution in real time.

ID Tips

Is That a Swallow or a Swift?

Telling the two apart can be tough, but some clues lie in how they fly and
where they sleep.

ID Tips

Remember that Audubon depends on your support to do

the conservation work that we do.

Donate

Is That Golden Eagle Actually a Bald Eagle?

In its youth, our national symbol sports brown feathers on its head—making it
easily confused with its rarer, golden cousin.

ID Tips

Why You Should Start Searching for Rusty

Blackbirds
Aside from helping to boost your blackbird appreciation, spotting this declining
species can also aid in conservation efforts.

ID Tips

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Great Egret. Photo: Melissa Groo/Audubon Photography Awards