Guides to putting a name on the bird in front of you: the basic keys to identification, learning songs and calls by ear, and side-by-side comparisons of birds that are easy to confuse.
All pages in Identify birds
Bird ID basicsCornell's four keys: size and shape, color pattern, behavior, habitat.Downy vs Hairy WoodpeckerFull field-mark comparison: size ranges, the bill-to-head check, outer tail feathers, calls, regional forms and five other look-alikes.Hawks at bird feedersCooper's vs Sharp-shinned Hawk field marks, a flight and tail-tip drawing, why hawks visit feeders and what Cornell, FeederWatch and Audubon suggest doing.Bird songs for beginnersSongs vs calls, a six-step way to learn by ear, 15 backyard sounds with their memory phrases, where published phrases differ, and how to use Merlin Sound ID.