Common Bird ID Struggles and How to Solve Them

Welcome to Episode 16 of the Birding Tools Podcast.

This week on the Birding Tools podcast, I am taking on some of the biggest bird ID struggles birders have with identifying birds, which I’ve taken from my own experiences and from insights other birders have shared with me. If you’re looking to enhance your bird ID skills, this episode is for you.

A quick recap:

Understand the five keys to bird identification to know how to address your bird ID struggles
The most common bird ID struggle birders have shared with me is determining the identification of a backlit bird – take a listen to the episode to see how I address this particular issue!
The four other issues birders have noted include second-guessing yourself, identifying juvenile or winter plumage birds, getting a species-level identification, and birding by ear.
No matter where you are in your birding journey, this episode is for you!

Here’s how the episode goes

[1:25] Let’s recap the five keys to bird identification because we’re going to need them for this episode!

[4:00] Probably one of the most common bird ID struggles is trying to identify a backlit bird. See if you can move your angle so the bird isn’t backlit, or use the other keys to ID to try to determine which bird it is!

[8:00] This might not come as a surprise, but birders second-guess their IDs all the time! Using the five keys to bird ID, you can be more confident in your IDs.

[11:45] Juvenile plumage, winter plumage, and molting can leave a bird looking different than the more obvious adult plumage we see in our field guides. You can look at the more neutral color patterning, or focus on the other keys to bird ID, like size and shape and habitat and distribution!

[13:18] Narrowing down to a species-level identification from a larger family group can be a challenge, but individual species still have their own unique characteristics!

[15:15] Birding by ear is a really challenging way to ID birds, but lots of birders aim to learn birds by sound alone. Consider learning some mnemonics techniques to enhance your birding by ear skills.

Click here to listen!

You can also read more about getting started on your birding endeavors on our Get Started page!

P.S., If you need a hand with bird ID, head over to download our free downloadable guide here!

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