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Questions tagged [bird-identification]

Questions about identifying birds. Please use a descriptive title. Repeat the description in the question and include as many details as possible. Geographic location is very important, as is environment, such as woods, body of water, backyard, city, sky. Pictures are very important, we may not be able to answer the question without them.

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4 votes
1 answer
176 views

What kind of bird is this greyish small chicken sized one I found in the Uintas?

On my hike through the Uinta mountains, I came across this greyish bird and her 3-4 chicks. The timelapse I took of the birds can be seen here. It looks like some sort of grouse, does anybody know ...
8 votes
2 answers
876 views

What is this small hovering bird with a yellow throat, breast, and belly, and a brown back and head, found in the Philippines?

What are these small birds in the Philippines that can hover like hummingbirds? They had yellow throats/necks, chests, bellies, slightly curved beaks, and brown backs and heads. They were only ...
5 votes
2 answers
221 views

What species of bird of prey is this? Kestrel?

Saw this bird on a post by a field in south east London, UK. We think it may be a kestrel from the colouring, but most kestrel photos online look more delicate than this one. Does anyone know what ...
3 votes
0 answers
293 views

From which kind of bird is this feather?

Found this in our yard. Curious of what type bird it may be from. We live in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
6 votes
1 answer
153 views

Garden Bird Identification Help

I'm trying to identify a bird in my garden. I live in Ireland so western Europe, temperate climate similar to the UK. I am trying to get a photo and will add one to the post if I can manage to, but ...
4 votes
1 answer
76 views

What Species of owl did I see and hear (South Wales, UK), possibly a juvenile?

Last night I was staying on a campsite on the Wentloog Levels near Newport, South Wales (UK). At about 22:00 (dusk) I started to hear an unfamiliar bird call, clearly more than one individual, and ...
6 votes
2 answers
456 views

Need Help Identifying a Birdcall (Sierra Nevadas)

I went on a weeklong backpacking trip in the Sierra Nevadas and in the third or fourth night while we were camping next to the Kern River we heard this odd noise. At around 5-10 PM we would here an ...
5 votes
2 answers
125 views

Are these seabirds near Vancouver Scripp's murrelets?

I've been big clusters (low hundreds) of these birds floating close offshore in Vancouver. My daughter thinks they are loons, but I doubt it. I'm thinking murrelets, from whatbird and wiki: Some ...
3 votes
1 answer
528 views

What type of (young?) bird in the woods is this? (UK Lake District)

I spotted this bird at the edge of Stock Ghyll Woods, near Ambleside in the UK's Lake District. The photo is from the start of June (just mentioning as the top feathers seem to be a bit more downy so ...
5 votes
2 answers
1k views

Feather Identification Help

Hi everyone, I found this feather in a field in Malmo, Sweden a few days ago. The only birds of prey I've seen around here are kestrels, but I'm sure there could be more. I'm desperate to know what ...
5 votes
1 answer
171 views

What type of cuckoo bird is this? From South India, Asia

I found this bird near home in Kerala, India. Don't know the call. I sort of think this is a Fork tailed drongo. but not sure. Thank you...
10 votes
1 answer
1k views

What type of duck is this? Seen in south-east London park

Can anyone help ID this bird? It was surprisingly large (bigger than a mallard) and seen in a park in south-east London. Initially thought wigeon or pochard but the breast colour doesn't seem to be ...
11 votes
3 answers
640 views

Possible snowy owl seen in the trees

I was out hunting last weekend (end of October) near Yellow Pine, Idaho. While walking up a hill during the late morning with moderate timber coverage (thin enough to ski comfortably but thick enough ...
1 vote
1 answer
161 views

What kind of owl is this?

A couple of years ago I went to an owl cafe in Tokyo. I held three owls there, but unfortunately I can only remember the species of two of them. I would really appreciate some help identifying what ...
2 votes
1 answer
73 views

What bird(s) is this in this recording?

I have been hearing these birds from around the start of July in Australia from my backyard (mid-winter) at 7am, 8am and 9am depending on the day and they go on for at least 1-2hours. What bird(s) is/...
5 votes
2 answers
1k views

What kind of bird in Michigan looks like a cardinal with black wings?

I have been seeing a bird that looks like a cardinal but has black wings and has an orange-red color. Closest photo I've found is the hooded oriole, but this is Michigan and early March. Any ideas of ...
8 votes
2 answers
11k views

How does a European Robin differ from an American Robin?

I live in the Northeastern region of the United States, and am an avid bird-lover. I love robins for their looks, and because they're harbingers of spring in my area. I thought robins were the same ...
4 votes
1 answer
167 views

Feather found on chicken coop

I live in the southern part of Zealand, in Denmark. I assembled a chicken coop yesterday, and found this feather on top of the egg-collection box lid this morning. I have been unable to find out which ...
22 votes
6 answers
471 views

Where can I find help identifying an owl by its call?

I am in a semi-rural area of Aldergrove, BC Canada--close to the US border. From our house we can hear the call of what we think is an owl, but would like to know what particular species. We were ...
5 votes
1 answer
853 views

How to tell the difference between Lesser and Great spotted Woodpeckers?

Around my work I walk in local parks for a couple of hours a day, and I've noticed we have Green Woodpeckers, and I've seen them quite a few times and can now recognise them rather easily. Recently I ...
29 votes
1 answer
3k views

What is this animal with orange webbed feet, a white head with black stripes, and really likes breadcrumbs?

Quite simply: What is this animal? I have searched through various wildlife identification guides (particularly ducks and geese) and have so far not found anything close.
2 votes
2 answers
5k views

What is this gray bird that has black stripes on the side and around the head?

The bird in this picture is mostly gray but has black and white stripes on the flank area. It also has a white head, red beak and red-rimmed eye. The head is outlined with a black stripe which goes ...
10 votes
1 answer
435 views

What kind of bird is outside my window?

I live in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. Recently, there has been a bird sitting in the mesquite tree outside my window, singing. This bird comes in the middle of the damn night. Once 3am, once 5am, and now ...
8 votes
1 answer
3k views

Help identifying black and white "square winged" bird?

I keep seeing a particular bird lately and I don't recognise it. Can anyone help? I've only ever seen it from the car and in flight so I have no photo's unfortunately. It's black and white about the ...
4 votes
2 answers
87 views

Possible resources to identify birds while outdoors (preferably in the Indian subcontinent)?

I get to travel a lot in the richly biodiverse western ghats of India. While hiking, one of the most difficult tasks I face is to identify birds that I come across. I'm not a professional or even ...
8 votes
3 answers
977 views

How can I tell the difference between an American Crow, and a Common Raven that lives in America?

I live in Massachusetts, which is part of New England, in the Northeast section of the United States. We have a large number of birds I identify as crows, and only crows. I've heard of ravens, but ...
8 votes
4 answers
534 views

Are crows more interested in identifying individual humans than vice versa, and if so, why?

I live in Crow City, USA (AKA Monterey, California). I can't tell one crow from another without their perching right next to me on a bust of Portola. They seem to all be clones of each other, as far ...
6 votes
3 answers
8k views

How to correctly identify a bird that looks like a Cooper's Hawk or a Peregrine Falcon?

This bird showed up on the website NextDoor. A bunch of people were saying it's a Cooper's Hawk. To me it's clearly a Peregrine Falcon. My reasoning is: there are Peregrines around here all the time (...
6 votes
1 answer
130 views

Is "dynamically soaring" suitable as a bird identification feature?

I've never heard of a bird besides the Albatross which is able to use "Dynamic Soaring". Am I able to draw any conclusions out of this behavior? Like, can I say "it's definitely an Albatross" or "it's ...
7 votes
1 answer
1k views

What is this black and white bird with thin brown legs and a multi-colored beak, found in Massachusetts USA in January?

I live in the central region of Massachusetts, United States. Last January we found this lovely bird eating suet in our suburban back yard. It's in a section of about ten feeders, mostly in the ...
3 votes
2 answers
776 views

What sort of crane, and what sort of snake?

In an area near where I work in Monterey, I often walk during the noon hour and end up in a meadow that is much-beloved to red-winged blackbirds. The other day I saw something unusual, though - as I ...
12 votes
4 answers
4k views

Is it a pheasant? A grouse? What do I feed it?

I live in the United Kingdom. This cheeky fellow recently wandered into the house, scaring the life out of the missus, much to the amusement of the child. I put him out in the porch with a bit of ...
5 votes
1 answer
795 views

What is this brown bird with a white area over its eye, found on the top of a pine tree in Ohio?

Any ideas what bird is making this song? Unfortunately, this photo was the best I got, but I did get a lot of audio of it's call (the YouTube video has a bunch of them clipped together). At the end ...
5 votes
2 answers
4k views

What are these large black and white waterfowl with red around the eyes?

There's a pond located at a restaurant near where we live in Massachusetts. It's always very busy because the restaurant gives out food for the ducks, geese and swans. We've been there often and ...
9 votes
1 answer
3k views

Swift, Swallow or House Martin?

What are the identifying features that allow you to tell the difference between these 3 common UK summer visitors? I've been looking at the RSBP advice but it seems that a swift and a house martin ...
11 votes
3 answers
6k views

Did I see an Osprey?

My friends think that I'm mad, but I'm pretty sure I saw an Osprey the other day. Could anyone confirm that what I observed is an Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) or, at least, Osprey-ish? I saw the bird ...
6 votes
1 answer
155 views

What species of bird is in this recording from Bethesda MD?

Recorded in September 2015 in Bethesda, MD. https://www.dropbox.com/s/8sb5jjx3maeuk4o/Birdcall_Sept_Bethesda.m4a?dl=0 The recording was created at 1:00 PM on Sept 24th. I didn't see the bird, but I ...
8 votes
1 answer
166 views

Identify this bird call?

Could somebody please identify the birdcall in this recording? The bird is calling at 00:01, 00:10, 00:29, 00:36, 00:52, 01:06, and 01:18. This recording was made in England, in mid-June. Also, how ...