Bird Watching

The prairie grasslands of the Midwest and western states abound with bird life. Many of these birds possess coloration that allows them to blend into the countryside to avoid detection by...

The symbol of the United States, the bald eagle has come back from severely depleted numbers across much of the nation. This raptor typically lives in close proximity to some body of water and...

The best way for a birdwatching enthusiast to differentiate male and female hummingbirds is to use their colors as a guide. Employing a field guide to birds and then taking note of the colors of...

The flycatcher family of birds is a large group that includes species such as the eastern phoebe, the scissor-tailed flycatcher, the eastern kingbird and the least flycatcher. These birds all feed...

Three distinct species of bluebird exist in the United States, with each carving out its own geographical range. The habitat of these handsome songbirds differ, with one population at home in the...

Two types of Magpie birds live in the United States, with the Black-billed Magpie having a much larger distribution than the Yellow-billed version. Magpies are large birds, with some having...

The golden eagle can attain lengths of almost 3 feet and a wingspan of more than 7 feet, making it one of North America's largest raptors. The golden eagle, the bird that appears on Mexico's...

The wood thrush is a mostly brown member of the thrush family of birds that lives throughout most of the eastern states. This brown thrush has certain features and behaviors that help to identify it.

The New Jersey shoreline is the home of a multitude of bird species, with no better place to see them than the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. Birdwatchers have the opportunity,...

Binoculars work much like telescopes and can be used for viewing wildlife, sporting events and night-sky objects. Two of the most important factors to consider when selecting binoculars are the...

It is sometimes difficult enough to identify a particular species of bird without then having to decide whether the specimen is male or female. In many cases, though, you will have enough...

The sparrow is a well-camouflaged bird, typically brown with some striping. Many species of sparrows live in the United States. Sparrows are some of the most difficult birds to identify because of...

The brown-headed cowbird is an unwelcome guest at many bird feeders. This is more because the cowbird is a "brood parasite" than anything else; the females will never build a nest of their own,...

A chubby songbird that walks along the bottom of mountain brooks and streams looking for something to eat sounds fantastic, but that describes the American dipper, the only aquatic songbird...

The brown-headed cowbird is a blackbird that lives across all of the continental United States and most of North America. Labeled a "brood parasite" by ornithologists, it feeds on insects, often...

Several species of birds in the United States have a crest on their head. Among them are a few that the average person would have no trouble identifying and some that most people do not know well.

Feeding birds from bird feeders is an activity that millions of Americans enjoy. It allows people to help birds get through the tough times of winter and offers a chance to observe an assortment...

Many people have the ability to identify a bird when they get a good glimpse at a particular species. However, others never have to see a bird in many instances to tell you what type is nearby....

The various species of orioles that live in the United States possess brilliantly colored plumage and are master nest builders. These birds include the Baltimore oriole, the orchard oriole, the...

The white-breasted and red-breasted nuthatches are the two most common species of nuthatch in North America. The bird is not difficult to recognize, as it has distinct features as well as habits.

The northern flicker is a large member of the woodpecker family, but rather than spend most of the day knocking on tree trunks it searches for its food on the ground. The state bird of Alabama,...

The Pennsylvania Game Commission website says that more than 400 types of birds either live in the state year round, part time or migrate through the Keystone State. Bird watchers that desire to...

Attracting birds to a birdfeeder in your yard is not difficult, but correctly identifying each bird that comes to eat there requires some level of expertise. With little or no knowledge about bird...

Wind Cave National Park, near Hot Springs, S.D., covers more than 28,000 acres of prairie and pine forests. Because of the park's location, both eastern and western American birds live in or...

Agile and colorful, hummingbirds are a favorite among birdwatchers. Hummingbirds will swarm to feeders filled with sugar water, entertaining observers with their acrobatics and sometimes fierce...

If a stork were to deliver a baby in North America, it would have to be a wood stork. The lone species of stork found on the continent, the wood stork is an endangered species, with as few as...

Hummingbirds acquired their name from their ability to beat their tiny wings at incredible speeds, with some capable of 200 beats per second. This rapid wing beating produces a humming sound. All...

A bird-watcher has a specific set of keys that he runs through when he happens upon a species of bird he does not readily recognize. By doing so, he enables himself to identify the bird with field...

The great blue heron lives across the United States and into Canada. The bird lives next to bodies of water, with swamps, ponds, marshes, lakes and rivers among its favorite habitat. The great...

There are 22 hummingbird species found in the United States and 340 types that live in the Western Hemisphere. These birds are tiny, with most in the range of less than three inches in length and...

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology calls the rufous hummingbird North America's feistiest hummingbird. This tiny bird possesses brilliantly colored feathers and a long beak as well as the flying...

Nearly endangered at one point during twentieth century, through public education and a heightened awareness of this beneficial bird's plight, the purple martin today is a summer visitor to many...

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When a birdwatcher is out in the field and sees an unfamiliar species of bird, there are certain guidelines that can be used to aid in the identification of the winged creature. By making careful...

Probably the most useful "tool" for bird watching is the ability to observe. Then you can begin to search for more specific identification details, like color and bird behavior. The second most...

In the United States there are several birds which are red in color. These birds show up against nearly any background, making them easy to spot. Some birds are completely red in color, while...

The perching birds ("passerines") compose by far the largest order of birds on Earth. Also known as "Passeriformes" within the scientific community, the perching birds are found on every continent...

Songbirds belong to an order of birds categorized as passerines, otherwise known as perching birds. This order of birds is the largest and includes as many as 5,100 separate songbird species...

While many bird-watchers have the ability to recognize different species of birds, those with more experience can actually identify a bird by its song. This skill is learned by watching and...

Birdwatchers always strive to find and then properly identify as many species of wild birds as possible. To accomplish this goal, avid birdwatcher carry a pocket guide of some type that has...

A covey is a term used to describe a small flock of birds, primarily a family. This a term only used for birds.

Purples Martins are the largest species of swallows, ranging about 7 1/2 inches long. They do their breeding in the United States but migrate as far south as South America during the winter...

The Chilean flamingo is a bird that is native to southern regions of South America, including Uruguay, Bolivia, Peru, Argentina and Chile. The Chilean flamingo is a large bird that is much the...

There are two species of eagles found in the United States-the bald eagle and the golden eagle. Both are very large birds of prey which have sharp hooked talons and bills and large wingspans....

The cedar waxwing is a medium-sized songbird with a range that extends from the southern half of Canada through the United States and well into Mexico. It is able to eat only fruit for months at a...

There are three species of bluebird in North America, with the eastern bluebird being the most widespread of the trio of songbirds. Bluebirds have seen a steady rise in their numbers after their...

Pigeons are found everywhere on the planet except Antarctica, the Arctic and the driest portions of the Sahara Desert. They have been living in close association with humans for thousands of years...

Canadian geese, properly known as Canada geese, are the second largest waterfowl in North America, with only the swan being bigger. Famous for their "V" formation as they fly about the countryside...

Canadian geese are beautiful when they are flying in an almost perfect V formation, but they can also be a major problem when they begin to land and nest in your yard. They can cause major damage...

Buzzard are not a bird that many people find attractive, and for good reason! Large, noisy and smelly, they will hang out (and defecate) any place that they like regardless of frequent habitation...