How to Identify Birds of Florida
Because of where the United States is positioned on the globe, its wide array of climates and terrains offers many colorful native birds. North and Central Florida's subtropical climate and South Florida's tropical climate, the Everglades, lakes and ocean shores offer us some wonderful and unique birds. Whether you're a seasoned or new birdwatcher oryour goal is to be an ornithologist (bird scientist), identifying the birds of Florida is fun and simple to do.
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Things You'll Need
- Binoculars
- Flordia bird encyclopedia
- Field Guide
- Internet connection
- Camera
Instructions
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Familiarize yourself with your surroundings. Depending on where you are in Florida, the climate, the location of your home, and how close you are to trees, the ocean or other bodies of water will determine the birds you will see. Use a bird encyclopedia or website to identify birds you may encounter
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Research the various calls and songs of the birds in Florida. These songs can be found on CD or on the Internet. You can purchase the CDs and accompanying informational books at many bookstores or websites where books and CDs can be ordered. There are also websites that contain short audio clips of the bird songs.
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Observe the world around you. Whether you travel to specific areas where birds are known to live, or you visit a bird preserve, or you're sitting in your backyard, listening to and watching your surroundings, keeping very quiet, will bring you the most success.
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Use binoculars to identify birds that you see. Using a field guide, cross-reference markings, color and other specific attributes to help you identify each bird.
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Photograph the birds you see. Use a camera with a fast shutter speed and film. If you're using a digital camera use settings that accommodate the outdoor lighting (sunny, cloudy, overcast). If you have a steady hand and camera with the capability to zoom in on the bird, you can take pictures that you can treasure or display. Also, these pictures will help you identify birds at home that you were unable to identify at the moment you observed them.
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Tips & Warnings
Many birds migrate to Florida during the colder winter months. These birds such as Canada geese and Arctic Terns are rare and wonderful to observe for the short time they make Florida their home.
The Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission has excellent information on birds by region in Florida and their website (see below) includes intricate details about using binoculars, field guide organization\ and identification (plumage, silhouettes and voice) to make birdwatching in the state enjoyable and easy.
