Step by step guide to identifying birds.

To get you started, here is a step by step guide to identifying birds.

You can also go straight to our printable "BIRD ID TEMPLATE". Use this to note down the key features of any bird, so that you can later find out what the bird is. It is important that you record as much as you can about a bird, before rushing to a bird-book or this online guide!

1. Take note of the size of the bird. This online field-guide uses several common birds as a basis for comparison, birds are either larger or smaller than a sparrow (mossie), laughing dove, or Guineafowl. When looking at a bird it is also useful to note the shape of a bird. Is it very elongated with long neck and tail, or compact. How long is the tail relative to the length of the rest of the body.
   
   
2. The shape, size and colour of the bill. Many birds have distinctive bills, and this aspect of a bird is often very useful in placing a bird in a particular category. Bills usually tell one what the main type of feeding activity of a particular bird is. Seed-eaters have short conical bills, predatory birds have shortish hooked bills and ducks have flattened bills. Taking a closer look at the bills will help you narrow the bird down ever further. It is useful to note whether the bill was shorter or longer than the head, as this is a useful point of reference for remembering how long a bill is.
   
   
3. The shape, colour and structure of the legs and feet. The feet also provide important clues as to the behaviour and lifestyle of a bird. Long legs are found on waders or ground birds, webbed feet on waterbirds and birds with very long toes are active on floating vegetation. The colour of the feet and legs is often a very useful character in identifying a bird.
   
   
4. Plumage and markings. This is often the most obvious thing about a bird. It is always important to look beyond the overall colour and to take note of the details of the feather colour and shape. Does the bird have a crest, or an unusual tail? Are there different colours on the face, the crown, the underparts, the upperparts, the flight feathers or the tail? Have a look at the parts of a bird, so that you can familiarise yourself with some of the terms used in describing different parts of the plumage. The crown, throat, eye stripe, malar stripe, vent and outer tail feathers are all areas where specific colours are often important in identifying a bird.
   
   
5. Habitat and activity. Most species have very specific habitat preferences. Take note of whether the bird was seen in a tree, on the ground, in or above the water, or in the open veldt. If it was in the open veldt, was it perched on a vantage point, or walking on the ground? These are all important features in deciding what the bird might be. The region and type of habitat you are in are also important - i.e. in Gauteng in thornveld habitat. The activity, or habits of a bird are also important, particularly the manner in which it feeds or forages. Was it working it's way through the foliage of a tree, or sitting still on a perch, and then darting out every now and then? If it was at water, what was it doing - did it dive from the surface, dive from the air, or just put it's head in the water?
   
   

Putting it all together. Once you made a note (preferably in a notebook, or using the BIRD ID template) of all the features you possibly can, you can then use the Bird ID Wizard to generate a shortlist. This wizard will get to your bird 95% of the time, if you are in of the major urban areas of South Africa. If not, you really need a comprehensive field guide - such as SASOL Birds of Southern Africa - 3rd Edition.