Tips for identifying American Tree Sparrow
American Sparrow shares similar traits to other sparrows. Use these tips to correctly identify it.
Brian E. Small
Brian Small is a Los Angeles-based bird and nature photographer whose photos appear in the “ID Tips” column in every issue of BirdWatching. His work has been published in Time, The New York Times, Audubon, Nature Conservancy, National Wildlife, Wildlife Conservation, and many other publications. His photos also illustrate many field guides, including Kenn Kaufman’s Birds of North America, a series of state bird identification guides published with the American Birding Association, and his own Eastern and Western photographic field guides to the birds of North America published in 2009 with author Paul Sterry and Princeton University Press.
Brian E. Small on social media
Identifying Wandering Tattler and Spotted Sandpiper
Use these pointers to identify Wandering Tattler, a shorebird that is essentially a Pacific Coast specialty.
Tips for identifying Lucifer Hummingbird
Kenn Kaufman shares what to look for when identifying Lucifer Hummingbirds.
Identifying Snail Kite
Use these tips from Kenn Kaufman to spot Snail Kites.
Tips for identifying Bell’s Vireo
With photographs from Brian E. Small, author Kenn Kaufman provides tips for identifying Bell’s Vireo.
Frans Lanting on the art and sport of photographing birds
Read our exclusive interview with the world-renowned nature photographer.
Identifying Williamson’s Sapsucker
How to distinguish this western woodpecker from Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and Gila Woodpecker.
Identifying Orange-crowned Warbler and Tennessee Warbler
Kenn Kaufman describes what to look for to identify the variable Orange-crowned Warbler and the similar Tennessee Warbler.
Identifying Henslow’s Sparrow, Grasshopper Sparrow, and Baird’s Sparrow
Kenn Kaufman explains how to identify the nomadic Henslow’s Sparrow and its close relatives Grasshopper and Baird’s Sparrows.
Identifying Blue Grosbeak and Indigo Bunting
How to tell these two easily confusable species apart.
Identifying Blue-winged Teal, Green-winged Teal, and Cinnamon Teal
Kenn Kaufman explains how to differentiate female Blue-winged Teal from two other dabbling ducks: Cinnamon and Green-winged Teal.
Identifying Black-capped Chickadee, Carolina Chickadee
Kenn Kaufman explains how to tell Black-capped Chickadee apart from Carolina Chickadee, and he offers tips for identifying Mexican and Mountain Chickadees
Identifying Swainson’s Thrush, Gray-cheeked Thrush, and Hermit Thrush
Kenn Kaufman describes how to identify three lookalike thrushes: Swainson’s Thrush, Gray-cheeked Thrush, and Hermit Thrush.