Great Egret identification tips
Use this advice to distinguish the egret from similar-looking egrets and herons.
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
How to identify Violet-green Swallow
Use these tips to distinguish this swallow from Tree Swallow.
How to get started photographing backyard birds
Use this advice to get the home-field advantage.
Identify Pectoral Sandpiper with these tips
Learn how to distinguish this long-distance migrant from similar-looking sandpiper species.
Identify Savannah Sparrows with these tips
Learn to distinguish the widespread sparrow from similar species.
Identify Long-tailed Duck with these tips
Learn how to distinguish this small diving duck in its distinct winter and summer plumages.
How to identify bluebirds
Use this advice to distinguish Eastern Bluebirds from Mountain and Western.
How to identify Snowy Plover
Use this advice to distinguish North America’s smallest plover from its similar-looking relatives.
How to identify wood-pewees
Eastern and Western Wood-Pewees divide the lower 48 states almost in half. Here’s how to distinguish between the two and other related species.
How to identify Virginia Rail
Use this advice from Kenn Kaufman to distinguish Virginia Rail from two similar species.
Setting up a drip system for photographing migrant birds
How to set up a portable water-drip system so you can take photos of migratory birds.
Advice for identifying Townsend’s Solitaire
Distinguish Townsend’s Solitaire from visually similar species, Northern Mockingbird and Mountain Bluebird.
Identifying five specialty birds of Florida
Use these tips to identify species from the Sunshine State.
Identifying Neotropic Cormorant and Double-crested Cormorant
Use these tips and photos to distinguish between these two similar cormorant species.
Identifying Gadwall
Use these tips to classify one of the most widespread and least ornate duck species in the world.
Identifying King Eider and Common Eider
Female and young male King Eiders are known to mix in with large flocks of Commons in winter, creating a challenge for birders.
Identifying Orchard Oriole
Use these tips to differentiate female and juvenile Orchard Orioles from other oriole species.
Identifying Snow Goose and Ross’s Goose
Use these tips to distinguish two geese species with overlapping breeding ranges.
Identifying North America’s five titmouse species
Kenn Kaufman explains what to look for on these familiar and popular backyard birds.
Identifying Wilson’s Phalarope
How to ID the various plumages of this most distinctive member of a unique group of shorebirds.
Identifying Pygmy Nuthatch and Brown-headed Nuthatch
Use these tips to tell the difference between Pygmy Nuthatch and its close relative Brown-headed Nuthatch.
Tips for identifying American Tree Sparrow
American Tree Sparrow shares similar traits to other sparrows. Use these tips to correctly identify it.
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.