Advice from authors Kenn Kaufman and David Sibley on how to identify birds. Plus, articles about bird field guides and smartphone apps.
If you’ve ever read about how to improve your identification skills, you have undoubtedly run across these suggestions: Continue watching after you’ve identified the bird. … Read More “David Sibley explains how studying one detail will help you remember the whole bird”
Feather color accounts for most of the variation that we see in the appearance of birds, since color fluctuates with age, sex, and other factors, … Read More “David Sibley explains how a bird can change its appearance by rearranging its feathers”
In most of North America, nesting behavior is common any time between April and July. You may not think of it as a field mark, … Read More “David Sibley explains how to use nesting behavior to help identify birds”
Identifying birds is really about understanding birds. Being attuned to the basics of bird behavior can help us put a name on species. Spring is … Read More “David Sibley explains how birds that really want to be noticed use visual signals as well as song”
Sooner or later everyone who watches birds will come across a real oddball. Some of the more frequently seen abnormal birds are the partial albinos. … Read More “David Sibley explains what to look for the next time you see a partial albino bird”
Circle the date: March 11, 2014. That’s when the long-awaited second edition of The Sibley Guide to Birds goes on sale. According to the publisher, … Read More “First look: David Sibley describes changes to look for in his revised Guide to Birds”
I’ve often learned bird songs by following this tried-and-true advice: When I hear an unfamiliar song or call, I chase it down to its source, … Read More “New app is a fun, effective, addicting way to learn bird songs”
How to use color, size, markings, and song to identify the birds you see, and 11 good books that we think will make your birdwatching more enjoyable. Read More “Basics of bird ID”
The author of the Sibley Guide to Birds explains the development of the app and how it works Read More “David Sibley describes the Sibley eGuide iPhone app”
An expert birder describes how she makes her own recordings of calling owls, singing warblers, and clacking rails Read More “How to make your own recordings of bird calls”
