So you’ve started paying closer attention to the birds in your backyard.
You notice the chickadees. You recognize the cardinal before it even lands. You’ve learned that the robin isn't always the first bird to show up in the morning.
And then something small and brown appears in the bushes.
You stare.
It stares back.
“Little brown bird” seems like a perfectly reasonable identification.
Unfortunately, it isn't actually a species.
That’s where a good bird identification guide comes in.
You don't need to memorize every bird in North America. You just need a way to look up the bird in front of you, notice a few useful details, and gradually get better at recognizing the regular visitors to your yard.
There are plenty of ways to do that, from traditional field guides to phone apps. Here are some of the ones worth knowing about.
1. The Sibley Guide to Birds
David Allen Sibley's The Sibley Guide to Birds is one of the classic North American bird guides, and it's the one many of us keep coming back to.
The illustrations are detailed without being overwhelming, and Sibley does an especially good job showing the differences between birds that can look remarkably similar at first glance.
That becomes particularly useful when you get into sparrows, warblers, flycatchers, and other groups where your first thought is often, “Well, it's definitely a bird.”
For backyard birding, you probably won't need all of its information every day. But when you're trying to figure out exactly what just landed in the shrub, it's nice to have a thorough reference nearby.
2. National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America
The National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America is another long-standing favorite.
It combines detailed illustrations, range maps, species descriptions, and identification information in a fairly compact package.
That's important for a field guide. A book can contain an enormous amount of information, but if you can't quickly find the bird you're looking at, much of that information isn't very helpful. For someone who wants one traditional guide to keep nearby, whether that's on the patio, in the car, or in a backpack, this is a solid option.
3. Peterson Field Guide to Birds of North America
Roger Tory Peterson helped change the way people identify birds in the field.
One of his most useful contributions was the emphasis on field marks—the particular features that help distinguish one species from another. Peterson's famous arrows point directly to those identifying characteristics.
That's a surprisingly useful way to think about bird identification.
Instead of asking, “What bird does this look like?” you're learning to ask questions such as:
- What's the shape of the bill?
- What color is the eye?
- Is there a stripe above the eye?
- What does the wing pattern look like?
- How long is the tail?
- Is the bird larger or smaller than the bird I'm comparing it with?
Those questions will serve you well no matter which identification guide you eventually use.
4. Kaufman Field Guide to Birds of North America
The Kaufman Field Guide takes a slightly different approach, using digitally enhanced photographs designed to make important identification features easier to see.
That can be particularly helpful for newer birders who are still learning what to look for.
One advantage of photographs is that they can feel immediately familiar. You can look at the bird in your yard and compare it with an actual photograph rather than an illustration.
The important thing isn't whether photographs or illustrations are “better.” Different birders find different approaches easier to use. If you're just getting started, try both and see which one makes more sense to you.
5. Merlin Bird ID
A traditional field guide isn't your only option anymore. The free Merlin Bird ID app from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology can help identify birds from photographs, sounds, or a series of questions about the bird you observed.
It's really useful, especially when you're looking at a bird you don't recognize at all. But there's another reason I like tools such as Merlin: they can help you learn what features matter.
You may start by simply asking an app, “What is this?” Eventually, you start noticing why the app suggested a particular species. That's when identification starts becoming a skill rather than a guessing game.
6. The Stokes Field Guide to the Birds of North America
Donald and Lillian Stokes' field guides are especially appealing if you prefer photographs. The books include plenty of useful identification information along with photographs that show birds in ways that are easy to compare.
For backyard birders, photographs can be particularly helpful because many of the birds you encounter are species you may eventually recognize from posture, behavior, and habitat as much as from a single field mark.
And if you enjoy simply looking through a bird book when you're not actually trying to identify something, that's not a bad thing either. Sometimes that's how you discover what you want to look for next.
7. What It's Like to Be a Bird
David Allen Sibley's What It's Like to Be a Bird isn't really a field guide, but I'd still put it on a birdwatcher's bookshelf. Instead of concentrating primarily on identification, it explores how birds live and behave.
- Why does a robin spend so much time on the ground?
- Why does a chickadee behave the way it does?
- What does a bird actually experience as it moves through the world?
Those questions can make the birds in your backyard much more interesting.
And that's really the point. Identifying a bird is useful, but knowing a little about what that bird is doing can make watching it considerably more rewarding.
8. Birding Without Borders
Noah Strycker's Birding Without Borders isn't an identification guide either. It's an account of his attempt to see more than 6,000 species of birds in a single year.
That's a little different from sitting on your back patio watching a cardinal eat sunflower seeds. And that's precisely why it's fun.
You don't have to travel around the world to enjoy birding. You don't even have to leave your yard. But reading about someone else's adventures can remind you that there's an enormous world of birds beyond the ones visiting your feeder.
And Don't Forget Your Own Backyard Bird Tracker
Here's another identification tool that doesn't require carrying a book around.
Backyard Bird Tracker isn't intended to replace a field guide or a dedicated identification app. It's for what happens after you figure out what you're looking at.
You saw a Northern Cardinal this morning. You saw three of them last week. You haven't seen a White-breasted Nuthatch in a while.
Those little observations are worth keeping.
A field guide helps you answer, “What bird is that?”
Backyard Bird Tracker helps you remember, “What birds have been here?”
Those are two different jobs, and there's value in both.
You Don't Have to Learn Them All
One of the easiest mistakes to make when you're starting out is thinking you need to learn every bird.
You don't.
Start with the birds you see regularly.
Learn the difference between a House Sparrow and a House Finch. Get comfortable recognizing a chickadee. Notice what makes a Blue Jay look and sound different from a crow. Pay attention to the birds that visit your feeders, trees, shrubs, and birdbaths.
Eventually, you'll realize something interesting. You aren't really memorizing a list anymore. You're recognizing old acquaintances.
And that little brown bird in the bushes? Well, maybe someday you'll know exactly what it is. But until then, there's nothing wrong with calling it a “little brown bird” while you reach for the field guide.
That's how we all start.