Fish and Wildlife Service - Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge

Bird Identification Wildlife observation can be very rewarding. A silent observer has the opportunity to view moments in a species' life that are not often seen; the hatching of a new bird, a fledgling's first flight, courtship rituals and more. Simply watching birds is enjoyable, but being able to identify birds will increase your enjoyment of the outdoors.



Build-a-Bird Being able to identify a bird - identify anything, really - begins with an understanding of how it works. Most of the parts of an animal are made to serve a function. They help make life easier and more energy-efficient for that animal. Why do frogs and ducks have webbed toes? They need the webbing to help them swim quicker, using less energy. Once you understand the "why", you'll know what to look at when you meet an animal in the wild.
This is a funny looking bird, isn't it? It appears to have a duck-like head, but the feet are definitely not webbed! Notice that the tail feathers are curled and short.		The beak looks like it might belong on a pelican. We can't see the wings, but I wonder if they will be long and tapered for fast, long flights or rounded for shorter trips? (These body parts taken from New Jersey Wildlife.)
This bird is a collection of parts that don't seem to fit together. Let's build a bird of our own, starting at the very beginning with the body.
The size of the bird will tell you a lot about it. Can a bald eagle (wing span: 6.5 ft) soar through the canopy of a dense forest as well as a painted bunting (wing span: approx 8 inches)? Which one of those species is likely to need more space?
Now that we have our body, let's choose our legs/feet next. Keep going........

Last updated: August 7, 2007