If presented with an owl, most people would recognize it as one, though perhaps without knowing the particular species. The same goes for other striking birds such as hawks, ducks, seagulls or blackbirds. Our ability to recognize a particular bird as belonging to a larger group is KEY to becoming a successful birder. However, if we are new to bird watching, identifying these groups is not easy. For example, can we distinguish wrens from warblers or flycatchers from thrushes? For the experienced bird watcher, the answer is Yes! But if you’re just getting started, the answer is probably No!

So, if you’re a beginner, learn to see each bird as a member of a larger group (for example, hawks, herons, hummingbirds, etc.) Online birding resources and printed guides group birds together. through high school science biological classification: kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species). Thus, the wrens belong to the family Troglodytidaewhile warblers are members of the family Parulidae. When you identify the particular wren or warbler, you will have identified the species (for example, the common wren or the black-throated green warbler).

I do not suggest that you worry, at first, about learning these Latin names or even this formal classification. However, think of each individual bird as belonging to a larger group, possessing a set of characteristics that separates it from other groups. An online birding site, for example, organizes birds by name and shape, or taxonomy (biological classification). In the first, the birds are grouped into 22 categories starting with blackbirds and ending with wrens.

When I first started birding, my biggest mistake was thinking that I had to identify ONE bird out of hundreds of potential birds that might be present in that season and habitat. I didn’t understand that my first step would be to identify your GROUP.

“Hmm. I wonder if that’s a wren.”

If the bird is a wren, then I only need to compare it to nine other species in North America. Suddenly the task becomes much easier! So, before you even worry about buying binoculars, if you’re serious about learning, look up birding sites online or buy a birding guide (more on helpful guides later). Then study how these birds are grouped (mostly by order, family, genus, species), although you don’t need to pay attention to that level of grouping. In other words, ask yourself, Is it a wren or a warbler? As long as you’re trying to identify the individual as a member of a larger group, you’re on the right track.