Range Maps

• Increase your chances of identifying a particular species of bird by making good use of the range maps that accompany bird descriptions in field guides. These maps show where in the United States each species lives. The maps further divide this information into whether the bird is a year-round resident, like the blue jay in most places, or if it simply summers in one section of the country, like the hummingbird before migrating south. Become familiar with the most common birds that exist where you reside and when they should be around. When you spot a bird that you fail to recognize, your range maps can eliminate many potential species from consideration as you attempt to pinpoint what it is. This is especially useful when you feel a bird is a member of a family with many different types, such as sparrows and warblers. Eliminate those that the maps tell you are not likely to live where you are.
  
  

Habitat

• Note the exact kind of habitat where you find an unfamiliar species of bird. The more precise you can be, the better the chances of making a positive identification of the bird. Think of where you live and divide it into types of habitats such as grasslands, meadows, open fields, woodlands, coastal areas and swamps. Be quite specific about forest areas, if possible, by trying to specify the major types of trees where you saw the specimen. Certain species tend to inhabit pine forests over hardwood forests, for example---facts that can help you greatly.
  
  

Behavior

• Remember that a bird's behavior goes a very long way toward identifying it. For instance, take note if you were to come across many of the same birds flying back and forth over a small river in Connecticut in July. Chances are the birds are cedar waxwings. This is a typical behavior of this species, which grabs insects over water in this manner before landing in the branches to gobble them down. Certain birds will typically behave in fixed ways, such as nuthatches walking on a tree trunk upside down or flickers eating ants off the ground. Realize that what you see the bird doing when you find it is extremely valuable data.
  
  

Silhouettes

• Avoid giving up on identifying a bird that you only see for a brief moment. It is true that you will frequently get only a glimpse of a bird or fail to get close enough to get a long look at it. This is when being acquainted with the silhouettes of certain species pays off. These outlines are something any bird-watcher learns early on, as it enables her to eliminate many types and focus in on a specific group of birds that have a similar look from afar. The silhouettes of birds like owls, crows, jays, cardinals, herons and raptors are unmistakable. Field guides have a section devoted to these profiles that do not take long to memorize.