How to Keep
     Learning About Birds

What Can Most Birders Do?

Bird specie identification is difficult, requiring substantial study and practice to gain proficiency. Most birders struggle with this challenge, as demonstrated by the Fish and Wildlife Service survey data displayed in the chart below. Most of us (72%) cannot identify more than 20 of the over 700 species that reside in North America.

Getting Better

• Get a field guide
  Without a field guide, you can only guess at a bird's ID. Buy a guide, study it, and bring it along with you when you are birding. If you see a bird and don't know what it is, check your guide when you get home as a follow-up. For more information on field guides, visit our outfitting section.
• Join organized bird walks
  One great way to learn from others is to participate in organized bird walks with friends and local organizations like your Audubon chapter. These walks give you a chance to ask questions of more experienced birders and share tips. For tours in our area (San Francisco), visit this great website with constantly updated information on locally organized walks. There may be a similar resource for walks in your area.
• Take adult education courses
  Many urban areas have educational institutions that offer night and weekend classes for people wanting to learn more about birds and bird identification. Check the course catalog for some of your adult education institutions and ask around. In San Francisco, there are great introductory and advanced courses for birders.
• Keep birding!
  Practice, practice, practice! The best way to improve is to get out in the field, watch the birds, and use your field guide to assist you in identification. One of the great things about birding is that you can do it almost anytime. Just be careful if you try while driving!