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Identify Yourself: The 50 Most Common Birding Identification Challenges

by Bill Thompson, III; Julie Zickefoose (Illustrated by); Kenn Kaufman (foreword by); and the Editors of Bird Watcher's Digest

Special Excerpt: Warbler Identification Chapter

Identifying Warblers Head to Tail

No matter when spring comes to your part of the world, warblers will be coming with it. Spring warbler watching means calling up information that has been stored, unused in the memory banks, for nearly a year. This chapter is designed as an exercise to stretch and warm up the mental muscles in preparation for the coming waves. When you have the right mindset, you will be amazed by how quickly you remember.

One reason spring warbler watching appeals to so many people is that the birds are so striking. Most of them are easy to identify-although not always easy to see. There is little chance of confusion when you see a male hooded warbler or an American redstart or a red-faced warbler or a black-throated gray. Open up any field guide and the picture jumps off the page.

Females are often as easy; in many cases they are simply slightly duller versions of the males. Bird watchers who see a spring warbler and draw a blank usually do so because they have not seen the bird before, or because so many birds have been seen in such a short period that they are suffering from memory lock. After all, more than 50 warblers regularly occur in North America in the spring, and in some parts of the country it is possible to see more than 20 species on a good day. Spring warblers can sometimes be almost too much of a good thing.

For those anticipating their first spring with warblers or who have not been able to spend much time with these birds, we'll start with some basic warbler watching and identification tips that should make it easier to put a name on any bird.

Basic Warbler Watching: A Checklist

First, decide if what you are looking at is a warbler. This is not hard most of the time. The only real area of confusion involves the vireos, which tend to be plain greenish birds. In general, vireos are less colorful, slower moving, and have larger bills than warblers. When you do find a bird that you don't recognize immediately, work your way quickly through a mental checklist. Do this before you look at the book! The bird may fly away before you get another look, but the book will always be there.

Start your checklist with an overall impression of color and pattern. Many warblers are so striking that you may be tempted to stop there. Don't! An all-yellow bird can be any of a half-dozen warblers, and if all you note is its color, you will end up frustrated. Once you have the general color and pattern, start on the specifics.

For the complete Warbler Identification Checklist, buy your copy of Identify Yourself today >>