Table of Contents
Introduction 12
Getting Started 13
Birding 101 15
Four Keys to Bird Identification 16
Using Field Marks to Identify Birds 28
Use Merlin to See the Possibilities 30
Tips for Beginning Bird Watchers 31
Listening to Birds 34
Photographing Birds 36
Digiscoping 38
Attracting Birds to Your Yard 41
Birdscaping 42
Bird Feeders 44
Feeder Placement & Safety 46
Bird Food 47
Water Sources 51
Features of a Good Birdhouse 52
Getting Involved 57
Citizen Science 58
eBird 59
Great Backyard Bird Count 62
Bird Academy 63
Project FeederWatch 64
NestWatch 66
Celebrate Urban Birds 67
Seven Simple Actions to Help Birds 68
Guide to Species 71
Snow Goose 72 Geese • Swans • Ducks
Canada Goose 73
Mute Swan 74
Trumpeter Swan 75
Wood Duck 76
Blue-winged Teal 77
Northern Shoveler 78 Geese • Ducks • Swans
Gadwall 79
American Wigeon 80
Mallard 81
American Black Duck 82
Northern Pintail 83
Canvasback 84
Redhead 85
Greater Scaup 86
Lesser Scaup 87
Ruddy Duck 88
Northern Bobwhite 89 Quail • Turkey • Grouse
Wild Turkey 90
Ruffed Grouse 91
Spruce Grouse 92
Ring-necked Pheasant 93
Pied-billed Grebe 94 Grebes
Red-necked Grebe 95
Eared Grebe 96
Western Grebe 97
Rock Pigeon 98 Pigeons • Doves • Cuckoos
Eurasian Collared-Dove 99
Mourning Dove 100
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 102
Black-billed Cuckoo 102
Common Nighthawk 103 Nightjars
Chimney Swift 104 Swifts • Hummingbirds
White-throated Swift 105
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 106
Sora 107 Rails • Gallinules • Coots
Common Gallinule 108
American Coot 109
Sandhill Crane 110 Cranes • Stilts
Black-necked Stilt 111
American Golden-Plover 112 Plovers • Sandpipers
Killdeer 113
Upland Sandpiper 114
Longon Sandpiper 114
Long-billed Curlew 115
Marbled Godwit 116
Ruddy Turnstone 117
Sanderling 118
Spotted Sandpiper 119 Plovers • Sandpipers
Willet 120
Franklin's Gull 121 Gulls • Terns
Ring-billed Gull 122
Herring Gull 123
Glaucous Gull 124
Great Black-backed Gull 125
Caspian Tern 126
Black Tern 127
Common Tern 128
Forster's Tern 129
Common Loon 130 Loons
Double-crested Cormorant 131 Cormorants • Pelicans
American White Pelican 132
Great Blue Heron 133 Herons • Ibises
Great Egret 134
Snowy Egret 135
Little Blue Heron 136
Cattle Egret 137
Green Heron 138
Black-Crowned Night-Heron 139
White-faced Ibis 140
Black Vulture 141 Vultures
Turkey Vulture 142
Osprey 143 Kites • Hawks • Eagles
Golden Eagle 144
Mississippi Kite 145
Northern Harrier 146
Cooper's Hawk 147
Bald Eagle 148
Red-shouldered Hawk 149
Swainson's Hawk 150
Red-tailed Hawk 151
Rough-legged Hawk 152
Eastern Screech-Owl 153 Owls
Great Horned Owl 154
Snowy Owl 155
Burrowing Owl 156
Barred Owl 157
Great Gray Owl 158
Belted Kingfisher 159 Kingfishers
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 160 Woodpeckers
Red-headed Woodpecker 161
Red-bellied Woodpecker 162
Downy Woodpecker 163
Ladder-backed Woodpecker 164
Hairy Woodpecker 165
Pileated Woodpecker 166
Northern Flicker 167
American Kestrel 168 Falcons
Peregrine Falcon 169
Western Wood-Pewee 170 Tyrant Flycatchers
Eastern Wood-Pewee 171
Least Flycatcher 172
Eastern Phoebe 173
Say's Phoebe 174
Great Crested Flycatcher 175
Western Kingbird 176
Eastern Kingbird 177
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher 178
Yellow throated Vireo 179 Vireos
Warbling Vireo 180
Red-eyed Vireo 181
Loggerhead Shrike 182 Shrikes
Northern Shrike 183
Canada Jay 184 Jays • Magpies • Crows
Blue Jay 185
Black-billed Magple 186
American Crow 187
Fish Crow 188
Common Raven 189
Carolina Chickadee 190 Chickadees • Titmice
Black-capped Chickadee 191
Boreal Chickadee 192
Tufted Titmouse 192
Tufted Titmouse 193
Horned Lark 194 Larks
Purple Martin 195 Swallows
Tree Swallow 196
Violet-green Swallow 197
Barn Swallow 198
Cliff Swallow 199
Golden-crowned Kinglet 200 Kinglets
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 201 Kinglets
Red-breasted Nuthatch 202 Nuthatches
White-breasted Nuthatch 203
Brown Creeper 204 Creepers
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 205 Gnatcatchers
Rock Wren 206 Wrens
House Wren 207
Winter Wren 208
Carolina Wren 209
European Starling 210 Starlings
Gray Catbird 211 Catbirds
Brown Thrasher 212 Thrashers • Mockinngsbirds
Northern Mockingbird 213
Eastern Bluebird 214 Thrushes
Mountain Bluebird 215
Townsend's Solitaire 216
Swainson's Thrush 217
Hermit Thrush 218
Wood Thrush 219
American Robin 220
Bohemian Waxwing 221 Waxwings
Cedar Waxwing 222
House Sparrow 223 Old World Sparrows
Evening Grosbeak 224 Finches • Crossbills • Longspurs
Pine Grosbeak 225
House Finch 226
Purple Finch 227
Common Redpoll 228
Hoary Redpoll 229
Red Crossbill 230
Pine Siskin 231
American Goldfinch 232
Lapland Longspur 233
Snow Bunting 234
Grasshopper Sparrow 235 Sparrows • Juncos • Towhees
Lark Sparrow 236
Lark Bunting 237
Chipping Sparrow 238
Field Sparrow 239
Fox Sparrow 240
American Tree Sparrow 241
Dark-eyed Junco 242 Sparrows • Juncos • Towhees
White-crowned Sparrow 243
Harris's Sparrow 244
White-throated Sparrow 245
Savannah Sparrow 246
Song Sparrow 247
Swamp Sparrow 248
Spotted Towhee 249
Eastern Towhee 250
Yellow-breasted Chat 251 Blackbirds • Orioles • Grackles
Yellow-headed Blackbird 252
Bobolink 253
Western Meadowlark 254
Eastern Meadowlark 255
Orchard Oriole 256
Bullock's Oriole 257
Baltimore Oriole 258
Red-winged Blackbird 259
Brown-headed Cowbird 260
Brewer's Blackbird 261
Common Grackle 262
Great-tailed Grackle 263
Oven bird 264 Wood-Warblers
Black-and-white Warbler 265
Tennessee Warbler 266
Orange-crowned Warbler 267
Common Yellowthroat 268
American Redstart 269
Northern Parula 270
Magnolia Warbler 271
Blackbumian Warbler 272
Yellow Warbler 273
Chestnut-sided Warbler 274
Black-throated Blue Warbler 275
Palm Warbler 276
Pine Warbler 277
Yellow-rumped Warbler 278
Yellow-throated Warbler 279
Black-throated Green Warbler 280
Wilson's Warbler 281
Summer Tanager 282 Cardinals • Grosbeaks • Buntings
Scarlet Tanager 283 Cardinals • Grosbeaks • Buntings
Western Tanager 284
Northern Cardinal 285
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 286
Black-headed Grosbeak 287
Blue Grosbeak 288
Lazuli Bunting 289
Indigo Bunting 290
Painted Bunting 291
Dickcissel 292
Photo Credits 293
Index 298
Acknowledgments 302
