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Guide to Birds of North America
by Elizabeth Dearborn
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Overview
There are close to 1,000 species of birds in North America. If you watch birds all year round, you'll probably see 100 or more of them in your own neighborhood. For example, the male American goldfinch in the picture, in his beautiful summer plumage, is a bird you could see just about anywhere in North America. This article describes how to find, watch, and identify birds with the help of the Internet.
Male American goldfinch in summer
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Bird Watching for Beginners
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Bird Guide website is an excellent place to start learning about birds. (See the Resources section below.) The Bird Guide is searchable by name, description, and shape if you're just starting out, or by taxonomy if you know the bird's scientific name. The entries have photographs of male and female birds through the seasons and in their different life stages, information on each bird's behavior, habitat, and conservation status, and recorded bird calls.
Most female birds are more muted in color than the males of their species. The blue jay, shown here, is an exception to the general rule. Male and female blue jays look identical except that the male is a bit larger than the female.
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Places to See Birds
Take your binoculars and digital camera with you the next time you take a walk around the neighborhood or when you go on vacation. You'll see many birds that are new to you. The baby great horned owl in this photo lives in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Even if your interest doesn't extend to keeping a life list of all the birds you've been able to positively identify in your lifetime, snap a few photos anyway for your scrapbook or personal website.
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Further Study
You'll likely meet other bird enthusiasts while bird-watching. These people can point you to local bird-watching clubs, some offering tours and educational programs. The website of the Audubon Society maintains a list of more than 500 local chapters. (See the Resources section below.) The Audubon Society is named for John James Audubon, who lived from 1785 to 1851 and produced the classic book <I>Birds of America.</i> The National Geographic Society's <I>Field Guide to the Birds of North America,</i> edited by Jon L. Dunn and Jonathan Alderfer, is an excellent modern guide published in 2006.
Blue jay
Great horned owl chick
