Features to Note
Wing bars, eye-lines and eye-rings, breast markings, tail spots, and bill and leg color can usually separate even very similar birds.
Bell's vireo, Red-eyed vireo - eye-ring or eye-line
Eastern phoebe, Eastern wood-pewee - plain wing or wing bar
Wood thrush, Brown thrasher - breast spots or breast streaks
Other Clues to Identification
Knowing what to expect WHEN:
One of the clues to identifying birds is to know what to expect seasonally. For example, the chipping sparrow and the American tree sparrow look similar. Both have wing bars, eye-lines and plain breasts. The chipping sparrow, however, is a summer resident while the American tree sparrow occurs in Missouri only in winter.
Knowing what to expect WHERE:
Each species of bird is associated with a particular habitat or habitats. Habitats usually have certain vegetative or landform characteristics that provide the species food and shelter. Knowing the habitat associations of a species enables you to know where to look for it. Generally, the more habitats you visit, the more kinds of birds you will see. An understanding of habitat associations also will enable you to know what to expect where, and can, therefore, be used to identify birds.
For example, although the upland sandpiper and greater yellowlegs are somewhat similar in appearance, the upland sandpiper is found on grasslands, while the yellowlegs is usually found along shorelines when in Missouri.
