Bird Identification Tips

Keys for Difficult Bird ID's

Let's face it...some birds are difficult to differentiate from a similar species. Ever see a Scaup from 50 yards away and try to tell whether it's a "Lesser" or "Greater"? How about telling apart the little "peeps" (tiny sandpipers)? Ugh...it's not always easy to identify the species when certain species look so similar.

Well, hopefully these pages can help you to make the difficult calls. The links below will take you to pages which highlight the differences between commonly confused species. Each page provides photos of each species, range maps to help you identify where each species is likely to be seen, and key identification tips to help you tell them apart. Is there some class of birds that stumps you? Please submit suggestions for any additional "difficult ID's", if you have them, and I'll do what I can to add them below.

	*"Prairie Grouse"* (Sharp-tailed Grouse vs. Prairie Chickens)
	Western vs. Clark's Grebe
	White Egrets and Herons
	Snow Goose vs. Ross's Goose
	Lesser vs. Greater Yellowlegs
	"Black-hooded" Gulls
	"Typical" Gulls
	*Hawks (Buteo Hawks)*
	Downy vs. Hairy Woodpecker
	Cedar vs. Bohemian Waxwing
	"Blue" Buntings and Grosbeaks
	House Finch vs. Purple Finch
	Goldfinch Species