Follow these steps to identify birds quickly

This story was originally published in February 2021. The first point when it comes to identifying birds quickly is this: size matters. Color may catch the eye, but size is the first thing the brain registers. Perhaps that’s a throwback to our prehistoric ancestors, who had to make a quick judgment about whether a predator was big enough to eat them. A particular bird species may have confusing color variations, depending on age and gender, but seldom does it vary in size. Young bald eagles go through several color plumages before reaching adulthood, but once they’re out of the nest, every eagle is eagle-sized. The first step in quickly identifying a bird is to judge its size. Birds come in all sizes, from hummingbird to ostrich, but fortunately a lot of them can be grouped together by comparing them to common birds you already know. Your brain does it automatically. You can quickly judge if a bird is chickadee-size, robin-size, crow-size or larger.

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