Getting Into Shape for Bird Identification

Shape is one of the most useful and least talked about field marks that we can use to help identify birds. When the lighting is bad and distances are great, silhouettes are sometimes all we have to go on. Luckily, many species are identifiable by their silhouette alone.

This class will introduce you to the concept of birding by shape. By studying silhouettes, which remove the distraction of complex color patterns, structural features become much more apparent. We will compare similar species and see that shape is often the most reliable characteristic for separating them.

So, let’s get into shape; no exercise required!