12 species
to know by name.

Thrushes (Turdidae)

Brick-red breast contrasting sharply with a dark gray-black back and head. White eye-ring, yellow bill, and white tail spots visible in flight.

Cardinals (Cardinalidae)

Males are unmistakably vivid red with a distinctive crest and black mask around the bill. Females are warm buff-brown with red tinges on crest, wings, and tail — equally striking in their subtler way.

Tits and Chickadees (Paridae)

Crisp black cap and bib contrasting with white cheeks. Soft gray back and wings with buffy flanks. Tiny, rounded body and short straight bill.

Hawks and Eagles (Accipitridae)

Broad, rounded wings and a short, wide tail. Adults show a distinctive brick-red upper tail visible in flight. Dark belly band across a pale underside. Wide variation in plumage across subspecies.

Ducks (Anatidae)

Males have an iridescent green head, white collar, chestnut breast, and yellow bill. Females are mottled brown with a distinctive orange-and-brown bill. Both sexes show a violet-blue speculum (wing patch) bordered by white.

Swallows (Hirundinidae)

Deeply forked tail — the longest of any North American swallow. Steel-blue upperparts, rusty-orange forehead and throat, and pale cinnamon underparts. Elegant, streamlined silhouette in flight.

True Owls (Strigidae)

Large, barrel-shaped body with prominent ear tufts ('horns'). Rich brown-and-buff barring, bright yellow eyes, and a white throat patch. Facial disc frames the face in a flat, forward-facing plane.

Hummingbirds (Trochilidae)

Males have a brilliantly iridescent ruby-red gorget (throat patch) that appears black in poor light. Metallic green above, pale below. Females lack the gorget and show white-tipped outer tail feathers.

Finches (Fringillidae)

Breeding males are brilliant canary-yellow with a black forehead cap and black-and-white wings. Females and winter males are olive-yellow. Bill is small, conical, and pink-orange — designed for seed-cracking.

Ducks (Anatidae)

Black head and neck with a distinctive white chinstrap patch. Brown body, pale breast, and white undertail. Large, heavy-bodied silhouette in flight with long neck extended.

Woodpeckers (Picidae)

North America's smallest woodpecker. Bold black-and-white pattern with a white back stripe. Males have a small red patch on the nape. Short, stubby bill distinguishes it from the nearly identical but larger Hairy Woodpecker.

Ospreys (Pandionidae)

Brown above, white below, with a distinctive dark wrist patch on the underwing. White head with a broad brown eye-stripe. Pale-blue feet with reversible outer toe adapted for gripping fish.