I'm doing this to study for my ornithology classes (and for fun)

I’ll identify to species when possible // I’m not perfect, so go ahead and correct me if I get something wrong! I’ll get better over time though :) // icon by Jen O. Eliot // header by me

[i-identify-birds-in-posts]

🐦‍⬛ Pinned post 🐦‍⬛

Incomplete/tentative IDs (if you want to help out and test your own abilities)

IDs using eponymous common names (so they can be more easily located and subsequently replaced with new names when the time comes)

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I thought it would be fun to make a gimmick blog of my own, and this url was surprisingly (to me, anyway) available. Way too many posts have nice pictures or videos of birds, but no ID! These fellas have names, and people are more likely to care about organisms if they know a name to call them by! So:

Send asks, @ me in posts, and I'll do my best to ID the bird(s)! For the highest chance of a positive ID with asks, please include (when possible) a rough location and time of year.

((Please don't doxx yourselves lol, even something as general as "eastern Europe" is plenty))

While I'm pretty confident in my ID-ing abilities, I'm bound to make mistakes. So don't be afraid to speak up if I get something wrong, and I'll post a correction if I determine you were right. With that said, if I can't confidently ID to species, I'll ID to the lowest taxonomic level I can.

As for general housekeeping, all posts will be tagged with the order of the bird(s) involved and the type of media (photo, video, etc.). All IDs will use the accepted English common name present on eBird at the time of posting, and the taxonomic name. If an accepted common name changes, I can't guarantee I'll hear about it, so feel free to let me know and I'll go back and change my ID.

[i-identify-birds-in-posts]

See this fella at my job all the time, what are they?

That's a rock pigeon (Columba livia)! Or alternatively "rock dove" or just "pigeon". Due to bred individuals escaping and becoming feral, they're an extremely variable species all around. I always look for fun oddballs like this in any flock I see :) This fella is especially cute.

[i-identify-birds-in-posts]

Hi!

Yesterday, I found these two guys, I would like to know what they are in order to give them the best food possible until they are able to fly and leave.

I found them in the Mediterranean part of Europe, even though we are not near the sea.

Thank you in advance.

These look to be juvenile common swifts (Apus apus), or possibly pallid swifts (Apus pallidus) to me. They don't seem to have the pale faces of commons, but commons are much more widespread and these two could just be on the darker side, or it could be the photo angle.

Either way, all swifts are insectivores. They're highly adapted to catching insects right out of the air as they zip around. I'd of course recommend taking them to a wildlife rehab center (if you yourself don't already work for one), but if that's not an option, offering insects is what you want to do. You might be able to find feeder insects at a pet supply store, otherwise I would personally try something like a LIVE moth, fly, or caterpillar/grub from outside (just make sure the caterpillar isn't a poisonous species lol. Look for dull-colored ones without crazy patterning).

But they also may not want to eat at all until they recover. Like I said, swifts are made for aerial feeding. If they seem interested in an offered insect, maybe holding it in tongs a short distance above and away from them will encourage them to fly/jump to it and make eating feel more intuitive to them? Just a non-professional idea, I'm not a wildlife rehab worker. Still, I hope this helps somewhat, and I hope these two can fly away soon!

[omtai]

thought autocomplete would take me to outlook dot com not realising id forgotten the T before i pressed enter. However was very much pleased at what it took me to instead. I think I don't want to see my emails now. I think I will stay with the oul.

[brianllama]

@icannotgetoverbirds

[icannotgetoverbirds]

@bird-identifier @i-identify-birds-in-posts

[i-identify-birds-in-posts]

I'm fairly certain it's a spotted owlet (Athene brama), though a relatively grey individual (or maybe that's just the lighting).

[codaynamics]

@i-identify-birds-in-posts any idea who this fellow outside my window is? hes very curious about his reflection.

[i-identify-birds-in-posts]

Definitely a brown thrasher (Toxostoma rufum)! A personal favorite of mine, actually :)

[crabussy]

check this out!!!

[crabussy]

I genuinely have no idea what bird this could have come from. this video was taken in whangamatā, aotearoa, so if anyone has any ideas of what bird it’s from please speculate!! it’s rare for me to not know something like this (<- HUGE bird nerd) so I’m super curious to see if others can figure it out

[crabussy]

@identifying-birds-in-postss @identifying-birds @identifying-birds-in-posts @i-identify-birds-in-posts @birdidentification @birdidentifier @bird-id @birds-in-post hi bird nerds. I know it’s just a feather I wish I had the whole beast but can you guys work your magic……

[birdidentifier]

Disclaimer if any guesses I’m about to make are ridiculous— I’m unfortunately American and have almost no knowledge on NZ birds.

I think it’s fairly consistent with a kelp gull’s primaries, but those are rare around Whangamatā.

Maybe a magpie? But I have my reservations on that, since the colors are flipped…

I think we can unanimously agree it’s not a huia considering the fact those have been extinct for 100 years, but they’re all that come up if you look up “white tipped black primary feather NZ”

Generally, I have no idea… I’ll do some more research and get back to you if I have any findings!

[birdidentifier]

OP if you’re able to measure the feather it would be pretty helpful :) no rush ofc

[birdidentifier]

!!!! I have consulted a proper biologist and they say it’s a spotted dove’s tail feather !!!!

BIRD IDENTIFIED: Spotted dove (Spilopenia chinensis)

Spotted dove - Wikipedia

Spotted dove - Wikipedia

[crabussy]

HEAD IN HANDS. thank you so much oh my gosh that makes so much sense now that I think about it..... this whole time I was like WHAT IS THIS MYSTERIOUS IRIDESCENT SHINY BLUE BIRD. little did I know a dozen of these beasts were cooing around my neighbourhood as I searched and searched. hilarious!!! thank you so much!!!!

[crabussy]

UPDATE!!!! I'm actually pretty sure it is not a spotted dove tail feather, rather an eastern rosella tail feather. check this out!

left: images of eastern rosella tail feathers from google images right: the feather I found

@birdidentifier tagging you in case you're interested!

[birdidentifier]

The plot thickens! I personally think that’s a much better match. And they have the highest concentration on North Island, so that’s pretty likely… very cool! :)

BIRD REIDENTIFIED: Eastern rosella (Platycerus eximius)

Eastern rosella - Wikipedia

Eastern rosella - Wikipedia

[i-identify-birds-in-posts]

https://www.tumblr.com/kiskivmiske/770496642801696768/huh-is-that-a-bird-sounded-mechanical?source=share

Western Siberia, around 62°

I keep hearing this sound in the woods randomly during the day and at dusk around 5 pm. IRL it sounds almost like an electronic signal, but it moves, and I hear it at different locations without hearing an engine and often without seeing tracks. There's a junkyard juuuuust behind this area of the forest, but I also heard it near railway 3+km away. This isn't how our trains honk. When it echoes it does sound more like an animal, the tone differs a bit.

I know many birds that live in our woods: great gray owl, Ural owl, corvids, nutcrackers, jays, great tits, sparrows, nuthatches, grouses, thrushes, waxwings, etc. Or it's a very uncommon sound for any of them. Or it's a raven imitating a car going backwards. Or a bird that isn't common for this place. I've seen a barn owl and a flamingo going as far as near Ekaterinburg. Or just aliens.

I'm sadly not EXTREMELY familiar with Eurasian birds, but upon hearing it my immediate thought was a jay, or at least a corvid. It's hard to find examples but I can tell you blue jays (Cyanocitta cristata) of N America make "pinging" or "plonking" sounds like that on occasion. So with that informing my research, I looked at corvids.

It's not identical but I found this clip of common ravens (Corvus corax) making a very similar sound. Considering animals can have "accents" and individual variation, especially with birds, that's my best guess. Even in this video, the final raven makes the sound three times while the other two only do it twice. I wouldn't be surprised if some populations have a longer gap between the "klonks". Distance and echoes can change the sound too, of course.

(original video)

(sorry for the horrid cropping lol I only have very basic video editing software on my laptop)

So I'm fairly confident that's what your animal is. At the very least it's almost certainly a corvid, maybe even one mimicking another. It's a really cool sound either way! Thank you for the ask ^ ^

[i-identify-birds-in-posts]

Hello! I believe these guys are Russian, I may be wrong though. Do you know what they are?

These are snow buntings (Plectrophenax nivalis), and they do indeed occur in Russia!

[blignick]

[i-identify-birds-in-posts]

Great white pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus)

[cache-valley-cryptid]

funny little bird does a dance :0 woaaa

[i-identify-birds-in-posts]

American dipper (Cinclus mexicanus)

[babyfoxcollectionthings]

[i-identify-birds-in-posts]

White-booted racket-tail (Ocreatus underwoodii)

[stormbreeze-deactivated20251004]

[i-identify-birds-in-posts]

*cracks knuckles*

These are all varieties of gouldian finch (Chloebia gouldiae)

Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus)

Mix of Allen's hummingbirds (Selasphorus sasin), Anna's hummingbirds (Calypte anna), and Costa's hummingbirds (Calypte costae)

Resplendent quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno)

Marvelous spatuletail (Loddigesia mirabilis)

Violet sabrewing (Campylopterus hemileucurus)

Probably snowy-bellied hummingbird (Saucerottia edward)

Top: Crowned woodnymph (Thalurania colombica)

Middle: I can't ID that one for the life of me, but it's probably an emerald (tribe Trochilini)

Bottom (above): Probably emerald-bellied puffleg (Eriocnemis aline)

Bottom (below): Some kind of woodstar, leaning towards purple-throated woodstar (Philodice mitchellii)

Baya weaver (Ploceus philippinus)

Front: Green-crowned brilliant (Heliodoxa jacula)

Back: Possibly rufous-tailed hummingbird (Amazilia tzacatl)

Rose-ringed parakeet (Psittacula krameri)

Green-headed tanager (Tangara seledon)

Anna's hummingbird (Calypte anna)

Warbling white-eye (Zosterops japonicus)

Yellow-throated toucan (Ramphastos ambiguus)

(I don't want to ID any more hummingbirds.... please........)

Best guess is violet-fronted brilliant (Heliodoxa leadbeateri)

Long-tailed silky-flycatcher (Ptiliogonys caudatus)

Green-and-black fruiteater (Pipreola riefferii)

Either purple-throated mountain-gem (Lampornis calolaemus) or white-throated mountain-gem (L. castaneoventris)

Cabot's tragopan (Tragopan caboti)

(stop with the hummingbirds T-T)

Violet-tailed sylph (Aglaiocercus coelestis)

Baya weaver (Ploceus philippinus) (again)

Scaly-breasted munia (Lonchura punctulata)

Rufous treepie (Dendrocitta vagabunda)

Painted bunting (Passerina ciris)

Collared aracari (Pteroglossus torquatus)

Scarlet macaw (Ara macao)

Brown-hooded parrot (Pyrilia haematotis)

(AAAAAAAAAAA)

Best guess is shining sunbeam (Aglaeactis cupripennis)

((last few birds in the reblog due to hitting the image limit))

[i-identify-birds-in-posts]

Turquoise-browed motmot (Eumomota superciliosa)

Spotted owlet (Athene brama)

Too hard to say for sure, likely an Old World babbler (family Timaliidae)

Warbling white-eye (Zosterops japonicus) (again)

Red-legged honeycreeper (Cyanerpes cyaneus)

[stormbreeze-deactivated20251004]

[i-identify-birds-in-posts]

*cracks knuckles*

These are all varieties of gouldian finch (Chloebia gouldiae)

Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus)

Mix of Allen's hummingbirds (Selasphorus sasin), Anna's hummingbirds (Calypte anna), and Costa's hummingbirds (Calypte costae)

Resplendent quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno)

Marvelous spatuletail (Loddigesia mirabilis)

Violet sabrewing (Campylopterus hemileucurus)

Probably snowy-bellied hummingbird (Saucerottia edward)

Top: Crowned woodnymph (Thalurania colombica)

Middle: I can't ID that one for the life of me, but it's probably an emerald (tribe Trochilini)

Bottom (above): Probably emerald-bellied puffleg (Eriocnemis aline)

Bottom (below): Some kind of woodstar, leaning towards purple-throated woodstar (Philodice mitchellii)

Baya weaver (Ploceus philippinus)

Front: Green-crowned brilliant (Heliodoxa jacula)

Back: Possibly rufous-tailed hummingbird (Amazilia tzacatl)

Rose-ringed parakeet (Psittacula krameri)

Green-headed tanager (Tangara seledon)

Anna's hummingbird (Calypte anna)

Warbling white-eye (Zosterops japonicus)

Yellow-throated toucan (Ramphastos ambiguus)

(I don't want to ID any more hummingbirds.... please........)

Best guess is violet-fronted brilliant (Heliodoxa leadbeateri)

Long-tailed silky-flycatcher (Ptiliogonys caudatus)

Green-and-black fruiteater (Pipreola riefferii)

Either purple-throated mountain-gem (Lampornis calolaemus) or white-throated mountain-gem (L. castaneoventris)

Cabot's tragopan (Tragopan caboti)

(stop with the hummingbirds T-T)

Violet-tailed sylph (Aglaiocercus coelestis)

Baya weaver (Ploceus philippinus) (again)

Scaly-breasted munia (Lonchura punctulata)

Rufous treepie (Dendrocitta vagabunda)

Painted bunting (Passerina ciris)

Collared aracari (Pteroglossus torquatus)

Scarlet macaw (Ara macao)

Brown-hooded parrot (Pyrilia haematotis)

(AAAAAAAAAAA)

Best guess is shining sunbeam (Aglaeactis cupripennis)

((last few birds in the reblog due to hitting the image limit))

[wenona515]

[i-identify-birds-in-posts]

Most likely a sanderling (Calidris alba)

[fleshdyketwo]

Gwaaaugh

squish him like bug

[i-identify-birds-in-posts]

Loggerhead shrike (Lanius ludovicianus)

[sb0ers]

[i-identify-birds-in-posts]

Eurasian coot (Fulica atra)

[ur-daily-inspiration]

Cute birds appreciation post

[i-identify-birds-in-posts]

Blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata)

Baltimore oriole (Icterus galbula)

Tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)

American redstart (Setophaga ruticilla)

Orchard oriole (Icterus spurius)

Ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)

Black-and-white warbler (Mniotilta varia)

Blue-winged warbler (Vermivora cyanoptera)

Rose-breasted grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus)

Indigo bunting (Passerina cyanea)

Yellow warbler (Setophaga petechia)

Cedar waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)

Northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)

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To assuage any fears: whoever is handling the birds is clearly a researcher, likely taking these videos directly after banding them (when their legs are visible, you can see these bands). This person is holding each bird in the safest way possible for its species. When banding small birds, they are caught in mist net traps (very fine, gentle nets), then promptly and safely removed by trained researchers to be banded, have measurements taken, and are then released.

Never attempt to catch wild birds unless you are trained to do so.