hi, i'm aster, i use he/him mostly, i'm from the southeastern US, and my main is @aster-is-confused
you can send in birds by tagging me in a post or sending an ask with a photo! if you know where the photo was taken, then including the general region is super helpful for identification.
i also sometimes debunk fake birds (mostly ai photos and videos). if you're wondering whether a bird photo is ai, feel free to send it in.
if you notice an identification i posted is wrong, please let me know! i've only been birding for about 2 years, my identifications are sometimes pretty quick, and the tools i rely on are not foolproof, so it happens.
this blog is run by a trans guy, terfs fuck off
shoutout to my fellow tumblr bird identifiers, @identifying-birds @identifying-birds-in-posts @i-identify-birds-in-posts @identifying-parrots @birdidentification @birdidentifier @bird-id @birds-in-posts and probably more i forgot. (i have no relation to identifying-birds-in-posts, i just couldn't find a better url that wasn't taken.)
birds in pfp are all from the best rated photos in macaulay library as of february 2024
below the cut is my tagging system and answers to a few questions people might have (what sp. means, how i identify birds, how i tell if a bird photo is AI, what to do if you find a baby bird)
tagging system
"#aster identifies birds" - self explanatory
"#aster debunks birds" - debunking ai and photoshopped birds
"#aster rambles sometimes" - me talking about various things
each identification post is also tagged with what i identified it as.
if i identified it to species (or likely to species), i put the english common name (usually the most common/standard one if there are multiple) with hyphens and apostrophes removed. for example: "#mourning dove" "#red breasted nuthatch" "#swainsons thrush"
if i identified it only to some larger taxonomic unit, like genus or family, the tagging is more variable. typically it depends on whether that taxonomic unit has a widely used common name. for example: a post identified to Pelecanus sp. would be tagged "#pelican sp" since that's the common name for the genus. a post identified to Accipiter sp. would be tagged "#accipiter sp" since there's no common name.
sometimes i get loose with the tagging system and will put things like "#crow sp" or "#hawk sp" even when the formal taxonomic units encompassing those groups contain more than just that.
what does sp. mean?
sp. stands for species, and it's usually used when a bird can't be identified down to species level but you know it's in a certain group. for example, "sparrow sp." would mean it's some kind of sparrow, but i'm not sure which one.
how do you identify all those birds?
most of the birds i identify on here are ones i'm not personally familiar with and able to identify on sight, especially species outside of the eastern US. my main tool used to be google lens, but i've been getting fed up with their ai nonsense, so i use inaturalist more often now. other tools i use include good old fashioned googling ("hummingbird with pink throat," "pelican species list," etc), and occasionally the merlin bird ID app.
how do you tell if a bird photo is AI?
i usually state my reasoning in the post, so you can scroll through the '#aster debunks birds" tag for some examples, but here's some big red flags
overall photo quality and style. it's hard to explain, but AI nature photos trying to be realistic tend to have an almost animated look to them. AI photos trying to look like art lack any distinct or unique art style. they might have an uncanny valley feeling to them. they're also usually square and fairly grainy. these are rarely my only reasons, but they're usually a sign that tells me to look closer.
anatomy. study feathers and feet especially closely. look for extra toes, misshapen feet, an extra leg or wing, misshapen feathers, color patterns that are assymetrical or otherwise don't make sense, overly large and/or shiny eyes, etc.
species identification. this one can be a bit tricky because of course artists may stylize existing species or just create based on vibes and not one species. but if you can't identify a species it's at least based on, it's a red flag. note that species identification doesn't rule out AI though. for example, if I asked AI to make a common species like a pigeon it would probably do fairly well, but if i ask for a general type of bird like a hawk, it's likely to combine features of several different hawk species, and maybe add some eagle and falcon traits too, making an unidentifiable species.
account. if the account seems to be a genuine artist or photographer with a well-made profile and many legitimate works in other recent posts, it's less likely to be ai. ai photos are most often accounts with fairly little information, maybe even no captions on the photos. their pictures may portray a wide range of things, or they may be mostly focused on one theme. accounts that post AI images usually post either exclusively AI images or AI images mixed in with reposted content.
obvious giveaways. these are typically when the poster isn't trying to hide that fact that the photo is AI generated. if the post includes a prompt that describes the image (usually a long phrase or a few sentences, often labeled as "prompt:"), it's almost certainly AI. AI-related tags are also a giveaway obviously.
what should you do if you find a baby bird?
there's plenty of resources on this, but i'm putting it here because people very often try to "help" young birds that are doing just fine. from the Audubon article linked below: "Eighty percent of baby birds that [are brought to a rehabber] have basically just been kidnapped." if you find a baby bird, ask these questions:
is it injured? no matter the age, if a bird is visibly injured or sick, or if it was attacked by a cat (cat saliva is very dangerous for birds), you should contact a wildlife rehabilitator and ask what to do. you should be able to find one nearby with a google search for "bird rehabilitators [state/province]." in the US it's illegal to handle a native bird in any condition (healthy, injured, or even dead) without proper permitting. it's rarely enforced, so do with that what you will, but there are big fines if they do enforce it. outside of the US, research your national and local laws regarding handling and rehabilitating birds before attempting to help an injured bird yourself.
is it fully feathered? if the young bird has a mostly full set of feathers (not just fluffy down), especially on its wings, and seems fully alert, it is supposed to be out of the nest. this is called a fledgling, it's a bird that has left the nest when it was supposed to but still gets food from its parents for a few weeks. fledglings often lack fear of humans, so people are worried that they're injured or hurt because they'll allow a person to pick them up, or just aren't able to fly strongly yet. even if it's not scared of you, do not handle the bird (pick it up, try to feed it, etc) if its not in danger. this is just stressful for the chick and for its parents too, since they're usually nearby. it's also normal for fledglings to struggle with flight and be generally clumsy, this doesn't necessarily mean that they're injured. if it's in a dangerous location like the road or a busy sidewalk, gently move it away from the danger. don't handle it more than you need to. afterwards, wash your hands if possible. if it's in your backyard and you have cats or dogs that go outside, try to limit and supervise their outside time for a few days while the fledgling is nearby. they're at a very vulnerable age and can be easy targets.
if it's not fully feathered: first, identify whether or not it is a precocial chick, aka a chick that leave the nest shortly after hatching and are covered in down. most commonly these are ducks, geese, or shorebirds. if it's covered in down and walking around or swimming, it's probably precocial. if it is, and it's alone, then wait a few hours and come back. if it's still there and alone, contact a rehabilitator. if it's not a precocial chick, and it's not a fledgling, then it will likely be sparsely feathered or completely naked. in this situation, look for a nest nearby. at this age, the chick can't travel far, so keep your search within 10 feet or so of where you found it. if you find the nest, return the chick to the nest. if you can't find it, you can make a homemade "nest" with a bowl, some twigs, and soft material like dead grass. attach this to a nearby tree and wait a few hours to see if the parent bird visits the nest. if it doesn't, contact a wildlife rehabilitator.
more resources on when/how to help baby birds:
^ by birdandmoon (part of it is a joke obviously but there's still very good info here)
It’s not uncommon to find young birds away from their nests during spring and summer. But should you help them? That depends.
This picture indicates how to identify a nestling from a fledgling. Why is this important? Nestlings should be in a nest. If you find a nest
I feel like y'all might be able to help me identify this bird (in arizona) I was seriously about to type "small brown bird yelling really loud" because I dunno who tf this bitch is but they like to yell at me and my cat. I have tried whistling, interpretive dance, and bribes, but so far, I've learned nothing
most likely northern mockingbird, Mimus polyglottos! (would be more confident if i had a side view and/or better lighting)
they definitely do like yelling! if you still want to bribe him, they mostly eat insects, but will occasionally come to feeders with suet or peanuts if they're having trouble finding insects (like in winter)
grey catbird, Dumetella carolinensis! this one appears to be leucistic, which is a mutation causing partial lack of pigment! another leucistic grey catbird to compare:
you get a black-bellied whistling-duck, Dendrocygna autumnalis!
these fellas live throughout south america down to central argentina, the coasts of central america and mexico, and the southern US! the north american populations are somewhat migratory, moving slightly north for the breeding season, and their breeding range is shifting northward over time due to climate change. they eat mostly grains and often forage in agricultural fields. as the name implies, they make a whistling call. i've seen them once before, when my gps led me astray into a small farm town in arkansas and i was driving past a reservoir on a gravel road. with their pink legs and bills, i immediately knew what species of duck i was looking at!
i also need to update my pinned post section about identifying ai. the ai videos have gotten so much better over the past year it's absurd. now it often requires frame-by-frame analysis to notice anything's wrong
okay i have a ton of work i need to be doing for finals, so i'm going to reward myself for getting work done by finally answering the trick or treat asks!
i know you said you don't think it's a eurasian jay, but as far as i can tell, there's basically nothing else this could be. from birds of the world: "The Eurasian Jay is a relatively distinctive species and unlikely to be confused within its range."
there is a fair bit of variation within the species, which may explain slight differences between the pictures other people have posted and what you saw. for example, searching specifically for pictures of eurasian jays in spain, most of them did have that white marking on the wings that you mentioned.
the field markings you marked in flight are also pretty close, with the exception of the blue being on the back of the wings, but that positioning also doesn't line up with the positioning of the blue in the first sketch
did you draw the sketch as you were watching the bird, or was it from memory later? it's easy to misremember field marks once you're no longer looking at a bird
AI generated bird. i was suspicious so i took a screen recording and went frame by frame and there's some bizarre things happening. its right leg becomes its left leg when it turns, it rotates its head a full 360 degrees, and its wings bend at unnatural angles multiple times. like, the joints in a bird's wings do not bend in this direction:
it does resemble a purple starling, Lamprotornis purpureus, but it's not a perfect match because it's not a real video.
here are some lovely real videos of purple starlings! look at those awesome eyes the the greenish hues that the AI left out!
