Bird Song Identification with Birding Apps, Audio Guides and Free Online Resources
Bird song identification can be overwhelming, especially when you're a beginner. But
there are plenty of audio resources out there to help you learn songs much easier.
There are Bird ID cd guides by Peterson, Audubon, Stokes and others. Below are some of the better audio guides for bird songs that are easy to use. Some include songs for birds in North America while others focus on a specific region, like Western or Eastern bird songs.
Best Bird Song ID Apps for Mobile Devices
It's nice to have the songs with you when you're in the field trying to identify a bird, so you can either carry a portable CD player (old school or even older - cassette player!) or transfer the songs over to a mp3 player, like an iPod, or use a Birding App on your iOS or Android device.
If you prefer additional portability for mobile devices, view this page:
Best Birding Apps for iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad and Android.
Birding By Ear Song ID Series
Our personal favorite is the "Birding By Ear" CD series.
It groups bird songs by similarity such as sing-songers like robins, tanagers and vireos or trillers like chipping sparrows and juncos. I used the Western version when I moved out west and needed to learn songs for a job doing bird counts.
There is a Western and Eastern/Central version. It's easy to find each bird's song on the CD because the booklet tells you exactly where it is, for example:
Swainson's Thrush: Disk 2: track 9: time 1:45. The booklet also gives habitat and voice descriptions for each bird.
You can listen for free to some common Bird Song audio files from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology Macaulay Libary. Use the search box and then choose "audio" from the drop-down menu.
Don't get too discouraged with bird song identification, enjoy your time outdoors and, of course, your bird watching bliss!
More Tips and Info about Bird Identification:
Bird Identification - Tips and questions for identifying birds.
Warbler ID Guide with Songograms
Learn about Bird Song Anatomy in Birds
|
Our Favorite Bird Watching Binoculars, Squirrel-Proof Feeder & Hummingbird Feeder Read Our Reviews: |
||
Nikon Monarch M5
Best mid-priced bird watching binoculars. Waterproof, shockproof, multi-coated ED-Glass. |
|
Bird Bath Heater
Keeps your bird baths ice-free down to -20 F. Low-operating costs ~$1/mo |
| Click Images or Links To View More Info | ||