The brilliant red of a male Northern Cardinal is hard to miss. As important as color, though, is the pattern colors make on a bird. Examine the eyebrows, eye rings, eye lines, or mustaches on a bird's head. Wing patterns can be helpful, too, as can rump and tail patterns. Some birds walk, swim, or fly in so characteristic a manner that they can be identified solely by their behavior.
Behavioral clues can be obvious or subtle.
Regardless, they're helpful in identifying birds under a variety of circumstances. Since it's often easier to hear birds than to see them, you'll identify more birds than you could with binoculars alone if you learn to recognize their vocalizations. Songs are usually given by adult males on territory during the nesting season, though they may also be heard during migration and, in some species, during the winter as well. Calls or call notes are generally simpler and often given throughout the year in a variety of situations to express alarm, to maintain contact with other members of a flock, or during interactions with a mate or young. Habitat and Range Few beginning birders realize how specific species can be in their habitat requirements.