About Wild Birds

Although some birds have been domesticated to be kept as pets, all species of birds are wild in their natural form. Wild birds fall into the class Aves in the Phylum Chordata, but within this class there are a number of different orders. This means that birds fall into many different groups depending on habitat, behavior, size, eating habits and other characteristics that make them unique. Birding is a popular hobby inviting people to locate local wild birds to learn more about their unique characteristics.

  1. Bird Species

    • More than 10,000 bird species have been identified in the world, and more than 930 of those species have been identified in North America. Europe is home to about 1,000 different bird species. The largest concentration of different bird species can be found in South America, where more than 3,200 unique wild bird species have been cited. Asia, Africa and the Caribbean are also home to many unique bird species. Antarctica alone plays home to at least 65 different bird species.

    Classifying Birds

    • All bird species fall into the kingdom Animalia, the phylum Chordata and the class Aves. Beyond that, all bird species are further categorized based on an order, family, genus and species that suits the individual bird species. The Passeriformes order, for example, refers to passerines, or birds that perch, and most of the birds that fit into this order are songbirds. Psittaciformes is the order that refers to parrots and related species. Beyond that, each order is split up into families. For example, the American Robin belongs to the genus and species Turdus migratorius, where the genus refers to a group of thrushes that are similar based on characteristics, and the family, Turdidae, refers to all thrushes belonging to the order Passeriformes.

    Wild Bird Color Identification

    • Many bird species fit into a color group as they are primarily one or two different colors. Bill, feet and leg colors are also often important in determining a bird's identification based on physical appearance. Identifying the basic colors of a bird will allow it to be located more quickly in a field guide or list of species. The most common colors for wild birds are red, red just around the head and the throat, blue, glossy blue-purple, orange, yellow, black, white, black and white, and gray.

    Wild Bird Habitat Identification

    • A few details about the habitat of an unknown bird will make identifying the bird more straight forward. Perching birds, woodpeckers, hummingbirds, owls and hawks are wild bird varieties that are likely to make forests, fields or woods their home. Gulls, terns and seabirds are most likely to make the ocean shore their home. Ponds and wetlands are the ideal habitat for ducks, geese and herons. Sandpipers make their homes on shores or in mudflats. The general habitat for a wild bird will divulge basic clues about the bird's identity.

    Wild Bird Size Identification

    • Measuring a wild bird is typically impossible, but wild birds can be accurately compared to other wild birds in order to help identify them. When sizing wild birds, they are often referred to as being smaller than a sparrow (between 2 and 5 inches), sparrow size (between 5 and 8 inches), robin size (between 8 and 12 inches), pigeon size (between 12 and 16 inches), crow size (between 16 and 24 inches), goose size (between 24 and 36 inches) or larger than goose size (between 36 and 72 inches).