Michigan Bird Identification

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Michigan is home to a respectable 414 different bird species, and with its variety of habitats and wide open spaces, it makes a good place for bird watching in the northern United States. For the amateur or novice birder, making an identification of a bird in the wild may seem intimidating, but it is really just a simple matter of observing bird characteristics and using them to eliminate candidates and make categorizations.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

Binoculars
Binoculars

Step 1

Observe the size and shape of the body, and also the proportion of the head to the body. During the summer, short-eared owls come to Michigan to breed. They are medium-sized and have a big, round head.

Step 2

Study the tail and the bill next. The trumpeter swan, found in southern Michigan, has a black, duck-like bill and a stubby tail.

Step 3

Study the bird's coloration. Michigan's state bird is the American robin. Theses familiar birds have brownish-gray bodies with orange chests and underparts, and dark heads. Females can be identified by their paler heads.

Step 4

Note how the bird behaves. Broad-winged hawks in Michigan are aerial-diving hunters who go after small rodents and other, similar mammals, small reptiles and the like.

Step 5

Note the bird's habitat as well. The spruce grouse lives in Michigan's forests, and is a ground-nester.

Article Written By Edwin Thomas

Edwin Thomas has been writing since 1997. His work has appeared in various online publications, including The Black Table, Proboxing-Fans and others. A travel blogger, editor and writer, Thomas has traveled from Argentina to Vietnam in pursuit of stories. He holds a Master of Arts in international affairs from American University.

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