Plumage & Perch
A field reference for backyard birding: identification, behaviour, feeding, and how to bring more birds into your garden.
Topics
Finches & Sparrows
Granivorous garden visitors of the families Fringillidae and Passeridae — identification, song, and feeder preferences.
Warblers
New and Old World warblers (Parulidae and Sylviidae): cryptic, fast-moving, often heard before seen — identification and migration timing.
Thrushes & Robins
Turdidae — robins, blackbirds, bluebirds, and their relatives, the most musical birds in most gardens.
Raptors
Diurnal birds of prey — hawks, falcons, eagles, kites — for the birder learning to read silhouettes against the sky.
Owls
Strigidae and Tytonidae: nocturnal hunters in field, woodland, and increasingly the urban edge.
Waterfowl
Ducks, geese, and swans (Anatidae) — pond, lake, and estuary residents, including how to tell similar species apart in eclipse plumage.
Corvids
Crows, ravens, jays, and magpies — the family most likely to recognise you back, and the smartest birds in any garden.
Woodpeckers
Picidae: drummers and excavators of dead wood, easy to attract with the right feeder and a standing snag.
Hummingbirds
Trochilidae — the smallest birds in the world and the most demanding feeder visitors.
Waders & Herons
Long-legged shoreline and wetland birds — herons, egrets, ibises, and their close relatives.
Attracting Birds
Cross-species practical guides: feeders, water, native planting, nest boxes, and the gardener-friendly habits that bring birds to stay.
Latest
Magnolia Warbler (Setophaga magnolia): Identification & Boreal Breeding
Field profile of Setophaga magnolia, the Magnolia Warbler: tail pattern, spring and autumn identification, boreal habitat, migration, and breeding ecology.
Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla): The Ground-walking Warbler
Field profile of Seiurus aurocapilla, the Ovenbird: ground-walking identification, teacher-teacher song, forest-interior habitat, and domed nest biology.
The Complete Warblers Guide: New World vs Old World, Identification & Migration
Field reference to New World and Old World warblers: taxonomy, identification, song, migration, habitat, and how to find them.
Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea): The Swamp-Cavity Parulid
Field profile of Protonotaria citrea, the Prothonotary Warbler: golden swamp plumage, cavity nesting, flooded forest habitat, migration, and conservation.
Blackburnian Warbler (Setophaga fusca): The Flame-Throated Canopy Specialist
Field profile of Setophaga fusca, the Blackburnian Warbler: flame-orange throat, canopy foraging, conifer breeding habitat, migration, and nesting.