Tufted titmouse perched on a mossy branch showing its gray crest and rusty flanks

Bird Watching Glossary

Birding has its own vocabulary. Search or browse 60+ common terms — from field marks to birder slang — explained in plain English.

ABA Area
The area covered by the American Birding Association for its bird lists, encompassing North America north of Mexico.
Accidental
A bird observed outside its normal geographic range; a vagrant.
Alcid
A family of diving seabirds that includes auks, murres, and puffins.
Altricial
Birds hatched in a helpless condition, often naked and with eyes closed, requiring significant parental care.
Avifauna
The birds of a particular region, habitat, or geological period.
Baffle
A dome or cylinder fitted above or below a feeder to stop squirrels and other climbers from reaching it.
Beak
The bill of a bird, composed of jaws covered by a horny sheath.
Binoculars
Handheld optics for viewing distant birds. Described by two numbers, e.g. 8x42: 8x magnification and 42 mm objective lenses.
Brood
A group of young birds hatched at one time and cared for by the same parents.
Brood Parasite
A bird that lays its eggs in the nest of another species, which then raises the young.
Call
A short, simple vocalization used for communication, distinct from a song.
Canopy
The upper layer of a forest, formed by the crowns of trees.
CBC
Christmas Bird Count, an annual census of birds conducted by volunteers.
Close focus
The nearest distance at which binoculars can focus — shorter is better for nearby birds and butterflies.
Colony
A group of birds nesting or roosting together in a specific location.
Corvid
A member of the crow family (Corvidae), which includes crows, ravens, jays, and magpies.
Coverts
Small feathers that cover the bases of larger feathers on the wings and tail.
Crepuscular
Active primarily during twilight (dawn and dusk).
Crest
A tuft of feathers on the head of a bird.
Cryptic
Plumage that provides camouflage, helping a bird blend in with its environment.
Digiscoping
Taking photos or video by holding or mounting a phone or camera behind a spotting scope or binoculars.
Diurnal
Active during the day.
eBird
A free online database run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology where birders log sightings; the data supports research and conservation.
Endemic
A species found exclusively in a particular geographic area.
Extirpated
Locally extinct; no longer found in a specific area but still existing elsewhere.
Eye-ring
A ring of contrasting feathers or bare skin around a bird’s eye — a useful field mark.
Field mark
A visible feature, such as a wing bar, eye-ring or tail pattern, that helps identify a species.
Fledge
To leave the nest. A fledgling is a young bird that has recently left the nest — often before it can fly well — and is still fed by its parents.
Flyway
A major route that migratory birds follow.
Forage
The act of searching for food.
Gape
The interior of the open mouth of a bird.
Gregarious
Living in flocks or communities.
Habitat
The natural environment in which a species lives.
Hybrid
The offspring of two different species.
Irruption
An irregular migration of a large number of birds to an area where they are not typically found.
Jizz
The overall impression or character of a bird, including its shape, posture, and movement, used for identification.
Lek
A communal display area where males of a species gather to perform courtship rituals for females.
Lifer
The first time a birder sees a particular species.
Lore
The area between the eye and the bill on the side of a bird’s head.
Migration
The seasonal movement of birds from one region to another.
Mobbing
A behavior where smaller birds cooperatively attack or harass a predator.
Molt
The process of shedding and replacing feathers.
Morph
A distinct color or pattern variation within a single species.
Nape
The back of the neck.
Nocturnal
Active at night.
Nyjer
A small, oil-rich black seed (often called thistle) favored by goldfinches and other finches.
Passerine
A member of the order Passeriformes, known as perching birds or songbirds, characterized by a toe arrangement of three forward and one back.
Patch
A distinct area of color on a bird’s plumage or a small area of a particular habitat.
Pelagic
Relating to the open sea; a bird that lives over the open ocean.
Plumage
A bird’s entire set of feathers.
Precocial
Birds that are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of hatching.
Primaries
The long outer flight feathers of the wing, attached to the bird’s “hand.”
Raptor
A bird of prey, such as a hawk, eagle, or falcon.
Roost
A place where birds settle to rest or sleep.
Scrape
A simple nest consisting of a shallow depression in the ground.
Song
A longer, more complex vocalization used mainly to defend territory and attract a mate. In many North American songbirds mostly males sing, though females of some species sing too.
Spark bird
The bird that first sparked someone’s interest in birdwatching.
Suet
High-energy animal fat, often mixed with seeds, offered to woodpeckers, nuthatches and chickadees.
Supercilium
A stripe above a bird’s eye, also called an eyebrow stripe.
Twitcher
A birder who is willing to travel long distances to see a rare bird.
Vagrant
A bird found outside its expected range; an accidental.
Wing bar
A pale stripe across the folded wing formed by contrasting tips of the covert feathers.