LoreIdentify garden birds: practise a small set
Start identifying garden birds with shape and head markings. Compare confusing species and practise with photos of tits and European Robin.
Practise birds of the NetherlandsExplore the Netherlands regional guideMake your own starting list
Choose a few birds you regularly see around you. Watch them carefully before attaching a name. You do not need to learn an entire national list before starting with a small collection of garden birds.
Compare features rather than colour alone
Blue Tit and Great Tit illustrate why one colour is insufficient. In adult birds, compare the Blue Tit’s blue crown with the Great Tit’s black head. Both have yellow underparts. The separate comparison explains the head pattern and dark central stripe.
Use the photographs to practise
Look at the examples, then cover the names. Can you identify a visible clue in each photograph? Next, find another picture of that species in Lore and see whether you recognise it in a different pose.
Keep your selection in a guide
A custom guide can keep your practice collection small. Add the birds you want to learn and practise within that collection. Expand it when you want to. Read the winter-birds page if you are focusing on the colder months.
Photo © Dmitry P. · CC BY-NC · iNaturalist
Photo © William Stephens · CC BY · iNaturalist
Photo © Chme82 · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
