Who’s That Bird? Resources For Identifying Panama Fruit Feeder Cam Visitors

Watching Bird Cams

Who’s that bird above? In this case, that’s a Common Tody-Flycatcher. Suppose, however, that you did not know that this was a tody-flycatcher. Where would you start in the identification process? Thankfully, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology has several ways to help you identify birds, both on the Panama Fruit Feeder Cam and beyond.

A good first step in identifying an unknown feeder cam visitor is the Panama Fruit Feeder Cam webpage. All of the species that have ever visited the Panama Fruit Feeder Cam are listed there beneath the live view, with full-color images that link to more information. This is a great starting place to learn about your mystery bird. The cam allows for quick, visual access to all of the feeder’s visitors at a glance. Want to see more? Check out more images in the digital archives at the Macaulay Library.

Ask Merlin For Help

Another useful tool for bird identification is the Cornell Lab’s Merlin Bird ID app. This free app is available on IOS or Android, and it helps users identify birds that they see or hear. Use Merlin’s Bird ID Wizard or submit photos to help identify birds on cam. Merlin has content for over 7,500 species worldwide. Download the ‘Bird Pack‘ (also free) for Panama and you’re on your way to solving the mystery. Each Bird Pack provides a field guide to the birds of the region with photos, sounds, and helpful ID text for bird species in the region.

Learn Birding Tips From The Experts

Looking to learn the basics of bird identification? Then check out Cornell Lab’s Inside Birding, a series of how-to videos for learning to identify birds. Each short video guides you through four basic keys to bird identification with clear instruction and examples.

Got your basic skills down and want to focus on Panamanian birds? Our Panama Fruit Feeder Youtube Playlist contains hundreds of highlights of the species that visit our cam. These videos contain short clips of actual cam footage of each species either visiting the feeder, or the surrounding trees. Seeing these birds as they appear on Cam with their names on screen and real time audio, can go a long way toward helping reinforce the species identification. In addition to the individual species highlights, there is a also short video of the more common feeder visitors and a longer video featuring all of the species ever seen on cam.

Level Up Your Skills With Bird Academy

The Cornell Lab’s Bird Academy hosts a plethora of courses aimed at helping bird enthusiasts of all levels become more adept at identifying birds. These courses allow you to start at your level and set your own pace. Offerings include courses covering identifying species within specific bird groups or courses covering general characteristics such as color and pattern. Head on over to Bird Academy and peruse the wide range of courses and start your journey to becoming a more skilled birder. The Be A Better Birder series (pictured below), specifically courses 1: Size and Shape, and 2: Color and Pattern are great course to start with.

Ask The Cam Community

Want to learn about your unknown bird in a more interactive way? You can interact with other bird enthusiasts on the Panama Fruit Feeder Cam Twitter or the Explore.org Disqus forums. You’ll find active communities of Bird Cams staff, volunteers and viewers interacting and discussing what they see on cam. Post screenshots or simply note the time of a bird’s visit and join other viewers in learning about these birds.

Whatever resources you use to sharpen your birding skills, drop by Twitter or Explore’s Disqus forums and let us know about your experiences, or share your favorite tools. Happy watching!