Home Garden Lists Results Bird Identification Watching Birds Gardening Media Links

What size is that bird?

Birds come in all sorts of sizes. Some is smaller than your hand and weigh less than 10 grams (Willow Warbler)- others are larger than a human being and weigh up to 80 kilograms (Common Ostrich)!! By judging the size of the bird you are watching you will be able to eliminate a lot of birds that do not fit that size. The easiest way to do this is by comparing the bird in question to a bird that is familiar to you. For instance we all know the relative sizes of a sparrow, dove and a hadeda. Ask yourself the question: In relation to any of these birds what is the approximate size of the bird that I am looking at? If it is the size of a sparrow, you can eliminate numerous birds that are bigger than a sparrow in so doing making the selection process a lot easier.

The practice to compare the sizes of birds are also used to compare birds in difficult to identify groups such as waders, larks and pipits.Coming back to the example mentioned elsewhere in these web pages, if you see doves on your garden lawn, compare their sizes and you will be able to identifying them much more easily from each other.

The difference in size between these two species of birds can clearly be seen. A Little Egret and Great Egret (Simon Du Plessis)

Red-headed Finch (S du Plessis)



Shape

Colour

Calls and Behaviour

Habitat and Distribution

 
Send an email to info@gardenbirds.co.za with questions or comments about this website Copyright © 2006 Garden Birds South Africa Photographs Copyright © 2006 Photographers as indicated.