Can You Identify These 25 Common Backyard Birds? (Central and Eastern North America)

Do you think you know the birds in your backyard? Here is a quiz on 25 different common species that can be found in central and eastern North America. Some are based on photos and some are based on song/call. Let us know how you do in the comments below!
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All bird songs and calls by Jonathon Jongsma (CC by 4.0, edited) except for Northern Mockingbird by Ryan Sallmann
creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Special thanks to Xeno Canto, where the songs and calls were obtained
Ruby-crowned Kinglet photo by Andy Bridges (Public Domain, edited)
Northern Cardinal, and all birds in cover image by N. Lewis (Public Domain, edited)
American Goldfinch in backyard bird call slide by Becky Matsubara (Public Domain, edited)
All other photos and videos by Derek and Ryan Sallmann
#Birding #BirdWatching #BadgerlandBirding

[@scotthershberger]

New birder here, got 14 right. Cool to see how much I've learned in such a short time! A few months ago I didn't even know the songs of the blue jay vs cardinal, let alone what a tufted titmouse looks like.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Congrats on the progress! 🎓

[@jessamineprice5803]

I only got 13, but I've been living in Asia the past 7 years. Some things are unforgettable, though. The calls of the cardinal and robin are so distinctive I'd know them anywhere! A very nostalgic sound for me.

[@thatsmyjam6065]

I got 10, but I think that's a great score! I live in Washington State and have never experienced more than half the birds on your list.

[@cathiestarnes4812]

You can't be expected to know birds that don't live around you. I live in Tennessee so I know most of them, except the sparrows. Around here sparrows live in town and I live in the woods. Growing up, I called them "town birds". LOL

[@GailHarless]

22 out of 25. Fun! Nice way to start the day. Thank you. 🐥🐦🐤

[@dicksonsmith2702]

Nice quiz. I live in the western U.S. but was able to get 21 out of the 25.

[@lunaowl7]

I got 23 out of 25. I missed the sound clips of the song sparrow and the red-bellied woodpecker. Both common birds, but for some reason, that rbwp especially, I did not recognize that sound! That's not the one I'm familiar with! 😅 I had fun with this quiz, though! I would love to see more of these, as well as more videos that teach us birds by sound. Thanks for these!

[@Arcane864]

Same, I have tons of Red-Bellied woodpeckers around and that's not the calls I know for them, it's always the longish shrill/call, idk how to explain it lmao

[@jimhunsberger263]

Very nice exercise. Thanks for putting this together. Further proof that I really need work on my sparrow call recognition. And the Kinglet got me too. I am still in awe of all the sounds that the American Robin can muster.

[@malolm]

25/25 😎 ez no re 😤 great job guys epic quiz!

[@janeenpfeiffer3465]

I got 15/25. I did much better with pictures than songs. I'm learning though! Thanks for the quiz❤

[@jenniferhenschel7630]

22. There was one I genuinely didn’t know, and two that I was kicking myself over. 😂

[@staufferfamily9629]

I got 19 out of 25. All the ones I missed were the calls. I did know the towhee call because of you guys telling us the mnemonic device "drink your tea", so thanks for the help on that one.😄 Fun video, thanks!🙂👍👍

[@Alex-S.]

Fun quiz to do ! I got 10 but i'm from Europe and we don't have the same birds here 😁

[@CharlesBukowski0]

I enjoyed this. More please!

[@barbaracole709]

Fun video! I like quizzes like this. I got 22 out of 25. I missed the red-winged blackbird, the ruby-crowned kinglet, and the gray catbird. I usually hear the red-winged blackbird and the gray catbird making calls instead of singing, I think. The ruby-crowned kinglet I don’t have too many of them and only during winter where I live, so I am not as familiar with its song.

[@pattycurley5870]

This is exactly what I need for practice. Thanks for the help! 🐦💞

[@jamesa8956]

21/25 thanks for the fun quiz

[@martymoore4090]

22 out of 25 down here in NC. Them darn Sparrows trip me up, as usual!!! Lots of my favorites, Blue Jay, Gray Catbird, Titmouse, Cardinal.... Love them. This past Friday sfternoon we found a early fledge Blue Jay in the street, with a cat stalking it, and a fast approaching front that called for 2-3 inches of rain and very high winds. Based on all these factors, I moved the Baby BJ into a guest room with intentions to release it Sunday morning, if all went well. To make a long story short, I must say, Blue Jays have always been among my favorite bird species. After this past Friday, Saturday, and Sunday morning spent with that baby Blue Jay, I now have an incredible love for that species. That little bird brought me so much happiness, joy, amazement, and pride. It sounds silly. Two days and two nights is all I spent with lil Blue. From the first terrified bite of a Blue berry on Friday night to eating 5 whole crickets (halves to a bite) Sunday morning. From lil Blue hiding from, cowering from my touch, shaking with fear on Friday afternoon....To lil Blue following me around, flying up to and sitting on my shoulder, and not wanting to let go of my finger. All this by Sat night and Sunday morning. One highlight of the whole thing was using the Merlin App, lil Blue ignored ALL the Bluejay calls..... Except one, the ninth one down. When I played this series of Tick Tick calls, my lil Blue went berserk Mouth open wide, little wings cooked half up/half open and vibrating. Obviously, mothers signal that she had brought food! Later, sat afternoon, the rain and wind let up and I thought it was getting a little stuffy in lil Blues room. An hour later, an adult Blue Jay was hanging around outside Blue's window. Possibly Blue's Mom.?? Well, Sunday morning came and the weather cleared slightly. No cats were on patrol, so the coast was clear. Sadly, I took lil Blue across the street from my house to the yard closest to where Blue was found. A good omen, a Male Box Turtle was trying to climb the curb to get into the same yard. I placed Lil Blue under a hedgerow that included a Magnolia Tree. It was hard to let Blue go, it was also hard to get lil Blue to let me go. I've never been impacted by an animal so strongly and so quickly. Lil Blue was tiny. The fact that it could fly pretty well is misleading. its little tail feathers were about an inch long and its back and breast were both covered mainly with downy feathers. Lil Blue had no crest, but would raise tiny feathers on its head when excited. My favorite thing was how lil Blue, when holding on to my finger, or any perch, it would relax either one foot at a time, alternating left, right, left, right.....or sometimes it would relax and stretch one toe at a time. one after another. eventually lil Blue would fall asleep Golly Lee, I love that bird. I hope it's safe!

[@spaceseed72]

Got 22/25. Missed on sounds of RCKI, GRCA & HOWR. I have had all of these in my backyard except the Gray Catbird (3.5 years backyard observations, North Alabama) Great job guys! Really enjoy your varied content. 👏

[@capt_red_beard]

14/25. Much better at photo ID then sound ID

[@validdriver8888]

Love this video. The blue jay was so easy for me because hear them every morning

[@kaptynssirensong2357]

That was fun. I only got 5 but I’m still proud because last week I would have only gotten 3. I’ll get better at this. I started watching birds 3 weeks ago.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

That’s awesome!

[@EastonButton]

5!!! LETS GO BABY!

[@BadgerlandBirding]

It’s better than 4!!!

[@Chris_Wolfgram]

I think I got 20.... But considering we don't have many of these birds, I felt okay with that. 🙂 Really enjoyed the quiz though 🙂👍

[@zgphotography9776]

21! It was an amazing video. Even though I'm not a resident of US, it was a great warmup for me.

[@jorklin]

Good stuff, thanks!

[@kimhoward6221]

I enjoyed the quiz

[@user-ss9nj9mx8c]

What a birdie day

[@robynmarieborsveraart1386]

I have never birded n the us, but I got 9/25 just by you guises videos...😋Next time time for a European one...😃

[@gregfroude4226]

A European one would be fun!

[@debmilligan9347]

I got 22. Fun to do! I will share it with friends.

[@amykat75]

12. I knew several of the calls, especially the red-bellied woodpecker, cardinals and blue jays. Just so happens that I’m on my back porch watching birds and they are in my yard. They were confused. The male cardinal took off for a minute.

[@msdsez]

Good stuff; great idea; perfectly executed; fan frickin tastic.

[@garethhazell3545]

I got 11! Mainly the visuals but a few good guesses on the calls. I know Red-winged Blackbird because it always seems to be in the background of your videos…guessed American Robin based on structure and Gray Catbird was a complete guess…

[@garethhazell3545]

Im from South Africa, also guessed the Cardinal

[@tarabishop8499]

I got 8. There are several I don’t have in my yard so I feel pretty good!😊

[@user-jn2wx7db1c]

I got 15 right. I’m disappointed in myself as I’m a “birder” in my yard. I see them all. I love my birds. Thanks for the lesson. MA. Southern New England.

[@brycefuller2764]

My wife and I both got 15 out of 25. We're both still birders in learning and our exposure obviously needs some growing 😅

[@dianekaczorowski9014]

Great little quiz. Got all the photo id's but missed the bluebird song

[@loisellenchamberlain2383]

I only got 4, but I live in Arizona and most are Central and Eastern. I have never seen some of these birds, but the video was fun.

[@DavidThumim99099]

I got 22. I should've had 24 though, but for some reason I missed on the gray catbird and red bellied woodpecker (I still can't think of why). But there was no way I was getting Ruby crowned kinglet right. Surprisingly, that one would still be a lifer for me

[@MRichK]

The Red Bellied Woodpecker call was a little off for me. Didn't sound like the ones I hear. Maybe regional dialect :)

[@garymeredith2441]

Fantastic job there Derek and Ryan you guys did fantastic job on this one , I got 23 out of the 25 within five seconds . The 2 Birds that threw me off with a sound of the House Finch because this one you have the Eastern call which is different than a western called and the other bird I didn't get was the sound of the Red-Bellied Woodpecker because we do not have them out here in the West .

[@colettejungbluth2651]

Loved the video, we got 21 correct! Missed on 4 audio clips….

[@jeladsnikpoh1289]

I did terrible, but the calls of the Cardinal, Bluejay, and Robin were easy for me, among others. Visually, several were easy, but I recently moved here from Pacific Northwest where many of these don't reside. My backyard in Kentucky is full of different birds, trying to identify one that sort of looks like a phoebe, but a little less stubby and not as dark a head. Been sitting on a clothes line for hours, not making much noise, and occasionally gets excited and flies about 20ft, and right back! Aware of my presence but not intimidated.

[@ImWeirdBoy]

Patolli got a perfect score!

[@clintrobinson1706]

23/25 but only because they sound different than what I am used to! Haha loved the challenge

[@lilaquickel1819]

I got twenty, that is plenty! What bird mnemonic is that? Haha Love you guys!

[@mr1pearl]

I think I got about 15 🤷 just fun to do thanks guys !!!

[@gregfroude4226]

I got 18/25. What I didn't do well on was the audio calls of birds that are only annual to infrequent birds to my area ( St. John's, Newfoundland).

[@tepsphighting101]

18/25! Got tripped up with some audios!

[@bnuuyes]

20 despite living in the southwest thanks to the trip i took to upstate NY last month! i missed house finches even though they're always singing at my own house haha i recognized the grosbeak and tuftie immediately but haven't gotten them on my list yet, but i do have everyone else here now thanks to that trip downy woodpecker is a tricky one but luckily since i found one out there i had to learn the tricks for telling them apart from hairy woodpeckers

[@michaelcantwell4391]

Missed 3! Red bellied woodpecker is my nemesis bird😢

[@juanitakelly3082]

That was fun! I did get a few even though I live in the Pacific NW.

[@bloomins8088]

21 out of 25. I don't have Grey Catbirds, Ruby Crowned Kinglets, or House Wrens in my area (that i know of). And my little song sparrow at home has a different little tune, so it threw me off. :)

[@user-ss9nj9mx8c]

Sweet birdie

[@h2hcamey]

15 out of 25.

[@Beryllahawk]

I got nine of the 25 which honestly isn't that bad with how different my local birds mostly are, heh. Though there were at least two where I was "oh is that what that sounds like" because I hadn't actually heard those birds calling but HAVE seen them, but I still didn't guess 'em. I might have said ten points if I took half a point for guessing "a wren" and "a nuthatch" haha! But the House Wren doesn't sound anything like a Carolina Wren of course (which is what I have here).

[@dianaholvik2554]

Missed 4, mostly because they don't occur in my area. Eg, the towhee. I've seen 2, many years ago and forgot their sound. Also mistook the red bellied? woodpecker for a northern flicker. Etc. It was good. Made my poor old brain work, ie the calls/songs. All the visuals, and most of the songs I got.

[@SilverAg11]

18/25 - Need to learn my calls. No idea how I missed Red bellied woodpecker, I am used to hearing the trill but I have heard that call before

[@davideschelbacher1768]

I got 23 points :)

[@MaidenBklyn]

23 out of 25 --- missed Ruby Crowned and American Goldfinch sounds.

[@Adasaur250]

I got 18/25, which is way better than what I'd have done a year ago. I'm glad almost all of the ones I missed were calls: song sparrow (the ones you have out there sound a little different than the ones further east I guess!), ruby-crowned kinglet, American robin, house finch, house wren, and American goldfinch. The eastern bluebird is the only one I didn't recognize by sight, but it didn't look very blue in that particular photo and it's still a bit of a new bird to me that I've yet to see much in my home region.

[@BeastOfTraal]

11.5 because I wasn't specific enough with the nuthatch . I picked black-caped chickadee because you're from Wisconsin . In Louisiana we have both American Crow and Fish Crow which I can only tell the difference by sound. I picked American Crow for the same reason.

[@boredwarlock5216]

I got a 12! Can't believe I didn't get the robin but I did get the mockingbird Lol

[@OntarioBirding7538]

24/25 that mockingbird got me!! They don’t sound like that where I live so it got me

[@pauraque]

That RWBL had me tripping, they do not sound like that on the west coast. I *almost* missed that.

[@OntarioBirding7538]

@@pauraque I am not familiar with their call in the west. Can you send me a video?

[@pauraque]

@@OntarioBirding7538 Ooh I don't have one. But it basically the same without the trill. Sounds more like a bell then a towhee lol. Also have you ever heard a Tricolored Blackbird, those... those are crazy!

[@OntarioBirding7538]

@@pauraque it must be a blessing to have tricoloured blackbirds, they are endangered

[@pauraque]

@@OntarioBirding7538 Yes they are always a joy to see!

[@joshmaccallum-stewart2474]

I got all the photographic ones except Eastern Bluebird and none of the calls except Mourning Dove but then I'm from the UK!

[@cathiestarnes4812]

That was a female Eastern Bluebird. A male might have been easier to identify.

[@joshmaccallum-stewart2474]

Some of the birds like Song Sparrow, Junco, Grosbeak and Mockingbird have turned up as extreme vagrants to the UK, even this year. Eastern Bluebird is one we still await.

[@Hummingbirder1]

Missed 5 of the calls, nailed the rest. Since I haven't visited the US since 2017 (Alaska) I'm getting a bit rusty on the calls...

[@jolenebauser408]

The red winged blackbird doesn’t make that sound in my yard . I got 15

[@cawiltu]

So that’s a red winged black bird. I’ve been hearing him since early spring but could never catch a glimpse of him. I’ve only seen him further along the road where someone removed miles of hedge row from around a near by cow field. so now I get to have him move into my wood ❤❤

[@eyeofthetiger4478]

17/25 for me

[@MiTmite9]

Westcoast birdwatcher here. I got a lot more than I thought I would. Putting the Mockingbird in at the end was sure sneaky. You couldn't find one mimicking a hawk or a car alarm?

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Haha I might make an extra difficult quiz sometime. As a westcoast birder what are the most common birds you have in your backyard?

[@dailthegoat799]

12 over here

[@JD27770]

17 but a month ago before starting your videos I think I would’ve got about 4

[@lindascott7583]

17 of 25 :-)

[@outerspacerealestate]

I got 2 points :(

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Better than 0 points 😃 Check out our “Learn 25 Common Backyard Bird Calls” video!

[@OntarioBirding7538]

@@alan_decker not nice, some people need to learn birds still, he’s getting there

[@alan_decker]

@@OntarioBirding7538 one of my friends were on my computer

[@OntarioBirding7538]

@@alan_decker haha! Oh!

[@Jesse-gr2xo]

It's not a contest, it's just to enjoy and learn. The sound quality is really good and the bird songs are beautiful.

[@JoshStaffordD]

I got 23 right. Missed ruby crowned kinglet and red bellied woodpecker. I also couldn't tell what kind of crow that was. Could have been fish crow without hearing it. And I feel good that even though I'm in Carolina chickadee range, I thought it looked more like a black capped chickadee.

[@tracyreaume6451]

I got 18 points. To be fair, that’s 100% because the 7 I didn’t get correct is because they are not common to central Alberta! 😂

[@ABirdersParadise]

I'm kind of shocked I got 23 out of 25 considering I live in the Northwest. Of course, we have the Gray Catbird here and I still missed it. The other one was the Northern Mockingbird.

[@user-tq8jo7oh2n]

I got 15 out of the 25. Missed a couple sparrows as I'm not too familiar with them yet and missed quite a few of the calls. The Red Bellied Woodpecker didn't sound like the one that frequents my feeders. Mine must have a Wisco accent. 😄 I've never seen a Towhee, so didn't get that one and the Bluebird looked more gray than blue in the pic, so it stumped me.

[@LouisaLee63]

15

[@cullenclark223]

I live in Utah but still managed 23 out of 25. I missed Red-bellied Woodpecker and Gray Catbird (embarrassing because I Identified several today by the call).

[@GenghisAttenborough]

23. I missed the red bellied woodpecker and for some reason got House Finch as Goldfinch, lol

[@user-tq8jo7oh2n]

LOL, same with me. I guessed the House Finch as Gold Finch but to be fair, they did sound fairly similar.

[@fishnsyd]

We did pretty well despite living in the PNW 👍

[@nathanwebb4836]

I got all 25 correct before time ran out! 1. Song Sparrow 2. White-throated Sparrow 3. Red-winged Blackbird 4. Rose-breasted Grosbeak 5. Ruby-crowned Kinglet 6. American Crow 7. American Robin 8. Mourning Dove 9. Brown-headed Cowbird 10. Northern Cardinal 11. Dark-eyed Junco 12. Eastern Towhee 13. Gray Catbird 14. Eastern Bluebird 15. Blue Jay 16. Black-capped Chickadee 17. House Finch 18. Downy Woodpecker 19. Tufted Titmouse 20.Red-bellied Woodpecker 21. House Sparrow 22. House Wren 23. American Goldfinch 24. White-breasted Nuthatch 25. Northern Mockingbird

[@scaredchair1060]

22 points

[@dawnvershon5347]

11/24

[@WingedWatchers]

19/25 need to sharpen up my birding skills.

[@envyrish]

12/25 🫤

[@fangedladybug]

18, would have been all of them if I weren't awful at birding by ear

[@nancyt.4702]

!4 right....I

[@aarushprasad4493]

Anyone know how to distinguish the two chickadees? I live in Central New Jersey, near Trenton, and they are literally identical and equally common where I like to go birding.

[@jasonrad9332]

10

[@user-jn2wx7db1c]

P.s. the Red (pink) headed woodpecker we call him Ziggy Stardust. A red capped woodpecker we call Rod “Suet” 😂

[@timjozwiak2293]

23out of 25

[@user-fe6vi2ds9d]

Got 21

[@paulgraber9222]

23 I got ruby crowned kinglet and catbird wrong.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

The Kinglet is tough

[@paulgraber9222]

@@BadgerlandBirding yeah. I would have gotten the golden crowned I think but the ruby crowned isn't quite as common where I am

[@crystalbrooks5875]

7 right. i really need some places to get learning msterial on bird calls. My ears are failing me.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

We have a whole series on learning bird songs and calls!

[@purple-er7gz]

19/25 , Abby age 9, Australia

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Great job, Abby!

[@sarahraasch]

21

[@user-zf1to8sx8s]

I got 10 rigte.

[@cathiestarnes4812]

I got 16. I live in the woods and am not as familiar with the sparrows and that's mostly what I missed. I enjoyed this. I am having trouble identifying a bird that I now hear every day here. Twenty years ago when I could afford to feed the birds, I never heard this bird. It has 8 to 10 peeps starting low and getting higher all the way to the end. I don't see the bird, so I am stumped. Can anyone help me? I would sure appreciate it!!

[@Jflat_]

Maybe a woodpecker call

[@pauraque]

24 out of 25. I have never really been out east before so I've only heard Red-bellied Woodpeckers a few times, and never that call.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

I.expected.better

[@pauraque]

@@BadgerlandBirding 0/10 quiz, the other call of the RBWO ya know the "brrrrr" call is so much better

[@pauraque]

Also out of curiosity, you do you east coast birds care at all about Nuttall's Woodpecker? Because like RBWO slipped out of my radar because they don't vagrant and I never see them, but I imagine it's similar to the NUWO in that sense, right?

[@BadgerlandBirding]

@@pauraque nobody said it was the “easy” songs and calls quiz

[@BadgerlandBirding]

@@pauraque we do not really think about the Nutall’s lol

[@leannji5375]

There is no sound for some of the bird songs. Made it very difficult to identify them ! Judging from the comments this is not happening for everyone. Not sure what the prob is. Any suggestions?

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Well, some are photo identifications, not audio. So, some you’re supposed to identify visually, others with audio. Does that make sense?