"How the Brain Identifies Birds – Birding ID Like a Pro"

Sequoia Audubon Society Monthly Program

Most bird identification lectures focus on field marks and the specifics of separating species A from species B. But few ask exactly how we identify birds? What is our brain going through in order to do this? How does our brain get tripped up during bird identification – ever encountered the "leaf bird," the "branch bird," or the worse one of all, "the plastic bag snowy owl?" Why do experts identify birds almost without thinking, while the rest of us need to struggle? Are they different than the rest of us, or are there tricks? Truth is that bird identification is pretty tricky stuff but our brain is wired to shortcut much of the thinking involved in doing it. The trick is training yourself to do it like a pro. And that is the aim of this presentation -- a lighthearted but informative explanation of how the heck they do it.

Speaker:  Alvaro Jaramillo was born in Chile but began birding in Toronto, Canada, where he lived as a youth. He was trained in ecology and evolution with a particular interest in bird behavior. He is the author of the Birds of Chile, an authoritative yet portable field guide to Chile's birds. Alvaro writes the Identify Yourself column in Bird Watcher's Digest. He runs a birding and nature tour company Alvaro's Adventures, where the focus is to have fun, learn a thing or two and truly enjoy nature. Alvaro lives with his family in Half Moon Bay, California.