🔎 Species ID & Natural History · 5 min
Why identification comes first
Why this matters
Accurate identification is not trivia. It determines the caging, the formula, the adult diet, the release criteria, and which parasites and diseases you should expect.
By the end of this lesson you will be able to
- Explain the four decisions that depend on correct species identification
- Name reliable resources for identifying New York wildlife
- Identify features that help age and identify a young bird
If you do not know what the animal is, it will be almost impossible to rehabilitate it well. Identification drives:
- Captive housing, because a cage that suits a woodchuck will injure a raptor
- Formulas for juveniles and adult diets
- Release criteria, including timing and habitat
- Expected parasites and diseases, which tells you and your veterinarian where to look
Where to learn
Field guides (Sibley for eastern birds, Peterson for mammals and for reptiles and amphibians, the Audubon guides), experienced rehabilitators, local birders and bird clubs, DEC wildlife biologists, classes in mammalogy or ornithology, natural history museums, and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, which runs an online home study course many rehabilitators have found useful.
Identifying a very young bird
Useful clues: type of feet, shape of beak, and mouth (gape) color. Tail feather length tells you the bird's age, not its species.
Vocabulary that keeps coming back
| Term | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Altricial | Hatched naked, blind, helpless, dependent on parents in the nest | Robins, raptors, herons |
| Precocial | Hatched feathered, eyes open, mobile and self-feeding early | Ducks, quail, killdeer |
| Nestling | Too young to leave the nest, often cannot thermoregulate | |
| Fledgling | Out of the nest, hops and flutters short distances, still fed by parents, not a competent flyer | |
| Brancher | Not fully fledged, out of the nest, hopping on branches | Young owls |
This lesson is part of the NY Wildlife Rehabilitator Exam course. Open it in the course to answer the retrieval checks that go with it, track what you have read, and quiz the whole unit. Lessons, quizzes and the glossary are free.