Use the ID Wizard to identify unknown birds. Just tell the wizard what you know about the bird and the Wizard will show you names (and photos – click Photo Gallery) of all the birds that match your description! You can even enter a description of the bird’s song. The ID Wizard is also a quick way to filter birds you want to add to a new custom list.
To start the ID Wizard:
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Click the ID Wizard button For a new search, you will want to start with all the birds appearing. You can do this by clicking Clear All Selections. This will start your search with everything selected. Now you can begin making choices and narrowing the list of birds. |
Areas of the Identification Wizard window:
The left side of the window has seven tabs to help with your search: Location, Size, Habitat, Color, Field Marks, Group and Sound. Click each tab and make your selections.
The right side of the window has two tabs, Results (xxx) and Results Description. Click the name of the tab you want on top.
Results (xxx) shows the species that remain, based on your selections. The number of species remaining also appears on the tab. (To reset the number to all species and start over, click View and then click Clear All Selections.) As you narrow your search by making choices, watch as the results number gets smaller and smaller. The Results shows birds with check marks in front of the name. In Windows, you can manually uncheck individual names to “fine-tune” your query if you do not want them in the final results. Do this at the very end – clicking any of the seven tabs will make your “fine-tuning” disappear.
Results Description shows a plain English interpretation of the query you are building. This query is real-time, meaning the results change as you make or clear selections.
T o remove a particular search criterion, click Clear Selections.
To remove ALL search criteria, click Clear selections on all tabs.
The Results tab shows a checklist of species your search has found that match your criteria, with all results checked. You can click the check box of a species in the list to delete it from the list. You can reclick to select it again.
Select Just Specific Birds: Open the ID Wizard and click Edit and then click Clear All Selections. The entire list of birds will now appear on the right. In Windows, click the invert selections button. Now you have the entire list of birds – but none are selected. Now you can click the box in front of any birds you want to see. You can now save these birds as a Custom List. This is a great way to look at a number of birds that do not have anything obvious in common – such as the 20 “lifers” you hope to see on your next bird trip!
Click Edit in the Menu Bar. This is where you can control the selections by selecting, deselecting or inverting your selections.
Once you have narrowed the list of birds, you can click on “Save As Custom List”, “Photo Gallery” or “Take Quiz”. To start a new search, click “Clear All Tabs.”
on the toolbar.