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Message: <blockquote data-quote="jurek" data-source="post: 3175207" data-attributes="member: 3357">At home, there is perhaps 200 regular bird species. However, before I raise my binoculars, I usually know it is one of 1-5 species. It is very important to learn habitat and behavior, especially where and how the bird feeds. And also posture and shape, which the first thing you see in the field.Colorful illustrations in field guides somewhat distract you here. When a small bird is sitting on a very top of a tree in the forest in Europe, it is one of the large finches, for example. I know that tits, nuthatches, chats, warblers, siskins forage between branches and would not sit so still.When I was in New Guinea, I was similarly shocked that our guide, whom I know arrived in New Guinea few months before, could lean out of the window and pronounce that the bird 100 meters away was 'manucode' or 'king parrot'. After two weeks I learned that birds there also break down into few choices like birds at home.</blockquote>