Which bird was that?

Answer only what you are sure of. Everything else can stay blank — this ranks the possibilities rather than filtering them, so getting something wrong moves a bird down the list instead of hiding it.

1 Where was it, and what was it doing?

On a feeder On the lawn or ground In a tree or bush In a hedge or dense cover Flying over At the bird bath or water On a wall, fence or roof

Pick the one that fits best.

Hung upside down Climbed up or down a tree trunk Walked, rather than hopped Hopped Fed on the ground under a feeder Was in a flock Wagged its tail constantly Carried food away and hid it Drummed on wood Chased or caught another bird Crept about low in cover Sang from a high perch

2 How big was it?

Smaller than a robin About robin-sized About blackbird-sized Pigeon-sized or bigger

Compared to a robin. If you are between two, pick either — being one band out costs nothing here.

3 What stood out about it?

Main colours

Black White Grey Brown Buff or sandy Chestnut Green Blue Yellow Red Pink Orange Oily, shiny colours

Markings and bill

Red or orange breast Pink breast Yellow underneath Black cap on the head Black bib or throat Blue cap Grey head Grey hood or nape White cheeks White bar across the wing Yellow flash on the wing White rump, obvious as it flies off White edges to the tail White patch on the shoulder White spot on the back of the head Black stripe down the belly Red face Red on the head Red under the tail Rusty-red flanks Bright orange or yellow bill Dark stripe through or over the eye Pale stripe above the eye Dark moustache stripe Narrow collar on the back of the neck White patch on the side of the neck Streaky Spotted breast Finely barred Crest it can raise Glossy, oil-on-water sheen Very long tail Short tail held cocked upright Fine, pointed bill Thick, conical seed-cracking bill Long straight dagger bill Hooked bill Chisel-shaped bill Heavy crow-like bill

Start again

All 30 garden birds

Answer a question or two above and this list will re-rank.

Start from the one thing you noticed

• Black and white birds in UK gardens
• Small brown birds in UK gardens
• UK garden birds with red on them
• UK garden birds with yellow on them
• Long-tailed birds in UK gardens
• Birds that climb tree trunks in UK gardens
• Birds that only visit UK gardens in winter
• UK garden birds that arrive in flocks

Nothing is ever removed from this list. If your bird is not near the top, change one answer — the thing people most often get wrong is grey versus brown.