I’m a small bird with bright blue feathers on my back and white feathers on my tummy. Female has rust-colored back, tail, and wings; white with dark spots below; narrow brown stripes on tail. It was named for the gold color of its underwings and tail. One of the toughest identification challenges involves separating Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawks. White throat is interrupted by a narrow, dark moustache stripe bordered by a broad white submoustachial stripe. Other Brown Birds . Habitat and Habits: Found in cities, on farms, and in open country. When a Northern Flicker takes flight, a bold patch of white feathers flashes on its rump, in contrast to its brown body. A hawk flying in pursuit of a flicker may focus on the white spot rather than the darker image of the whole bird. A slender gull with a black hood in breeding plumage, similar to Laughing Gull, but smaller, paler. Among the black and white birds in the yard, the male Eastern Towhee (top left) sports large rufous-colored patches on his sides. It’s not where you’d expect to find a woodpecker, but flickers eat mainly ants and beetles, digging for them with their unusual, slightly curved bill. These mini guides to some of our favourite birds to visit British gardens will assist you with their identification as well as help you find out more about each species. Young Eastern Towhees (left) can be real foolers to identify, but since their parents are usually nearby, they help solve the ID mystery. The house finch has a short, conical bill. Sharp-shinned Hawks have a slate gray back, dark head, and red barring on the chest. Nests in cavities; 3 - 7 white or pink eggs with dark blotches. Long barred tail with white, rounded tip. In summer, adult has dark gray back and wings; trailing edge of wing is white, wing tip is black, separated from gray by white spots. Northern Flickers are large, brown woodpeckers with a gentle expression and handsome black-scalloped plumage. Brown wings, two faint bars. Its population is mainly stable. Last updated: 01/13/2017; visit www.rirrc.org for most up-to-date version. Gilded Flicker: Large woodpecker with dark barred and spotted brown back, brown cap, pale gray face and throat, red moustache stripe, white rump, thick black crescent on upper breast, and black spotted, pale buff underparts. The light morph has white and pal gray head, reddish brown back and shoulders , mainly white underside with... Read more > Swainson's Hawk (Buteo swainsoni) Swainson's Hawk is a medium hawk with brown head and white face, dark chest band, light tail with dark bands. Some brown birds commonly confused with male or female House Sparrows include: American Tree Sparrow, Carolina Wren, Cassin's Finch, Chipping Sparrow, Cowbird, House Wren, Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Harris's Sparrow, House Finch, Purple Finch, Rose-breasted Grosbeak (female), Junco, Song Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, and even a Black-capped Chickadee. Birds leave their breeding territories in autumn but most range no further than 20 km. In winter, the bird is brown with black wings. If you have spent some time cultivating a bird friendly garden then you should soon start to see some of Britain’s most common garden birds visiting your bird tables and feeders and wildlife friendly plants..