How to Create a Complete Bird List

I put my list in alphabetical order. Other people like to categorize their birds by family. Still others find a running list most useful, starting with the first bird spotted each year.

For those who are new to birding, but are able to recognize some calls, convention says that you can add a bird to your list (for a day, month, outing, etc.) if you've heard it, but only if you've physically seen it that calendar year. This is another reason why many of us start a new list each year. Most serious birders also have a life-list, that is, a list of all the birds we've seen in our life along with the dates those birds were first seen. For life-lists, most people I know add the date to their favorite field guide or bird identification app rather than keeping a separate slip of paper or spreadsheet.