Species Identification Resources
iNaturalist & Seek
iNaturalist is a great place to start with species ID! It is a community science initiative where you can post your observations, help others identify species, and learn more about the wildlife in your area, and around the world. Just upload a photo and your best guess as to what species it is, and the iNaturalist community will help confirm it! iNaturalist also has built-in species identification capabilities, so all you have to do is post a photo and it will provide you with suggestions. You can also check out what species are commonly found in an area, information about these species, and so much more! iNaturalist is free to use and make an account with, and is also available as an app.
Seek by iNaturalist is an app that uses image recognition technology to help you identify species. It can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play for free. Just make sure you have an account on iNaturalist first.
All you need to do is point the Seek camera at the species you are interested in, and it will try to identify it for you!
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Birds
Audubon: How To Start Birding
Cornell Lab of Ornithology resources:
All About Birds website
Merlin ID app (visual and sound ID)
eBird (track your bird observations and see sightings from around the world)
BirdNET (records & IDs bird song)Field Guides
Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America (Kingston library & Chapters)
Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Eastern & Central North America (Kingston library & Chapters)
Pocket Birds of Canada (Kingston library & Chapters)
Peterson Field Guide to Hummingbirds of North America (Queen’s Library & Chapters) -
Spiders & Insects
Field Guides
Peterson Field Guide to Insects: America North of Mexico (Queen’s Library, Kingston Library & Chapters)
Peterson Field Guide to Moths of Northeastern North America (Kingston Library & Chapters)
Caterpillars in the Field and Garden: A Field Guide to the Butterfly Caterpillars of North America (Queen’s Library & Chapters)Other Resources
Moths & Moth Watching in the Kingston Region
How to Start Moth Watching
Bug Guide
The Butterflies of Ontario
Ontario Nature Spider Guide
Odonata Central (dragonflies & damselflies) -
Mammals
Field Guides
Peterson Field Guide to Finding Mammals in North America (Kingston Library & Chapters)
Peterson Field Guide to Animal Tracks (Kingston Library & Chapters)Other Resources
Natural History of Canadian Mammals by Donna Naughton (Kingston Library)
Ontario Nature Bat Guide -
Plants
Websites
Ontario Trees and Shrubs
Ontario Tree Atlas
Ontario Wildflowers
Tips for Beginner BotanistsField Guides
Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide - Northeastern and North-central North America (Chapters)
Plants of Southern Ontario (Chapters)
A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Herbs of Eastern and Central North America (Queen’s Library, Kingston Library & Chapters) -
Fish
Field Guides
Peterson Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes (Queen’s Library & Chapters)
The ROM Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes of Ontario (ROM website)Other Resources
Ontario Freshwater Fishes Database
Ontario Learn to Fish Guide -
Reptiles & Amphibians
Field Guides
Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America (Queen’s Library, Kingston Library & Chapters)
Peterson Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians (Queen’s Library, Kingston Library & Chapters)
The ROM Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of Ontario (Kingston Library)Other Resources
Ontario Nature Reptile & Amphibian Atlas
Toronto Zoo Guides for Ontario Reptiles and Amphibians
Last updated: July 13th, 2021