Identifying birds just takes experience and a little guidance. What you need to do is to learn the most common birds so you can simply consider them background as you look for less common or rare species as they will stand out with a different GISS/JIZZ and details thereof.

Jizz or giss is the overall impression or appearance of a bird garnered from such features as shape, posture, flying style or other habitual movements, size and colouration combined with voice, habitat and location.

Mar 28, 2011 · In my post declaring “The Future of Birding Field Guides is GISS,” the estimable and erudite Duncan Wright asserted that, according to Wikipedia, the term GISS originated in World War II in reference to planes, whereas the the term jizz in relation to birds goes back to the 1920’s. Lo and behold, Wikipedia does say that, but precious ...

Birders frequently use the term "giss" (also spelt "jizz") to describe the difficult-to-define, overall impression of a bird, incorporating features of its general shape, size, flight behaviour, posture and colour as a means of quickly identifying a particular species.

The G.I.S.S. Series focuses on individual families of birds and provides a standard approach to gauging the relative size and shape of the bird’s bill, wings, and tail - significant elements to distinguishing genera and species of birds.

Jul 5, 2022 · Learn to easily narrow down an unidentified bird to a small group of potential species using the GISS (General Impression of Size and Shape) method. You can use information about the birds'...

Jul 5, 2022 · Learn to easily narrow down an unidentified bird to a small group of potential species using the GISS (General Impression of Size and Shape) method. You can use information about the birds’ overall shape and size, bill shape, tail shape, flying pattern, whether it walks/climbs/perches and more!

Nov 2, 2006 · GISS to birders means learning the art of identifying and mastering birds by their (usually)species-unique quirks, shapes, sizes, antics, behaviors, etc....the impression they give you.... This information often helps to confirm identification along with physical field marks.

Apr 29, 2018 · They debunk the suggestion that it comes from the military term GIS/GISS - general impression and shape/general impression size and shape - which appears to be without foundation. Despite looking for references and asking relevant authorities they could find evidence that this term was ever used.

Oct 11, 2024 · Some even spell it giss, interpreting it as an acronym for "general impression, shape, and size." The beauty of jizz lies in its simplicity. It’s about what "is" - the bird’s immediate impression at a glance. Imagine you’re out in the field, scanning the horizon with your binoculars.