<p>One of the major tasks in experimental ethology is the development of behavioral paradigms that take into account ecological characteristics of behavior and at the same time have broad cross-species validity. Categorization is a widespread fundamental cognitive process that enables animals to generalize sensory information and make decisions under conditions of environmental stimuli variability. Here, we describe a single-session visual categorization task - the “bead floor” model, adapted for several avian model species. This paradigm was originally developed for newly hatched domestic chicks in standardized laboratory conditions. Here we adapted it for adult songbirds (zebra finches). Further, the behavioral and ethological relevance of the model was demonstrated in adult wild non-songbirds (pigeons) in their natural habitat. Across all three species, birds showed a rapid decrease in pecking responses toward non-edible beads over the course of a single training session. In zebra finches, this behavioral change was accompanied by transfer to beads of novel size and colors, providing stronger support for the interpretation that birds may group visually similar non-edible objects into a common perceptual category. Thus, the paradigm exhibits reproducibility both under strictly controlled settings and in wild birds in their natural habitat, which confirms its high behavioral and ethological validity.</p>