How do researcher go from defining something in broad terms to giving it a tag name?
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I saw something on here about taxonomy of birds. I will try to find a link for you. It doesn’t cover all types of animals, mostly jackdaws.
Shared characteristics. Researchers look at physical features as well as DNA sequences now and compare them with DNA sequences and physical characteristics of species with known classifications. The more similar an unknown organism is to a known one, the more related they are from an evolutionary standpoint. [Cladograms and phylogenetic trees](https://study.com/learn/lesson/cladogram-phylogenetic-trees-read.html) are great ways to look at the evolution of organisms over time and look at their relatedness, and also provide food for thought about how different characteristics could provide natural advantages. Once researchers find the known organisms they believe to be the closest relatives of the unknown organisms, they go through the taxa (Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, and Genus) and assign the unknown organisms accordingly. Species names are unique to each species (thanks Captain Obvious), and while they often have roots that tell you specific characteristics about that species, some can be entirely arbitrary.
Does it get anymore ELI5 than [Crash Course](https://youtu.be/F38BmgPcZ_I)?
Its an arbitrary system of perceived relationships that has been repeatedly revised as newer better understanding comes into wide acceptance. In other words, its a huge mess, but its getting better. If you are studying fungi or microorganisms may god help you.
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