Audubon Adventures has a free download called “Get to Know Birds” that explains how to observe, identify, and care for birds.
How do you describe a bird? You may describe its colors and color pattern, the size and shape of the beak, or what its legs and feet look like. These are called field marks. Field marks are clues that people use to help them identify a bird.
When you become comfortable recognizing field mark clues, you can begin to identify specific kinds of birds. So grab a field guide or open an app and go outside! When you spot a bird, take a closer look.
The download includes:
- Facts.
- How to locate field marks.
- Observing bird behavior.
- Listening for calls and bird songs.
- A write-up on John James Audubon.
- How to care for birds.
- Offshoots to try.
Published by the National Audubon Society, this colorful four-page download is an easy and fun way to start exploring the world of birds!
Free Download
- Get to Know Birds @ AudubonAdventures.org
Suggestions
Have your students do one or more of the following:
- Narrate and explain what field marks are.
- Make a list of field marks to look for.
- Grab a field guide (you can use a free online download — see below) and go outside. Identify the first bird you find by the field mark list you created above.
- Compare/contrast two different birds.
- Learn more about James Audubon.
- Draw and illustrate your bird.
Our Wonderful World series — Feathered Friends: The World of Birds
Ready to learn more about birds? Feathered Friends is part of our four-book nature series. In this book, readers learn about the various types of birds, their adaptations (beaks, feet, etc.), bird guardians, and how to attract, feed, and care for birds. Through reading, observation, hands-on projects, and notebooking activities, students explore the world of birds! Learn more.
Additional Resources
What to Draw and How to Draw It ~ Free eBook
Written especially for children, What to Draw and How to Draw It makes a great first drawing book. Includes instructions for drawing a variety of birds.
A Manual of Bird Study {Free eBook}
A Manual of Bird Study by William H. Carr is a free eBook in the public domain that includes helps for the teacher. For taking it a bit farther.
Birds Index
All of our birding resources!
Keep Reading
Bird Notebooking Pages ~ Free Download
Free Bird Notebooking Pages for recording essential bird facts and details … a tool to inspire a lifelong recording habit.
Get to Know Birds ~ Free Find
Bird observation, identification, and care, and a fun introduction to birding for kids!
What Bird is That? ~ Free eBook
Features seasonal arrangements, detailed descriptions, and over 300 color plates for identifying eastern U.S. birds.