Bird Guides and Learning Activities

Adding birding activities to the classroom and the outdoors is easier than you think. We have added several items for any teacher or person who wants to learn about birds. The birding guides are designed for the beginning bird watcher as well as the more advanced birder.

Science Takes Wing is a perfect activity for the classroom. It teaches students the sounds made by 10 common birds found in the southwest United States. We have also added a collection for Central America with the aid of our colleagues at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.

But wait, there's more...

We also have a collection of other bird tools and activities you can use to learn about these amazing feathered animals. We have included the links to this content at the bottom of the page.

Beginning Birders' Guide	Advanced Birders' Guide
(printable PDF format) 600KB	(printable PDF format) 500KB

In cooperation with Audubon Arizona we bring a fun bird identification game to the classroom and home. Learn the songs of 10 common birds found in the southwest United States and Central America. After you ace the quiz, test your knowledge by heading outside to see how many of the birds you can hear in your backyard or near by park.

Phoenix - Central Arizona Birds

Spanish (Español) Version

Flagstaff - Northern Arizona Birds

Panama - Central American Birds

Spanish (Español) Version

Instructions for download:

There are two files for download. The are both the same activity. One is self-extracting. The other (zip) file requires WinZip of similar helper application to uncompress. Right-click on one of the links below and use Save Target As (IE) or Save Link As (Firefox). Remember where you save the file. Once downloaded, double click on the exe file to run, or double click on the zip file to uncompress the file.

Either file will uncompress into a folder that contains the PowerPoint file and the sound clips to a directory called science_takes_wing_II. To run the activity, open the folder and double click on the PowerPoint file (Science Takes Wing_ver_1.ppt).

Other Birding Content on Ask a Biologist

Feather Biology article, including feather image gallery. Here you can learn how birds use their feathers for more than just flying. There are 23 ways we can think of that birds use their feathers. How many can you think of before visiting our feather function page?

In our Zoom Gallery, you can explore feathers up-close. See the fine details of a feather anatomy.

Before you leave be sure to also check out the companion Feather Biology podcasts listed in the gold box. Load them on your iPod or other MP3 player and take them with you on the road.