Hey, kids! It’s spring—so it’s a great time to get outside and find all the signs of bird life that you can. See if you can be a successful detective with these 6 challenges. Can you do it? We think so!

YOUR DETECTIVE MISSIONS:

1) From the direction of a bird’s song, figure out where that bird is (let your ears guide your eyes, and then try to see the bird).

2) In 15 minutes, see as many different kinds of birds as your own age (so if you’re 7 years old, you’ll try to see 7 or more different kinds of birds; if you’re 8 years old, you’ll try to see 8 different kinds, and so on. It’s a good thing you’re not 400 years old, right?).

3) See a bird that has your favorite color on it.

4) Listen to a bird singing and then imitate the song.

5) See a bird behavior that isn’t just simple flying or walking around. The behavior could be

  • catching or carrying food,

  • carrying plant material for making a nest,

  • grooming the feathers with the bill (called “preening”),

  • chasing another bird,

  • doing a love dance,

  • feeding a baby bird,

  • teaching or learning how to fly,

  • pecking at a car mirror,

  • leading a flock, or

  • any other interesting activity

6) Notice all the birds in your yard or a park, and then decide which is your favorite and why.

Game and article prepared by Christine M. Du Bois, Ph.D., Bird Town Coordinator of the Lansdowne Bird Town

Photo credits:

Ear, by משתמש:אנדר-ויק, public domain  

Numbers, by Oliver Dixon, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

Favorite color, by Christine M. Du Bois, used with permission.

Yellow Warbler, by Paul Danese, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

Great Blue Heron, by PhotoBobil, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

Heart with question mark, by “I Need to Come Down,” public domain.