Wouldn’t it be cool to hear your kid point to a bird and say “sparrow” or “grackle” rather than “birdy”? Identification skills, and components of nature, can and should begin as soon as we learn how to speak and differentiate between nouns and verbs. Not only will you be proud of your child as they learn how to identify bird species, this is a skill they will continue to build upon throughout their life. Not to mention, birding with kids is fun!
This post will suggest 7 basic beginner birds you can teach your young kids!
Birding with Kids Basics
Birding can seem intimidating and challenging in the beginning. As skills develop, lots of birders have the ability to identify species through sight, sound, shape, overall size, flight patterns, and more! It’s easy to get overwhelmed with the intricate scientific details explained in the ornithology field. But we’ll show you some beginner tips to get you off to an easy, simplified start.
Here, we won’t get too technical. For the sake of younger children we want to keep a general method of identification, keeping birds in small groups. Bird groups include sparrows, hawks, doves, warblers, waterfowl, etc. This approach will allow your child to identify a duck or sparrow, and as their id skills develop, kids can later learn that there are different types of species (a mallard duck or house sparrow) within the general groups.
As mentioned previously we won’t be getting into too many specific species details. We only want to provide a platform for kids to begin learning about common bird types they may come across each day.
Note: Since birds vary by region, our example birds may not be found in your area.
You’ll have to use your observation skills to see what you notice whenever you step outside. With a tiny bit of research, (and some helpful bird identification links provided), you can create your own, simple, mental list of birds to review with your young child while walking the dog, driving to school, or visiting the park.
Now let’s get into the 7 birds we recommend to begin teaching your kids about bird identification!
7 Beginner Birds to Start With
1. Sparrow
2. Grackle
3. Dove
4. Pigeon
5. Duck
6. Humming bird
7. Northern Mockingbird
Okay, okay, we know our start list is super basic. But we wanted to provide a basic list of potentially common birds you will likely encounter during outdoor adventures. Start by picking at least 3 target species to identify. (Especially since birds will vary according to your region). We wanted to provide 7 bird suggestions to start birding with kids. It is fun to create your own personal list based on where you live or where you visit!
Hopefully you’ll be albe to adapt and grow this list according to your specific area, and will be able to easily encounter these species.
You’ll be proud as you hear your kid begin to identify these different types. At first, they may point to every single bird and say “grackle.” But over time, they will know the difference and have a foundation upon which they can build their skills. Just stay consistent and eventually, you’ll have an enthusiastic novice birding buddy with you at all times!
Methods to assist learning, when birding with Kids.
The Cornell Bird Observatory is an excellent resource for learning about birds. Check it out! This is an excellent resource for professional scientists and kids alike! Try searching for any of our suggest birds on our list and seeing which ones appear in your area. Next time you’re outside, see if you and your child can find that bird.
Check which birds are in your area by typing any of the suggest species we listed previously. Make sure to check the range map to make sure you can find the bird in your area, and don’t forget to click on the bird call to know what it sounds like! This is our favorite online resource!
Take a photo! Thats right, use your phone to snap a picture of the birds you see. Kids will have a thrill of trying to snap a photo before the bird flies away. This will also teach kids to taper their expectations, and understand that it is okay to not get the perfect picture. You can also emphasize that it was more important to see the bird in real life than trying to get a photo. Experiment with these challenges to engage kids of all ages.
Pictured: Male great-tailed grackle and curve-billed thrasher
As you can see, photos of birds from your phone don’t always come out perfect. But you might be lucky and still be able to get some identifying characteristics.
Additional methods to see more birds.
You can sit together at your bird feeder and keep an eye out for birds. The best time to birdwatch is in the morning when birds are very active. Try experimenting with different types of methods to attract birds to your yard or patio. You can have a bird feeder and fill with wild birdseed, a hummingbird feeder, or a quail block.
Tools for birding with kids
If you have binoculars, bring and share them on your journey as you venture out! You can find small, inexpensive, non-professional binoculars, toy binoculars to equip your small child. This will allow them to get used to holding and looking through binoculars to see different birds. Plus, having a new tool for outside could get your child very excited about learning to identify birds.
Having a small notebook can also be a fun way to remember the details you and your child sees. They can quickly draw the bird in a notebook, and you can help them write details, colors, the location, date, and time of the observation. You could also discuss what the bird was doing when you spotted it. Was it eating/foraging, flying over, sitting, swimming, or chirping?
Use an app or bring a bird identification guide. Try out different birding apps on your phone so you can identify birds on the go. Better yet, grab a bird book and head outside. It will be fun to teach your kids how to look up birds in a guide.
Bird Nests
Finding a nest is always super exciting! This is a great way to teach your child to be aware of their own behavior and try to engage in a calmer presence since the nest may be active. Share with your children the idea that baby birds or eggs may be present inside the nest and we want to remain calm and keep our distance so that we don’t disturb the bird family. If you find nest on the ground, you can discuss the type of nest. Is it a cup nest? A stick nest? What materials were used to build the nest, and how long do you think it took for the birds to build it?
Pictured: Dove and nest
Nest Notes
If you find a nest, encourage your kids to be excited, but stay calm and quiet! You never know if the birds will have eggs, nestlings, or are currently building their nest. Teach your little ones that you never want to disturb a bird nest. Be as quiet as possible and hunker down. Maybe you’ll be able to see the bird parents come in!
Fun fact: In North America, breeding bird season is during the summer months. This is why birds migrate north in the spring! To have babies! When breeding bird season is over, they migrate back south. Also, some birds are year round residents and you can see them throughout the year in the same region.
Legality
Always Remember: Nearly all birds in the United States are protected. Therefore it is illegal to collect feathers. As beautiful as they may be, you can explain to your child that the feather they picked up cannot always be kept and brought inside due to the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
Learn more here!
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act is in place to protect birds etc etc, and this is a great way to teach your child early about laws protecting wildlife and our natural world.
Conclusion
Remember to always have fun and enjoy your outing. Even if you work on one bird for a few months, your child will eventually be able to identify it, and expand their working memory to the next species. Its such a rewarding and proud moment when your children start differentiating between hummingbirds, grackles, sparrows, and doves. And don’t forget, encourage them to listen for distinct bird calls and remind them that it’s okay to not see the bird. Even if they hear it and know by sound, which species it was, that is a highly valued technique to identify the birds around you! Have fun birding with kids!