OBSERVING SONGBIRDS
Name:
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Look for a songbird in your outdoor classroom. Answer the
questions below about Bird Adaptations to help you identify it.
COLORS: Birds’ feathers or “plumage” can be found in a wide variety of colors.
Sometimes, the male and female birds of the same species might have different colors or
patterns on their feathers. For instance, the male northern cardinal has a bright red body
and crest on its head, and a black mask around its bright orange beak. The female’s
feathers, however, are a muted tan and gray with maroon tips on her crest, wings and tail.
Why do you think some male and female birds have these adaptations in their feather colors?
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What is the main color of the bird that you see in the outdoor classroom? Do you think it is a
male or female?
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HEAD: What color is its head? Does it have a crest on top of its head? Does it have any
bars of color around its eyes, face or neck?
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BEAK: Birds have different beak shapes to help them eat. For instance, pelicans have large
pouch-like beaks for scooping up fish out of the ocean, whereas hawks have sharp, hooked
beaks for tearing meat. What type of beak does “your” bird have? Below are common
shapes. Put a checkmark next to the beak that looks similar to “your” bird’s beak:
 Cone-shaped:
American Goldfinches,
Northern Cardinals,
and Blue Jays have
cone-shaped bills that
are strong and can
help crack nuts and
larger seeds.
 Thin & Pointed:
Carolina Chickadees,
Eastern Bluebirds,
and Northern
Mockingbirds have
thin, slender, pointed
bills for eating small
seeds and insects.
 Long & Thick:
Woodpeckers have
strong bills that
taper to the tip,
forming a chisel for
pecking holes in
trees for food or
nests.
 Very Long & Thin:
Hummingbirds have
long, tubular bills that
resemble straws and
helps their long
probiscus (or tongue)
reach the nectar of a
flower.
Alabama Wildlife Federation Outdoor Classroom Field Journal Activity: Observing Songbirds, 2nd Grade
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BODY: Birds have many different body shapes. For instance, the Carolina wren and the
white-breasted nuthatch are both tiny and round, which helps them hop up and down the side
of a tree searching for insects to eat. Describe the body of the bird you see in the outdoor
classroom. What color is its chest? What color is its belly? Does it have a plump body or is
it slim and sleek? Is it a big bird (larger than your hand) or a small bird (about the same size as
your hand)?
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WINGS: What color are its wings? Do they have a color pattern? What shape are they?
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TAIL: What color is its tail? Is it long or short? Is the end of the tail square, pointed,
round or forked?
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FEET: Birds have a lot of different shapes and sizes of feet. For example, hawks have
very strong feet called talons for catching their prey, while ducks have webbed feet to help
them swim in the water. Most backyard birds are songbirds that like to
perch in trees. They most often have three toes pointing forward and one
toe pointing backward in order to grasp a limb. The common exception are
woodpeckers, which have two toes pointing forward and two
pointing backward so that they can climb up and down the side
Songbird
of tree trunks. What shape of feet does “your” bird have?
Woodpecker
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Interesting Fact: Why don't perching birds fall out of trees when they sleep? When perching
birds sit, a tendon on the backside of the ankle automatically flexes locking their toes around
the branch. With feet locked, sleeping birds don't fall. As the bird stands up its feet release.
Draw a picture of the bird you
see in the outdoor classroom 
Alabama Wildlife Federation Outdoor Classroom Field Journal Activity: Observing Songbirds, 4th Grade
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Does it look like any of these common backyard birds?
 Ruby-throated
Hummingbird
Size: ~3 inches long
Features: Tiny bird
with a long tubular bill
and bright green
feathers on its back
and head and light gray
on its belly. Males have
a bright red (ruby)
collar on their throats.
 Carolina Chickadee
Size: ~4.5 inches long
Features: Small bird with
a black cap on its head, a
black bib on its neck,
white cheeks, and gray
wings and back with a
whitish underside. Has a
small conical bill.
 American Goldfinch  Northern
Mockingbird
Size: ~5 inches long
Features: Spring
males are bright yellow
with a shiny black cap,
and black wings and tail
with thin white stripes.
Spring females are a
dull yellow, winter
goldfinches are dull
olive or brown instead
of yellow, and both lack
the black patch on top.
Size: ~9 inches long
Features: Mostly gray
to dark gray with white
wingbars on each of its
wings. It has a long dark
tail with white bars along
the edges that are more
noticeable when the bird
is in flight. It can often
be seen singing a variety
of songs or on the ground
looking for bugs.
 Eastern Bluebird
Size: ~7 inches long
Features: Males are
bright blue above with
rusty brown throat and
chest. Females are
grayish above with bluish
wings and tail, and a dull
orange-brown chest.
 Northern Cardinal
Size: ~8.5 inches long
Features: Males are
bright red with a crest
atop its head and a black
face mask around its
bright orange bill.
Females are a pale brown
or olive color overall with a
bright orange bill and
warm reddish tinges in the
wings, tail, and crest.
 Downy Woodpecker
Size: ~6 inches long
Features: Has black and
white stripes on its face, a
solid white belly, white
stripe down its back, black
stripe down the middle of
it tail, and black wings with
white bars. Males have a
red patch on the back of
their heads.
 Blue Jay
Size: ~11 inches long
Features: Large bird with
a bright blue crest atop its
head; a black, U-shaped
collar around its neck; a
gray underside; blue, black
and white bars on its wings;
and blue and black bars
along its tail.
Use the National Audubon Society Guide to the Southeastern States or the internet to help you identify the bird species.
What is the name of the species of “your” bird?_____________________
Alabama Course of Study Objective Correlations for 4 th Grade
Language Arts: 5.) Use a wide range of strategies and skills, including using sentence structure, locating information, and using text
features such as charts to gain meaning, to comprehend fourth-grade informational and functional reading materials.
9.) Respond in writing to open-ended questions.
12.) Organize information on a specific topic obtained from grade-appropriate reference materials such as field guides
and online resources.
Science: 5.) Describe the interdependence of plants & animals, and describe behaviors & body structures that help animals survive.
Alabama Wildlife Federation Outdoor Classroom Field Journal Activity: Observing Songbirds, 4th Grade
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