BIRD

Watchers

Anna’s Hummingbird

BIRD watchers

Dedicated to Janet Hanson and Marc Perkowitz

Word Corner Publishing

15020 Burwood Drive

Lake Mathews, Perris, CA 92570

Bird Watchers by Carlynn McCormick

Workbook: Audubon’s Birds of America

rendered for coloring by Paul E. Kennedy

Cover Photo: Anna’s Hummingbird by Steve Byland

Greater Roadrunner, California Quail, Red-tailed Hawk,

Black-chinned Hummingbird and

Costa’s Hummingbird photos by Steve Byland

Audubon Bird Prints: Dover Electronic Clip Art®

Wild and Domestic Animals—

Magnificent Frigatebird: Dover Electronic Clip Art®

Jan Sovak Dinosaur— Workbook for this study guide

Dromaeosaurus: Dover Electronic Clip Art®

Passenger Pigeon photo: Wikipedia

Edward’s Dodo painting: Public domain

Additional Photographs: McCormick Family Album and Microsoft®

Copyright 2014

All Rights Reserved.

No part of this work may be copied

or duplicated in any form without

the express permission of the publisher

Table of Contents

Teacher Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Chapter One: Who Was John James Audubon? . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Chapter Two: Birds of America—Part I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Chapter Three: Birds of America—Part II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Chapter Four: Birds of America—Part III . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Chapter Five: Birds of America—Part IV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Chapter Six: Birds of America—Part V . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Chapter Seven: Wisdom of the Owl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Chapter Eight: Bird Watching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Chapter Nine: Birds—Music and Poetry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Chapter Ten: Extinct or Endangered . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Teacher Section

Bird Watchers

Purpose:

The purpose of this book is for students of all ages to learn about the fascinating hobby

of bird watching. It was prepared for students who already have interest in learning

more about birds but you may be able to interest all students in the world of bird

watching. You might do this by explaining that each bird contributes to its environment

and use this as an analogy to show students the wisdom of contributing to their own

family and groups. Geography is another integral part of bird watching—students learn

where different birds are found, their migration path and how birds contribute to their

local surroundings. You want to help students find a personal reason for being more

informed about birds—don’t try to teach students information without their first having a

personal reason for knowing it.

Book Format:

The Bird Watchers book presents lessons step-by-step so they are easy to learn. It

usually works best if students complete each step, one at a time, in order. To track

progress, have students put their initials and the date next to each step after it is

completed. Students should make sure they know the meaning of every word that is

used in the book. Have them use the glossary in the back of this book or a student

dictionary to find the meaning of unfamiliar words or tell them the meaning of such

words.

Materials:

Workbook: Audubon’s Birds of America rendered for adult and student

coloring by Paul E. Kennedy; published by Dover Publications, Inc., Mineola,

New York

The following materials are optional but recommended for students who would like to

include the arts as a way of making study more interactive and fun:

Colored pencils, gel pens or markers (for coloring Audubon bird illustrations)

Access to the Internet, an encyclopedia or reference books on birds for helping to

identify birds

Notebook or journal (for recording birds that have been sighted)

Binoculars for getting a better view of birds

Camera for taking bird photos

CD recording of common bird songs

Name: ______________________ Date: ____________

1. Read: Please read the following introduction:

I N T R O D U C T I O N

Who hasn’t dreamed of flying? Moving arms in such a way as to lift off the ground, soar

through sky, and gaze down at the biosphere1 below. Perhaps we all, just a little, envy

the vantage point of “a bird’s eye view.”

Do you know that when you watch birds fly, you can actually learn more about the

mechanics of flight? You might notice, for example, a bird’s size or the way its wings

are shaped influence its flight. If you look closely you will see that the tiny hummingbird

seems to hover in mid-air by rapidly flapping its wings. If you are at the beach you may

see large gulls gliding and soaring above you. By watching them for a time, you may

realize that their power to glide does not come from the flapping of wings, but rather,

from resting on upward moving air currents.

1 Biosphere: The whole area of Earth’s surface where living organisms exist—land, sea and atmosphere. Our class studied the biosphere of Earth.

What is the National Bird of India?

Besides the desire to imitate a bird in flight, is there another reason to study birds?

Learning where birds live and how they migrate teach about geography. You might

enjoy researching answers to questions such as: Why do some bird species live in a

certain area? Why do different birds take similar migration paths? What is the historic

significance behind state or national birds? Why is the Cactus Wren the state bird of

Arizona and the Roadrunner the state bird of New Mexico? Why is the Gallic Rooster

the national bird of France and the Green Pheasant the National Bird of Japan? What

are the national birds of other states or countries? Look at the photos on this page to

find the national bird for India and the national bird for the United States. __________

What is the National Bird of the United States?

2. Read: The history of birds is quite fascinating, especially when we realize that

not all dinosaurs are extinct. One group survived and we see their descendants

nearly every day. These creatures are none other than the chirping, tweeting,

singing birds outside our windows. (Optional) If researching the history of

feathered dinosaurs is of interest to you, go ahead and do so. __________

Dromaeosaurus

3. Optional Essay: Write a paper entitled, “Did today’s birds evolve from

dinosaurs? __________

4. Read: If you decide to take up observing the birds in your local area, or

researching birds that live in distant places, you will quickly learn how some of

these intriguing creatures use their wings or that some actually prefer not to fly at

all. The large ostrich of Africa, for example, does not fly but rather uses its

powerful legs for running fast.

Another flightless bird was the Great Auk, whose wings were less than 6 inches

long. Instead of flying, the birds had strong legs and were formidable swimmers.

The Great Auk was a large bird that, as an adult, weighed about eleven pounds.

The birds had a black back, white belly and heavy hooked beak. Sadly, the

Great Auk was extinct before 1900, mainly due to humans killing the bird for its

soft down feathers. What we can do to protect Earth’s winged creatures will be

taken up in chapter ten.

Great Auk, painted by John James Audubon

5. Read: Birds are some of nature’s most magnificent creatures—there are an

extraordinary number of different species—over 10,000. When you look for

different kinds of birds in your own local area, I think you will be delighted to find

that many different kinds coexist in the same environment. I live in a rural area of

Riverside County, in Southern California, surrounded by hills and nature. Since

my granddaughter has taken to feeding the birds around my house, I am

rewarded each morning with an array of hummingbirds, finches, sparrows and

thrashers, playing in the trees outside my front window.

And always, I find special delight in being visited by a Greater Roadrunner. I

marvel at their dark shaggy crest, brown-streaked body, thick bill, and long tail

and legs. These speedy little birds often race by me when I am strolling along on

one of the dirt paths around my house. I have even gotten a glimpse of a

roadrunner’s toes—two of its four toes face forward and two face backward.

I have been told that the name “roadrunner” comes from the bird’s habit of racing

down roads in front of moving vehicles and then darting to safety in the brush. To

me they are crafty little birds, which always bring to mind the roadrunner cartoons

I saw during my childhood!

Greater Roadrunner, photographed by Steve Byland

I love where I live for I have the advantage of being surrounded by numerous

small birds, roadrunners, quail (California’s state bird), as well as birds of prey.

From my hilltop vantage point, I often see red-tailed Hawks and Peregrine

Falcons soaring through the sky, circling the open fields in search of quarry2.

__________

2 Quarry: Animal hunted or caught as food.

California Quail, photographed by Steve Byland

Red-tailed Hawk, photographed by Steve Byland

6. Discussion or Essay: Write a short essay giving your purpose for learning more

about birds or discuss it with your teacher, study partner or a friend. If you write

an essay, turn it in to your teacher. __________

7. Optional Essay: If you ever had a daydream or night time dream about flying

and want to write about it, you may do so. __________

Dream of Soaring like an Eagle

Chapter One: Who Was John James Audubon?

John James Audubon

1. Read: John James Audubon (1785 - 1851) was a French-American

ornithologist—an ornithologist is a zoologist3 that studies birds. Ornithology

(ôr'nə-thŏl'ə-jē) then is a branch of zoology that is concerned with the study of

birds. The word ornithology comes from the ancient Greek word (ornis) meaning

bird and (logos) meaning the study of, thus, the study of birds. __________

2. Activity: In your own words tell your teacher or study partner the definition of

ornithology. Explain how ornithology fits in with zoology. __________

3. Read: Audubon was also an artistic genius who created realistic paintings of

numerous North American bird species. His book, The Birds of America, is a 3 Zoologist: A scientist who studies about animals. The name given to the branch of science that has to

do with living things—plants, animals, people—is biology. Biology can be broken down into botany—the

study of plants—and zoology—the study of animals. Zoology can be further broken down into

ornithology—the study of birds.

compilation of his hand-colored paintings that so beautifully capture the detail of

his feathery friends. The illustration of the Great Auk in the Introduction of this

guide is one of Audubon’s memorable images. You will find dozens more of his

beautiful illustrations within this guide—each bird portrayed in its natural

surroundings.

Although Audubon lived over a hundred years ago, his name is still synonymous

with birds and the preservation and careful management of the environment. He

had a deep concern for protecting the environment and realized the necessity of

sounding an alarm when it came to the destruction of birds and habitants. Today

the conservation4 group, National Audubon Society, carries his name and legacy5

into the future. __________

4. Activity: Tell your teacher or study partner the definition of the word

conservation and use it in your own made up sentence. __________

Audubon’s Painting of the Atlantic Puffin

5. Read: Why study birds? Below are some reasons:

a. Birds are easy to see and interesting to watch.

4 Conservation: The protection of valued resources; the preservation and careful management and care of

the environment and of natural resources. We put a plan into action to bring about the conservation of

our wildlife. 5 Legacy: Something that is handed down from a previous generation or time. Audubon’s magnificent bird

illustrations are his legacy to bird lovers of today.

b. The information gathered from watching birds helps us understand how

they function and relate to their natural environment.

c. Birds can provide indicators to our environment. Their changing

populations, for example, can give us clues as to the overall health of an

environment.

d. Studying birds is a form of conservation—preservation of our wildlife. It is

through such study that people were able to bring California condors back

into the wild. ____________

6. Optional Activity: Research the conservation plan that was put in place to keep

the endangered California Condor from becoming extinct. ___________

Audubon’s California Condor

Like vultures and other scavengers, condors are part of nature’s clean-up crew

Glossary

Abound: Be abundant or plentiful; exist in large quantities. I am happy that so many

different kinds of birds abound in my environment.

Biologist: A scientist who studies plants, animals and people.

Biology: The name given to the branch of science that has to do with living things—

plants, animals, people.

Biosphere: The whole area of Earth’s surface where living organisms exist—land, sea

and atmosphere. Our class studied the biosphere of Earth.

Bird: A winged, warm-blooded, egg-laying vertebrate animal. There are around 10,000

living species of birds.

Birder: A person who identifies and studies birds in their natural habitats. Janet and

Marc are birders.

Birding: Bird watching; the act of closely watching birds in order to identify them and

learn more about them. Birding is a fascinating hobby that is enjoyed by millions of

people around the world.

Birdwatcher: A person who enjoys observing birds as well as getting involved in any of

a number of other bird-related activities. My granddaughter is a birdwatcher.

Botanist: A scientist who studies plants.

Botany: The name given to the branch of science that has to do with plants.

Common name: The nonscientific name of a plant or animal most widely used and

accepted by the scientific community.

Conifer (coniferous trees): Any of numerous evergreen trees or shrubs that bear

cones. The word conifer comes from two Latin words ferre (to bear) and cone.

Evergreen trees, such as pines, spruce and fir, are coniferous trees because they bear

cones.

Conservation: The protection of valued resources; the preservation and careful

management and care of the environment and of natural resources. We put a plan into

action to bring about the conservation of our wildlife.

Deforestation: The removal of a forest or a large number of trees for a non-forest use,

such as converting forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use.

Drake: An adult male duck, either wild or domestic. There are four drakes and four

female ducks in our pond.

Endangered Species Act: Federal legislation in the United States that is intended to

provide a way to protect endangered and threatened species and prevent them from

becoming extinct.

Extinct: No longer in existence; lost or especially having died out leaving no living

representatives. The passenger pigeon has been extinct since 1914.

Femur: The thighbone. It is the longest and strongest bone in the human body.

Fibula: Outer of two bones in the lower leg of the human body. The other bone in the

lower leg is called the tibia. The fibula and the tibia together resemble an ancient

brooch, or pin. The head of the fibula is joined to the head of the tibia by ligaments.