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Bird Spotting

Why many people watch for wild birds

By Hailee Romain
From the May/June 2022 Issue
Lexile: 970L; 540L

Whether you’re listening for the “coo coo” of a pigeon or the “sweet sweet” tweet of a yellow warbler, birdwatching can be a fun outdoor activity. Every year, thousands of people take part in birdwatching, or birding, across the U.S. Recently, the popularity of birding has jumped. As an outdoor activity, it’s been safe to do during the Covid-19 pandemic when other activities were restricted.

Yamina Nater-Otero teaches young people about birds with the organization Audubon New York. Birding is easy to pick up because you don’t need special tools to get started, she says. If you’re patient, you can find birds almost anywhere just by listening for their calls. You might even see a robin, crow, or pigeon from your window!

Spring is a busy time for birdwatchers. It’s when many birds migrate, or travel. “Our green spaces are filled with fluttering birds singing loudly,” Nater-Otero says.

Birdwatching is fun. You might hear a pigeon call. It sounds like “coo coo.” You could also listen to a yellow warbler’s tweet. It sounds like “sweet sweet.” Thousands of people across the U.S. birdwatch every year. Birdwatching is also called “birding.” Birding has grown more popular recently. Birdwatching happens outside. It was safe to birdwatch during the Covid-19 pandemic. Most other activities were restricted during this time.

Yamina Nater-Otero teaches young people about birds. She works with an organization   called Audubon New York. It is easy to start birding. Nater-Otero says that you do not need special tools. You can find birds almost anywhere if you are patient. All you have to do is listen for their calls. You might even see some types of birds from your window!

Spring is a busy time for birdwatchers. It is when many birds migrate, or travel. “Our green spaces are filled with fluttering birds singing loudly,” Nater-Otero says.

Birding Boom

Birdwatching has grown in popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic. Here’s how many people in the U.S. have traveled at least a quarter mile from home to look for birds each year.

About how many people went birding in 2017?

About how many people went birding in 2017?

A. 10 million

A. 10 million

B. 13 million

B. 13 million

C. 15 million

C. 15 million

D. 17 million

D. 17 million

About how many more people went birding in 2020 than in 2019?

About how many more people went birding in 2020 than in 2019?

A. 1 million

A. 1 million

B. 4 million

B. 4 million

C. 5 million

C. 5 million

D. 7 million

D. 7 million

Danita Delimont on Offset/Shutterstock.com (Robin); Shutterstock.com (All Other Images)

Birds clockwise from left to right:

American crow
Wingspan: 36 inches
Average weight: 17 ounces

 

American goldfinch
Wingspan: 8 inches
Average weight: 0.6 ounces

 

American robin
Wingspan: 14 inches
Average weight: 3 ounces

 

Rock pigeon
Wingspan: 23 inches
Average weight: 11 ounces

 

House wren
Wingspan: 6 inches
Average weight: 0.4 ounces

Which of these birds weighs less than an American goldfinch?

Which of these birds weighs less than an American goldfinch?

A. house wren

A. house wren

B. American robin

B. American robin

C. rock pigeon

C. rock pigeon

D. American crow

D. American crow

What is the wingspan of a rock pigeon?

What is the wingspan of a rock pigeon?

Jim McMahon/Mapman®

Flight Paths

Billions of birds migrate from Central and South America to North America in the spring. They head north to find mates and lay eggs. They fly south in the fall. Here are the four main flyways, or paths, birds take in the United States.

Which of these states is located entirely in the central flyway?

Which of these states is located entirely in the central flyway?

A. Kentucky (KY)

A. Kentucky (KY)

B. Idaho (ID)

B. Idaho (ID)

C. Colorado (CO)

C. Colorado (CO)

D. Minnesota (MN)

D. Minnesota (MN)

A yellow bird called the prothonotary warbler passes through Louisiana (LA) and Illinois (IL) on its migration. Which flyway does it use?

A yellow bird called the prothonotary warbler passes through Louisiana (LA) and Illinois (IL) on its migration. Which flyway does it use?

Which birds in the “Backyard Birds infographic have a wingspan greater than 1 foot?

Which birds in the “Backyard Birds infographic have a wingspan greater than 1 foot?

What does your class think?

Which outdoor activity have you done more since the pandemic started?

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Which outdoor activity have you done more since the pandemic started?

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Which outdoor activity have you done more since the pandemic started?

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