Nature Mapping Day 5 Identifying Birds: Anatomy

Did you see any birds during your nature observation? In Washington State, we observe birds more than any other type of wild vertebrate (animals with a backbone). Think about it. Most people see or hear a wild bird on most days of their life. That can not be said of wild mammals, reptiles, or fish.

Once you start noticing birds, most people want to be able to identify what birds they are observing. Often, one of the first things a person notices about a bird is their colors and patterns. Those are called field marks. When you are using field marks, it helps if you know a little bird anatomy.

Ornithologists (people who study birds) talk about parts of a bird by dividing its body into regions. The main areas are beak (or bill), head, back, throat, breast, wings, tail, and legs. Many of these regions are divided still further.

Purpose: At the end of this lesson I can say with confidence . . . 1) I can create and use a diagram of a bird’s feathers.

Directions: 1) Click on the link below to go to TheCornellLab Bird Academy to learn All About Bird Anatomy. a) https://academy.allaboutbirds.org/features/birdanatomy/ i) Click the -GO!- button to enter the interactive learning tool. ii) Turn each system on or off by using the color-coded boxes. iii) Learn about the individual parts in a system by clicking on the box. The part will be highlighted on the bird diagram. iv) Click on the highlighted section of the bird diagram to learn the function or description of each part and how to pronounce its name.

1) Use the information found on this site to create a diagram of a bird’s feathers. a) Click on the orange box labeled Feathers.

1) On the next page, please label the parts of a bird listed below.

Auriculars, Belly, Chest, Crown, Flank, Forehead, Lore, Malar Region, Mantle, Nape, Primaries, Rump, Secondaries, Side, Supercillium, Tail, Throat, Undertail Coverts, Underwing Coverts, Uppertail Coverts

1) If you can print the picture of the bird, use the word list to label the parts of the bird. If you can’t print the picture of the bird, or would rather not print it, draw the bird and then use the word list to label the parts. Auriculars Flank Nape Side Undertail Coverts

Belly Forehead Primaries Supercillium Underwing Coverts

Chest Lore Rump Tail Uppertail Coverts

Crown Mantle Secondaries Throat