Assessment/Accountability
Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System

This article gives advice and instructions for bird watching. Read the article and study the diagram. Answer the questions that follow.

[Internet editor's note: The horizontal dark lines under paragraphs 4, 9, and 12 represent page breaks in the printed document.]

	HOW  TO  WATCH  BIRDS
1	earning how to watch birds can lead to a lifetime of fun. You can do it just about anywhere—when hiking with your
	family or friends, riding your bike, or just hanging out in your backyard.
. . .
2	What Kind of Bird Is That? Figuring out what kind of bird you've seen is like solving a mystery. You gather clues, and eventually you can find the answer. Sometimes you need only one or two clues. Other times you need more. Solving the mystery is a challenge, but it is also a lot of fun. Try not to get frustrated. You'll get better with practice. Here are some questions you can ask when trying to identify an unknown bird.
3	What Color Is the Bird? Color is one of the first things you notice when you see a bird. . . . But color alone is not always enough. While there are only a few birds that are blue or red, there are many that are brown or black or white. And there are some, such as pigeons, that can be many different colors.
4	Does It Have Any Field Marks? Birds have marks, such as spots or stripes, that will help you identify them. For example, a cowbird has brown feathers on its head. A robin has red feathers on its chest. These are called field marks. Field marks can be found on a bird's head, wings, body, or tail. They can help you tell similar birds apart.

5	How Big Is the Bird? Size is another quick clue to identifying a bird. Is it larger than a sparrow? Is it smaller than a pigeon? The size of the bird will help you rule out some choices and concentrate on others.
6	What Is the Bird's Shape? The shape of a bird can also help you identify it, even when you can't see its color. Is the bird slender or plump? Does it have a long neck or long legs? What shape is its bill or tail?
7	Where Did You See the Bird? It is easy to understand that you are more likely to find some birds in certain places. Ducks and geese are commonly found near lakes or rivers, and seagulls are usually found at the seashore. But birds can fly anywhere. You may find ducks or geese a long way from water. Or you may see seagulls far inland. So keep your eyes open. An unexpected bird can turn up wherever you are. . . .
8	What Is the Bird Doing? As you watch birds you may notice that they behave in certain ways. Some of these behaviors are good clues to the bird's identity. If you see a small bird climbing down a tree trunk, it is probably a nuthatch. If you hear a bird drumming on a hollow branch, it is probably a woodpecker. As you become more familiar with birds, you will be able to identify some of them by their behavior alone.
9	What Does It Sound Like? Some birds have calls or songs that can be recognized immediately. The coo, coo, coo of a pigeon or the cheep, cheep of a sparrow are familiar sounds. Some birds even say their own names. Listen for the toe-WHEE! of a towhee or the jay, jay! of a jay. But don't be fooled—a mockingbird can imitate the calls of dozens of birds! . . .

	BLACK-CAPPED  CHICKADEE
10	hese little acrobats are a lot of fun to watch. Chickadees spend almost as much time hanging upside down on branches
	and bird feeders as they do right-side up. Quick-moving and curious, chickadees are among the first birds to appear at a new feeder. Watch them dart in, take a seed, and fly away. They often store seeds in the nooks and crannies of tree bark to eat later.
11	Chickadees usually stay around all year. A male and female make their nest in a hole in rotten wood or in an old woodpecker hole. The pair digs the hole together. Then the female lines the hole with soft material such as threads, feathers, moss, or hair.
12	With patience you may be able to teach chickadees to eat seeds out of your hand. Stand very still near a bird feeder where chickadees feed. Hold sunflower seeds in the open palm of your hand so the chickadees can see them as they fly by. It may take a while, but if you are successful, it is worth the effort.

13	Habitat Look for chickadees in wooded areas or in trees and shrubs

	near houses.
14	Voice Chickadees get their name from the call they make. Listen for their cheery-sounding chick-a-dee-dee-dee throughout the year.
15	Food Chickadees eat mostly insects, seeds, and berries. At bird
	feeders they especially like sunflower seeds and suet.

"How to Watch Birds" from Backyard Birds by Jonathan P. Latimer and Karen Stray Nolting. Text copyright © 1999 by Houghton Mifflin. Illustrations from A Field Guide to the Birds copyright © 1980 by Roger Tory Peterson and A Field Guide to Western Birds copyright © 1990 by Roger Tory Peterson. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.