Iowa Winter Birds
While most birds migrate south in the winter, Iowa has many birds that stay year round. WILD’s activity “Bird Song Survey” lets students identify birds in their area, while using bird-counting techniques. Now is a great time to extend this activity to include the results of the National Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count in Iowa. Choose from 14 different areas in Iowa where the count was performed. Be sure to compare and contrast your results!
Click here to learn more about performing a Christmas Bird Count in your area.
Winter Birds Book List
Grades PreK-2
Bailey, D. 1992. Birds: How to Watch and Understand the Fascinating World of Birds. DK Publishing, Inc.
Bushnell, J. 1996. Sky Dancer. HarperCollins Publishers.
Collard, S.B. 2002. Beaks! Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc.
de. SairignGe, C. 1989. Animals in Winter. Young Discovery Library.
Frost, R. 2001. Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening. Dutton Juvenile.
Garelick, M. 1995. What Makes a Bird a Bird? Mondo Publishing.
Herkert, B. 2001. Birds in Your Backyard. Dawn Publications.
National Geographic Society. 1997. Animals in Winter. National Geographic Society.
Rockwell, A.F. 1992. Our Yard Is Full of Birds. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.
Sill, C.P. 1997. About Birds: A Guide for Children. Peachtree Publishers.
Zim, H.S. 1989. Birds. St. Martin's Press.
Grades 3-5
Arnold, C. 2003. Birds: Nature's Magnificent Flying Machines. Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc.
Bateman, R. 2005. Bateman's Guide to Backyard Birds. Barron's Educational Series, Incorporated.
Boring, M. 1998. Bird, Nests, and Eggs. T&N Children's Publishing.
Burnie, D. 2005. Birdwatcher. DK Publishing, Inc.
Cortright, S. 1995. Birding Basics. Sterling Publishing Company, Incorporated.
Craighead, C. 1994. Eagle and the River. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.
Dawe, N. 1988. Bird Book and the Bird Feeder. Workman Publishing Company, Inc.
Fitcher, G.S. 1982. Birds of North America. Random House, Incorporated.
Hume, R. 1993. Birdwatching. Random House, Incorporated.
Kirkland, J. 2002. Take a Backyard Bird Walk. Stillwater Publishing.
Kress, S.W. 2001. Bird Life. Golden Guides from St. Martin's Press.
Lerner, C. 1994. Backyard Birds of Winter. HarperCollins Publishers.
Lindsey, T. 1999. Birding. Time-Life Custom Publishing.
Loates, G. and B. Kalman. 1988. Birds at My Feeder. Crabtree Publishing Company.
Maslowski, S. 2001. Birds in Winter. Smart Apple Media.
Peterson, R.T. 1999. Backyard Birds. Houghton Mifflin Company.
Pine, J. 1993. Backyard Birds. HarperCollins Children's Books.
Yolen, J. 1999. Bird Watch: A Book of Poetry. Putnam Juvenile.
Zickefoose, J. 2006. Letters from Eden: A Year at Home, in the Woods. Houghton Mifflin Company.
Grades 6-8
Burgess, T.W. 2003. Burgess Bird Book for Children. Dover Publications.
Burnie, D. 2004. Bird. DK Publishing, Inc.
Ganeri, A. 1993. Birds. Scholastic Library Publishing.
Lee, F. 2005. Backyard Birding for Kids: A Field Guide and Activities. Gibbs Smith.
Robbins, C.S. 2001. Birds of North America: A Guide to Field Identification. Golden Guides from St. Martin's Press.
Spaulding, D.T. 1997. Watching Our Feathered Friends. Lerner Publishing Group.
Ward, A. 2004. Pocket Factfiles: Birds. Sterling Publishing Company, Incorporated.
Grades 9-12
Dobson, C. 1981. Feeding Wild Birds in Winter. Firefly Books.
Johnson, A. 2005. Iowa Birds. Lone Pine Publishing.
Johnson, J. 2003. 1000 Facts on Birds. Barnes & Noble Books.
Kavanagh, J. 2001. Iowa Birds. Waterford Press Ltd.
Roth, S. 2000. Backyard Bird Feeder's Bible. Rodale Press, Incorporated.
Root, T.L. 1988. Atlas of Wintering North American Birds: An Analysis of Christmas Bird Count Data. University of Chicago Press.
Tekiela, S. 2001. Birds of Iowa: Field Guide. Adventure Publications.