Schoolyard Birding Challenge Terms and Conditions

1) Submission form must include complete checklist of all species observed. If a team fails to submit their checklist by the deadline, they may not be eligible to win or receive a
prize for that month.

2) All species checklists will be reviewed Fledging Birders Institute staff naturalists and/or regional birding experts. FBI reserves the right to archive all checklists and
accompanying comments for scientific review, educational use, and future publication.  

3) In the event of
unusual sightings*, the cooperating teacher(s) may be contacted by FBI staff for more details regarding those species. Documentation and peer review of
exceptional sightings is important to the study of bird distribution as identification of similar species can be difficult. If upon further review the observers can not justify the
sightings of an unusual species, FBI staff may not count the bird(s) in question.
All decisions by FBI are final.

* Unusual sightings include bird species that are out of their expected geographic range, habitat, and season.

4) FBI is not responsible for safety or conduct of Schoolyard Birding Challenge participants. All supervision of student participants is the responsibility of the cooperating
teacher or school faculty member.

5) Fledging Birders Institute staff may enter teams in the challenge BUT ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR RECEIVING PRIZES. In the event that an FBI sponsored team receives the
highest total, the unaffiliated school group with the next highest species total will be deemed the winner for that month.
School Name:
Street Address:
Phone #
Primary area
of instruction:
How many
outings this
How many
Parent Chaperone Name:
Parent E-mail:
Month of Sightings:
# of species observed:
Checklist for the Birds of Western North America
(must be completed for prize consideration)
Red-throated Loon

Common Loon

Pacific Loon

Western Grebe

Pied-billed Grebe

Red-necked Grebe

Eared Grebe

Pelicans - Gannets
American White Pelican

Double-crested Cormorant

Brandt's Cormorant

Geese and Swans
Greater White-fronted Goose

Snow Goose

Canada Goose


Tundra Swan

Wood Duck


American Wigeon


Blue-winged Teal

Cinnamon Teal

Northern Shoveler

Northern Pintail

Green-winged Teal



Ring-necked Duck

Greater Scaup

Lesser Scaup


Common Goldeneye

Common Merganser

Ruddy Duck

Game Birds
Ring-necked Pheasant

Ruffed Grouse

Wild Turkey

California Quail

Gambel's Quail

Herons - Ibis
American Bittern

Great Blue Heron

Great Egret

Snowy Egret

Cattle Egret

Green Heron

Black-crowned Night-Heron

White-faced Ibis

New world Vultures
Turkey Vulture

Diurnal Raptors

White-tailed Kite

Bald Eagle

Golden Eagle

Northern Harrier

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Cooper's Hawk

Northern Goshawk

Harris's Hawk

Red-shouldered Hawk

Swainson's Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

Ferruginous Hawk

American Kestrel

Prairie Falcon


Rails - Cranes

Common Moorhen

American Coot

Sandhill Crane

Semipalmated Plover

Shorebirds (cont.)
Black-necked Stilt

American Avocet

Greater Yellowlegs


Long-billed Curlew

Ruddy Turnstone

Black Turnstone


Western Sandpiper

Least Sandpiper

Pectoral Sandpiper


Long-billed Dowitcher

Wilson's Snipe

Gulls, Terns, etc.
Franklin's Gull

Mew Gull

Ring-billed Gull

California Gull

Herring Gull

Western Gull

Caspian Tern

Forster's Tern

Black Skimmer

Pigeons and Doves
Rock Pigeon

Band-tailed Pigeon

Mourning Dove

White-winged Dove

Inca Dove

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Greater Roadrunner

Western Screech-owl

Great Horned Owl

Spotted Owl

Barred Owl

Burrowing Owl

Goatsuckers- Swifts
Common Nighthawk

Common Poorwill

White-throated Swift

Hummingbird &
Anna's Hummingbird

Black-chinned Hummingbird

Calliope Hummingbird

Broad-tailed Hummingbird

Allen's Hummingbird

Rufous Hummingbird

Belted Kingfisher

Lewis's Woodpecker

Golden-fronted Woodpecker

Williamson's Sapsucker

Red-breasted Sapsucker

Red-naped Sapsucker

Downy Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpecker

Ladder-backed Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

Pileated Woodpecker
Tyrant Flycatchers
Olive-sided Flycatcher

Western Wood-Pewee

Cordilleran Flycatcher

Hammond's Flycatcher

Least Flycatcher

Dusky Flycatcher

Black Phoebe

Say's Phoebe

Ash-throated Flycatcher

Western Kingbird

Eastern Kingbird

Loggerhead Shrike

Plumbeous Vireo

Cassin's Vireo

Warbling Vireo

Red-eyed Vireo

Corvids - Wrens
Stellar's Jay

Blue Jay

Western Scrub-Jay

American (Black-billed) Magpie

American Crow

Common Raven

Horned Lark

Tree Swallow

Violet-green Swallow

Cliff Swallow

Barn Swallow

Mountain Chickadee

Black-capped Chickadee

Chestnut-backed Chickadee


Oak Titmouse

Red-breasted Nuthatch

White-breasted Nuthatch

Pygmy Nuthatch

Cactus Wren

House Wren

Bewick's Wren

Marsh Wren

Dipper - Waxwings
Golden-crowned Kinglet

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Mountain Bluebird

Western Bluebird

Swainson's Thrush

Hermit Thrush

Varied Thrush

American Robin  

Gray Catbird

Northern Mockingbird

Brown Thrasher

Sage Thrasher

European Starling

American Pipit

Cedar Waxwing

Orange-crowned Warbler

Yellow Warbler

Black-throated Gray Warbler

Townsend's Warbler

Hermit Warbler

Grace's Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Blackpoll Warbler
Warblers  (cont.)
Northern Waterthrush

Common Yellowthroat

Wilson's Warbler

Summer Tanager

Western Tanager

Sparrows and Allies
Green-tailed Towhee

Spotted Towhee

California Towhee

Cassin's Sparrow

Black-throated Sparrow

Chipping Sparrow

Clay-colored Sparrow

Brewer's Sparrow

Lark Sparrow

Savannah Sparrow

Grasshopper Sparrow

Lark Bunting

Fox Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Lincoln's Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Lapland Longspur

Chestnut-collared Longspur

Grosbeaks and allies

Northern Cardinal

Black-headed Grosbeak

Blue Grosbeak

Lazuli Bunting

Blackbirds and allies

Eastern Meadowlark

Western Meadowlark

Yellow-headed Blackbird

Brewer's Blackbird

Red-winged Blackbird

Great-tailed Grackle

Brown-headed Cowbird

Baltimore Oriole

Bullock's Oriole

House Finch

Pine Siskin

Lesser Goldfinch

American Goldfinch

Evening Grosbeak

Old World Weavers
House Sparrow
What was the primary
field guide used by
your team to help
identify the birds?
What equipment
was used?
birding binoculars
spotting scope
all-purpose binoculars
no optics used
Write in species:
If you enjoy watching birds, doesn't it make sense to help protect
them too?!
What did members of your group do to HELP birds during this month?  (check all that apply)
maintained a clean bird bath
made windows "bird friendly"
maintained healthy bird feeders
taught others about birds
kept cats indoors
put up nest boxes
bought "bird-friendly" coffee or chocolate
participated in Junior Duck Stamp contest
planted native species at school or home
volunteered with local bird conservation project
Fledging Birders looks forward to hearing about your students' experiences as they searched for and identified
the various species of birds found around the school.   Please also include details for any unusual birds.
I have read and agree to the terms and conditions below.
REQUIRED for prize consideration
Date of submission:
Schoolyard Birding Challenge
Monthly Submission Form -
* - If this shortened list is missing many of the birds that you identified this month,
please check out the all-inclusive
Western Checklist Submission Form
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