RSPB Big Schools' Birdwatch - 7th January to 14th February 2025
This very successful citizen science project is run annually by the RSPB. It is an ideal opportunity for pupils of all ages to identify different bird species and count the numbers they see in the school grounds. Details about the competition and the RSPB supporting materials can be found here.
This collection brings together resources which can be used to help identify birds. In addition, there are other resources which can be used to extend the topic of birds into other parts of the curriculum. There are activities covering classification, evolution, adaptation, use of materials, and some mathematics resources more appropriate for secondary aged students which can show how the data received by the RSPB can be analysed, and the use of scatter diagrams.
Resources
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Classification
In these two key stage three activities from the ARKive collection, students learn about why species are classified, the ways in which this can be done and the key characteristics of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and insects. In the first activity, students play the Guess Zoo game to help them...
Evolution - Darwin's Finches *suitable for home learning*
This worksheet, aimed at primary learners, looks at how finches in the Galapagos Islands have become adapted to suit the different environments in which they live. It provides an information sheet about the finches and questions to answer based on the sheet. It also contains pictures of six birds from around the...
Battle of the Beaks
This practical activity explores beak adaptations in bird populations and looks at the way in which variation in beak shape is related to the available food sources within an environment.
Students simulate bird feeding by using a ‘beak’ to collect food and place it into a stomach. There are four different...
Blackbird
This resource includes data on blackbirds caught and ringed in a single garden in the UK across a period of several years. It includes interesting background information on the migratory habits of these birds, and the characteristics of European and ‘British’ resident birds.
The data, which is a rich source...