🐦 Backyard bird bingo
Which birds can you see? Look out of the window or go outside. Mark them on your bingo card, then count them on the tally sheet.
What to look for
- Northern cardinal: Bright red all over (the female is tan), with a pointed crest and a thick red-orange beak.
- Blue jay: Blue, white and black, with a crest. Loud!
- Chickadee: Tiny, with a black cap and a black bib. It says its name: chick-a-dee-dee.
- Mourning dove: Soft gray-brown, a small head and a long pointed tail. Its call is a sad coo.
- American robin: Orange-red chest and a gray back. Often on the lawn.
- American crow: Big and black all over. Caw, caw!
- Dark-eyed junco: Gray on top, white belly, a pale pink beak. Often on the ground under a feeder.
- Downy woodpecker: Black and white with white spots on its wings; the male has a red patch on its head.
- American goldfinch: Small and yellow in summer, dull olive in winter, with black wings.
- House finch: Brown streaks; the male has a red head and chest.
- A sparrow: Small, brown and streaky, hopping on the ground.
- European starling: Dark and shiny with tiny pale spots in winter, a short tail.
- White-breasted nuthatch: Gray back, white face, walks down tree trunks head first.
- Tufted titmouse: Small and gray with a crest and big dark eyes.
- Mallard duck: The male has a shiny green head; the female is brown. Near water.
- Canada goose: Big, brown, with a black neck and a white chin strap.
How to play
- Print a card for each player, or share one.
- Watch the birds at a window, a feeder, a park or a pond.
- Mark each one you see. Three in a row, across, down or corner to corner, wins.
For grown-ups: count for science
The Great Backyard Bird Count is 12 to 15 February 2027, and Project FeederWatch runs all winter. Scientists use the counts to see how birds are doing. Your child can watch and keep the tally; a grown-up sends the count from their own account. The links open the counts’ own pages in a new tab after a two-second hold.