Types of North American Birds Trivia Quiz

Vultures eat dead animals, which helps keep our world clean. There are three kinds of vultures in North America - this picture is the most common kind, a turkey vulture, which has a red head. Black vultures have black heads and white tips on their wings. California condors are very rare; they also have red heads but more white under their wings. Vultures spread their wings (as the photo shows) to soak up warmth from the sun and also to help control pests that like their feathers.

Ducks spend lots of time on the water. Some, like the mottled duck in the picture, are "dabbling" ducks - they eat plants in the water by sticking their heads down, which means their tails are up in the air! Other ducks are diving ducks - they go under the water to catch fish, frogs and other food. Geese are related, but are bigger and make more noise (honk!) when they fly. Ducks may "quack" when they are on the water or right as they start to fly, but not usually up in the air.

Woodpeckers have many ways they are made to live the way they do. Their toes are different - they are on the foot in an "x" pattern with two in front and two in back. This helps them hold onto the trees as they hunt for bugs to eat. Their skulls are strong and help keep their brain safe when they peck at trees.

The beak is shaped to help pick away at the tree to get to the bugs. Their tongue is long and sticky to reach the bugs and get them from the tree to eat. The bird in the photo is a pileated woodpecker, the biggest one in the United States.

It lives in the north and eastern parts of the country and in Canada.

Hummingbirds have long beaks to fit inside flowers to drink nectar. The one in the photo has pollen on his head from visiting flowers. Hummingbirds only live in the Americas. They are tiny, weighing about the same as a penny. Hummingbirds are the only birds that can fly backwards. Even though they are small, they zip around and fight each other for the best food.

There are many kinds of hummingbirds, most are very colorful and shiny.

This photo shows a great blue heron, a very tall bird that wades in water to eat fish and frogs. They will also eat land animals - I have seen one eat a squirrel! There are many kinds of herons all over the world. Some members of the heron family are called egrets, they usually have white feathers. You can see the long feathers at the back of the heron in the picture - these are called plumes. Hunters used to kill herons to get the plumes to use as decoration for hats.

The number of some kinds of herons was very low until plume hunting was stopped.

The warblers found in the United States are small birds which eat insects. They fly from South America in the spring to North America, and the other way in the fall. They are usually brightly colored with combinations of yellow, white and black. The bird in the photo is a black-throated green warbler.

Falcons are one group of birds in a larger group called raptors, or also birds of prey. They are fast flyers, and grab their food in very strong, sharp claws called talons. Many falcons have face stripes like the bird in the photo. This one is an American kestrel - this small falcon eats smaller animals like grasshoppers, dragonflies and lizards.

The fastest animal on earth is a bird called a peregrine falcon, which can dive at speeds more than 200 miles per hour.

Sparrows are small birds, usually with brown feathers. The birds we call sparrows in the United States are a little different from the house sparrow from England. A person let some English house sparrows loose in New York City in 1851, so now they also live in the United States.

The bird in the photo is called a Harris's sparrow, which is a big kind. They build their nests in Canada, but come to the United States in the winter.

Jays are loud, smart birds that are related to crows. This photo shows a blue jay, which lives in the east half of North America. Many jays have bright colors, but some are brown or gray.

Ravens are also related to crows, like jays. The group that includes crows, jays and ravens is called corvids. Ravens are also very smart. Most are black, some have small parts with other colors. The photo is of a common raven, which lives over most of the northern half of the world. They make a loud "kronk" noise, and they will eat almost anything they can find.

This is a group of wild turkeys running across a road. They only live in North America. All farm turkeys were bred from wild turkeys. Native American people were first to raise them for food. These are very big birds, and just like the white feathered ones on farms, they make a noise called a "gobble." They can fly, but usually only fly for a short time. Baby turkeys are called poults.

Sandpipers are often seen on beaches or the edge of ponds and lakes. Some live in more grassy areas. Most of them fly long distances to raise chicks closer to the North Pole. They eat insects, small clams and worms found at the shore. They dig in the sand or mud to find their food.

Looking at this bright orange bird, you would not guess that it belongs to the same family as blackbirds! Orioles in the United States are not the same as the ones in Africa and Europe. They are usually orange or yellow. This photo shows a Baltimore Oriole, just like the baseball team! They weave a nest that hangs from a tree branch.

They love to eat fruit - people put out orange halves to bring them to their yard.

There are two types of pelican in the United States, the American white pelican and the brown pelican shown in the photo. Pelicans have large pouches of skin under their beak which helps them catch and hold fish. White pelicans fish while swimming on the top of the water, but brown pelicans dive down from the sky to catch fish. Brown pelicans were almost all gone from the United States in the 1970s because of a poison used to kill bugs, but there are many now that the poison is not used as much.

Doves and pigeons are in the same family. Usually pigeons are bigger. There are many kinds of dove all over the world. This photo shows a white-winged dove, which lives in the southern part of the United States and all through Mexico and Central America. Most doves and pigeons make a "coo, coo" noise.