The Kids' Guide to Birds of Texas: Fun Facts, Activities and 90 Cool Birds

by Stan Tekiela

Overview

With fun activities for the whole family, like building a birdhouse and preparing your own bird food, this is a must-have beginner's guide to bird watching in the Lone Star State!

Stan Tekiela’s famous Birds of Texas Field Guide has been delighting bird watchers for years. Now, the award-winning author has written the perfect bird identification guide for children!

The Kids’ Guide to Birds of Texas features:

• 90 of the most common and important birds to know
• Species organized by color for ease of use
• Full-color photographs and a full page of information for each bird
• Field marks, favorite hangouts, calls/songs, a range map, and Stan’s cool facts, making identification a snap!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781591939658
Publisher:	Adventure Publications, Incorporated
Publication date:	07/14/2020
Series:	Birding Children's Books
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	294,279
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.00(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	IG910L (what's this?)
Age Range:	5 - 12 Years

About the Author

Naturalist, wildlife photographer and writer Stan Tekiela is the author of more than 175 field guides, nature books, children’s books, wildlife audio CDs, puzzles and playing cards, presenting many species of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, trees, wildflowers and cacti in the United States. With a Bachelor of Science degree in Natural History from the University of Minnesota and as an active professional naturalist for more than 25 years, Stan studies and photographs wildlife throughout the United States and Canada. He has received various national and regional awards for his books and photographs. Also a well-known columnist and radio personality, his syndicated column appears in more than 25 newspapers and his wildlife programs are broadcast on a number of Midwest radio stations. Stan can be followed on Facebook and Twitter.

Read an Excerpt

Mostly Blue

Indigo Bunting
Look for the vibrant blue feathers

What to look for: vibrant blue with scattered dark marks on the wings and tail; plumage gleams in direct sunlight and appears dull on cloudy days or in shade 

Where you'll find them: woodland edges, where it feasts on insects; parks and yards 

Calls and songs: male often sings from treetops to attract a mate; female is quiet 

On the move: migrates at night in flocks of 5–10 birds 

What they eat: insects, seeds and fruit; only visits seed feeders early in spring, when bugs are in short supply 

Nest: cup in a small tree or shrub, low to the ground 

Eggs, chicks & childcare: 3–4 pale blue eggs; Mom sits on the eggs and attends to the young 

Spends the winter: migrates to southern states, Mexico, Central and South America 

Stan's Cool Stuff
This male is actually gray! Like Blue Jays (pg.67) and other blue birds, there’s no blue pigment in the feathers. Sunlight refraction in the structure of the feathers makes them look blue. Males molt in autumn and look like the brown females during winter.

Real Quick
Size: 5-1/2"
Nest: cup
Feeder: hopper

Table of Contents

Introduction

• Cool Birds in Texas
• Body Basics of a Bird
• Amazing Nests
• Who Built That Nest?
• Attracting Birds with Feeders
• How to Use This Guide
• Sample Pages

The Birds

• Black
• Black and White
• Blue
• Brown
• Gray
• Green
• Orange
• Red
• White
• Yellow

Bird Food Fun for the Family

• Starter Snacks and Fruit Treats
• Easy Bird Food Recipes
• Sweet Homemade Nectar
• Birds-Go-Wild Spread
• Love-It-Nutty Butter
• Make Your Own Suet
• Easy-Peasy Suet
• Simply Super Suet
• Yummy Bird-Feeding Projects
• Birdseed Ornaments
• Pinecone Birdseed Feeders

More Activities for the Bird-Minded

• Help Birds Build Their Nests
• Make a Bird Watch List
• Save the Birds with Hawk Cutouts
• Build Your Very Own Birdhouse
• Create a Bird-Friendly Yard
• Take a Birding Trip
• Practice Good Birding

Citizen Science Projects

Learning About Birding on the Internet

Glossary

Checklist/Index by Species

About the Author