You'll find BirdNote stories for students in the list below, ordered by Next Generation Science Standards topics for grades 9-12.
These are suggestions only. We encourage teachers to determine the appropriateness of each story for their students.
Weather and Climate
Western Hummingbirds - East: Why is this colorful explosion happening now?
Superstorm Sandy's Effects on Birds and Habitat: How do birds fare?
Hurricanes and Birds: Given time, bird populations are resilient!
Burrowing Snowbirds: Turns out snow is a good insulator
Ospreys Weather the Storm: How can birds survive such severe weather?
White Ibis’s Tricky Nesting Schedule: It all depends on the weather!
Radar Ornithology with Dr. Cliff Mass: Millions of birds are on the move!
A Northern Gannet Meets Superstorm Sandy: A bird with a transmitter!
Human Sustainability
Banding Hummingbirds: Delicate work!
Yogi Berra’s Wit and Wisdom: “Little things are big”
Superstorm Sandy's Effects on Birds and Habitat: How do birds fare?
How Humans Affect Competition Among Birds: “A potent selective force on birds...”
If It Weren’t For Birds: What would the world be like without birds?
The Ten Commandments of Subirdia: Tips for a happy coexistence with birds
Wetland Birds Thrive: Human action helps improve the world for birds!
Crows Recognize Individual Faces: The work of John Marzluff
Highways as Habitat for Hawks: Accidental gifts from the age of the automobile
Migration to the New World: Perhaps birds lead the First Americans to a new land...
Finding Your Way Home: Birds convey important messages if we are attuned
Waxwing Nightlight: Do Bohemian Waxwings glow in the dark?
“You Need a Mister!” A water mister, that is!
Birds on the Menu: Order up! No “eating like a bird” at this diner!
Crows and Chips: This crow couldn’t eat just one!
Precious Poop: Wars were fought over it!
Hummingbirds by a Hair: A striking image
Engineering and Design
Spider Silk - Duct Tape for Birds Nests: A flexible, resilient material ...
Rufous Hummingbirds’ Marvelous Nest: The secret is . . . spider webs!
Heron Nest - Start with One Stick: Construction begins late winter ...
Choosing Where to Nest: Location, location, location!
Woodpeckers Carve Out Roost Cavities: Excavation time - again!
Woodpeckers as Keystone Species: How woodpeckers benefit many other birds
Nest Cavities - Book Early: Competition is fierce!
Highways as Habitat for Hawks: Accidental gifts from the age of the automobile
A Building Manager Shows the Way: Lights Out protects birds and saves energy
“You Need a Mister!” A water mister, that is!
The Bushtit vs. Elastic: One determined little bird!
Walking on Eggshells: Just how fragile are they?
Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems
Alex Chadwick in Big Bend: Banding Hummingbirds
Banding Hummingbirds: Delicate work!
White Ibis’s Tricky Nesting Schedule: It all depends on the weather!
Ospreys Weather the Storm: How can birds survive such severe weather?
The Great Horned Owl Nest: What’s happening in March?
Great Horned Owls Nest: Why is it these owls nest in winter?
Migration - Long, Short and In-Between: And who flies the farthest?
Migration to the New World: Perhaps birds lead the First Americans to a new land...
Raptor Breeding: Why do they nest so early?
Choosing Where to Nest: Location, location, location!
Nest Cavities - Book Early: Competition is fierce!
Woodpeckers as Keystone Species: How woodpeckers benefit many other birds
Highways as Habitat for Hawks: Accidental gifts from the age of the automobile
Alex Chadwick in Big Bend - The Roadrunner
Where Birds Sleep: In nests? Not for long!
Trogons Nest with Wasps: A nest few predators would dare disturb!
Consider the Ostrich: Do they really stick their heads in the sand?
Natural Selection and Evolution
Jacana - Lily-trotter: Those long toes are made for walkin’
Sandgrouse – Desert Water Carriers: An incredible adaptation ...
Suburbs, Juncos, and Evolution: Humans put birds under intense natural selection ...
Northern Hawk Owl: The only living member of its genus
The Superbly Adapted Osprey: A species unique among raptors
Woodpeckers and Forest Fires: What's the connection?
How Evolution Works: Why some thrushes migrate twice the distance as others
Migration: Innate or Learned? How do these birds know where to go?
How Young Birds Migrate: Young sandpipers find their way on their own!
How Shorebirds Find Their Way: One of the wonders of migration!
Migration - Long, Short and In-Between: And who flies the farthest?
Wishbones and Dinosaurs: The wishbone dates back more than 150 million years
If It Weren’t For Birds: What would the world be like without birds?
Purple Martins Change Their Habits: A shift in response to human influence
How Many Eggs to Lay? One flicker laid 71 eggs in 73 days
Burrowing Snowbirds: Turns out snow is a good insulator
Do Parrots Name Their Chicks? A different kind of “name tag”
Chickadees Clean Up After the Youngsters: A simple solution ...
Crows and Chips: This crow couldn’t eat just one!
How Humans Affect Competition Among Birds: “A potent selective force on birds...”
Consider the Ostrich: Do they really stick their heads in the sand?
Structure and Function
Jacana - Lily-trotter: Those long toes are made for walkin’
Birds, Nests, and Camouflage: Blending in to the environment ...
Why a Gorget Glitters: Like a tiny knight in shining armor!
Northern Hawk Owl: The only living member of its genus
How Shorebirds Find Their Way: One of the wonders of migration!
Nocturnal Migration of Songbirds: Hear the sounds overhead?
Navigating by Earth's Magnetic Field: How do they know where to go?
Shorebirds - Masters of Long-Distance Migration: The same routes, year after year
Long-Distance Migration Takes Fuel and Water: It’s a balancing act
Long-Distance Champions of Migration: Arctic Terns defend their title!
Tree Swallows and Feathers: Is it play? Probably competition!
Crows Recognize Individual Faces: The work of John Marzluff
Singing Like a Bird and Feeling Good: Belt it out!
Crows and Chips: This crow couldn’t eat just one!
Angry Birds: What are these birds, and why are they so angry?
The Secret Stash of Eggshells: She gets calcium from her legbones
How Many Eggs to Lay? One flicker laid 71 eggs in 73 days
California Quail, Up and Running: “Precocial” chicks are up and away!
Baby Birds Move Out of the Nest: But they’re still pretty clueless and clumsy!
Do Parrots Name Their Chicks? A different kind of “name tag”
Chickadees Clean Up After the Youngsters: A simple solution ...
Where Birds Sleep: In nests? Not for long!
Consider the Ostrich: Do they really stick their heads in the sand?
Inheritance and Variation of Traits
Jacana - Lily-trotter: Those long toes are made for walkin’
Northern Hawk Owl: The only living member of its genus
The Superbly Adapted Osprey: A species unique among raptors
Migration: Innate or Learned? How do these birds know where to go?
Tree Swallows and Feathers: Is it play? Probably competition!
Baby Bald Eagles: It takes an eagle a long time to grow up!
Woodpeckers and Forest Fires: What's the connection?
Burrowing Snowbirds: Turns out snow is a good insulator
Do Parrots Name Their Chicks? A different kind of “name tag”
Voices and Vocabularies - Great Horned Owls: Listen ...
Singing Like a Bird and Feeling Good: Belt it out!
Birds Talk, People Squawk! Sparky, the famous talking budgerigar!
Silly Willow Ptarmigan: Hard not to smile when you hear this bird!
Turkey Calling - Real or Unreal: Can you tell which is which?
Saw-whet Owls Hoot and Hoot: They kept the neighbors up all night!
Birds That Say Their Own Names: Sometimes they say it over and over!
Laughing Kookaburra: It sounds like a jungle out there!
Wishbones and Dinosaurs: The wishbone dates back more than 150 million years
Consider the Ostrich: Do they really stick their heads in the sand?
Citizen Science
Christmas Bird Count for Kids - with Tom Rusert: Make this a family tradition!
Christmas Bird Count: Put on your parka and binoculars and go!
Backyard Bird Science: You don't have to have a PhD to get involved ...
Annual Great Backyard Bird Count: Who's out there?
The COASST Program - Interview with Julia Parrish: Coastal observation ...
Additional K-12th grade stories
Common Murres - Nature’s Laugh Track: Sounds ring from a sea cliff!
Big Bird - America’s Favorite Flightless Bird: Everyone knows this bird’s song
Why the Crow Is Black
Raven and the Sun, A Myth: How Raven stole the sun and placed it in the sky
How Raven Made the Tide: Those clever ravens!
Raven and the Winding River: No surprise - the raven gets his way!
The Crane Wife: The sad tale of a Japanese crane . . .
Valentine Lovebirds: A symbol of enduring love...
Acorn Woodpecker: The true inspiration for Woody!
Hummingbird Migration Myths: On the wings of a goose?
Raven’s Love Song: These gruff birds have a softer side
The Folklore of Owls
Myth of the Thunderbird: What kind of bird was it, exactly? ...
Why Robin Has a Red Breast: According to the Suquamish myth...
How the Steller's Jay Got Its Crest: Northwest Coastal native story
The Nightingale: A beautiful song in the green wood
Pirates and Parrots: Ahoy, Matey! September 19 is Talk Like a Pirate Day!
Donald Duck: The duck in the sailor suit
Tweety Bird: Twitiavis superciliosis
Cygnus the Swan: From Greek mythology
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