Backyard Birds: Who Lives In Your BackYard?

SUMMARY:	Become more familiar with the birds that live in Southern California in this research project. This lesson is part of a series. Select this text to learn more about the series and how to extend its usefulness.
OBJECTIVES:	Students will learn more about the diversity of birds and their habitats by focusing on four different habitats in California.
SUBJECTS:	Geography & Science
GRADES:	5 - 8
LENGTH:	Series

Background: California is a huge and diverse state with many different climates and habitats. In this activity we are just focusing on a few of these: marsh, shoreline, woodland, and desert. This activity can be easily adapted for any region.

Materials: Outline of California (or local area), large sheet of paper, green, blue, brown, and yellow markers and paper, resource books and/or access to the internet.

How to:

1. Take the outline of California (or your area) and xerox it onto transparency film. Shine the transparency on a blank sheet of paper on the wall. Trace the large outline of the area onto the paper and use this as your map. Place it on the classroom wall.
2. Divide the class into four groups. Each group is assigned a different habitat: marsh, shoreline, woodland, and desert. The groups break off to do research about their habitat using resource books and the internet. Each group should answer these questions: Where in your area can you find this habitat? What birds are found in this habitat? Some helpful resources are: any atlas or terrain map, A Guide To Wildlife Habitats of California, edited by Kenneth E. Meyer and William F. Laudenslayer, published by the Department of Fish and Game in 1988.
3. Come together as a group and color in the map with the different habitat areas. Color the marsh green, the shoreline blue, the woodland brown, and the desert yellow. Post the lists of birds next to the map on their habitat color-coded paper. Do any birds live in more than one habitat?