Two free printables for backyard birders, families, classrooms and nature centers. Print them, hand them out, stick them on the fridge. No signup, no email address, no catch.
Bird identification
Backyard Bird ID Chart by Color
48 common backyard birds sorted into eight color bands, each with a size tag (sparrow, robin or crow-sized) and one field mark to look for. The fastest way for a beginner or a kid to put a name to the bird at the feeder. Two letter-size pages.
Checklist
Backyard Bird Life List
157 North American birds grouped by family, with a box to tick and a line for the date you first saw each one. Start it this weekend and it turns into a record of every bird your yard has ever given you. Two letter-size pages.
How people use them
- At the window: keep the color chart next to the feeder view. Match the color first, then the size, then the field mark.
- With kids: the life list is the game. One tick per new bird, date written in their own handwriting.
- In a classroom or nature center: print as many copies as you need. The life list copies fine in black and white; the chart is sorted by color, so print that one in color.
- For Project FeederWatch or the Great Backyard Bird Count: the chart is the “what was that?” step before you log a sighting.
Sharing and reuse
Both printables are free to print and share, and always will be. If you would like to put them on a website, newsletter or resources page, please link to this page or to the printable’s own page rather than re-hosting the files, so your readers always get the current version. Questions: get in touch.