Look at That Bird!

How to Use This Book
This guide is written specially for beginning birders in the Pacific Northwest. Every bird included is one you might see in your own yard or during your adventures in nearby natural areas (or even cities in some cases). The book is divided into two parts. The first section tells you about birds in general and shows you things you can look for to help find and identify different species. Read it to learn about the cool features that make birds different from every other animal. The second section is a field guide to many of the common birds living in the Pacific Northwest. A field guide is a type of book you can take with you to identify plants, animals, and natural features out in the field—in nature.
Birdwatchers (birders) are called ornithologists when they’re studying birds for science. Both hobby birders and ornithologists often keep lists of all the different birds they’ve spotted in their lifetime. These lists are known as life lists (or lifer lists). As you look through the birds in this book, think about starting your own life list. How many of these birds have you already seen? Think of the birds here as your starter set. Adding more is part of the fun! As you learn to tell bird species apart, keep an eye out for a few individuals that come back to visit you over a summer or even over several seasons. There are crows, for example, who come back to visit their favorite people year after year. Some even bring gifts to their human friends—everything from cones to pebbles to sparkly trash they find in their daily wandering.