Every year the
RSPB asks
children across
the UK to count
the birds in
their school
grounds
Why do you think
the RSPB asks for
your help?
The Big Schools’ Birdwatch helps
the RSPB to...
• Create a ‘picture’ of how birds
are doing across the UK.
• If we know that the bird
population is healthy and you
see lots of birds during your
Birdwatch, it tells us that the
rest of our wildlife is doing well
too.
The Big Schools’ Birdwatch helps
the RSPB to...
• Record birdwatching data and
compare it to earlier years so
we can spot any trends or
changes.
• Identify and help species that
are in trouble. In previous
years the RSPB noticed a
dramatic decline in house
sparrows and starlings.
Last year nearly 75,000 children from
2,000 schools took part.....
.....and the blackbird, starling and black headed gull topped
the charts!
How can you
tell which type
of bird it is?
Identification skills
Ways to tell different birds apart
Look at the size
and shape of their
beak
What
colour are
their
feathers?
What size and shape is
the bird?
Listen to,
and try to
remember
their song
What are their
legs and feet
like?
Can you
identify any of
these birds?
Blackbird
Chaffinch
Robin
Great tit
Greenfinch
Mallard
Help to give nature a
home by making this Big
Schools’ Birdwatch the
biggest yet!
Illustrations by Andy Hamilton
and Mike Langman.
Photographs by Ray Kennedy,
Andy Hay, Ben Hall and David
McHugh (all rspb-images.com)
Sounds © British Library
The RSPB is the country’s largest nature
conservation charity, inspiring everyone to
give nature a home.
RSPB Wildlife Explorers and RSPB
Phoenix are the junior and teenage
memberships of the RSPB.