Tweet Tweet Tweet! Try this experiment about Birds and then tell us what you discover!   What You Need: a place where you can see and hear birds paper and pencil field guides for birds in your area tape recorder and camera (optional) Tip: If you happen to have a tiny mirror use it instead of the tin foil. Question: How can you identify birds by their song? 1. First, take a walk where you can see and hear birds. 2. Then, write or draw a description of any birds you see. Write down what the song sounds like to you. 3. Some birds, such as the chickadee and the whip-poor-will, are named for their songs. Think of funny names like these when you write down the bird songs you hear. across the end of the tube. 4. If you can, take pictures and sound recordings of the birds. 5. Then, use the field guides to identify the birds you saw. Use your notes and drawings to help you. 6. Now, make a song book of the neighborhood birds. Go bird watching with your friends and family. Use your new songbook and sing to any birds you see! A Scientific Explanation Birds have calls and songs. A call is a single note, such as a chirp or a squawk. A song is a series of notes that make a melody. Most birds have both songs and calls. Other birds don't sing very well but have impressive calls, such as an owl's hoot or a crow's caw. EXTRA! EXTRA! Listen and observe when birds sing to other birds. Notice what bird that are alike sing to each other. Notice what birds that are different sing to each other. How are their songs alike? How are they different? I discovered that birds are special animals. They tweet when they're scared and tweet if their babies are lost and gone. - Sarah P. I saw lots of birds, but I didn't know the names of the birds. The songs they were singing were very good and could put me to sleep. The songs sounded like "chirp-charp" and other kind of noises. - Nnennaya H. A chickadee makes the sound "chicka-dee-dee." - Steven B. Birds come in many different colors and sizes. They also have big and little beaks. - Dabreesha G. I discovered that birds have lots of talent. They can fly well and can sing well. - David Y.