Birdwatching
0Loading crowd target
0Loading crowd target
6correct to beat the crowd
50 free Birdwatching trivia questions with answers — trivia quiz, new questions added Oct 2026.
Birdwatching is one of the most popular outdoor hobbies there is, and it comes with its own gear, its own heroes and a language that outsiders rarely understand. It has also shaped conservation law, inspired a Hollywood comedy and lent a name to a very famous secret agent. This quiz covers the whole hobby: the slang birders use in the field, how binoculars and field guides work, the seeds and feeders that bring birds to a backyard, the people and organisations behind the big annual surveys, and the story behind 2018, when conservation groups declared a year-long celebration of birds. It is written for people who keep a feeder topped up, for weekend birders and for quiz fans alike. The opening questions are friendly to beginners, and the later ones will stretch anyone who keeps a list.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01Which fictional spy takes his name from the author of the 1936 field guide Birds of the West Indies?
James Bond
James Bond was a real American ornithologist whose book Ian Fleming, a keen birdwatcher, knew from his home in Jamaica. Fleming wanted a name that sounded as ordinary as possible.
Q 02On birdwatching binoculars marked 8x42, what does the second number, 42, measure in millimetres?
Objective lens diameter
Objective lens diameter is the second number: the wider the front lenses, the more light they gather and the sharper the view. The first number, 8, is the magnification.
Q 03Which feather-trimmed fashion item led two Boston cousins to found the Massachusetts Audubon Society?
Hats
Hats decorated with plumes, and even whole birds, were driving a commercial slaughter. Harriet Hemenway and Minna Hall enlisted 900 women, and new laws eventually ended the plume trade.
Q 04Which 2011 comedy stars Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson as birders chasing a record?
The Big Year
The Big Year is based on Mark Obmascik's book about three real birders competing to identify the most species in North America within twelve months.
Q 05Which storm-tracking technology lets ornithologists count the birds migrating overhead on a given night?
Weather radar
Weather radar bounces off flocks as well as rain, revealing how many birds are aloft on a given night and which way they are heading.
Q 06Which chilli compound is added to some bird seed because squirrels feel the burn but birds do not?
Capsaicin
Capsaicin triggers a pain receptor in mammals that does not respond in birds. Wild chilli plants benefit too: birds swallow the seeds whole and spread them in their droppings.
Q 07What British nickname describes a birder who travels long distances to see a reported rare bird?
A twitcher
A twitcher was first named in the 1950s for the nervous behaviour of British birdwatcher Howard Medhurst. North American birders call the same pursuit chasing.
Q 08Which bird, known for trailing gardeners to snatch worms, won a 2015 vote for Britain's national bird?
Robin
The robin took 34% of the final vote in a poll organised by birdwatcher David Lindo. It had already been adopted as the unofficial national bird after a 1960s vote publicised by The Times.
Q 09Which US president, a published ornithologist, listed the birds he saw on the White House grounds?
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt was a keen naturalist from boyhood, and as president he helped establish 51 federal bird reserves. He drew up his White House list in 1908.
Q 10Which viewing aid is named in the title of Florence Merriam Bailey's pioneering 19th-century bird guide?
An opera glass
An opera glass was Bailey's tool for watching living birds outdoors, at a time when most study meant examining shot specimens. Her book has been called the first field guide to American birds.
Q 11Which annual Audubon census began in 1900 as an alternative to shooting contests known as side hunts?
Christmas Bird Count
The Christmas Bird Count was ornithologist Frank Chapman's idea: tally the birds instead of competing to kill the most. Chapman founded Bird-Lore, the magazine that became Audubon.
Q 12Which hard fat from around the kidneys of cattle is pressed into cakes as a winter food for wild birds?
Suet
Suet cakes are often mixed with rolled oats, bird seed, cornmeal, raisins and unsalted nuts. The raw fat can also come from lamb or mutton.
Q 13Which small feeder bird with a black cap and bib is named after the sound of its alarm call?
Chickadee
Q 21Which imported seed, often mislabelled as thistle, is a favourite of finches at backyard feeders?
Nyjer
Nyjer is a trademarked spelling, adopted by the wild bird feeding industry to stop the plant's older name, niger, being mispronounced. The seed is no thistle: that label was early marketing.
Q 22Which feeder seed has a thinner shell and larger kernel than the striped variety of the same plant?
Black-oil sunflower
Black-oil sunflower seeds are also rich in fat, which makes them especially good winter fuel. Their thin outer shell is easier to crack than other kinds.
Q 23Which crested North American bird imitates red-shouldered hawks, possibly to scare rivals off food?
Blue jay
The chickadee adds extra dee notes to its alarm call as the danger grows, so listeners can tell how serious a predator is.
Q 14Which fruit do backyard birders cut in half and set out on feeders to attract Baltimore orioles?
Oranges
Oranges suit a bird with a sweet tooth: Baltimore orioles also sip from hummingbird feeders and are fond of grape jelly.
Q 15What ratio of water to white sugar is the standard recipe for homemade hummingbird feeder nectar?
Four to one
Four to one, water to plain white sugar, is the normal mix. Raw, turbinado and other unrefined sugars must be avoided because the iron they contain could be lethal to hummingbirds.
Q 16Which daily burst of birdsong has its own international day on the first Sunday in May?
The dawn chorus
The dawn chorus peaks in spring, when birds are defending breeding territories and trying to attract mates. On the international day, people rise early to listen at organised events.
Q 17Which American artist's 1934 A Field Guide to the Birds is seen by some as the first modern one?
Roger Tory Peterson
Roger Tory Peterson built an identification system on clear illustrations and the field marks that separate similar species. New editions of his guide kept appearing for decades.
Q 18Which 19th-century book by John James Audubon shows 435 life-size prints on pages over three feet tall?
The Birds of America
The Birds of America is nicknamed the Double Elephant Folio for its size. Robert Havell of London engraved and printed nearly all of the plates, and a team of more than fifty colourists painted them by hand.
Q 19What one-word name do birders give a species they are seeing for the very first time?
A lifer
A lifer is an addition to the life list, the record many birders keep of every species they have ever seen, usually with the date and place.
Q 20Which household disinfectant, diluted one part to nine with water, is advised for soaking bird feeders?
Bleach
Bleach can remove bacteria and viruses more effectively than soap and water alone. Feeder parts are soaked for ten minutes, rinsed carefully and dried completely before reassembly.
The blue jay may also be testing whether a real hawk is nearby. For all the bluster, jays at feeders frequently give way to other medium-sized birds.
Q 24Which small woodland bird, a regular at feeders, is known for climbing down tree trunks head-first?
Nuthatch
The nuthatch can also hang upside-down beneath twigs and branches, gripping with its powerful feet. It eats mostly insects, nuts and seeds.
Q 25Which North American songbirds recovered after volunteers set up long trails of nest boxes for them?
Bluebirds
Bluebirds had declined by up to 70% by the 1970s, losing nesting cavities to introduced house sparrows and starlings. The volunteer-run trails are largely credited with the upsurge that followed.
Q 26Which hummingbird, eastern North America's commonest, can fly 900 miles nonstop over the Gulf of Mexico?
Ruby-throated
Ruby-throated hummingbirds winter from Florida and Mexico southwards, and some make the sea crossing in a single flight on their way north to breed.
Q 27Which North American owl is nicknamed the eight-hooter after the rhythm of its best-known call?
Barred owl
The barred owl gives eight accented hoots that drop in pitch at the end, a rhythm birders memorise as a question about who is doing the cooking.
Q 28Which woodpecker, nicknamed the Lord God Bird, sparked a major search after a 2004 report from Arkansas?
Ivory-billed
Ivory-billed woodpeckers were the largest in the United States, and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology led the search. Later reports are disputed, and many sources argue the bird is likely extinct.
Q 29Which South American country ranks first in the world for bird species, with almost a fifth of them?
Colombia
Colombia holds about 18% of the world's bird species, including the greatest diversity of hummingbirds, wrens and tanagers of any country.
Q 30Which compact tripod-mounted telescope do birders use when shorebirds are too distant for binoculars?
A spotting scope
A spotting scope typically magnifies 20 to 60 times, far beyond ordinary binoculars. That power exaggerates every tremor, which is why it needs a steady support.