Q 01/05

Which fictional spy takes his name from the author of the 1936 field guide Birds of the West Indies?

A) Jason Bourne

B) George Smiley

C) James Bond

D) Jack Ryan

Answer · why

C) 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 sou...

Q 02/05

On birdwatching binoculars marked 8x42, what does the second number, 42, measure in millimetres?

A) Objective lens diameter

B) Exit pupil diameter

C) Closest focusing distance

D) Eye relief distance

Answer · why

A) 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...

Q 03/05

Which feather-trimmed fashion item led two Boston cousins to found the Massachusetts Audubon Society?

A) Fans

B) Hats

C) Capes

D) Gloves

Answer · why

B) Hats

Hats decorated with plumes, and even whole birds, were driving a commercial slaughter. Harriet Hemenway and Minna Hall enlisted 900 women, and new law...

Q 04/05

Which 2011 comedy stars Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson as birders chasing a record?

A) Fly Away Home

B) Rare Birds

C) Winged Migration

D) The Big Year

Answer · why

D) 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 05/05

Which storm-tracking technology lets ornithologists count the birds migrating overhead on a given night?

A) Weather balloons

B) Weather radar

C) Weather satellites

D) Lightning detectors

Answer · why

B) 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.