All worksheets / Bird Study
Edition 2026Active Merit Badge
Bird Study
Official Requirements & Fillable Workbook · 2026 Edition
Bird Study opens your eyes and ears to the wild species all around you. You will learn to recognize birds by silhouette, field marks, flight, and song, practice using optics and field guides, and maintain a 20-species field notebook. Along the way you will explore evolutionary adaptations, conservation challenges for threatened and migratory species, and hands-on projects like nest boxes and bird counts.
Key Requirements Covered:
- Bird Identification by Sight & Sound
- Field Observation & Logging
- Bird Anatomy & Ecological Adaptations
- Avian Habitats & Bird Conservation
18Printable Pages
13Requirements
2026Reqs Revised
What is on the worksheet: Bird Study Requirements
Every requirement for the Bird Study merit badge, word for word as published, with room to write under each one on the printed worksheet.
1Field Identification Keys
Explain the need for bird study and identify five factors you should look for to recognize birds in the field.
2Bird Topography
Show that you are familiar with the bird parts by sketching, tracing, or coloring a bird, and then labeling 15 different parts of the bird.
3Binoculars and Spotting Scopes
Demonstrate that you know how to use field glasses (binoculars) or a spotting scope.
- a Explain what the numbers mean on binoculars or a spotting scope.
- b Show how to properly adjust the eyepiece and focus for your eyes.
- c Show how to properly care for and clean the lenses.
- d Describe when and where each type of viewing device would be most effective.
4Field Guides and Range Maps
Demonstrate that you know how to use a bird field guide. Show your counselor that you are able to understand a range map by locating in the book and pointing out the wintering range, the breeding range, and/or the year-round range of one species of each of the following types of birds:
- a Seabird
- b Plover
- c Falcon or hawk
- d Warbler or vireo
- e Heron or egret
- f Sparrow
5Field Notebook: 20 Wild Bird Species
Observe and be able to identify 20 species of wild birds. Prepare a field notebook, making a separate entry for each species, and record the following information from your field observations and other references.
- a Note the date and time.
- b Note the location and habitat.
- c Describe the bird's main feeding habitat and list two types of food that the bird is likely to eat.
- d Note whether the bird is a migrant or a summer, winter, or year-round resident of your area.
6Habitat Adaptations
Describe to your counselor how certain orders of birds are uniquely adapted to a specific habitat. In your description, include characteristics such as the size and shape of the following:
- a Beak
- b Body
- c Leg and foot
- d Feathers/plumage.
7Bird Songs, Calls, and Voice ID
Explain the function of a bird's song. Be able to identify five of the 20 species in your field notebook by song or call alone. Explain the difference between songs and calls. For each of these five species, enter a description of the song or call, and note the behavior of the bird making the sound. Note why you think the bird was making the call or song that you heard.
8Field Trip, Christmas Count, or Banding
Do ONE of the following:
- a Go on a field trip with a local club or with others who are knowledgeable about birds in your area.
- b By using a public library, the internet, or contacting the National Audubon Society, find the name and location of the Christmas Bird Count nearest your home and obtain the results of a recent count.
- c Participate in a bird banding program with an approved federal or state agency, university researcher, bird observatory, or certified private individual.
9Backyard Bird Projects
Do ONE of the following. For the item you choose, describe what birds you hope to attract, and why. Describe the necessary maintenance required with the item that you choose.
- a Build a bird feeder and put it in an appropriate place in your yard or another location.
- b Build a birdbath and put it in an appropriate place.
- c Build a backyard sanctuary for birds by planting trees and shrubs for food and cover.
- d Build a nest box for a species of your choice using plans approved by your counselor.
- e Describe the elements of a backyard bird habitat for a given area and draw a plan for one, including lists of birds you hope to attract, appropriate plantings for food, cover, and nesting.
10Conservation and Species in Decline
Do the following:
- a Explain the differences between extinct, endangered, and threatened.
- b Identify a bird species that is on the endangered or threatened list. Explain what caused their decline. Discuss with your counselor what can be done to reverse this trend and what can be done to help remove the species from the endangered or threatened list.
- c Explain how we can address birds that are in decline before they get to an endangered or threatened list. List how we can protect habitat. Identify threats that migratory birds face and how to protect food supply for birds.
11Non-Native and Invasive Birds
Identify a non-native bird (introduced to North America from a foreign country since 1800). Describe how non-native birds may become damaging to the ecosystem.
12Leave No Trace in Bird Study
Discuss the importance of the Leave No Trace Seven Principles and the Outdoor Code as they relate to bird study. Explain how you have followed the Leave No Trace Seven Principles and the Outdoor Code while in natural areas during field observation, specimen collection, and identification.
13Careers or Lifelong Hobby
Do ONE of the following:
- a Identify three career opportunities that would use skills and knowledge in Bird Study. Pick one and research the training, education, certification requirements, experience, and expenses associated with entering the field. Research the prospects for employment, starting salary, advancement opportunities and career goals associated with this career. Discuss what you learned with your counselor and whether you might be interested in this career.
- b Identify how you might use the skills and knowledge in Bird Study to pursue a personal hobby. Research the additional training required, expenses, and affiliation with organizations that would help you maximize the enjoyment and benefit you might gain from it. Discuss what you learned with your counselor and share what short-term and long-term goals you might have if you pursued this.
Two dates, two different things
Requirements Revision vs. Worksheet Date
Scouting America last revised the Bird Study requirements in 2026. That is the badge, not this sheet — an older year does not mean the worksheet is out of date.
Verbatim Fidelity & Verification
This worksheet was checked against https://www.scouting.org/merit-badges/bird-study/ in Aug 2026 and reproduces the requirements word for word. Both dates are printed on the sheet, so a copy in a binder can always be placed in time.
Requirement text is © Scouting America, reproduced verbatim. The worksheet layout and design are original to this project.
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