The Kids’ Guide to Birds of New York is a Great Tool to Teach Children About Birds

The Kids’ Guide to Birds of New York is a fun, easy-to-use guide for anyone interested in seeing and identifying birds. As a child, Stan Tekiela, spent hours of enjoyment watching birds come to a wooden feeder that his father built in their backyard. His family was the only family in the neighborhood who fed birds, and they became known as the nature family.

Now, more people feed birds in their backyards than those who go hunting or fishing combined. Not only has it become very popular to feed and watch birds, but young and old alike are also identifying and learning more about them. New York is a fantastic state in which to see all sorts of birds.

In fact, more than 450 species are found here. That makes this one of the top places to watch an incredible variety of birds. In this field guide for New York, Stan is featuring 85 of the most common of these great birds.

DID YOU KNOW?

That the American Coot is not a duck? Instead of webbed feet, it has large lobed toes! It’s smaller than most other waterfowl waterfowl, and it is a great diver and swimmer. You won’t see it flying, but you may spot one trying to escape from a Bald Eagle. It’s also called Mud Hen.

The Common Goldeneye is a mall duck of both fresh and saltwater. It is one of the last ducknspecies to migrate each fall. A diving duck it feeds on aquatic insects. The common goldeneye is a flying bird reaching around 45 mph.

The Rubby-throated Hummingbird is the tiniest bird in the state, weighing about the same as a U.S. penny. It flaps 50–60 times per second or more when flying at top speed. It breathes 250 times per minute, and its heart beats 1,260 times per minute! It feeds on colorful tube-shaped flowers.

The Mute Swan, albeit his name still makes sounds. The mute swans defend their territory aggressively, resulting in many skirmishes with other swans such as non-native bird brought in from other parks and estates. The male is called a “cob” and the female a “pen.”

About the author: Naturalist, wildlife photographer, and writer Stan Tekiela has published more than 190 field guides, nature books, children’s books, wildlife audio CDs, puzzles, and playing cards, presenting many species of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, trees, wildflowers, and cacti in the United States. With a Bachelor of Science degree in Natural History from the University of Minnesota and as an active professional naturalist for more than 35 years, Stan studies and photographs wildlife throughout the United States and Canada. He has received various national and regional awards for his books and photographs. 

Also a well-known columnist and radio personality, Stan’s syndicated column appears in more than 25 newspapers, and his wildlife programs are broadcast on a number of Midwest radio stations. Stan can be followed on Facebook and Twitter. He can be contacted via www.naturesmart.com.

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