Learn the birds of Iowa
72 birds in 12 short units, from your backyard to tallgrass prairie, prairie potholes and Mississippi River bluffs. By sight, sound and story, with real photos and recordings.
- Free, no ads
- No sign-up
- Phone, tablet or computer
A few you’ll meet first
Northern CardinalPhoto: The Cosmonaut · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist 
House FinchPhoto: aarongunnar · CC BY · iNaturalist 
Mourning DovePhoto: Paul Danese · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist 
Black-capped ChickadeePhoto: No machine-readable author provided. Mdf assumed (based on copyright claims). · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
The course
Each unit is a small group of birds, easiest first, with look-alikes kept apart. Meet them, learn them by sight, sound and story, then finish with a Field test. The units get harder as you go.
Iowa Essentials
- Unit 1: Gentle startNorthern Cardinal, American Goldfinch, American Robin, Canada Goose, House Sparrow, American White Pelican and Red-winged Blackbird
- Unit 2: Gentle startHouse Finch, Mallard, White-breasted Nuthatch, Downy Woodpecker and Wild Turkey
- Unit 3: Gentle startMourning Dove, Great Blue Heron, Killdeer, Barred Owl, European Starling and Blue Jay
- Unit 4: Building upBlack-capped Chickadee, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Bald Eagle, Turkey Vulture and Baltimore Oriole
- Unit 5: Building upRed-tailed Hawk, Gray Catbird, Eastern Bluebird, Eastern Kingbird, Common Grackle, Ruby-throated Hummingbird and Northern Flicker
- Unit 6: Building upCooper’s Hawk, Red-headed Woodpecker, Dark-eyed Junco, American Crow, Northern House Wren and Brown-headed Cowbird
Beyond the Basics
- Unit 7: SteadyCedar Waxwing, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Ring-necked Pheasant, American Coot, Song Sparrow and Double-crested Cormorant
- Unit 8: SteadyDickcissel, Great Egret, Trumpeter Swan, White-throated Sparrow, Hairy Woodpecker and Eastern Phoebe
- Unit 9: SteadyIndigo Bunting, Chipping Sparrow, Wood Duck, Sandhill Crane, Ring-billed Gull and Yellow-rumped Warbler
- Unit 10: HardestBlue-winged Teal, Cliff Swallow, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Tree Swallow, Common Yellowthroat, Pied-billed Grebe and Belted Kingfisher
- Unit 11: HardestBarn Swallow, American Redstart, Tufted Titmouse, Great Horned Owl and Green Heron
- Unit 12: HardestPurple Martin, American Kestrel, Orchard Oriole, Northern Shoveler, American Tree Sparrow and Northern Yellow Warbler