Bird Study Merit Badge
Thirteen requirements, with the 20-species field notebook drawn as the prerequisite of identifying five by song, and the field experience, the thing to build and the career or hobby drawn as questions.
14 steps (15 parts inside them). 10 parts depend on questions you have not answered yet. · Version 1, published 8 October 2026 · About Bird Study Merit Badge
No questions answered
This is the whole plan: everything that could apply to anybody. Answering the 3 questions at the address above takes out the parts that are not for you.
Which of this applies to you
You have not answered anything yet, so this is the whole plan: everything that could apply to anybody. Answering 3 short questions will take out the parts that are not for you.
Your progress
25 steps can be started now; 2 are waiting on something else.
Clear ticksYour ticks are kept in this browser, so they will still be here next time. They are in the address as well, so a link to this page carries them to another device.
The steps
Stage 1 of 14
1 step
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1. Why study birds Requirement
Why birds are useful indicators of environmental quality, and their part in the ecosystem.
Stage 2 of 14
1 step
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2. The terms used to describe birds Requirement
Two labelled sketches.
Stage 3 of 14
1 step
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3. Use and care for binoculars, a spotting scope or a monocular Requirement
What the specification numbers mean, adjusting and focusing, cleaning the lenses, and when each device works best.
Stage 4 of 14
1 step
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4. Use a field guide and read range maps Requirement
Point out the ranges of one species each of seabird, plover, falcon or hawk, warbler or vireo, heron or egret, and sparrow.
Stage 5 of 14
1 step
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5. Observe and identify 20 wild species, in a field notebook Often forgotten Requirement
A separate entry for each: date and time, location and habitat, feeding habitat and two foods, and migrant or resident.
This is the part that takes time. Each of the 20 species needs its own entry from your own observation, and requirement 7 needs five of the same 20 again by ear. Keep the notebook going from the start.
Stage 6 of 14
1 step
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6. How orders of birds are adapted to their habitats Requirement
Beak, body, leg and foot, and feathers.
Stage 7 of 14
1 step
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7. Identify five of your 20 species by song or call alone Requirement
Explain what song is for and how songs differ from calls, and add each sound and the bird's behavior to its entry.
Usually comes after 5. Observe and identify 20 wild species, in a field notebook.
Stage 8 of 14
1 step
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8. A field experience. Do ONE Requirement
The badge states the choice: a field trip, a Christmas Bird Count, or bird banding.
3 parts
Stage 9 of 14
1 step
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9. Build or plan for birds. Do ONE Requirement
The badge states the choice of five. For any of them, describe the birds you hope to attract and the maintenance needed.
5 parts, 1 ticked
Stage 10 of 14
1 step
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10. Birds at risk Requirement
Extinct, endangered and threatened; one listed species and its decline; and protecting birds before they are listed.
Stage 11 of 14
1 step
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11. A non-native bird, and the harm non-natives can do Requirement
Introduced to North America since 1800.
Stage 12 of 14
1 step
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12. Leave No Trace and the Outdoor Code in bird study Requirement
Why they matter, and how you followed them in your own field observation.
Stage 13 of 14
1 step,
all ticked
Stage 14 of 14
1 step
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Counselor signs it off Milestone
The completion date is the date you met the requirements, not the date of the signature.
Usually comes after 1. Why study birds, 2. The terms used to describe birds and 10 others.
Merit badge requirements are republished annually. A Scout beginning work uses the requirements as they stand then; a Scout already working may finish under the ones they started with. Guide to Advancement 7.0.4.3 governs which applies. This page records the date its copy was read. Check it against the official page before relying on it.
This plan is a planning aid: the current Boy Scouts of America publication is always the authority, and the sources used here are listed in full. Each step names its own.