Ornithology

Welcome to Ornithology! In this event, participants will be assessed on their knowledge of North American birds.

The information below should not be interpreted as an extension of the rules. You can find free online copies of the current rules for download on the 2022 Rules page of the Science Olympiad website. The official rules in the current Rules Manual take precedence.

Resources & Links

• National Audubon Society
• Cornell Lab of Ornithology Bird Guide + Bird Identification
• US Fish & Wildlife Service
• All About Birds
• eBird
• Electronic book on Bird Life History of Familiar North American Birds
• State of the Bird report
• Patuxent Wildlife Research Center bird population studies
• Avian biology notes
• Anatomy of birds diagram
• External Anatomy of birds notes
• USGS bird identification tips
• Bird identification guide
• Bird song recordings
• More bird song recordingsGuide to Choosing and Using Field Guides for Ornithology
• 2020 Science Olympiad Ornithology Power Point 
• Ornithology Training Overview Handout

Science Olympiad Store Materials

• 2022 National Test Packet
• 2021 National Test Packet

Practice Problems & Tests

• Practice Test - 2021 UT Austin Invitational
• Practice Test - 2021 Troy High School Invitational
• Practice Test - 2021 BirdSO Invitational
• Practice Test - 2022 National Invitational
• Practice Test - 2022 UChicago Invitational
• Example Ornithology Tournament
  • Sample Tournament Questions
  • Sample Tournament Answer Key

Event Supervisor Resources

In addition to the resources on the Event Supervisors page, Ornithology Event Supervisors should be sure to use the following resources:

• Event Logistics Manual

Career Connections

• Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources Career Cluster Information
• CareerOneStop - Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists Career Video
• US Bureau of Labor Statistics - You're a What? Ornithology