Wednesday

A bird lands on the fence and wraps its toes around the wire. It does not wobble.

Rocket tries to balance on the edge of the step. He wobbles a lot.

Raven writes in her notebook. "Three toes forward, one back. A perfect grip."

Nova projects a cyan list of bird names. "Here are the neighbors people see most near you," she says.

Bird feet are structures with very different functions.

Most small birds have perching feet. Three toes point forward and one points back.

The toes lock around a branch so the bird can rest without falling.

Ducks have webbed feet. The skin between the toes pushes water, like a paddle.

Hawks and owls have strong feet with sharp, curved claws called talons. Talons grip and carry food.

Wading birds have long legs and long toes for walking in shallow water and mud.

Woodpeckers have sharp claws for clinging to bark. Their stiff tail feathers prop them up.

Most birds have eyes on the sides of the head. They can see almost all the way around.

That helps them spot danger coming from any direction.

Owls have eyes that face forward. Forward eyes help them judge distance when they catch food.

Each eye position is a structure with a function.

Below is your bird field guide. It lists the ten birds people record most in your region.

The list comes from real sightings that people have shared.

Each bird has two names. The common name is the everyday name.

The scientific name is in Latin. Scientists all over the world use the same one.

The "Seen most" column shows the months when people record that bird most often.

Feet, eyes and ten new names! Tomorrow you watch what birds do, not just what they have.