Quizzes

We tend to be a serious lot (indeed birders seem to have a universal image everywhere as sad anoraks)… but we do like some fun when it’s too dark to go birding. Try a few of the quizzes and puzzles below… they come and go, some are seasonal, so a revisit may well turn up a new quiz.

Most local RSPB groups in the UK have quiz nights to raise money for conservation and to just enjoy the company of other birders. The usual format is a ‘table’ team, just like in pub quizzes. The difference is often that you bring your own wine and a contribution to the buffet. If you are a new member you’ll get assigned to a table, so it’s a great way to get to know other members in an informal setting.

There are also a growing number of competitions which are of interest to birders and, when I find out about them, they will also appear below – feel free to contact me with details. Most bird magazines also have competitions – maybe for the chance to win the latest binoculars or a birding trip.

The answers to the questions, or naming the bird pictured or in song, is just a fun way of acquiring the knowledge that you will improve your ID skills.

If you haven’t guessed the featured bird is the New Zealand Storm Petrel Fregetta maoriana thought extinct since 1850, but rediscovered in 2003.