Where The Birds Are

"Where the Birds Are" is a virtual birdwatching game featuring high-definition 3-D bird graphics and utilizing real bird-distribution data to provide birdwatching novices and enthusiasts with an authentic online birding experience. "Where the Birds Are" is perfect for classrooms studying birds, or, for those who wish to practice their bird-identification skills. Easily identify everyday birds such as robins, cardinals, and blue jays, and others in the backyard habitat, or, try less familiar birds in the forest region of Pennsylvania such as the Scarlet Tanager, Great-crested Flycatcher, Eastern Wood-Pewee, or Ruffed Grouse. In the Desoto, Alabama region, scan the treetops for southerly-occurring birds such as Summer Tanagers, Orchard Orioles, or Yellow-throated Warblers and many more. in the Choctaw regions, look for common water birds like Mallards, Wood Ducks, Great Blue Herons, and Great Egrets, and Ospreys. Here, you can see majestic Bald Eagles or follow the looping flights of Purple Martins and Tree Swallows. Each location features abundant birds, common birds, fairly common birds, uncommon birds, rare birds (such as the Black Rail or Brewster's Warbler), and even the rarest of all --accidentals. The less common the bird you identify, the more points you receive for its identification. Over time, your bird identification skills WILL improve using the app as you see birds from different angles, hear their songs and learn what birds are common in what habitats, and learn field marks that differentiate birds. You can even take "snapshots" of birds and post them to social media. Currently, there are six habitats full of nearly 300 different birds. If you succeed in identifying all of the birds from the Allegheny National Forest, Backyard, Desoto State Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, and Choctaw National Wildlife Refuge, you can unlock the Big Woods Habitat, and search for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker. There are more habitats to come along with exciting new features in the future.

Real-time statistics show your identification success rate, the relative abundance of each bird within the system, and the overall success rate of all players registered in identifying each bird. You'' see that most participants have no trouble identifying robins and cardinals, but id success rates decline for less familiar birds. From within the Allegheny National Forest, bird watching enthusiasts have the opportunity to identify the rare Brewster's Warbler and hopefully snap a picture.