It’s natural for kids to draw what they see and experience. There’s a wide variety of birds, all unique in their own way, to explore and draw. The best part is that you do not need to travel far to do this as birds are all around us in our gardens and parks. Backyard bird watching can be a lot of fun, especially when coupled with art, so let’s explore ways to make bird watching pictures.

A Bird, came down the Walk

He did not know I saw –

He bit an Angle Worm in halves

And ate the fellow, raw.

—Emily Dickinson

How to draw birds for kids

How do you draw a bird? The simplest way to draw a bird, especially for younger kids, is to use shapes. Let them draw a circle for a head, an oval for the body, and use triangles for the beak and tail. From there, it is easy to fill in more details and to color or paint it.

Basic bird drawing for older kids is quite different since they can draw with more detail. The easiest way to do this is to start with the outline of the bird. They can do this in 2 ways:

The first way shows them how to draw a bird step by step. Lightly draw a small circle for the head and an oval for the bird’s body using a pencil. These lines should not be defined, as they will be used as guidelines to draw the bird. They can use this same concept to make a simple flying bird drawing too. Start with the basic shapes and then fill in the details.

The second way works well if your child prefers freehand drawing. Here instead of using basic shapes, your child will start drawing the outline of the bird first.

The second way works well if your child prefers freehand drawing. Here instead of using basic shapes, your child will start drawing the outline of the bird first.

Make your own field guide

A fun family activity is to make a field guide of the birds in your area. Your child can draw what he has seen in the garden. It also helps to take a picture of the bird to draw from so as to match the body, beak shapes, and coloring to the actual bird.

Keep these pictures in a flip file as your own guide to your birds. You can also learn some facts about each bird and add that to your guide.

Realistic bird drawings

Older kids who have a talent for drawing can draw more realistic birds. The starting point for the bird is the same; identify and draw the basic shape first. The difference comes in by knowing how to draw feathers on a bird and how to draw a beak.

To get an accurate representation of fluffy feathers and facial features, your child needs to use shading. In other words, they need to identify and shade the dark and light parts of the bird’s needs accordingly. Here is a tutorial on how to do that.