Life-sized Silhouettes and Supporting Fact Sheets

The NatureMapping students of the Hood Canal Institute create these silhouettes at the Theler Wetlands. These North Mason students were looking for a way to assist all wetland visitors in identifying the birds of the wetlands. The project expanded to include small mammal silhouettes for NatureMapping schools.

Bird Silhouettes

One of the first clues to bird identification is size. The bird silhouettes provide a quick life-sized reference for some common birds with identifiable physical characteristics. Recognizing a crown, a forked tail or posture of correctly-sized bird helps to create confidence by building the correct search image.

< Bird Silhouette Notes >(pdf)
< Bird Silhouette Order Form > (pdf)

Mammal Silhouettes

The mammal silhouettes provide a quick life-sized reference based on identifiable physical characteristics such as thickness and length of the body and/or tail, and the shape of a head. When placed or displayed in a location that mimics the behavior of the mammal, you are creating the correct search image. For example, with similar sized mammals, you are likely to find a marmot on the ground and a gray squirrel up in a tree.

Three sets of silhouettes are available to purchase @ $10.00 per set plus postage:

• Set A: Bufflehead, Grebe sp., Mallard, Pintail, Kingfisher, Jay (w/crest) Robin, Waxwing, American Crow
  
• Set B: Barn Swallow, Swallow sp., Junco, Chickadee sp., Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Screech Owl, Great-horned Owl
  
• Set C: Douglas Squirrel, Pygmy Rabbit, Gray Squirrel sp., Pica, Beaver, Harvest Mouse, Mole, Townsend Chipmunk, Long-tailed Weasel, Townsend Vole

< Mammal Silhouette Notes > (pdf)
< Mammal Silhouette Order Form > (pdf)

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