Applications are now open!
For the year's powerpoint overview as well as list of additional resources. USE THIS! (There are powerpoints from previous years, specific practice for different parts, etc.)
This is also for an overview of the event. Studying only from the wiki page is insufficient preparation for competition.
From past participants
Details, details, DETAILS, capture each and every detail. I suggest on ornithology that you have a general study about birds and what you need to know about them, even some of the illnesses that they can get and etc.
Use bird.org to give you some info about the birds, BUT don't stop there. Keep researching.
We mostly used this website for our notes on specific birds: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/search, it's good for describing all the basics of the birds like habitat, migratory patterns, diet, etc which is basically all we needed at regionals to medal :)
The Princeton competition was a lot harder, the questions were more specific, and it felt like there was definitely not enough time. I think there were a lot more questions on birds in general (bird laws, anatomy, etc) so we were thrown off
Generally, it's a super note-heavy event, so it's important to have clean and concise notes so that it's easy to find info in the time constraint
Also, there's a lot of moving around different stations so make sure there's not a ton of stuff to transport to save a few seconds
Take a good look at the national bird list in here http://api-static.ctlglobalsolutions.com/science/Science_Olympiad_Div_C_2020_Rules_Manual_Web.pdf (Scroll down to Ornithology)
Make as many mnemonic devices as you can