A bird-watcher sees a small yellow bird in a tree. Explain to the bird-watcher how he can use a dichotomous key to identify the bird. Assume he does not know anything about dichotomous keys. Then, write two steps of a dichotomous key that would be helpful for the bird-watcher.

Question

In sentences

Answer 1

A dichotomous key is a tool used to help identify organisms based on their characteristics. It is a series of questions with two possible answers for each question that lead to the identification of the organism.

Two steps of a dichotomous key that would be helpful for the bird-watcher to identify the small yellow bird are:
1. Does the bird have a distinctive crest on its head?
- If yes, the bird is likely a Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia).
- If no, move on to the next question.
2. Does the bird have black streaks on its wings or body?
- If yes, the bird is likely a Pine Warbler (Setophaga pinus).
- If no, continue on with the key to narrow down the possible species of the bird.