the bird family

7/28/2019 the bird family

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Bird Beaks

Purpose

In this activity, you will get a chance to find out how the shape of a birds beak helpsdecide what it can eat. Pretend you are a bird. You can use only the beak you select

(spoon, chopstick, or tweezers) to eat the food (glass marbles, pennies, or toothpicks)

provided by your teacher by placing the food into your stomach (plastic cup).

Materials

Spoons

Chopsticks

Tweezers

Plastic cups

Glass marbles

Pennies

Toothpicks

Cup

Procedure

1. Select a beak from the objects provided by your teacher.

2. Get one plastic cup. This cup represents your stomach.

3. Hold your beak in one hand and your stomach in the other.

4. When your teacher tells you, use your beak to pick up food (glass marbles) and place

them in your stomach.

5. When your teacher says Stop, empty your stomach and count the number of itemsthat were in it. Record this amount on the Bird Beaks Record Sheet.

6. This activity will be repeated for each of the other types of food (pennies and

toothpicks).

7. When done, be sure you have completed the record sheet with your totals.


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8. When asked, provide your data to other group members who will record the data on a

group grid. (A copy of this grid is also on your Bird Beaks Record Sheet. You can write

the group totals on this grid if desired.)

9. Using the data that has been recorded on the group grid, create a bar graph that

shows the group totals for each beak and food type. The three different bird beaksshould be on the X-axis and the amount of food collected should be on the Y-axis. There

should be a different color bar for each type of food (see the sample bar graph below).


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Name ____________________________________________________________

What Fits Best?

Objective

Students will choose the proper beaks and feet and "build" a bird that is compatible

with a particular habitat.

Work Sheet IThe beaks of birds are adapted to the ways in which birds get their food. The following

are descriptions of different kinds of beaks:

1. Spear Beaksare sharp and long.

2. Predator Beaksare curved, heavy, and powerful.

3. Chisel Beaksare pointed for cutting and boring holes.

4. Scoop Beaksallow a bird to scoop food out of the water.

5. Strainer Beaksenable a bird to hold food while water is strained from it.

6. Cracker Beakshelp birds break the hard shells of seeds.

Identify the six bird beaks pictured below. Write your answer on the line underneath

each beak:

1._________________ 2.__________________ 3.__________________

6._________________ 4.__________________ 5.___________________


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Write your best answer below each of the following questions:

1. Which beaks are best for spearing and chiseling? Explain.

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2. Which beak is best for cracking seeds? Explain.

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3. Which beak is best for straining? Explain.

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4. Which beak is best adapted for tearing meat? Explain

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5. Which beak is best for holding a large amount of food? Explain.

__________________________________________________________________

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6. How can a bird's bill or beak tell us about what it eats?

__________________________________________________________________

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Worksheet IIThe feet of birds are adapted to help birds get their food and to allow them to move

around when not in flight.

Following are descriptions of different kinds of bird feet:

1. The feet of swimmersare webbed to help them paddle through the water in their

search of food.

2. The feet of wadershelp them search for food on the bottom of a marsh or bay while

supporting them and giving them balance. Waders also have long legs.

3. The feet ofpredatorsare curved and have sharp talons that allow them to catch andcarry their food.

4. The feet of climbershave toes facing in both directions. The toes are like sharp

claws which help the bird to climb trees in search of food.5. The feet ofperchersenable the bird to grasp a limb or branch. Each foot usuallyconsists of three toes pointing forward and one pointing backward. This "backward toe"

is as long as the front middle toe.

6. The feet ofground birds and runnershelp them move through the undergrowth of

the forest. Three toes point forward. The fourth toe is much smaller and points

backward.

Identify the six bird feet pictured below. Write your answer on the line beneath each

pair of feet:

1._________________ 2.____________________ 3._____________________


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4.___________________ 5.____________________ 6.____________________

Write your answer below each of the following questions:

1. Which feet are best suited for swimming? Explain.

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

2. Which feet are best adapted for wading? Explain.

__________________________________________________________________

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3. Why do wading birds have long legs? Explain.

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4. Which feet are best for catching and carrying? Explain.

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5. Which feet are best adapted to climbing? Explain.

__________________________________________________________________

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6. Which feet enable a bird to hold onto a branch or limb? Explain.

__________________________________________________________________

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7. Which feet are best suited to moving on the ground? Explain.

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8. How can a bird's feet tell us about what the bird eats?

__________________________________________________________________

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Build-a-Bird

The "Build a Bird" activity will help you see that different beaks and feet allow

different kinds of birds to live in different places.

1. Select the kind of bird you want to make from the types listed below.

2. Next, cut out the bird body form. Then, cut out the head, beak, feet, and tail thatwill correctly complete your bird. Once this is done, carefully arrange the bird parts on

your sheet of construction paper and glue them in place. Use colored pencils or crayons

to decorate your bird. Be sure to label your bird using one of the types named below.


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Types1. Marsh or Wading Bird-This bird needs a long neck for fishing, long legs for wading,

and a narrow, pointed bill for spearing its prey (fish, frogs, snakes).

2. Seed-eating Bird-This bird needs a thick, strong bill for cracking seeds, a short

neck, and perching feet.

3. Predator (hunting bird)-This bird needs a curved beak for tearing meat, a short,

muscular neck, and feet with talons for catching and holding prey.

4. Water or Swimming Bird-This bird squeezes water from food it catches. Its wide

bill holds the food while allowing water to drain from it. It has broad, webbed feet that

act like paddles and make it a good swimmer.

5. Insect-eating Bird-This kind of bird has a thin pointed bill, short neck, and broadtail. Some may have climbing feet (woodpecker), while others will have ground or

runners feet (pheasant).

3. Explain why your bird would survive in your chosen habitat.

Chose habitat - _________________________________________________

Explanation

_____________________________________________________________

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Name ____________________________________________________________

Bird Beaks

Evaluate your results and answer the following questions.

1. Which beak collected the most of which food item?

__________________________________________________________________

2. What do you think would happen to your bird if only one food item was available?

__________________________________________________________________

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3. Which of the beak types feed most successfully on which food item?

__________________________________________________________________

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4. Was one beak type successful with more than one food item?

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5. Did your earlier observations about beak types help you to understand how birds

feed side by side but utilize different food items?

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Free Plain Graph Paper from http://incompetech.com/graphpaper/plain/


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All rights reserved. Science NetLinks Student Sheets may be reproduced for educational purposes.

Bird Beaks Record SheetLesson Title: Bird BeaksPage 1 of 1Name:____________________________

Individual Data Grid

Glass Marbles Pennies ToothpicksTotal FoodCollected

Type of beak to betested:

Group Data Grid

Glass Marbles Pennies ToothpicksTotal FoodCollected

Spoon

Chopstick

Tweezer


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Body forms to be used

with all birds.

Heads

Beaks


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Feet

Tails


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Shape Type Adaptation

Cracker Seedeaters like sparrows andcardinals have short, thick conical

bills for cracking seed.

Shredder Birds of prey like hawks and owlshave sharp, curved bills for tearing

meat.

Chisel Woodpeckers have bills that are longand chisel-like for boring into wood to

eat insects.Probe Hummingbird bills are long and

slender for probing flowers for

nectar.

Strainer Some ducks have long, flat bills thatstrain small plants and animals from

the water.

Spear Birds like herons and kingfishers havespear-like bills adapted for fishing.

Tweezers Insect eaters like warblers have thin,pointed bills.

Swiss ArmyKnife

Crows have a multi-purpose bill thatallows them to eat fruit, seeds,

insects, fish, and other animals.


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Feet carry birds to their food and some help deliver food to the bird. They are designed

for running, perching, grasping, wading, paddling and even more.

To hold onto a twig, a bird needs feet with opposing toes that wrap around the branch.

Why don't perching birds fall off when they sleep? When perching birds sit, their feet

automatically lock on the limb. With feet locked, sleeping birds don't fall. As the birdstands up its feet release.

Long-legged birds can wade in shallow water to reach prey buried in the mud in

marshes. The Great Blue Heron's long toes give support for walking on mucky streamand lake bottoms.

Birds with webbed feet can paddle through the water and walk on mud. As a duckpushes its feet back, the web spreads out to provide more surface to thrust the

water. Then, as the duck draws its foot forward and brings the toes together, theweb folds up so there is less resistance to the water.

In open grasslands, most species walk or hop on the ground to find food.

Parrots use their feet to handle food just like we use our hands. Their nimble toes

hold the food and bring it to the beak.

Hawks and owls capture, kill, and carry prey with their feet.

Chickens use their strong feet to scratch the dirt and leaf litter to uncover seedsand insects.

Strong-legged flightless birds, like the cassowary, protect themselves by kicking

with their powerful feet and sharp claws.

Jacanas walk on floating plants without sinking because they have extremely long

toes that spread the body weight over a wide area, just like using snowshoes onpowdery snow.

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