The Life of Birds: To Fly or Not to Fly

Archaeopteryx had three toes and was armed with claws and strong legs. Clearly, it
_______________ and _______________ like a bird.

Archaeopteryx’s head was very ____________ with bony jaws and in those jaws, teeth.

Feathers are made of _______________ as are the _______________ that many birds
still have on their legs and reptiles have all over their body.

Archaeopteryx’s wings carried three fingers, each with a hooked _______________.

The Hoatzin has _______________ on its front limbs.

There used to be a gigantic vulture with a wingspan of over _______________ feet. It

was probably the biggest _______________ bird that ever existed.

The largest bird to live on the ground was named the _______________________.

The _______________ is the biggest and heaviest bird alive today.

The ostrich relies, for its defense, on _______________. If pursued it can sprint at over
_______________ miles per hour.

An ostrich’s filaments have lost their _______________ so they can no longer be

zipped together into an unbroken blade. Instead they are loose and _______________.

Pebbles are swallowed and go into a muscular compartment of the stomach, the
_______________.

Birds that live on the Galapagos Islands, isolated in the Pacific, have no natural
_______________ from which to escape.

Since New Caledonia had no _______________ _______________, until recently, the

Kagu gave up flying and today it is virtually flightless.

How does a kiwi find its prey?

Where is a kiwi’s nostrils located?

What happened to cause the extinction of the Moa?

How many Takahe are there?