Birds in Fact & Fiction

Bird Study
Identify species
Identify body parts
Identify habitats
Identify migration
Appreciate these living
creatures
Language Arts
Read a novel
Read and appreciate
bird tales from
around the world
Read a poem
Write a poem
Write a play
 Trumpet of the Swan
By: E.B. White
A family of swans live on Red
Rock Lakes in Montana.
Louis is a cygnet born without a
voice.
Louis’s father steals a trumpet to
help his son.
Louis leaves home to find a way
to pay for the trumpet.
Louis learns to depend on his
friend, Sam Beaver.
Louis tries to find a way back to
his love, Serena.
 What Makes a Bird a Bird?
•A bird has wings.
•A bird has a beak.
•A bird has special feet.

•A bird has feathers.

Beaks Enable Birds to Eat

•A long narrow beak works like a straw.

•A short thick beak easily picks up grain.
•A sharp hooked beak can tear meat.
•A thick large beak can crack shells of nuts.
•A flat large beak sifts water and gathers plants.
 Birds are Consumers
Birds must eat
(consume) a lot of food
(energy) each day.
Birds can be
herbivores (plant
eaters), carnivores
(meat eaters) or
omnivores (eat plants
and meats).
Bird Sites
Zoom School Birds and Di
nosaurs
Audubon Society
Cornell University Lab of
Ornithology
GeoZoo Birds!
The National Birds of Prey
Center

Unit and Lesson Plans

 Bird Feet
•Birds have two feet.
•Grasping feet are large, curved claws to snatch prey.
•Scratching feet have long thin claws to search in the soil for
grains and seeds.
•Webbed feet enable water birds to use their feet like paddles
•Perching feet help birds grasp branches tightly.
•Climbing feet help birds get a good grip on tree trunks as
they climb.
Birds in Motion
There are three types of flight; flapping,
gliding, and hovering.
All birds don’t fly.
Some birds use their wings to swim.
Some birds walk or run.
Greater Backyard Birdwatch
Observe birds for three days
Identify species
Post results to Ornithology Lab of Cornell University
What is an ornithologist?

O r n it h o lo g y

S t u d y o f b ir d s A n o r n it h o lo g is t is a
s c ie n t is t w h o s t u d ie s b ir d s .
 Ornithologist for the Day
Bird watching is an Find a comfortable spot
inexpensive, simple near a place birds
hobby. gather.
You will need a field Observe birds as they
guide reference book, gather and feed.
binoculars, a pencil, and Best times are early
a small notebook. morning or just before
sunset.
 Bird Watching
Day 1
Time/Place Bird Name Color & Markings

Day 2

Day 3
 Activities

Class Bird Book Water on the Duck’s

Class Bird List Back
Feather Fun Adaptations of water
Microscope Magic birds
You Need the Right
Special Speaker
Bill for the Job!
Make Fantastic
Feeder for your Bird Feet are Special
Feathered Friends Feet
 Family Facts
Some birds build nests in trees, others build nests on
the ground.
Not all baby birds are helpless when they are born.
Chicks are babies born to birds that build nests on the
ground. Soon after they hatch they are all fluffy. They
can see and run around looking for food.
Ducklings run after their mother. They learn what to
eat and how to swim.
A baby duck learns its mother by an instinct called
“imprinting.”
 Dissect An Egg
Parts of an egg are:
eggshell is strong to protect growing baby
lining (membrane) lines the eggshell to prevent the egg from
drying out
egg white (albumen) is mostly water
yolk is the yellow center and is full of food for the baby bird
cloraza are the twisted strings that keep the yolk suspended and
absorb any bumps or knocks
white spot is on the yolk and is where an embryo will attach during
development
It is hard work to break out of a shell. A person should never
help. This robs the baby bird of developing strength to survive.
 Day or Night?
Birds that actively Some birds are up all
look for food during night searching the
the day are called darkness for food.
diurnal. Robins are They are called
an example nocturnal. Owls are
an example.
Migration
Many birds live in places
that get very cold in
winter.
They fly away to warmer
places to find food.
They return again in the
spring to lay their eggs.
Birds have instinct so
they don’t get lost!