Short lesson on the different kind of birds feet and why they need to be as they are. Appropriate for 1st, 2nd, or 3rd grade students. There is a short work sheet at the end of the slideshow that may be printed for student use.

1. Bird Feet
People’s feet are a
little bit different—
some are longer,
some are wider.
But most of all
they all look pretty
much the same.
By Moira Whitehouse PhD

2. But not Bird Feet
They come in many different shapes and sizes

3. Perching birds have four
bendable toes three
pointing forwards and one
backwards. Why would
perching birds need these
kinds of feet?

4. Yes, these feet would be perfect for
these birds who need to grasp and hold
on to branches.

5. Woodpeckers have
two toes pointing
frontwards and two
pointing backwards
with sharp claws.
Why would
woodpeckers needs
these kind of feet?

6. Yes, these feet would be perfect for a bird
that climb up or hang upside down on
trees trucks.

7. Water birds like ducks
have webbing (skin)
between their toes.
Why would birds who
live in water need
these kind of feet?

8. Yes, webbed feet, almost like
flippers, are perfect for those birds that
swim in water.

9. Wading birds like herons
have long toes which
spread their weight over
a large area. Why would
wading birds need these
kind of feet?

10. In soft sticky mud, things sink down
and get stuck. These feet are perfect
for birds who live near water helping
them walk on top of the mud without
getting stuck.

11. Raptors such as hawks,
eagles and owls use
their long claws (talons).
Why would those birds
need these kind of feet?

12. These birds eat animals such as
mice, squirrels, and fish. Talons like
these are perfect to capture, kill and
carry prey.

13. Flightless fast running birds
such as emus has strong
feet with a flat base and
three toes. Why would
birds like this need these
kind of feet?

14. Since these birds do not fly, they need
to be able to run. With these feet they
can run really fast to catch food and
escape enemies.

15. So why do you think that birds have all
these different kinds of feet?

16. Teacher: The following page may be printed for a
student exercise.
Students should draw a line connecting each of the feet
in the center column with the kind of bird in the
outside columns that has that type of foot. Like this:
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