3. Language Arts
Read a novel
Read and appreciate
bird tales from
around the world
Read a poem
Write a poem
Write a play
4. 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.
5. What Makes a Bird a Bird?
•A bird has wings.
•A bird has a beak.
•A bird has special feet.
•A bird has feathers.
6. 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.
7. 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).
8. Bird Sites
Zoom School Birds and
Dinosaurs
Audubon Society
Cornell University Lab of
Ornithology
GeoZoo Birds!
The National Birds of Prey
Center
Unit and Lesson Plans
9. 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.
10. 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.
12. What is an ornithologist?
Study of birds An ornithologist is a
scientist who studies birds.
Ornithology
13. Ornithologist for the Day
Bird watching is an
inexpensive, simple
hobby.
You will need a field
guide reference book,
binoculars, a pencil, and
a small notebook.
Find a comfortable spot
near a place birds gather.
Observe birds as they
gather and feed.
Best times are early
morning or just before
sunset.
15. Activities
Class Bird Book
Class Bird List
Feather Fun
Microscope Magic
Special Speaker
Make Fantastic
Feeder for your
Feathered Friends
Water on the Duck’s
Back
Adaptations of water
birds
You Need the Right
Bill for the Job!
Bird Feet are Special
Feet
16. 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.”
17. 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.
18. Day or Night?
Birds that actively
look for food during
the day are called
diurnal. Robins are
an example
Some birds are up all
night searching the
darkness for food.
They are called
nocturnal. Owls are
an example.
19. 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!
