Birds have several key features that help them survive and thrive. They have wings that allow most birds to fly, lightweight hollow bones, and claws and feet adapted for their environments and diets. Birds also have beaks suited to their food sources - some have crushing beaks, others curved or probing beaks. Their bodies are streamlined for flight and many have specialized leg and foot structures for swimming, wading, or perching.

1. FEATURES OF BIRDS
 Birds have wings and most of them can fly.
 They have light and hollow bones.
 They have feet and claws.
 They do not have teeth ,instead have beak which is
used to tear, bite ,chisel ,crush or chew their food.
 Birds have streamlined bodies which help them to fly.

2. TYPES OF BEAKS
Crushing beak
Sparrow and pigeon have crushing beak for crushing
seeds and grains to make it soft before eating.

3. Curved beak
Parrot has a curved beak for cracking nuts and seeds.
It can immitate our voice.

4. Sifting Beak
Duck has a flat and broad beak which has small holes on
both sides. It can sift food from mud and water.

5. Chiselling beak
Wood pecker has strong long and straight beak to peck at the wood and eat insects
present in the wood.

6. Sticky beak
A swallow has a small and broad beak. It catches flies
while flying.The beak is sticky from inside.

7. Probing Beak
Sunbird has long and slender beak to suck nectar from flowers.

8. Piercing and Tearing beak
Vulture and Eagle have strong , hard and curved beak to tear the flesh

9. Feet and claws
 The feet and claws of birds are shaped to suit their
perching and food habits.Claws are long curved nails
present on the feet.Claws can be used for
climbing, protecting,holdingfood,swimming and
perching.

10. Birds of Prey
Eagle Vulture
Halwk
 They have sharp and strong claws to firmly hold the
prey while flying.

11. PERCHING BIRD
Sparrow and other perching birds can even sleep while perching
On wires or branches of trees.

12. WADING BIRDS
Crane Jacana
Crane and Jacana have long legs and wide spreading toes. These help them
To walk in shallow water or mud. The wide spreading toes prevent the body from
sinking in water.

13. Swimming birds
Ducks and penguins have webbed feet to swim.

14. Scratching bird
 Hen has strong feet with three toes in front and one at the
back.Each toe has a sharp claw to scrach the ground in search of
 Seeds and insects.

15. RECAPITULATION
Fill in the blanks:
a. A ______ uses its webbed feet to swim.
b. Sunbird sucks ______ from flowers.
c. A duck has ______ and _______ beak.
d. Crane and Jacana are ________ birds.
e. Birds have light hollow _______.
f. _________ of birds help them to fly and to keep them
warm in winter.
g. ______ means to clean the feathers and set them right.
h. Birds which kill other smaller animals and eat them as
food are called birds of ______.

16. Answer the following questions:
1. Write three common features of birds.
2. How does a swallow catch its food?
3. What is preening?
4. Name two birds that cannot fly.
5. How can crane and jacana able to walk in the mud?
6. What kind of beak these birds have:
i. Parrot-
ii. Sparrow-
iii. Swallow=
iv. Woodpecker