Adaptations Of Birds

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Birds adaptations -Pelican -Woodpecker -Duck -Honeyeater -Golden Eagle

Pelican Gallery

How the Pelican adapts to itsenvironment

The pelican has a large, long and deep spoon-shaped beak to scoop up water containing fish. It also has webbed feet to enable it to swim.

Pelicans have strong wings with a wingspan of about 3m from tip to tip to migrate to warmer environments in winter.

The pelican’s bottom beak can carry about 10 litres of water!!!

The pelican eats about 1.8 kg of fish every day!!!

The pelican’s bottom pouch becomes brighter in the mating season to attract mate.

The pelican is a huge seabird among the largest living birds. It can fly with its neck pulled back on its shoulders.

Woodpecker Gallery

How woodpeckers adapt to its environment

Woodpeckers have strong, sharp chisel-like beaks for breaking wood and bark to find insects.It also has sharp pointed claws for clinging to trunks and branches.

While the woodpecker is pecking at wood, it uses 2 toes pointing forward and 2 toes pointing backwards to grip onto the tree bark.

The woodpecker presses its tail against the tree bark to keep steady as it feeds.

Their stiffened tail, chisel-tipped bill, bony-and muscle-cushioned skull, and long-clawed strong toes enable them to live anywhere which have trees.

The woodpecker’s tongue is extremely long and can be extended well beyond the tip of the bill. Sheathed in the scabbard formed by the interior of the right nostril, it loops over and behind the skull to its anchor points in the hyoid bones of the jaw.

Duck Gallery

How ducks adapt to its environment

A duck has a flattened bill for catching and holding small fish. It also has webbed feet to enable it to swim easier.

A male duck, called a drake is brightly coloured(a green head with a white stripe around their neck) while the female duck, called a hen is dull in colour(brown with an orange and black bill).

Ducks use their bill to spread their body oil across their feathers, making them waterproof.

Ducks preen(to clean itself or make it feathers smooth with its beak) their feathers by running their bill along each one. This helps ducks waterproof their wings and straighten ruffled feathers.

Ducks also have air sacs under their belly that act like buoys so they can float on the water.

Brown Honeyeater Gallery

How the brown honeyeater adapts to its environment

A brown honeyeater has a long curved bills for rifling nectar from the flowers.It also has sharp claws for clinging to branches.

The scientific name for the brown honeyeater is Lichmera indistincta.

Their voice is even more varied, a medley of sparrow chirps, bulbul chatter, shrike curses, and starling squeals.

Also some quite pleasant whistled notes:chew-whit, a low urgent “shhh shhh”, and a hoarse double cough, as if the bird were clearing its throat.

Golden Eagle Gallery

How the golden eagle adapts to its environment The golden eagle has excellent eyesight for

spotting its prey. It also has sharp talons(a long sharp curved

nail on the feet) for gasping its prey. Its back toe stabs prey.

The golden eagle has learnt how to fly silently and quickly to catch an unaware prey.

The golden eagle also has a hooked beak(as shown in picture) for tearing up flesh. It is not for catching or killing its prey.

The golden eagle has wingtips with slots to provide greater lift for it when searching for prey. The golden eagle is a powerful flier and has

been known to lift prey as heavy as itself.

Acknowledgements

Explore Science(Book) www.google.com www.yahoo.com.sg Face-to-face with the duck (book) Encyclopedia of birds(book) Birds of prey(book) A field guide to the birds of Japan(book)