Bird Beaks Purpose In this activity, you will get a chance to find out how the shape of a bird’s beak helps decide what it can eat. Pretend you are a bird. You can use only the “beak” you select (spoon, chopstick, or tweezers) to “eat” the food (glass marbles, pennies, or toothpicks) provided by your teacher by placing the food into your “stomach” (plastic cup). Materials Spoons Chopsticks Tweezers Plastic cups Glass marbles Pennies Toothpicks Cup

Procedure 1. Select a beak from the objects provided by your teacher. 2. Get one plastic cup. This cup represents your stomach. 3. Hold your beak in one hand and your stomach in the other. 4. When your teacher tells you, use your beak to pick up “food” (glass marbles) and place them in your stomach. 5. When your teacher says “Stop,” empty your stomach and count the number of items that were in it. Record this amount on the Bird Beaks Record Sheet. 6. This activity will be repeated for each of the other types of food (pennies and toothpicks). 7. When done, be sure you have completed the record sheet with your totals.

8. When asked, provide your data to other group members who will record the data on a group grid. (A copy of this grid is also on your Bird Beaks Record Sheet. You can write the group totals on this grid if desired.) 9. Using the data that has been recorded on the group grid, create a bar graph that shows the group totals for each beak and food type. The three different bird beaks should be on the X-axis and the amount of food collected should be on the Y-axis. There should be a different color bar for each type of food (see the sample bar graph below).

Name ____________________________________________________________

What Fits Best? Objective Students will choose the proper beaks and feet and "build" a bird that is compatible with a particular habitat. Work Sheet I The beaks of birds are adapted to the ways in which birds get their food. The following are descriptions of different kinds of beaks: 1. Spear Beaks are sharp and long. 2. Predator Beaks are curved, heavy, and powerful. 3. Chisel Beaks are pointed for cutting and boring holes. 4. Scoop Beaks allow a bird to scoop food out of the water. 5. Strainer Beaks enable a bird to hold food while water is strained from it. 6. Cracker Beaks help birds break the hard shells of seeds. Identify the six bird beaks pictured below. Write your answer on the line underneath each beak:

1._________________ 2.__________________ 3.__________________

6._________________ 4.__________________ 5.___________________

Write your best answer below each of the following questions: 1. Which beaks are best for spearing and chiseling? Explain. __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ 2. Which beak is best for cracking seeds? Explain. __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ 3. Which beak is best for straining? Explain. __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ 4. Which beak is best adapted for tearing meat? Explain __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ 5. Which beak is best for holding a large amount of food? Explain. __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ 6. How can a bird's bill or beak tell us about what it eats? __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________

Worksheet II The feet of birds are adapted to help birds get their food and to allow them to move around when not in flight. Following are descriptions of different kinds of bird feet: 1. The feet of swimmers are webbed to help them paddle through the water in their search of food. 2. The feet of waders help them search for food on the bottom of a marsh or bay while supporting them and giving them balance. Waders also have long legs. 3. The feet of predators are curved and have sharp talons that allow them to catch and carry their food. 4. The feet of climbers have toes facing in both directions. The toes are like sharp claws which help the bird to climb trees in search of food. 5. The feet of perchers enable the bird to grasp a limb or branch. Each foot usually consists of three toes pointing forward and one pointing backward. This "backward toe" is as long as the front middle toe. 6. The feet of ground birds and runners help them move through the undergrowth of the forest. Three toes point forward. The fourth toe is much smaller and points backward. Identify the six bird feet pictured below. Write your answer on the line beneath each pair of feet:

1._________________ 2.____________________ 3._____________________

4.___________________ 5.____________________ 6.____________________ Write your answer below each of the following questions: 1. Which feet are best suited for swimming? Explain. __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ 2. Which feet are best adapted for wading? Explain. __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ 3. Why do wading birds have long legs? Explain. __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ 4. Which feet are best for catching and carrying? Explain. __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________

5. Which feet are best adapted to climbing? Explain. __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ 6. Which feet enable a bird to hold onto a branch or limb? Explain. __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ 7. Which feet are best suited to moving on the ground? Explain. __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ 8. How can a bird's feet tell us about what the bird eats? __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________

Build-a-Bird The "Build a Bird" activity will help you see that different beaks and feet allow different kinds of birds to live in different places. 1. Select the kind of bird you want to make from the types listed below. 2. Next, cut out the bird body form. Then, cut out the head, beak, feet, and tail that will correctly complete your bird. Once this is done, carefully arrange the bird parts on your sheet of construction paper and glue them in place. Use colored pencils or crayons to decorate your bird. Be sure to label your bird using one of the types named below.

Types 1. Marsh or Wading Bird-This bird needs a long neck for fishing, long legs for wading, and a narrow, pointed bill for spearing its prey (fish, frogs, snakes). 2. Seed-eating Bird-This bird needs a thick, strong bill for cracking seeds, a short neck, and perching feet. 3. Predator (hunting bird)-This bird needs a curved beak for tearing meat, a short, muscular neck, and feet with talons for catching and holding prey. 4. Water or Swimming Bird-This bird squeezes water from food it catches. Its wide bill holds the food while allowing water to drain from it. It has broad, webbed feet that act like paddles and make it a good swimmer. 5. Insect-eating Bird-This kind of bird has a thin pointed bill, short neck, and broad tail. Some may have climbing feet (woodpecker), while others will have ground or runner’s feet (pheasant). 3. Explain why your bird would survive in your chosen habitat. Chose habitat - _________________________________________________ Explanation _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________

Name ____________________________________________________________

Bird Beaks Evaluate your results and answer the following questions. 1. Which beak collected the most of which food item? __________________________________________________________________ 2. What do you think would happen to your bird if only one food item was available? __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ 3. Which of the beak types feed most successfully on which food item? __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ 4. Was one beak type successful with more than one food item? __________________________________________________________________ 5. Did your earlier observations about beak types help you to understand how birds feed side by side but utilize different food items? __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________

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Bird Beaks Record Sheet Lesson Title: Bird Beaks Page 1 of 1 Name:____________________________

Individual Data Grid

Glass Marbles Pennies Toothpicks Total Food Collected

Type of beak to be tested:

Group Data Grid

Glass Marbles Pennies Toothpicks Total Food Collected

Spoon

Chopstick

Tweezer

Body forms to be used with all birds. Heads

Beaks

Feet

Tails

Shape Type Adaptation

Cracker

Seedeaters like sparrows and cardinals have short, thick conical

bills for cracking seed.

Shredder

Birds of prey like hawks and owls have sharp, curved bills for tearing

meat.

Chisel

Woodpeckers have bills that are long and chisel-like for boring into wood to

eat insects.

Probe

Hummingbird bills are long and slender for probing flowers for

nectar.

Strainer Some ducks have long, flat bills that strain small plants and animals from

the water.

Spear

Birds like herons and kingfishers have spear-like bills adapted for fishing.

Tweezers Insect eaters like warblers have thin, pointed bills.

Swiss Army Knife

Crows have a multi-purpose bill that allows them to eat fruit, seeds, insects, fish, and other animals.

Feet carry birds to their food and some help deliver food to the bird. They are designed for running, perching, grasping, wading, paddling and even more. To hold onto a twig, a bird needs feet with opposing toes that wrap around the branch. Why don't perching birds fall off when they sleep? When perching birds sit, their feet automatically lock on the limb. With feet locked, sleeping birds don't fall. As the bird stands up its feet release.

Long-legged birds can wade in shallow water to reach prey buried in the mud in marshes. The Great Blue Heron's long toes give support for walking on mucky stream and lake bottoms.

Birds with webbed feet can paddle through the water and walk on mud. As a duck pushes its feet back, the web spreads out to provide more surface to thrust the water. Then, as the duck draws its foot forward and brings the toes together, the web folds up so there is less resistance to the water.

In open grasslands, most species walk or hop on the ground to find food.

Parrots use their feet to handle food just like we use our hands. Their nimble toes hold the food and bring it to the beak.

Hawks and owls capture, kill, and carry prey with their feet.

Chickens use their strong feet to scratch the dirt and leaf litter to uncover seeds and insects.

Strong-legged flightless birds, like the cassowary, protect themselves by kicking with their powerful feet and sharp claws.

Jacanas walk on floating plants without sinking because they have extremely long toes that spread the body weight over a wide area, just like using snowshoes on powdery snow.