Exploring Birds Internet Activity

Directions: Bookmark this web page. Click the links to go to a site with the question's answer. If you get a "File not found" message, use your Internet research skills to find the answer on another web site. Use the Bookmark to return to this page for the next question. If a link does not work, use your internet research skills to find the answer. Digital answer format info

Food for thought: Write a question you have had about birds or a specific species of bird.

1. How many different Orders of birds are there?

Select three Orders from the list. Write the scientific name and a unique characteristic of the birds
in that Order, which live in your region. (Research required)

a.

b.

c.

2. Explain the difference between a bird call and a bird song.

3. You may know that hummingbirds sip nectar. What else do they eat?

TAI - (Think about it) How does that impact their ecosystem?

4 . Bluebirds have three challenges. One is nesting site loss. What is the other? Second resource | Bluebirds Project

5. Many ducks nest on the ground. Where does a wood duck nest?

6. Select any two birds listed in the etext version of Life Histories of North American Birds.
Compare them. (Compare means to find their similarities.)

Techie question: Suppose your library has one print copy of this book.
How is an etext version a better resource for a large class that is researching birds?

7. Name the three parts of a bird's wing and the role each plays.

a.

b.

c.

8. Most owls nest in trees. Where does the Burrowing Owl nest?

Why do you think they adopted this nesting place?

9. What plant fuzz does the American Goldfinch use to line its nest?

How does that impact their nesting behavior?

10. Cedar waxwings eat fruit. How does their food choice impact them?

11. Examine this chart of fruits that North American birds eat.

Name three trees/plants that are consumed by many different birds.

Name a couple of birds who are picky eaters.

Which bird is the most flexible eater?

Which bird has the better chance to survive? Explain your choice.

12. Biology is the study of living things. A scientist who focuses on biology is called a biologist.

Ornithology is:

What do you call a scientist who focuses on ornithology?

13. Classification is a way to order our study of living things. Write the classification of eagles beginning with Kingdom.

14. Go find the answer. Which has a higher body temperature: Birds or humans?
(Harness a search engine to obtain the data necessary to arrive at an answer.)

15. If the ability to make and use tools sets humans apart from other animals, what do you make of this discovery?

16. The chickadee is one of the most important pest exterminators of the forest or orchard. Explain

Based on this, how can a farmer encourage more chickadees to come to his orchard?

Challenge: Your class has decided to erect a nest box at your school. Great!

First things first. Consider the habitat, your locality, the nesting needs of the bird, and
the potential challenges created by a nesting bird family. For which bird would you choose to provide a box?
Support your answer.

Watch the Nova Science Now online video - Bird Brains

Observation: Science Skill Builders - Nest | Mystery Bird ID

Show what you know - Complete a Frayer Model for Birds - doc. format | pdf. format

NestWatch- Cornell University citizen science sponsored project - Project FeederWatch - Great Backyard Bird Count

Celebrate Urban Birds | Study Reveals Real Reason Birds Migrate

Watch the bird song video | Listen to - A Restaurant for the Birds Welcomes All

Done already?

Develop a local Bird Feeder Watch List	Explore the Class Aves at the Animal Diversity Web
Trace the taxonomy of a bird of your choice.	Check out a bird cam. Name the birds you see.
Work with your PTO or Student Council to create a school yard habitat	The Ivory-billed Woodpecker is not gone!
Hawk Mountain Sanctuary	Do wind turbines have an impact on wild birds?
Egg Facts Hunt	Learn about Nests hunt
Birds of Meadows, Fencerows and Fields	Cheep, Chirp, Twitter, and Whistle
Nest Hunt	Bald Eagle Soars Off Endangered Species List
	Birds of the Wetlands
Emergence - How does the "intelligence" of an ant colony or the stock market arise out of the simple actions of its members?	Read this bird book with a young friend or make a themed book of your own!

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License. 8/2007

Save a tree - use a Digital Answer Format - Highlight the text. Copy it. Paste it in a word processing document. Save the document in your folder. Answer on the word processing document in a contrasting color (not yellow) or font (avoid Symbol, , or other ornate artistic fonts). Save frequently as you work. Enter your name and the date, in the header of the document. Submit your document via electronic dropbox or email attachment. Bad things happen. Save a copy of your work on your computer.

Proof your responses. It is funny how speling errors and typeos sneak in to the bets work. Make Your Own Printed answer sheet