Birds
Name:

Thought to be descendants of the dinosaurs long ago, birds are the most numerous flying animal that has a backbone. Bats also fly but their numbers don't compare to that of birds. Flight takes special physical characteristics in living things to be possible. Only a very light animal can fly. Birds have special adaptations that allow flight to be possible. A bird has hollow bones that are both strong and light. A bird also has muscles that are thin and light. A bird uses a lot of oxygen and energy while in flight. They must eat frequently to replenish their energy reserves. It has a heart that pumps very fast to to keep the blood supply speeding throughout its body. A bird's feathers are also virtually weightless, yet warm and strong which helps while it's flying.

Bird migration is among the most miraculous and mysterious of natural phenomena. Migrations are seasonal movements of wildlife from one habitat to another. Migrating birds usually follow well established routes between environments. Have you ever seen flocks of geese flying in a "V" formation in the fall? Were you curious about where they were going and how long it would take them to get there?

Vocabulary - Type your answer in the box.
(Correct Spelling Counts)

  • mammal
  • rapidly
  • webbed
  • vertebrate
  • hollow
  • oxygen
  • warm
  • fly
  • migration
  • muscles

1. Birds have ____ bones.


2. Birds have very strong ____ .


3. In flight a bird's heart beats ____ .


4. Feathers help a bird to ____ .


5. A bird has a backbone and is a ____ .


6. A bat, which also flys like a bird, is a ____ .


7. Some birds have ____ feet.


8. A bird needs a lot of ____ while flying.


9. Bird ____ involves the seasonal movement from one habitat to another.


10. A bird is ____ - blooded.


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Find Out!

Use the Internet to find out more about birds:
  • How high and how far can birds fly?

  • Just as we need to make preparations for a long trip by planning a route and deciding what to take, birds also need to prepare so that they will arrive in good shape at their correct destinations.

  • How do birds prepare for migration? Do they call their Travel Agents?

  • Birds travel thousands of miles to their destinations through all kinds of weather. At the same time climate changes are occurring on the earth. How does climate change affect migration? Do birds need to pack their umbrellas?

  • People all over the world study bird migrations. Migration patterns are tracked and recorded. Some scientists have tracked the flight plans of individual snow geese that migrate between Canada and Texas.

  • What can we do to HELP and protect these amazing, acrobatic, aerial avians?