Why should we care about birds?
No matter where you go there is always evidence of birds around even if you can’t physically see them. Birds are incredibly important to our ecosystems. They can move nutrients from one place to another, regulate pests, remove the carcasses of dead animals, spread plant seeds, and much more! But what exactly are birds? Birds are warm-blooded vertebrates (vertebrates have backbones) and are the only animals with feathers. Birds are very diverse and have a lot of cool adaptations that make them unique! These adaptations help birds to survive and thrive in all types of environments. There are three physical adaptations birds have for the environment they live in. These are their beaks (bills), feet, and feathers (plumage).
Bird beaks are adapted to the types of foods they eat. Thick, strong beaks are good for breaking tough seeds and are found on seed-eating birds like finches and sparrows. Hooked beaks that are found on raptors (predatory birds) such as owls, hawks, eagles, vultures, and falcons are good for tearing apart meat. Straight beaks are found on omnivorous birds like ravens, crows, jays, nutcrackers, and magpies.
The feet of birds have evolved as an adaptation to the habitats they live in. Wading birds like herons and egrets, have long toes and legs that helps them wade and walk over lily pads without falling through. Waterfowl, like ducks and geese that swim, have webbed feet that act like paddles so they can easily move through water. The American Coot is a bird that has lobate feet which means they are halfway between webbed and long toed, which allows them to swim and walk easily across lily pads in the water. Most songbirds have a foot structure that allows them to easily perch on branches because the back-toe acts as a stabilizer. Raptors have sharp talons (claw) that they can catch prey with and woodpeckers and flickers have strong nails that allow them to climb up the side of a tree.
Feathers on birds are also adapted for mating and camouflage. When feathers are pretty and extravagant that helps birds find a partner they can mate with and raise young with. Feathers are also used to camouflage a bird so that it can hide from predators and survive or so that it can sneak up on its prey. Owls have adapted to have specialized feathers that make them silent when they fly so they can sneak up on prey.
Birds are also unique because many of them migrate every year. Birds migrate twice a year, in order to find food, breed, grow or to find a better climate. Birds migrate to places which are warm, have an adequate food supply and are safe for breeding. Not all birds migrate though, some are considered residents and they will stay in an area year-round. Can you think of any birds in your area that you see year-round?
In the lesson content below, you will learn more about birds, what they do in the ecosystem, what birds are in this area, and why they are important. You will also get to define some very important terms, create a field journal, and then participate in a fun activity! By the end of the lesson you should have lots of knowledge to answer the question above!
Vocabulary
Adaptation
Adaptation is when an animal becomes fitted to its surroundings, or environment so it can survive better.
Plumage
Plumage is a fancy word for the feathers on a bird.
Migration
Migration is when an animal moves from region or habitat to another during a particular season. Birds migrate twice a year, in order to find food, breed, grow or to find a better climate. Birds migrate to places which are warm, have an adequate food supply and are safe for breeding.
Raptors
Raptors, also referred to as birds of prey, are species of birds that primarily hunt and eat other animals like mice, rabbits, fish and even sometimes animals that are as large as they are.
Waterfowl
Waterfowl are aquatic birds that spend most of their time in or near water. These are also the birds that humans hunt for game.
Focus Questions
How do birds benefit the ecosystem?
What ways do birds adapt to their environment?
Examples of Native Bird Species:
Go to http://fieldguide.mt.gov/ for a full field guide of Montana specific wildlife, plants, invasive species and more!
Sandhill Crane
Black-billed Magpie
Mallard
American Coot
Western Bluebird
Red Tailed Hawk
Gold Finch
Osprey
Great Horned Owl
Great Blue Heron
Western Tanager
Northern Flicker
American Dipper
Lesson Content
Migration
In this lesson you will learn about what migration is and how scientists track birds! Can you think of any birds that migrate in your area?
Best for grades 5-8
All About Birds
In this lesson you will learn about what makes birds unique and what is happening to them! Can you think of anything that makes birds unique?
Best for grades K-5
Best for grades K-5
Best for grades K-8
Best for grades 5-8 (First 2 minutes)
Bird Adaptations
In these lessons you will learn about all of the adaptations that make birds unique! Can you think of any adaptation’s birds have?
Best for grades K-8
Best for grades K-8
Best for grades K-8
Activities
1. Join eBird
This is a free citizen science data base where you record the birds you see! This is a fun and easy tool for students and adults alike to use. You can plan a field trip to a place like Teller Wildlife Refuge and as a class do some birding and record what you see to eBird! The goal of eBird is to gather this information in the form of checklists of birds, archive it, and freely share it to power new data-driven approaches to science, conservation and education. At the same time, tools are developed that make birding more rewarding. From being able to manage lists, photos and audio recordings, to seeing real-time maps of species distribution, to alerts that let you know when species have been seen, eBird strives to provide the most current and useful information to the birding community.
2. Easy Homemade Bird Feeders
3. Adaptation I dentification
Write different bird adaptations on a small piece of paper and place them in a hat. The adaptations might be camouflage, talons, small round beak, bright colors, migration, webbed feet, etc.
Have students pick an adaptation and identify a bird that utilizes it.
How does this adaptation help the animal survive? How does this adaptation help the animal thrive in its environment?
Field Journal Prompts
Write a few sentences and/or draw a picture to show how much you learned!
1. How do birds benefit the ecosystem?
2. Draw some bird adaptations and explain them.
3. How can you protect birds?