BIRDS

PRE READING TASKS

New words:

ornithology, ostrich, beak, predators, feathers, hummingbird, penguin, hard-shelled eggs

Ex.1 Answer to the questions?

1. What kind of birds do you know?

2. Which is the largest bird in the world?

3. Do parrots know what they are talking about?

4. Why some birds like Ostrich, Kiwi and Penguins are flightless?

5. What is the smallest bird in the world?

6. Which is the fastest flying bird?

WHILE READING TASKS

Ex. 2 Find out from the text. Are these sentences true are false?

1. Ornithology is the study of insects.

2. A scientist who studies birds is called an ornithologist.

3. All flying animals are birds.

4. The fastest running bird is the penguin, but it cannot fly.

5. Modern-day birds do not have any teeth

6. Most birds are insectivores (they eat insects)

7. Birds (like the toucan) are carnivores (meat-eaters)

8. Cowbirds, lay their eggs in other bird's nests

Ex.3 Complete the sentences with the words in the box

ostrich, bee hummingbird,  peregrine falcon, gentoo penguins

1. The largest bird is the ______  . It can grow up to 9 feet (2.7 m) tall. The _____also lays the largest birds' eggs which are up to 4.5 x 7 inches (11 x 18 cm) across and  , weigh 3 pounds (1400 g). 
   2. The smallest bird is the ______   which is 2.5 inches long ( 6.2 cm) weighing only 0.06 oz (1.6 g). ______ lay the smallest birds' eggs. They always lay 2 at a time, each the size of a person's small fingernail. 

3. The only backwards and sideways flyer is the _____-  ! 
4. The fastest flying bird the_____ , clocked at 90 mph (145 kph).

5.______ are the fastest swimming birds. 

ALL ABOUT BIRDS

M ost birds can fly. Birds have a very strong heart and an efficient way of breathing - these are necessary for birds to fly. Birds also use a lot of energy while flying and need to eat a lot of food to power their flight.

Not all flying animals are birds, and not all birds can fly. The ability to fly has developed independently many times throughout the history of the Earth. Bats (flying mammals), pterosaurs (flying reptiles from the time of the dinosaurs), and flying insects are not birds.

MOVING: Flying, Running, and Swimming

T here are different types of feathers and they each have different uses. 

Feathers are used for:

• Flying - flight feathers, grow in the wings and the tail.

• Thermal insulation - soft down feathers that grow close to the skin keep birds from getting too cold or too hot

• Courtship and mating displays - these vary tremendously from species to species.

Diet:

Modern-day birds do not have any teeth (ancient birds did have teeth). Birds have a tongue, but unlike our tongue, a bird's tongue has a bone in it.

Birds spend most of their time looking for food. Most birds are insectivores (they eat insects). Some birds, like owls and eagles, are carnivores (meat-eaters). Some birds, like the hummingbird, grouse, and Canada goose, are mostly herbivores (plant-eaters). Other birds, like starlings, are omnivores (plant- and meat-eaters). Some birds (like the toucan) are fructivore (fruit-eaters)

Birds mostly use their keen eyesight to find food. They use their beak and their claws to get bugs , worms , small mammals  , fish , fruit  , grain, or nectar . 

Birds play a very important part in the natural control of insects  and in the dispersal of seeds. Some birds, like the tiny, nectar-eating hummingbirdare important pollinators of some flowering plants . 

Nests and Eggs:

Birds bear their young in hard-shelled eggs which hatch after some time. Some birds, like chickens, lay eggs each day, others (like the maleo) may go for years between laying eggs.

B irds build nests for breeding in trees, on cliffs, or on the ground. Most birds are taken care of by at least one parent until they are able to fly and get their own food. 
The incubation period of bird eggs varies from species to species. There's also some variability due to the temperature.

Some birds, like old-world cuckoos and some cowbirds, lay their eggs in other bird's nests. The non-related adult bird takes care of the cuckoo's egg unwittingly. Some cuckoos even kill the other eggs in the nest to insure that their egg gets enough food. 

POST – READING TASKS

Ex.4 Match the bird’s beak to their food

E x.5 Hunt for the words shown on the list below, then circle them as you find them.