What’s a bird to us?

1. What’s a bird to us? Lucille Dunne Nightingale sound

2. Characteristics Of Birds Characteristics Of Birds • All birds have feathers • No teeth – have beaks • Forelimbs are modified to form wings • Lay eggs • Warm-blooded • Scales on feet The defining characteristics of birds are: a beak and feathers!

3. Identifying Features Of Birds • Size of bird • Shape, size and colour of beak • Shape, colour and stucture of legs and feet • Plumage and markings • Habitat and activity See website on identification of birds in my garden

4. Birds build nests for breeding in trees, on cliffs, or on the ground. Male birds are often brightly coloured to attract females for mating purposes. Reproduction in Birds Females birds are often less colourful, helping to camouflage her when she is caring for her young. Most birds are taken care of by at least one parent until they are able to fly look after themselves. Birds bear their young in hard-shelled eggs. They are said to be oviparous.

5. Adaptations for Flight • 2 wings • Lightweight bones • Powerful flight muscles • Breathe through lungs • Flight feathers for lift and balance • Streamlined body shape

6. Adaptations to the environment: Adaptations to the environment: • Feathers: • Flying • Insulation / waterproofing • Mating / Courtship / incubation of eggs • Shape of beaks: • adapted to food source : • long thin beak to get nectar from flowers • short, hooked, strong beak to kill mice etc • Feet: • Webbed for swimming • Claws for catching and killing prey etc • Wings - flying: • Migration for survival / breeding

7. Importance of Birds to the Environment Birds play a vital role in the balance of nature • Eat insects (agricultural pests) • Fruit eating birds are important for the dispersal of seeds • Pollinate flowers

8. Importance of birds to people • Source of protein as meat and eggs • Feathers used for pillows, quilts, clothes, feather dusters etc… • Models for flight

9. What’s a bird to us? • Birds are: • Beautiful • Musical • Skillful • Magical • Essential to nature • Essential to people

10. Click here to read ‘Strictly Birds’ a fun newsletter all about birds.

11. Bibliography • http://www.birdlife.org.za • http://www.nhm.org/birds/guide/pg001.html • http://www.ornithology.com/lectures/Introduction.html • http://wings.avkids.com/Curriculums/irds/flight_of_birds_summary.html • http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/birds/ • Bird sound::http://www.classaves.co.uk/birdsounds/general.htm