The wonderful world of birds (life science)

Use a chart like the one below to help you record and organize what you learned about birds from this book2. How do talons and webbed feet help different birds survive.. Reader Respons

The Wonderful

Birds

by Linda B Ross

ISBN 0-328-13285-3 ì<(sk$m)=bdcifa< +^-Ä-U-Ä-U

Genre Comprehension

Skills and Strategy Text Features Expository

nonfi ction

• Compare and Contrast

• Draw Conclusions

• Graphic Organizers

• Captions

• Headings

• Glossary

Life Science

Suggested levels for Guided Reading, DRA, ™

Lexile, ® and Reading Recovery ™ are provided

in the Pearson Scott Foresman Leveling Guide.

Scott Foresman Reading Grade 2.4.3

Birds

by Linda B Ross

ISBN 0-328-13285-3 ì<(sk$m)=bdcifa< +^-Ä-U-Ä-U

Genre Comprehension

Skills and Strategy Text Features Expository

nonfi ction

• Compare and Contrast

• Draw Conclusions

• Graphic Organizers

• Captions

• Headings

• Glossary

Life Science

Suggested levels for Guided Reading, DRA, ™

Lexile, ® and Reading Recovery ™ are provided

in the Pearson Scott Foresman Leveling Guide.

Scott Foresman Reading Grade 2.4.3

1 How are ducks and geese alike? How

are they different?

2 Use a chart like the one below to help

you record and organize what you learned about birds from this book

3 Different birds have different feet

How do talons and webbed feet help

different birds survive?

4 Identify a fact that you learned from a

picture or caption that you didn’t learn from the text

Reader Response

Seabirds Birds of Prey Flightless Birds

Three Kinds of Birds

The Wonderful World of

Birds

by Linda B Ross

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Stock; 10 Brand X Pictures; 11 Brand X Pictures; 12 Getty Images; 13 Corbis Royalty

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ISBN: 0-328-13285-3

Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc

All Rights Reserved Printed in the United States of America This publication is

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2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 V010 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05

3

Jason, Kim, and David are all bird lovers

They all keep pet birds at home Jason has

a parrot, Kim has a parakeet, and David has two canaries

Last week, Miss Craig, their teacher, asked the class to form groups and choose

different animals to research Of course,

Jason, Kim, and David got together to research their favorite kind of animal—birds!

Pet Birds

The three researchers began with their own pet birds They already knew a lot

about them, but they checked their facts and

learned some new things

Parrots, parakeets, and canaries are all warm-weather birds Canaries get their name

from the Canary Islands, where they were

originally found People enjoy having canaries

around because of their wonderful singing

voices Most pet canaries are yellow, but

canaries in the wild are dark green Canaries

eat seeds and plants They need lots of water

because they like to take baths

Parrots are popular pets because they are colorful Some parrots can learn to repeat

words or imitate sounds Some parrots can

even learn to do tricks Parrots can be as

short as three inches or as long as three feet!

They eat fruit, nuts, seeds, and buds

Canary

5

Parakeets can also be trained You can train a parakeet to sit on your finger or take

a ride on your shoulder Some parakeets can

be trained to say words Parakeets like to eat seeds and fruit

Parrots and parakeets can be found in parts of Australia, Africa, Asia, and tropical America.

Parakeet

Seabirds

“I think we should research seabirds next,”

said Kim “Then we’ll know a lot about birds

that live near all kinds of water!” Jason and

David agreed, so they began with gulls

Gulls

Most gulls live near the ocean In winter they migrate to warm places and

then fly back north in the summer Gulls

are scavengers and will feed on almost

anything Sometimes you will see gulls

following ships They are hoping that food

will be thrown overboard!

Laughing gulls

7

Puffins and Pelicans

Puffins have brightly colored beaks and black and white feathers They spend most of their lives on the ocean feeding on fish In the summer they travel to rocky islands where they build their nests

Brown pelicans live on the coasts of North and South America Their beaks have a pouch that they use as a fishing net

What a great way to catch fish! Pelicans

have webbed feet and are good fliers and

swimmers

Puffin Brown pelican

Birds of Prey

“Can we learn about birds of prey next?”

asked David “I want to find out about eagles

and owls.”

“Let’s do it!” said Kim and Jason

Eagles

Birds of prey hunt other animals They

have powerful beaks and talons to catch and

kill their prey They have better eyesight than

people do

Eagles hunt during the day Often they hunt with a partner The golden eagle eats

rabbits, squirrels, and birds Most of the time

the bald eagle eats fish There are about sixty

kinds of eagles that live around the world

Bald eagle

9

Owls

Owls have hooked beaks and strong talons, but they look very different from eagles They have large eyes and a round face Their short, thick bodies are covered with soft, fluffy feathers

Owls usually hunt at night because they can see well in dim light They are fast fliers, and their soft feathers don’t make much noise

as they fly They also have excellent hearing

All of these things make them good hunters

Owls eat small mammals, such as mice and rabbits, and other birds

The great horned owl’s wings span about 22 inches.

Flightless Birds

Next, Kim wanted to research flightless birds, or birds that cannot fly This group

includes some of the most interesting and

unusual birds, such as penguins, ostriches,

and kiwis David and Jason agreed, and they

started with penguins

Penguins

Penguins live in places such as Antarctica, Australia, New Zealand, and South America

There are seventeen kinds of penguins The

smallest is the little blue penguin The biggest

is the emperor penguin Penguins have

patterns on their heads and necks that make

them look different from one another

Magellanic penguins

Penguins have smooth bodies that are made for swimming They also have powerful flippers and webbed feet Penguins may stay

at sea for several weeks at a time They eat fish and other sea creatures, such as shrimp and crabs

A penguin’s enemies are leopard seals, sea lions, and killer whales Most penguins stay

in groups when they are in the water so that they can look out for each other

Penguins have thick coats of feathers

The feathers keep them warm and are a waterproof covering Penguins that live

in very cold places have an extra layer of feathers under their waterproof feathers

They also have thick layers of fat to keep them warm

Penguins walk with a waddle They can walk about as fast as a person.

11

Ostriches

Ostriches are the largest birds of all They can grow to be up to eight feet tall Instead

of flying, they run from enemies, such as

cheetahs and lions They can run up to forty

miles an hour on their long, powerful legs!

Ostriches live in the desert or on the plains of Africa They feed mainly on plants

but will also eat lizards and turtles They

can live for about forty years, which is very

unusual for a bird

Ostrich

13

Kiwis

Kiwis live in the forests of New Zealand

They are much smaller than ostriches and move more slowly They hunt at night for earthworms, insects, and berries They hide during the day Kiwis are very shy and will run off if anyone comes near They have large claws to protect themselves

Like many other birds, kiwis mate for life

They also lay very large eggs for such small birds! Have you ever seen a kiwi egg?

A kiwi is about the size

of a chicken.

Waterfowl

Finally, the three classmates wanted to learn about birds that live in and around

freshwater areas, such as rivers, lakes, and

ponds These birds include geese and ducks

“There is a pond near my house,” said David “Let’s go see some geese there!”

15

Geese

Geese are similar to ducks, but they are larger They have waterproof feathers, short legs, and webbed feet Instead of quacking, they make a honking sound

Geese are strong fliers When they

migrate, groups of geese often fly in a V shape Some geese are able to fly more than one thousand miles without stopping You can find geese all over the Northern Hemisphere

Canada goose

Ducks

Young ducklings follow their mother

everywhere During this early stage of life,

they have fluffy, yellow feathers After a

few weeks their appearance is completely

transformed! Their yellow feathers are

replaced by white, waterproof feathers They

grow very quickly and get much bigger

A duck’s bill and feet are perfect for swimming and feeding in water A duck

pushes its long, wide bill into the mud to find

food Its webbed feet are good for swimming

and walking on mud

A group of young ducklings is called a brood.

17

Jason, Kim, and David completed their research and presented all the information to the class They took turns telling about each group of birds and showed many colorful pictures They ended their presentation by telling the class that there were lots of other birds to learn about

Would you like to find out about them?

Now Try This

Fact Cards for Birds

This book has a lot of information about different kinds of birds It can be hard to

remember it all You can make a card game

using the facts from the book This will help

you remember all the fun facts about birds

19

1 Use the information that you learned about birds to make five fact cards

2 On one side of a card, write a question about a bird from the book

3 On the other side of the card, write the fact that answers the question Draw a picture that illustrates the answer

4 Trade fact cards with a partner Try

to answer each question Look on the other side of the card to see if your answer is right

Her e’s H ow to D o It!

Glossary

the way a person,

animal, or thing

looks

one region to

another with the

change in seasons

for facts or truth

animals that feed

on dead and

decaying animals or

plants

development

bird of prey

changed in form or condition

having the toes joined by a web

1 How are ducks and geese alike? How

are they different?

2 Use a chart like the one below to help

you record and organize what you learned about birds from this book

3 Different birds have different feet

How do talons and webbed feet help

different birds survive?

4 Identify a fact that you learned from a

picture or caption that you didn’t learn from the text

Reader Response

Seabirds Birds of Prey Flightless Birds

Three Kinds of Birds