Where Birds Live

SCIENCE CONCEPT:

Birds live in all parts of the world. There are certain varieties that only live in specific locations, while other species are found around the globe.

STUDENT OBJECTIVE:

The student will engage in a global study of various species of birds and where they live. This decision of home for a bird may be dependent on many factors: food, protective habitat, size of bird, adaptability, and flight pattern.

OVERVIEW:

Some birds have the ability to fly great distances, while others cannot. Some birds, because of their size, can hardly fly at all. This will be a short study on the various factors that contribute to a bird's location on the globe and what causes certain birds to pick certain parts on the earth to live.

PREPARATION TIME:

20 minutes.

LESSON TIME:

2 Days - 60 minutes each day.

TEACHER PREP:

Have a text on hand that shows the biogeographical regions of the earth. There are six regions that categorize by types the distribution of animals living in each region. With birds there is the variance of migration. Also, have on hand a text about the habitats of birds on the globe and their flight patterns. A text on birding will be helpful for the habits of various birds and their habitats.

WORDS TO KNOW:

biogeographical

region

migration

habitats

diversity

adaptations

camouflage

predator

catapult

birding

TEACHER TEXT:

Birds live under all conditions and in all places on earth. This diversity of habitats has created birds of many different kinds, each with special needs and adaptations to meet those needs. Size is a critical factor. Some birds are too heavy to fly, like the ostrich and the EMU. The heavier the bird, the more lift it needs to fly. To meet this need, wings come in different sizes.

There is also great variety in speeds at which birds fly. The top speed of a bird depends upon its design, and this design is determined by where the bird lives and how it gets its food. Generally, the larger the bird the faster it flies. One interesting fact is that the rate of the wing flap does not determine speed. The vulture, whose wings flap once per second, has a very powerful thrust. A small bird flaps it's wings 4 times per second and flies at 25 mph. The hummingbird flaps its wings 10 times per second and flies at 60 mph. Every bird can change speeds, but has a top speed during flight because drag doubles with an increase in speed. The fastest bird is the peregrine falcon. Its wings have a swept back design enabling it to fly at 100 mph in level flight. By folding its wings against its body, the falcon can dive at 200 mph.

Also, there are differences in the kinds of flight speeds birds need. For example, the grouse, pheasant, or quail spend most of their time on the ground. They are camouflaged for protection, but occasionally they do need to fly quickly to escape a predator. They are able to catapult straight into the air, powered by short, broad wings. Their muscles are designed for short bursts of speed. Upon examination of the breast muscle, the meat is white. This means there are not many blood vessels to supply energy to the muscle for sustained flight, but it does make good eating. Ducks, on the other hand, have red breast muscle because they are capable of long, sustained flight. Most birds do not fly faster or higher than necessary. It takes too much energy to climb against gravity and higher air means less oxygen to breathe and support the bird.

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Last modified: Sat Aug 23 14:04:12 PDT 1997