South Carolina ETV
Birds of Different Feathers: Species Specialization (Grade 9-10)
Master Teacher
Charlie Campbell
Time Allotment
Two 90-minute class periods.
Overview
There are about 8,600 species of birds in the world. Birds can be found in many different habitats and ecologies around the world. Individual species have adaptations for specialization to their particular environment or niche. Using a combination of video and hands-on activities, this lesson introduces students to the diversity of birds and creates an awareness of the different niches that birds occupy.
Subject Matter
Biology
Learning Objectives
Students will be able to:
- Understand differences in bird species;
- Explain concept of species specialization;
- Understand that different birds occupy different habitats;
- Understand that different birds occupy different niches within a habitat;
- Identify characteristics and features of birds that make them specific to their habitat.
South Carolina Standards
3. Biological classifications are based on how organisms are related.
a. Investigate the modern kingdom classification system based on fossil record interpretation and similarities in structural and chemical make-up.
Analyze the complexity of classifying organisms based on structural adaptations, physiology, nutritional strategies, biochemical similarities, genetic similarities, embryological similarities, and methods of reproduction.
Like other aspects of an organism's
biology, behaviors have evolved
through natural selection.
Behaviors often have an adaptive
logic when viewed in terms of
evolutionary principles.
a. Give examples of common behavioral responses in organisms such as waggle dancing, courtship, and nesting behaviors that maximize their fitness and success.
Media Components
Video
World of Nature, Lesson 9: "Owls: Hunters of the Sky."
Web Sites
Materials
Per student:
- pencil and paper
- scenario of a bird habitat (Activity Sheet 1)
- index card
Equipment
- binoculars
- computers
Prep for Teachers
- Prior to teaching this lesson, bookmark the Web sites used in the lesson on the computer used in the classroom.
- Make copies of Activity Sheet 1 for each student to use in the Introductory Activity.
- Obtain a copy of a bird identification field guide.
- Prepare for the bird walk by locating an area that has potential to be a good birding site. This could be the school grounds/campus or a nearby local park. The area should have a variety of habitat (i.e., water habitat, large trees, open fields and understory growth).
- Preview the area to improve the chances of spotting bird life in a given habitat when you walk with the students.
- When using media, provide students with a Focus for Media Interaction, a specific task to complete and/or information to identify during or after viewing of video segments, Web sites or other multimedia elements.
Introductory Activity
Step 1: To begin the lesson, ask students to list as many characteristics of different kinds of birds that they are aware of. Write these on the board, facilitating the discussion. From their list, give examples of birds that have the characteristics they've named and the specific type of habitat involved.
For example, ducks with webbed feet are adapted for water and swimming, hawks with their incredible accurate eyesight and sharp claws are adapted for seeing and capturing prey, woodpeckers have heavy and long beaks that are adapted for getting food from trees, etc.
Step 2: Hand out Activity Sheet 1-a description of a bird and a scenario of the habitat/niche that it occupies. Ask the students to draw a picture of a bird and the habitat that it occupies based on its physical characteristics. The students should be creative and draw what they think the adaptations are for the bird living in that habitat.
Learning Activities
Step 1: Insert the videotape entitled, World of Nature, Lesson 9: "Owls: Hunters of the Sky" into the VCR and have the computer linked to the Humming Bird Species site.
Provide a Focus for Media Interaction by asking students to record the name of each different bird with the special adaptations and behaviors for each specific habitat as it is covered on the videptape or on the Web site. Specifically instruct students to hone in on the differences in species of birds, paying attention to beaks, claws, size, habitat, and eating behaviors for example.
Step 2: PAUSE at each unique feature and behavior of owls that characterize the bird for its particular habitat and adaptations for survival as follows: BEGIN the tape and PAUSE where it states that there are several varieties of owls living in Finland. Explain different species to students.
Step 3: Then go to the computer and call up the Web site on hummingbirds . Provide students with a Focus for Media Interaction by asking them to record the differences between species and bird adaptations.
Step 4: Return to the videotape and START the tape. PAUSE at each specific owl and note the features of each that makes them adaptable to their habitat. START after each owl.
Step 5: PAUSE where researcher is displaying owl feathers. Explain the features of owl feathers that make them adaptable to flying silently.
Step 6: Return to the computer and go to the Web site on Vaux Swifts. Look at the characteristics of this species.Step 7: START tape. PAUSE where the talons are shown and explain that their sharp talons are used by owls to capture prey. Owls are different from birds such as ducks that have webbed feet adapted for swimming.
Step 8: START the tape again and PAUSE where the large beak of the Great Gray Owl is shown. It is used by meat-eaters. Explain that owl beaks are needed for tearing flesh as opposed to beaks on a chicken that are adapted for picking up grain.
Step 9: START the tape and PAUSE at the explanation of Great Gray Owl round face and hearing capabilities.
Step 10: RESTART the tape and PAUSE the tape where the Tawny Owl is shown with young. Explain that some bird young are altricial. This means they cannot fend for themselves and must be fed and protected. Other birds such as ducks and chickens are precocial and can leave the nest and get their own food as soon as hatching from the egg.
Step 11: Show the Internet clip on woodpecker habitat for nesting located at the Web site: . Explain the differences in nesting behavior of different species. Woodpeckers have adaptations for drilling into trees therefore they make their nests by making holes in trees.
Step 12: Return to the videotape and START the tape and PAUSE at Great Gray owl chicks being fed whole mice by the parents. Explain that owls digest the body and regurgitate "pellets" that contain the bones and hair of the mouse.
Step 13: Show the Internet tape on migration of birds to illustrate the different habits of birds located at Web site: .
Step 14: START the tape and PAUSE at the scene where the researcher gets attacked by the owl and is struck by the mother owl trying to protect her chicks. START the tape and run until the end.
Step 15: Show the Internet video: Birding as a Hobby and Sport, located at Web site. Provide a Focus for Media Interaction and request the students to record ways that birders find and identify birds.
Culminating Activity
Step 1: Take the students on a bird walk. You can use a spotting scope if one is available. Tell students to look for birds either flying, perched in trees, or in the understory of the trees. If you are in an area located near water, instruct them to look for birds in the water or on the shoreline of the water.
Step 2: Pass out index cards to the students. As birds are spotted, identify the bird by sight or by sound if the bird is singing and not in view. Ask the students to record the name of the bird on their index cards. Fix the bird in the spotting scope (if available) and let each student take a look. If not using a spotting scope, ask each student to view the bird in his or her binoculars.
Step 3: Depending on the species of the bird, point out interesting features and/or unique characteristics that make it adaptable to the habitat it is in. Some features could be: reproductive methods, flight pattern, feeding habits, physiology, morphology and behavior.
Assessment
At the end of the class period:
-
Require the students to compile the list of species that were seen during the walk from their index cards.
-
Have them describe characteristics that make each species adaptable to the habitat where it was seen.
Cross-Curricular Extensions
Art: Have students make drawings of their fictional birds based on habitat.
Math: Frequency of occurrence-This means how many times throughout a specific period the species is seen. Instruct students to graph numbers and types of species on a bar chart.
Community Connections
Take the students to a local museum or natural science center. Go on a bird walk hosted by a naturalist. Ask the naturalist to point out features of birds that make them adaptable for their particular niche in the ecosystem.
Have an ornithologist visit and present a slide show and discussion about birds.
Take the students on a bird walk with the local Audubon Chapter or bird club. Go to different habitats (e.g., coastal, marsh, freshwater, estuaries, mountains, open grasslands, treed areas, etc.) and look at the particular type of birds at each different habitat.
Activity Sheets (PDF)
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