Module 1: Anatomy

This first module offers a basis for the two succeeding modules. Knowing basic terminology and anatomy vocabulary will help the students to have a firmer grasp and more accurate understanding of the concepts at hand and will ultimately allow them to better articulate their own ideas, a skill that is greatly encouraged in this curriculum.

Week 1 | The Basics: Intro to Species & Terminology

Lesson:

Science involves the use of many terms/words and phrases that not many people know. However, it is time to break that barrier! Science is for everyone, and we can all learn. In today’s lesson, we will explore the different words scientists use to talk about bird species, as well as different parts of a bird’s body, behavior, habitat, and more! This particular lesson is very important because these terms will continue to appear in almost all the modules to come, and it will make the learning experience much more streamlined to establish definitions at the beginning.

Terms for Activity:

Print these terms and photos (linked below) out on a sheet (or multiple sheets if needed) of paper. Hand these sheets out to each student, or the students can be placed in small groups to share and conserve resources.

Zoology → a branch of natural history or biology dealing with animals (Oxford English Dictionary “Zoology”).

Ornithology → a branch of zoology concerned with [the study of] birds (Oxford English Dictionary “Ornithology”).

Predator → an animal that eats (preys on) other animals.

Prey → word used to talk about an animal that has predators, or animals that will eat it.

Beak → equivalent to a bird’s mouth. It helps them pick up and consume food, as well as communicate to one another through singing. From a birder’s perspective, looking at the beak of a bird is a useful way to identify their species.

Talon → a bird’s feet. Talons help birds perch on branches or tree trunks. If they are predatory birds, talons are what the bird uses to grasp their prey.

Flank → the side of a bird, usually partially covered by their wings (Sibley xvii).

Nape → the back of a bird’s neck, near the top of their back. (Sibley xvii).

Eyering → the ring of color around a bird’s eyes. It can either be a complete or incomplete ring (Sibley xvii). It is a useful identification tactic.

Crown → part of a bird’s head near their beak (Sibley xvii).

Scapulars → a bird’s shoulders, right above their wing portions (Sibley xvii).

Migration → the seasonal movement of animals from one region to another (Oxford English Dictionary “Migration”).

Symbiosis → association of two different organisms which live attached (not literally) to each other (Oxford English Dictionary “Symbiosis”).

Adaptation → The process of change to suit new conditions, especially a new environment (Oxford English Dictionary “Adaptation”).

Evolution → the process where living organisms transform through changes over many years (Oxford English Dictionary “Evolution”).

Keystone species → a species that has a major influence on the lives of other organisms. If this keystone species were to be removed from the ecosystem, it would change drastically (Oxford English Dictionary “Keystone Species”).

Sexual dimorphism → differences in size, shape, and/or appearance between male and female sexes within one species (Oxford English Dictionary “Sexual Dimorphism”).

Link to photos. Print out and distribute before the Kahoot!

Activity:

Here is a Kahoot! that includes these words and photos. Good luck!

Week 2 | Wings: Vehicles of Flight

Lesson:
What do you think of when you hear the word “wings”? The reality is, there’s no one shape or length—or even function—of wings. Vultures have V-shaped wings that accommodate their need for soaring on wind currents high in the sky. Hummingbirds beat their gossamer wings over seventy times per minute to hover in place while they drink nectar from flowers or feeders (National Audubon Society). Chimney swifts, like hummingbirds, have long, stiff wings that support their long hours in the air—these birds actually spend most of their lives in the air. Cormorants and diving ducks use their wings to propel themselves in the water while pursuing prey or food. Owls have a special adaptation in their feathers that helps them to swoop silently through the trees in search of their prey, allowing them to sneak up on creatures very sensitive to noise. However, wings and feathers aren’t purely functional—they can also be used for fashion and showing off! The feather coats of many male songbird species become brighter and more colorful during mating season so that they can attract a mate. All in all, wings are just as diverse as the birds they serve, and today’s goal is to look closely at these differences and how they might best help with survival and a bird’s specific adaptations.

Activity:
Today, we’ll be making paper planes! This is more than just a fun activity. The different types of paper planes outlined in the instructions will offer an insight into how different wing shapes influence how a bird flies, and different birds have varying needs for their wings. For example, a paper plane with wider, short wings is a model for birds that fly slower and glide more, such as vulture species. Meanwhile, the longer and narrower wings represent predatory birds who rely on speed while pursuing prey.

Hand each student several sheets of plain printer paper. Have colored pencils/markers/pens available on tables so that after the airplanes are folded, the students can decorate the airplanes in accordance with the type of wing.

Plane #1:

Fold your paper “hamburger” style so that each of the shorter sides of the paper touch.

Open the paper back up, the crease perpendicular to your body. Fold the top corners down to be parallel with the original crease to form a point at the top. Both sides should be as even as possible.

Fold the top corner down to the side closest to your body and crease thoroughly.

Fold paper back in half along the established crease.

Then, fold each wing symmetrically along the crease, leaving ~1 inch separation between the start of the wing and its body.

(Optional) Add wingtips by folding up the ends of the wings to improve lift.

This plane offers a rough model of the need for wide wings for effective gliding through the air. The plane is not designed for speed, but rather for time spent in the air.

A slideshow is linked here with the instructions and corresponding images.

Plane #2:

Fold your paper “hotdog” style so that each of the longer sides of the paper touch.

Open the paper back up, the crease perpendicular to your body. Fold the top corners so that the tops of the paper go parallel with the original crease, forming a point at the top. Both sides should be as even as possible.

Fold each folded side once more so that an edge is parallel to the original crease. The point at the top stays, but the angle decreases. Both sides should be as even as possible.

Fold paper in half along the established crease.

Fold each wing symmetrically along the crease to form the wings so that each bottom of the wing lines up with the body of the plane.

A slideshow is linked here with the instructions and corresponding images.

Week 3 | Beaks & Bills

Lesson:

Beaks and bills have integral roles in the lives of birds, as they function similarly to how human mouths do. They allow birds to pick up and consume their food, and they are also vehicles for vocal communication. As we have discussed in our previous two lessons, beaks and bills are also immensely diverse, according to the needs and diets of the species. Warblers, gnatcatchers, kinglets, and other small, thin-billed species eat berries, small insects, small seeds, and larvae, while cardinals, grosbeaks, and sparrows have thicker beaks to help them crack larger hard seeds and nuts. Wading birds, such as herons and egrets, have long, spear-like beaks to help them catch fish and other water-dwelling creatures. Sandpipers and plovers have small, narrow, medium-length bills that are used for probing in the sand. Sometimes, the lengths of the upper and lower bills differ in length. The Black Skimmer has a longer lower bill for catching their food by skimming with their open beaks over the ocean. In short, beaks serve the purposes of the diets of various species, and no two species have identical ones!

Activity:

As we just discussed, beaks and bills are very diverse and dependent on the diet and behavior of different species. In today’s activity, we’ll be experimenting with different models of beaks to replicate what a bird’s life is like using different tools to pick up objects.

Each student should receive a pair of chopsticks, tweezers, and a spoon. They should be assigned small groups of 3–5.
Put out plates with different tools on a table. Each plate should contain a different “food.”
Of the different stations of “foods,” place each group around a plate.
Set a timer for 2 minutes, and each student will see how many pieces of the “food” at their assigned plate.
At the end of the 2 minutes, write down the number of pieces each student picked up.

Steps 1–5 will be repeated 3 times, once with each different tool at that same “food” station.

Once each student has tried each utensil at their station, rotate each group to the station to their right. The process outlined above will be repeated until each group has tried each utensil/tool for every “food.”

Ultimately, the purpose of this activity is to teach the students how important specialized beaks are for the foods different birds eat—why diversity and specificity matters and why scientists should pay attention to these distinctions.

Activity Materials (can be substituted if needed):

“foods”

uncooked large beans (suggestion: kidney)
uncooked small beans (suggestion: lentils)
trail mix
raisins
gummy worms
toothpicks

tools

chopsticks
tweezers
spoons

Week 4 | How They Work Together

Lesson:

A bird relies on all of its parts to survive and thrive most efficiently. A bird’s beak must make sense with its wings, and both of these must align with their leg length and feet shape. Through millions of years of evolution, birds have developed specific traits in their bodies to be the best at their specific tasks. For example, chimney swifts are birds that spend most of their lives in the air. Their legs and talons have evolved to be very small, while their wings are very long in comparison to their body size to help maintain energy while in flight. On the other hand, herons and egrets have long bills, necks, and legs to help them catch fish while wading in bodies of water. While they do fly, they do not spend nearly as much time in the air as other species.

Thus, for today’s activity, we’ll be drawing our own birds and thinking about which traits fit best with their lifestyle. Scientists learn to be very aware and critical of reasons behind why a bird possesses a certain trait and how this aligns with their lifestyle and environment, and, today, we’ll do the same.

Activity:

Give each student a couple pieces of paper and have colored pencils/markers/pens available at each drawing area. You, the instructor, will read out the bullet points below each mystery bird.

Mystery bird option 1:

“I want you to draw a bird that lives near and eats out of a body of water.
“What do its feet look like? I encourage you to think about the birds we looked at in our very first lesson. What kind of feet and legs would a wading bird have versus a duck?”
“How is its bill shaped? Think about how it eats and captures its food. Is it a predator or an herbivore?”
“How long would its wings be? How would they be shaped?”

Mystery bird option 2:

“I want you to draw a bird that spends most of its life catching insects and foraging for seeds and berries in forests.”
“How large would this bird be?”
“What colors would it be?”
“How are its wings shaped? How long are they? Think about how moving around in dense leaves & branches is different from open space and how this would impact the shape and size of the wings.”
“How would its beak be shaped? Consider the foods this bird would mainly eat. Would the beak be thicker and short or thin and long? Think back to the lesson on beak shapes from last week.”

Once everyone has finished their drawings, ask anyone if they want to share their drawings. Encourage them to explain their artistic choices and how these choices would help the bird to achieve the goal of living near and finding food through a body of water.

After everyone who wants to have shared has done so, show the class pictures of what their drawings could have resulted in based on the parameters read above.