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Birds & Flight Birds & Flight About this Unit Most biologists believe that birds evolved from reptiles, and, more specifically, dinosaurs. One of the earliest known ancestors of modern birds was the Archaeopteryx. This creature was a crow- sized, scaled dinosaur with weak, sparsely feathered wings. Over time, scales evolved into feathers and wings grew stronger. Today, in North America, our most ancient birds are the loons. Loons differ from most other birds in several ways. Their bones are more solid (filled with marrow) than the hollow bones of most other birds. Their feet sit further back on their bodies than those of most other birds. These two factors make flight and walking more difficult for the loon, while conversely making them our best swimmers. There are over 10,000 known species of birds, including around 900 in the United States. People have categorized these different birds in several ways. Loons, ducks, geese and similar birds are often called waterfowl. Hawks, falcons, eagles and vultures are known as raptors. Herons, egrets and bitterns are waders. The shorebird group includes killdeer and plovers. A very broad category, called the passerines, includes perching and singing birds like robins, crows, finches, sparrows and warblers. There are even more groups (and different ways to group the birds mentioned) than those listed here. Can you think of any? One thing most birds have in common is the ability to fly. Light bodies, strong wings and principles of physics allow birds to become airborne. Another commonality among many birds is the behavior of migration. Migration is the act of moving from one place to another. Often, birds cover tremendous distances in very short periods. Birds that migrate have particular reasons for doing so. Birds often have specific habitat needs, including the needs for a suitable range of temperatures and types of available food. Insects, rodents and ripe berries often determine the migration path. So do undisturbed breeding areas. One common misconception about migration is that all birds leave our area in the fall and return in the spring. Many birds indeed follow this pattern, but there is constant movement throughout the year. Some birds arrive here in the winter from Canada; some don’t leave until winter or actually leave in the middle of summer. While it is generally true that migrating birds fly south in colder months and north in warmer months, a more accurate way of saying “fall and spring migration” is to use “outward and inward migration,” suggesting the time frame for leaving and returning to nesting places. A phenology chart lends evidence for the need to use the more updated terms. In this unit, we will discover how birds fly and we’ll study how they migrate. We will consider questions of bird anatomy, natural habitat, and the effects of human behavior on migratory bird populations. We will use several math skills to measure, observe and make predictions. These skills will help us inside and outside the classroom. Take what you’ve learned to the field and share your knowledge with others. Happy birding! Contributing Writer Ned Dorff Ned Dorff grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin. He holds regular education and special education licenses and a master’s degree in environmental education from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. He enjoys teaching, playing guitar, kayaking, reading, and eating soy products. Birds and Flight | | 1 | Birds & Flight Lessons included in this unit: Lesson 1. Bird Anatomy .............................7 Skill Building: Bird Anatomy Skill Building: Wing Feathers Skill Building: Wing Anatomy Skill Building: Bird Anatomy and Ratios Lesson 2. Flight ...................................13 Skill Building: Lift Experiment Skill Building: Flight Maneuvers Skill Building: Flight Skill Building: Flight Costs Lesson 3. Species .................................20 Skill Building: Species Familiarity Skill Building: Using Ratios to Compare Skill Building: Wing Angles Skill Building: Species Probability Coefficients Skill Building: Birding Probability Skill Building: How many birds over time? Skill Building: Greater Prairie Chicken Skill Building: Bird Populations and Subpopulations Lesson 4. Migration ............................... 33 Skill Building: Why do bird migrate? Skill Building: Carrying Capacity Skill Building: Mapping and Measuring Skill Building: Charting Migration Skill Building: Uncommon Species of the Portage, Wisconsin Area Skill Building: Using Binoculars Skill Building: Measuring Migration Skill Building: Bird Tally Sheet Final Project: Aiding Migration | 2 | Birds and Flight | Unit 2 Notes for unit planning: Materials Needed • Bird field guides for Eastern U.S. and/or Wisconsin (several per class) • An outdoor area for study • Maps of Portage, Wisconsin area (1 per student group, 1 class map) • Access to the Internet • Binoculars (several pairs per class) • Compass (for drawing circles) (several per class) • Protractors (1 per student) • Calculators (1 per student) • Digital camera (optional) Suggested Field Guides 1. Ehrlich, Paul R., Dobkin, David S., and Wheye, Darryl. The Birder’s Handbook: A field guide to the natural history of North American birds. Simon and Schuster. New York, 1988. 2. Elliott, Lang. Stokes Field Guide to Bird Songs: Eastern Region. Time Warner Audiobooks. New York, 1997. 3. Feith, John. Who Cooks for Poor Sam Peabody? Learn to recognize the songs of birds from the Midwest and Northeast states. John Feith. Madison, WI, 2002. 4. Janssen, Robert B., Tessen, Daryl D., and Kennedy, Gregory. Birds of Minnesota and Wisconsin. Lone Pine Publishing. Edmonton, 2003. 5. Kaufman, Kenn. Peterson Field Guides: Advanced Birding. Houghton Mifflin. Boston, 1990. 6. Peterson, Roger T. Peterson Field Guides: Eastern Birds. Houghton Mifflin. Boston, 1980. 7. Sibley, David A. National Audubon Society: The Sibley Guide to Birds. Alfred A. Knopf. New York, 2000. 8. Wisconsin Society for Ornithology. Wisconsin Breeding Bird Atlas. http://www.uwgb.edu/birds/wbba/index.htm. 2002. Math Content: Probability; fractions, decimals, percents and proportions; graphing; measurement and conversion; angles; algebraic equations; budgeting; mapping; population statistics Letters in parenthesis indicate which math performance standard is being addressed with the content. A full standards matrix is located in the appendix. Non-math concepts: The science of ornithology is prevalent throughout the lesson. Additionally, students need to do a lot of reading and writing, including justifying their answers. Additional Possibilities: Learning about birds is most exciting when students get to see birds. Taking students outside to see what they are learning about is important. A way to allow students to see the birds close-up would be to set up a bird feeder outside of the classroom window. Even without a great variety of species, it provides for valuable learning experiences. • Flying WILD curriculum guide. This curriculum provides many other lessons about birds and helps teachers and students plan a bird festival for their school or community. • One Bird, Two Habitats curriculum guide. This interdisciplinary curriculum focuses on bird migration from North America to South America. Birds and Flight | Unit 2 | 3 | Birds & Flight Unit Vocabulary Science Terms Air sacs – air spaces in lungs, body cavities and bones of birds. Alula – three to six small feathers on the movable thumb in the front of a bird’s wing. Anatomy – the arrangement of body parts in an animal. Barbs – tiny parallel threads making up the vane of the feather. Barbules – hooks that keep barbs together. Carpals – larger bones at the base of the wrist. Contour feathers – feathers covering back, sides and most of wings. Crop – food storage area in bird’s neck. Down feathers – fluffy feathers, usually hidden beneath contour feathers. Filoplume – tiny hairs circling the base of contour feathers. Flight feathers – long contour feathers in wing and tail that aid in flight. Flight muscles – large, strong muscles on breastbone that raise and lower the wings. Gizzard – organ in middle of bird’s body for grinding food; filled with sand and pebbles. Humerus – arm bone between shoulder and elbows. Inner wing – wing part from elbow to wrist. Joint – the point of connection between two bones or elements of a skeleton Joules – a measure of work. Lift – upward force causing a bird to stay aloft. Manus – hand section; outer wing. Metacarpals – bones running from wrist to fingers. Newton – unit of force, named after Sir Isaac Newton in recognition of his work on classical mechanics. Outer wing – wing part from wrist to wing tip, aka the hand section. Phalanges – fingers. Phenology – the study of patterns of biological activity through seasons. Physiology – the way anatomy functions. Primaries – long flight feathers on outer wings (hands). Quill – hollow base of the feather. | 4 | Birds and Flight | Unit 2 Unit Vocabulary Radius – bone running from elbow to thumb side of the wrist. Retrices – flight feathers on the tail. Secondaries – flight feathers on inner wing between wrist and elbow. Shaft – stiff stem of feather. Tertiaries – wing feathers attached to elbow and upper arm. Also referred to as “tertials” on some graphs. Vane – outer part of feather. Vole – mall rodent resembling a mouse but with a stouter body, a shorter hairy tail, a slightly rounder head, and smaller ears and eyes (often called a meadow mouse or field mouse). Watt – the unit of measuring electrical power. Wingspan – distance from tip of one extended
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