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Birds of Prey BENCHMARK • P a Reading A–Z Level P Benchmark Book Word Count: 685 Birds of Prey

Birds of Prey BENCHMARK • P a Reading A–Z Level P Benchmark Book Word Count: 685 Birds of Prey

of Prey BENCHMARK • P A Reading A–Z Level P Benchmark Book Word Count: 685 Birds of Prey

Written by Fran Mason

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Written by Fran Mason

Birds of Prey Level P Benchmark Book Correlation © Learning A–Z LEVEL P Written by Fran Mason Fountas & Pinnell M All rights reserved. Reading Recovery 28 DRA 28 www.readinga-z.com www.readinga-z.com Table of Contents Introduction...... 4 ...... 5 Barn ...... 6 Great Gray Owl...... 6 Northern Pygmy Owl...... 7 Great ...... 8 Red-tailed

Falcon-Like Birds...... 9 Introduction ...... 10 Birds that hunt and eat other . are called “birds of prey.” Birds of prey ...... 11 have strong feet with talons, or claws. ...... 12 They grab their prey with their feet. ...... 14 They also have sharp, curved . . They use their beaks to tear apart their Kites...... 15 food. Birds of prey live all over the. Glossary...... 16 world. They live in open , on mountaintops, and in . A few birds of prey even live in .

Birds of Prey • Level P Benchmark 3 4 Do You Know? Owls have softer, fluffier than most birds. Their soft feathers allow them to fly silently and sneak Barn owls up on their prey. European owl Barn Owls and Great Gray Owls Owls The common is found in North Owls are one kind of of prey. . and , , , , Most owls hunt at night. They use their and . These owls discovered . sensitive ears to listen for their prey. that barns can be good places to live. They use their big to see at night. . Owls drop down on their prey and One of the world’s biggest owls is the snatch it up in their claws. Some kinds . great gray owl. This owl lives in , of owls eat small birds, mice, or . northern Europe, and northern Asia. . Other owls can catch fish or crabs . It can live to be 40 years old. It can grow in shallow water. up to 84 centimeters (33 in) tall.

Birds of Prey • Level P Benchmark 5 6 Do You Know? The , found in Britain, Europe, and Asia, can be found in cities with large parks, such as London and Berlin. It has such good ears that it can hear an earthworm crawling out of its hole.

Great horned owl

Pygmy owl Northern Pygmy Owl The great horned owl has a famous One of the world’s smallest owls is . “hoot.” Its call can be heard from far the northern pygmy owl. It lives in away on quiet nights. It lives in the western . It is only about forests, deserts, and of North, 16 centimeters (6 in) tall. But it is fierce! Central, and South America. The great The pygmy owl can often scare off horned owl likes to eat many different animals bigger than it is. Pygmy owls animals, such as and chickens. live in holes in trees. They like to eat Sometimes it will wade into the water . small birds, lizards, and insects. to catch a frog or a fish.

Birds of Prey • Level P Benchmark 7 8

Eagles The eagle is a well-known . The African has a wingspan as long as a grown person’s height. This eagle is so big that it can capture a baby -Like Birds gazelle. It usually eats rabbits, , The of falcon-like birds of prey . and birds. Golden eagles and bald eagles are different from owls. Falcon-like birds live in the open country of western North hunt during the day, so they do not . America. The golden eagle can also be need the big eyes and silent feathers . found in Europe, Asia, and northern that owls have. Instead, they need speed, Africa. Eagles use sticks to build nests so they have a sleeker shape. that are larger than bathtubs.

Birds of Prey • Level P Benchmark 9 10 Cape Griffon

Falcons Vultures Falcons are fast fliers. The peregrine You might be surprised to know that falcon lives in landscapes that range vultures are also birds of prey. They are from to tropical rain forest. different from hawks and eagles because It is one of the fastest-flying birds of their prey is dead before they eat it. . prey. When it dives, it can reach a speed For this reason, they are known as of 322 kilometers (200 mph) per hour. scavengers. The Cape The peregrine falcon usually eats prey of feeds small bones . that it catches in midair. to its chicks to make their bones strong.

Birds of Prey • Level P Benchmark 11 12 vulture Do You Know? Eagles, hawks, and some other birds of prey with large wingspans can soar on top of warm air masses. They can float high in the air for long periods of time without flapping their wings.

Red-tailed hawk

Hawks Hawks are sharp-eyed hunters. Many The of North, Central, . hawks can hunt in dense brush because and South America benefits people. . of their long tail and rounded wings. It removes dead animals so that diseases do not spread. Its sense of smell is so The has a beautiful black-. good that the turkey vulture has been and-white banded tail. This bird lives used to help people find gas leaks. along in and eats lizards.

Birds of Prey • Level P Benchmark 13 14 Glossary predator an that catches and eats other animals. (p. 15)

prey an animal that is hunted and eaten by another animal (p. 4)

scavenger an animal that finds and eats scraps of garbage . or animals that are

Black kites already dead (p. 12) talons claws (p. 4) Kites Kites are lightweight birds with large tundra a cold, treeless Arctic wings and a forked tail. The black . region where the ground is always frozen (p. 11) is found in Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, and elsewhere. The black . wingspan the width of a bird’s kite is a scavenger and a predator. wings when they are fully Black kites are plentiful because they . spread (p. 10) can eat many different things. Hundreds of them can be seen flying together . in some tropical places.

Birds of Prey • Level P Benchmark 15 16

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