K - 9
A truly "bird brained" lesson, this activity requires students to think like hungry birds, who must find food at the park.
Students will investigate variation in bird beaks and the interrelationships of form and function by:
Science:
- Kindergarten: K.1, K.4, K.8
- Grade One: 1.1, 1.5, 1.7
- Grade Two: 2.1, 2.5
- Grade Three: 3.1, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6
- Grade Four: 4.1, 4.5
- Grade Five: 5.1
- Grade Six: 6.1, 6.2, 6.8, 6.9
- Life Science: LS.1, LS.4, LS.5, LS.9
The various Chesapeake Bay habitats provide an abundance and variety of food for many species of birds. The shape and size of each bird's beak give clues to what it eats and which habitat it prefers.
Herons and egrets use long, pointed spear-like beaks to catch fish, crabs, frogs, and snakes. The bill of the oyster catcher is used to snip muscles in shellfish to open them, and to probe into the mud for small crabs and worms. Ibis probe into the mud for fiddler crabs and other burrowing animals with their long down-curved bills. Rails use long, slightly curved bills to feed on clams, crabs, worms and insects. The sandpipers, with their straight pincer-like beaks, probe into the sand or mud for small burrowing animals.
While flying, brown pelicans spot fish and dive into the water, using their pouch-like bills as dip nets to scoop up fish. Ospreys and eagles also dive, but catch fish with their talons. Their strong hooked beaks tear meat into bite-sized pieces. Kingfishers dive into the water, catching food with spear-like beaks.
Other birds find food while swimming or floating on the water. Ducks and geese have broad flat beaks for feeding on aquatic plants. Saw-toothed edges on the beaks of mergansers (ducks) help them to grasp fish.
Before the Trip:
Identify the types of birds common to the beach and/or marsh habitat.
Describe bird adaptations and their advantages (e.g. feathers, hollow bones, eyes, talons, webbing, etc.).
Make enough copies of the accompanying bird head illustrations to allow one bird drawing per student. Cut out the bird heads, with their names, from the copies. Do not permit the students to see how the illustrations are grouped or the group labels.
Distribute the illustrations. Ask the students to:
Talk about adaptation, focusing on bird beak shapes. Encourage the class to make some inferences about what a beak shape can tell about a bird (i.e. type of food it feeds on), and what ways birds can be classified into groups (i.e. beak shapes).
After each student studies the shape of the beak on his or her bird picture, direct the students to form groups of similar beaks. Discuss with each group their logic in forming the group.
Each group makes inferences as to which food items their beaks might be adapted to eat. Pictures of habitats, reference materials, or samples of possible food types would be helpful to assist students in determining the range of food sources available to birds.
Lead a class discussion with each group sharing their beak adaptation speculations. Conclude by explaining how the bird beaks are grouped and labeled on the original illustrations.
At the Park:
The students put or their bird heads and re-form into the groups established in class.
Provide each group with a strong clear plastic bag, and five index cards and a pencil per person.
Explain that they will have 15 minutes to look for food items, food item remains or signs of feeding which match the feeding habits of the birds in their group. Food items or remains that can be collected, such as crab shells and fish bones, are to be placed in the bag. Students should briefly note on one index card each item put in the bag and where it was found. Items that cannot be collected, such as feeding signs (e.g. beak holes in the sand), or living organisms (e.g. swimming fish or insects) should be described on an index card, with locations indicated, and the numbers of each noted.
Lead the students to a beach, marsh or other area suitable for the students to conduct their hunt. Survey the area with the class, set the boundaries for the activity, and point out any hazards.
The students patrol the areas they predict will have the food for which their beak types are specialized.
After 15 minutes call the groups back together to share their discoveries in a "show and tell" style discussion.
After discussion, the food items should be returned to approximately where they were found.
If a bird skull collection is available at the park, study the skulls. Students can guess what species the skulls are and what they might eat, or match the skulls to pictures. Students could also group the skulls according to some pattern of logic they choose.
Follow-up:
As a class, construct a large chart listing (or showing with additional cut out illustrations) the birds for each group, the beak shape, the types of food found, and the locations where the food was found.
Discuss and analyze the importance of bird beak adaptations. Encourage the students to make inferences about habitat selection based on the groups of birds found there.
Encourage students to research bird feet adaptations.
Use cutouts from colored construction paper to represent foods found on the beach or marsh. Scatter the "foods" in an area of the park and let the children go on a food hunt.
Assign a chaperone to each group to assist the students in developing their observation skills.
Assemble materials with which the class can make beaks. Determine the types of food they could possibly eat using that type of beak. Examples of materials: chopsticks, popsicle sticks, strainer, tongs, pliers, spoons, sponges, nutcrackers, etc.
| Caledon: | edge of woods and old Newton House site; old field behind visitor center. (Note: not a beach/wetland habitat.) |
| Chippokes: | area between College Run Tr. and river, east of Coll. Run. |
| Leesylvania: | beach and upland near picnic areas. |
| Mason Neck: | beach and upland near visitor center and pond. |
| Seashore: | marsh area along Osprey Tr.; campground beach; 64th St. |
| Westmoreland: | Big Meadows Tr. along marsh or any stretch of beach. |
| York River: | salt marsh and beach near visitor center. |
Time Required at the Park:
45 minutes, daylight hours, preferably low tide.
Time of Year:
All seasons.
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