Birds
What do you already know about the birds?
Birds
There are over ten thousand species of birds and they can look very different to each other! They all have feathers and some birds can be very colourful, such as parrots, toucans and flamingos. Some birds are tiny and some can be really quite big, the smallest is the bee hummingbird which only grows to less than 6cm, while an ostrich can be almost three metres tall!Â
Most birds can fly using their wings, although eight species of bird can’t, including penguins, ostriches and kiwis. Some birds can even swim, including penguins, pelicans and puffins.
All birds are warm blooded which means they can control their body temperature. They all have beaks and don’t have any teeth. Birds lay eggs with a hard shell and use a nest to protect them until they hatch. Birds need to be fed and protected once they’ve hatched out of the egg. Birds eat a variety of things depending on their species. Some eat things such as seeds and nuts, while others will eat minibeasts or even small mammals.
Birds can be found almost everywhere. They often migrate, which means they fly to different parts of the world in search of warmer weather or more food. Some birds will fly thousands and thousands of miles and will travel across the whole world.
Did you know...
Penguins are birds but they don't fly but swim instead. Although it might not look like it they have feathers just like all other birds.
Flamingos aren't born pink and are a white/grey colour for a couple of years. Its the food they like to eat that turns their feathers pink.
Peacocks have beautiful feathers. Male peacocks are blue and green in colour and have the most dramatic feathers.Â
Ostriches lay the biggest eggs and they are about 15cm in height!
Eagles are called birds of prey because they hunt other animals for food, swooping down to catch their prey.
Owls are another type of bird of prey, along with vultures and hawks too.
There are lots of much smaller birds too that you'll see flying around in your gardens every day.
Some birds of prey often swallow they prey whole. Do you know why?
What we've learnt...
All birds have feathers, wings, beaks, are warm blooded and lay eggs.
All birds have wings but not all can use them to fly and some prefer to swim!
Lots of birds live in groups or flocks. Some birds even stay with their mate for life. Other birds, especially birds of prey prefer to live on their own.
Many species of birds eat meat from other creatures, but there are some species of birds that are called birds of prey. These are birds that are very good at hunting other animals and swooping down to attack their prey.
Test your knowledge...
Birds Quiz
If you click the correct answer the box will turn green. If its the wrong answer it will turn red and then show you what the correct answer was. Some questions have more than one answer, so read/listen to the questions carefully!
#1. Are birds warm blooded?
#2. Can all birds fly?
#3. Which one of these birds is a bird of prey?
#4. Which bird lays the biggest eggs?
#5. Which is the biggest bird?
Results
I really hope you have enjoyed learning all about Birds, with me Flash!
Question Time...
So why do some birds of prey swallow their prey whole?
Birds don’t have teeth. Even birds of prey that are carnivores don’t. So the birds either have to use their sharp claws and beak to tear their food apart so they can swallow if or they swallow their prey whole! If their prey is small enough it can be swallowed whole. If it is bigger then they can’t. Some birds of prey are more likely to swallow their prey whole. Owls in particular and known for doing this, as are penguins.
Any other questions?
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All photos and illustrations on this page are Whizzbots or Public Domain Images.