Science Quiz Study Guide
December 12, 2007
Quiz Tuesday, December 18 There are 6 ways to recognize a bird: size, shape color and markings, behavior, and habitat.
Size: To judge the size of an unfamiliar bird you should become familiar with the sizes of three common birds.
1. Sparrow – 5-7 inches long
2. robin - 10 inches
3. Crow – 20 inches
Shape- notice if the bird is plump or slender. Is the tail wound, square, pointed or forked. Is the beak thick and heavy or narrow and long?
Color and Markings – Some birds can be recognized by their field marks, or special patterns in their plumage.
Look to see if the bird has a crest on its head. A crest is the feathers on a birds head.
Behavior – many birds have unusual ways of flying, walking, or perching.
Habitat – a particular kind of area where it lives, such as a forest, meadows, or wetlands.
Specific Birds
Finches are seed eating birds
Thrushes usually eat insects and fruits
Wren – small, stocky brown bird
Purple Finch –
“looks like a sparrow dipped in raspberry juice”
eats seeds, wild fruits and insects
Cardinal
sings and whistles throughout the yeareats insect pests such as boll worms and potato beetlesdoes not migrate
Goldfinch –
“The wild canary”male is bright lemon yellow with a black cap
Blue Jay
can mimic songs of other birds
is loud and bossy
eats just about anything
Comments
Got something to say?
