Cool Birds for Cool Kids
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13 July 2009
2, Featured, Headline, Independence/Interdependence, Themes
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by Pat Leonard and Christianne White, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
If you’ve never really looked at birds before, you’ll be amazed at how many are living all around you. There are thousands of different kinds of birds in the world and probably dozens right in your own neighborhood. Scientists believe birds may have evolved from dinosaurs!
You’ll see birds in trees and bushes, hopping around on lawns and sidewalks, and flying high or low. You’ll find birds sitting on street lights, power lines, buildings, fences, and, of course, bird feeders!
Sometimes birds build their nests in really strange places: in the corner of a roof, inside rain gutters, under a bridge, or even on a car. The photo shows a nest built by American Robins on a car tire. They rebuilt it there five times, even though the owner removed the nest to drive the car!
Cool Facts About Birds
- American Crows live in families and each member of the family has a specific job. Some look after their young brothers and sisters, just like in a human family.
- Birds don’t live as long as humans, but some birds live a very long time. A huge ocean bird called a Royal Albatross can live up to 58 years! The American Robin you see in your neighborhood can live up to 14 years.
- Being a parent isn’t easy for humans or for birds. For example, Barn Swallow parents fly back and forth up to 400 times a day to bring food to their babies.
- You know how much you love candy. Well, Cedar Waxwings are birds that love fruit. They love it so much that they might get dizzy and drunk by eating fermented fruit which contains alcohol.
- Birds are small but powerful. The tiny Ruby-throated Hummingbird beats its wings 70 times in just one second! It would take that long to flap your arms just once.
- Some birds are really fast. The Peregrine Falcon goes up to 200 miles per hour when it makes a steep dive to catch food. That’s faster than the race cars in the Indy 500!
- Killdeer are birds that like to build nest on gravel or stones on the ground. They provide air-conditioning for the eggs by getting their breast feathers wet and standing over the eggs. Think how nice a dip in the pool feels on a hot day!
Being a Citizen Scientist Is Cool Too!
If you like watching birds, you can be a citizen scientist for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (ornithology means the study of birds). One of the easiest ways to get started is with a project called Celebrate Urban Birds. All you do is watch birds for 10 minutes and then report which kinds you see and how many there are. You can do it all on the computer, and it doesn’t cost anything.
If you’d like to give it a try, first check with your parents, and then go to www.CelebrateUrbanBirds.org to sign up to get a free kit that has bird posters and instructions. You’ll also be helping real scientists who study birds and who are trying to understand more about where they go and how they live. Join us, it will be fun!
Recommended Reading
- On Meadowview Street by Henry Cole
- How We Know What We Know About Our Changing Climate: Scientists and Kids Explore Global Warming by Lynne Cherry and Gary Braasch
- Flute’s Journey: The Life of a Wood Thrush, written and illustrated by Lynne Cherry
- 101 Ways to Help Birds, by Laura Erickson
- Sharing the Wonder of Birds with Kids by Laura Erickson
- Songbird Journeys: Four Seasons in the Lives of Migratory Birds by Miyoko Chu
- Birdscapes, A Pop-Up Celebration of Birdsongs in Stereo Sound by Miyoko Chu
- All About Birds
- Celebrate Urban Birds
- Project PigeonWatch
© 2009 Cornell Lab of Ornithology
