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Interactive
Canadian Museum of Nature

Canadian Museum of Nature: How Do Birds Fly?

For Students Pre-K - 1st
Have you ever wondered about how birds are able to fly? View three 3D animations to see a bird take off, flap in flight and glide. This is an excellent resource to develop an understanding of the physical forces that make this one of the...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Why Do Birds Fly in a v Formation?

For Students 9th - 10th
In this science fair project, the student will make a wind tunnel to test how the formation of birds in flight affects flight efficiency. Make the bird models out of Legos and have fun with this project. The Science Buddies project ideas...
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Article
University of Wisconsin

The Why Files: Flying South for the Winter?

For Students 9th - 10th
A look at long-distance migration reveals a surprising pattern. Migration did not originate in the tropics, home to bird diversity.
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Unit Plan
CK-12 Foundation

Ck 12: Biology: Bird Structure and Function

For Students 9th - 10th
[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] An overview of flight structures in birds.
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Handout
San Diego Zoo Global

San Diego Zoo: Birds

For Students 9th - 10th
This resource provides detailed information about birds, as well as several pictures.
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Unit Plan
CK-12 Foundation

Ck 12: Life Science: Birds

For Students 6th - 8th
[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] There is an amazingly wide variety of birds. Birds are vertebrates. Almost all have forelimbs modified as wings, but not all birds can fly. Learn more about birds in...
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Activity
DLTK

Kidzone: All About Birds

For Students 3rd - 8th
This is comprehensive site covers the characteristics of birds and looks at various birds through pictures and words. Several puzzles are included and the degree of difficultly can be changed.
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Interactive
Other

Australian Museum: Birds in Backyards: Bird Finder

For Students 9th - 10th
Need to identify a bird you saw flying through the sky while you were in Australia? This is the place to go. Choose a the size, color, then a shape and finally add any distinguishing marks. Then read about the bird you saw.
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Activity
Other

Council for Environmental Education: Flying Wild: The Birding Beat [Pdf]

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Activity that teaches students how to identify birds. Some useful characteristics to watch for include silhouette, habitat, plumage, sounds, and behavior.
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Interactive
American Association of Physics Teachers

Com Padre Digital Library: Open Source Physics: Projectile Motion With Angry Birds

For Students 9th - 10th
Analyze the path of a bird's flight as it attempts to obliterate pigs in the well-known game, Angry Birds. Comes with lab activities, a video, and a simulation. The latter requires software called Tracker, which is free to download.
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Handout
Other

Ornithology: Bird Flight

For Students 9th - 10th
Excellent coverage of the adaptations and actions of birds in regard to flight. Contains specific information, diagrams, and pictures.
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Handout
University of California

Ucmp: Vertebrate Flight

For Students 9th - 10th
A very solid Berkeley site on the structure and function of bird flight. Topics include skeletal and muscular adaptations for flight.
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Unit Plan
TED Talks

Ted: Ted Ed: Why Can't Some Birds Fly?

For Students 9th - 10th
Gillian Gibb explores what makes birds give up the power of flight.
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Website
Canadian Wildlife Federation

Hinterland Who's Who: Canvasback

For Students 9th - 10th
Get the facts about the Canvasback, a wild duck who only lives in North America. Besides finding a detailed physical description of one of the fastest flying ducks, you?ll also learn about some of this bird?s unique facts and...
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Website
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Bird in Flight

For Students 9th - 10th
Students are asked to explain the characteristics of the bird in flight and how adaptations would allow the bird to fly a particular way. [0:32]
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Unit Plan
PBS

Pbs Nova: Flying Casanovas

For Students 9th - 10th
Here's another great website that is a companion to a PBS television series. This time the show was called "Flying Casanovas" and the topic is bowerbirds. A lot about courtship and behavior in these bird groups. There's even a matching...
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Interactive
Other

National Aviary: Curriculum: Bird or Dinosaur? The Feather: Three Jobs

For Students 3rd - 8th
Activity leads you through an investigation of three key functions of feathers: insulation, flight, and display.
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Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: A Proud Flight [Pdf]

For Teachers 4th
"A Proud Flight" is a one page, Greek myth about Icarus and Daedelus. The father and son were imprisoned, and in order to escape, Daedelus made wings using bird feathers covered with wax. He warned Icarus not to get too near the sun or...
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Primary
University of California

Ucmp: Are Birds Really Dinosaurs?

For Students 9th - 10th
A great essay that illustrates how science is done as well as the relationship between dinosaurs and modern birds. Includes a picture to illustrate this concept, and contains many links to related sites.
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: Birds in Flight, What a Sight!

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
This lesson has been designed to show students the unique structure that birds possess--feathers--and how they maneuver them in flight.
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Interactive
Other

National Aviary: Curriculum: Wings to Fly

For Students 3rd - 8th
Richly illustrated interactive activity leads you through an investigation of bird wings. Includes interesting comparisons of the bones in a bird's wings with those in human arms and of the design of wings in birds versus planes.
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Handout
Other

Pacifier Online: Bird Flight Basics

For Students 9th - 10th
This site provides a simplified explanation of the physics of flight. Site provides information about lift, drag, weight, thrust, Bernoulli's Principle, and much more.
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs the Life of Birds: Evolution and Anatomy of Flight

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This lesson plan, designed to accompany the PBS series "Life of Birds," explores how environmental pressures influenced the evolution of wings, how natural selection resulted in the diversity of bird species, and the mechanics of bird...
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs the Life of Birds: Bills, Beaks and Food

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This lesson plan explores how natural selection has influenced the development of features that contribute to successful feeding (bills, wings, talons, etc.), as well as identifying those characteristics that enable birds to obtain the...

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