Curated OER
Changing Planet: Adaptation of Species (Birds and Butterflies)
A video about the impact of climate change on butterfly populations and a PowerPoint about butterfly and bird adaptations warm science learners up for the activity to follow. Using a variety of tools that reprsent unique styles of bird...
Biology Junction
Birds
Birds adapted to almost every climate on the planet, from the Arctic to the rain forests. A presentation focused on birds covers their similarities and differences. It starts with their evolution from reptiles, their many physical...
Alabama Wildlife Federation
Adapt-A-Bird
Not every animal has the best features for its environment. Learners study the characteristics of birds and the implications of these characteristics as related to their environments. They use what they learn to create their own new...
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Jump, Glide, or Fly? Exploring Bird Evolution
How have birds evolved from prehistoric animals? With the three-part lesson, small groups first research different prehistoric animals and determine whether they are birds. Then, scholars explore different bird adaptations using the Flap...
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Amazing Birds
What's so amazing about birds? Find out just how amazing birds are with a physics of animal behavior unit created by Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Have learners explore and tap into their observational skills and notice how birds fly, what...
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Adaptations – Designs for Survival
What's the difference between behavioral adaptations and physical adaptations? Learn about the various ways that organisms adapt to their environment with a worksheet about the creatures of the Hudson River.
National Wildlife Federation
Bird Behavior Hike
Bird behaviors have a distinct purpose. Using a tally sheet, learners observe and record different bird behaviors in nature. They practice their observation skills while learning how birds act and why.
Curated OER
Can You Adapt?
Using the Montana State Quarter, learners engage in activities designed to help increase their understanding about how animals must change their social and physical behaviors in order to adapt to their environment. Excellent worksheets...
Curated OER
Flight for Survival - Avian Adaptations
Students create imaginary creature that has some of the adaptations birds have.
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Life In A Nest: Exploring Life Cycles With Bird Cams
Why read about it when you can watch it happen? Bird cams make it possible for learners to experience the life cycle of a bird in real time! An engaging set of lessons provides activities to connect their learning to bird cam...
Curated OER
Vertebrates: Part II, Reptiles & Birds
Zoologists tour of the worlds of reptiles and birds when viewing this presentation. The physical characteristics, methods of reproduction, homeostasis, and special senses of each are detailed. Diagrams include the reptile egg, bird...
Scholastic
Awesome Adaptations
Engaged learners discover how an owl beak works and how animals adapt to their environment. This task is part one of a three-part series.
Curated OER
Dining Out With Fishes and Birds of the Hudson
The class will make observations to determine how environment has shaped the way particular birds and fish eat. They will view a series of photographs, read two short articles, and then consider how food availability has determined how...
Curated OER
Week 7: Animal Adaptations - Bird Beaks
Students use tools to represent bird beaks and pick up different types of food with them in order to discover which beak would help the bird survive depending on their food type.
Curated OER
Adaptation Investigation - Extreme Beaks
Find photos of bird beaks or show a prepared four slide PowerPoint, "Extreme Beaks" to introduce your class to this special animal adaptation. Provide them with a data table and supplies to try gathering food with tools that each...
Curated OER
Dining Out With Fishes and Birds of the Hudson
While this lesson focuses on the birds and fish found on the Hudson River, it could be adapted for use in any classroom. Using a vocabulary list, learners explore the meaning of words like adaptation, habitat, barbel, and more. Then,...
Teach Engineering
Adapatations for Bird Flight - Inspiration for Aeronautical Engineering
It's a bird, it's a ... device made to mimic birds. The eighth installment of a nine-part module has pupils read various articles to learn about bird flight. They consider the implications for aeronautical engineering.
Curated OER
Introduction to Adaptation
Tenth graders observe collections of specimens and discuss their answers to provided questions. They explore common ancestry, homology, analogy, adaptive radiation, and evolution, while formulating creative answers based on their...
It's About Time
Adaptations
Congratulations! You exist, thanks to the wonders of biology and adaptations. The focus of the lesson explains many adaptations of plants and animals and how the environment has influenced the process. A hands-on activity...
National Wildlife Federation
It's A Bird...It's A Plane...It's...CARBON!
An interesting lesson takes pupils on a trip through the carbon cycle. A reading passage allows scholars to take notes and make choices about what happens to the carbon on its journey. This third lesson in a series of 21 discusses...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Living Dinosaurs: Fact or Fiction?
Are birds descendants of dinosaurs? Learners consider the question as they watch an informative video comparing fossil records of dinosaurs with current species. Following the video, groups ponder the evidence to draw conclusions about...
Curated OER
Build a Hawaiian Bird
Fifth graders make a model of a bird. In this animal adaptations lesson, 5th graders examine how birds adapt to their environment, using Hawaiian birds as an example. Students create their own bird using adaptation paper cut outs...
Curated OER
Bird Beaks and Feet
For this bird adaptations worksheet, students look at different bird pictures and determine what the bird eats and where it lives by looking at its beak and feet. Students complete a graphic organizer and 5 short answer questions.
National Park Service
Nutcracker Fantasy
The Clark's nutcracker bird hides seeds in 25,000 different sites every year to save for winter. Lesson demonstrates how difficult it would be to find these seeds months later when they need them for food. In the first of five lesson,...