Next to mammals, birds are the most useful to man. There are thousands of different kinds of birds. They vary in size from the tiny hummingbird to the large ostrich.

• A bird is an animal with feathers.
• Birds have two legs and two wings.
• Birds have a beak or a bill.
• They lay eggs. The young hatch from the eggs.
• They are warm-blooded.

Birds breathe faster than mammals and their bodies are warmer. Only mammals and birds are warm-blooded.

Remember:
• Bats have wings, but they are not birds.
• A turtle lays eggs, but it is not a bird.
• The ostrich, emu and penguin are birds but they do not fly.
• Birds give us meat and eggs. (chicken, turkey, duck, goose)
• Some birds make good pets. (parrot, canary, pigeon, cockatoo)
• Some birds eat harmful insects.
• Birds of Prey eat mice, rats, voles and other animals that destroy farmers' crops.
• Birds have hollow bones filled with air.
• There are birds that migrate. They fly south in the fall to escape the cold winters. Then they fly north in the spring to their nesting grounds.

GROUPING BIRDS

• Birds can be grouped by where they live - land birds, water birds, Arctic birds, tropical birds.
• Birds can be grouped by what they eat - birds that eat insects, birds that eat fruits and seeds, birds that eat meat and fish.
• Birds can also be grouped according to the shape of their feet, beaks or wings.

MORE about BIRDS



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