# data[].attributes.body
Project Beak is a great source to have students independently explore various adaptations found in birds, either as front-loading or further exploration post PORTS program.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Take a look at all the birds in your backyard sometime. Chances are you'll see several different types of birds, each with different beaks, coloration, body shapes and bills.

These birds live in the same basic habitat - the city. So why are they so different?

If all birds ate exactly the same food, lived in exactly the same place, and tried to raise their young in exactly the same habitat, they would all be competing for the same types of food, water, shelter, and space.

Fortunately, different birds fill different niches (areas within the habitat). Over time, they've developed special ways to adapt to their unique place in the environment so that they have a better chance of surviving.

Some of these adaptations or changes are physical, like the shape of the bill. Some adaptations are behavioral, like singing a special song.

Usually, the physical and behavioral characteristics that get passed along through the generations are the traits that help the bird survive the best.

One of the cool ways to see how a bird has adapted to its environment is to take a close look at its bill and feet. Bird beaks and feet come in all shapes and sizes. Each is equipment especially suited to help that bird find food and raise young.

Birds have also developed special wings and body coloration to help them survive. For example, the short, rounded wings of pheasants and quail help them make quick take-offs to escape predators. Some birds of the prairie have developed special coloration that helps them blend into the tall grass and wildflowers, so predators can't find them.

Click on an adaptation to see the many special features and behaviors Nebraska birds have adapted to survive in the special places they live.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.authors[].name
Interactive Media - Nebraska Educational Telecommunications

# data[].attributes.body
Owl vs. Hawk from 'Phenomenon for NGSS'

Use video clip to start the discussion about adaptations in birds, with your students.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This site is a curated collection of science phenomena for the NGSS, along with phenomenon based learning resources and help for how to use phenomenon to drive student questions in the classroom centered around 3 dimensional teaching and learning.

# data[].attributes.body
The Cornell Lab Bird Academy is a great source for videos that highlight bird adaptations; both physical and behavioral.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Keep learning with this curated collection of videos from the Cornell Lab

# data[].attributes.body
This video compares the sound of flight across a pigeon, falcon, and owl. Why is silent flight useful? How do owls achieve such silent flight? Pause at minute 2:05 for discussion. What is different between the birds?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Experiment! How Does An Owl Fly So Silently? | Super Powered Owls | BBC

# data[].attributes.body
Zoom in, out, and spin all around! Students can get a close up look at this interactive 3 dimensional scan of a Bald Eagle! Use as inquiry tool to get students asking questions about its features.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Millerton Lake Bald Eagle - Download Free 3D Model on Polycam

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Millerton Lake Bald Eagle by BC-PORTS. Created with Polycam LiDAR 3D scanner app for iPhone and Android. Free 3D models, photogrammetry and LiDAR scans.

# data[].attributes.body
Short read on defining characteristics of Birds of Prey

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A raptor is a predatory bird, with sharp talons, a hooked beak, and keen eyesight. Raptors are also sometimes called birds of prey. There are many different types of birds of prey, including eagles, hawks, owls, falcons, vultures, ospreys, and kites. Birds of prey come in many different sizes: from the American kestrel, the smallest of falcons, which is not much larger than a blue jay, to the golden eagle, which can have a wingspan over 6 feet (1.8 meters)! Condors, a type of vulture, can be even larger. The Andean condor of western South America may have a wingspan of up to about 10 feet (3 meters).

Here are five traits shared by raptors that make them unique and amazing birds:

1. Great Eyesight

Birds of prey have excellent eyesight to spot their prey from a great distance. Many birds of prey, hunt by circling high in the air over open fields or perching atop tall trees - it takes some amazing eyesight to spot tiny prey animals like mice and snakes from way up there!

2. Curved Beaks

All birds of prey have curved or hooked beaks. Curved beaks are an evolutionary adaptation of raptors, that serve as a sort of multi-tool. Raptors use their hooked beaks for many purposes, such as killing and eating prey, preening, and feeding their nestlings.

3. Sharp Talons

Birds of prey have sharp talons for grasping their prey. Most birds of prey have anisodactyl feet, meaning that they have three talons facing forward, and one talon on the back of the foot (called a hallux). Owls have zygodactyl or semi-zygodactyl feet. Zygodactyl means two talons face forward and two talons face backward. Semi-zygodactyl feet are like zygodactyl feet but one of the back talons can rotate to the front as needed.

4. Meat Eaters

Birds of prey eat meat. Most birds of prey are predators that hunt for a variety of prey animals such as squirrels, mice, rabbits, snakes, and smaller birds. Some raptors also hunt for insects. Vultures are carnivorous scavengers, which usually eat the dead carcasses of animals rather than hunting and killing their own prey.

5. Involved Parents

Both male and female parents take active roles in raising young: incubating eggs, hunting and providing food to the young, and defending the nest from predators. Young raptors, called nestlings, are completely dependent on their parents for food, shelter, and protection. Once they develop flight feathers, the young birds are called fledglings. The fledglings practice leaving and returning to the nest, while still depending on their parents for food.

Learn more about raptors...

Want to learn more about raptors? Chances are you can find raptors in your local area! Raptors are found in all sorts of habitats, including forests, deserts, coastal areas, grasslands, wetlands, and even urban areas! Depending on where you live, you will find different species of raptors. Visit a local raptor center or check out your state or county's parks and wildlife website to learn about common raptors in your area!

Are you interested in reading more posts about amazing wildlife? or follow Wild Earth Lab using the links below!

References and Further Reading

1. Cornell Ornithology Lab (n.d.). AllAboutBirds. Available: http://www.allaboutbirds.org

2. LA Zoo (n.d.). Andean Condor. Available: https://www.lazoo.org/explore-your-zoo/our-animals/birds/condor-andean/

3. The National Audubon Society (n.d.). Audubon.org. Available: http://www.audubon.org

4. Tapia, L., & Zuberogoitia, I. (2018). Breeding and nesting biology in raptors. In Birds of Prey (pp. 63-94). Springer, Cham. Available: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326127027_Breeding_and_Nesting_Biology_in_Raptors

5. University of Minnesota (October 29, 2020). What makes a raptor - Part 1, hooked beaks. The Raptor Center. Available: https://raptor.umn.edu/about-us/news/what-makes-raptor-part-1-hooked-beaks

Sharing options and discussion for this post:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
What is a raptor? A raptor is a predatory bird, with sharp talons, a hooked beak, and keen eyesight. Raptors are also sometimes called birds of prey. There are many different types of birds of prey, including eagles, hawks, owls, falcons, vultures, ospreys, and kites.

# data[].attributes.headline
'Feathered Friends' Free Lessons from Cornell Lab

# data[].attributes.subject
'Feathered Friends' Free Lessons from Cornell Lab

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Feathered Friends lessons are hands-on and easily adapted to fit your teaching, time availability, and elementary levels of student background knowledge. With your students:

Practice bird identification skills;

Explore your local habitat;

Develop STEM skills.

Our mission is to create innovative K-12 resources that build science skills while inspiring young people to connect to local habitats, explore biodiversity, and engage in citizen science projects.

We'll send you our monthly eNews about birds and conservation. You can unsubscribe at any time.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Feathered Friends lessons are hands-on and easily adapted to fit your teaching, time availability, and elementary levels of student background knowledge. With your students: Practice bird identification skills; Explore your local habitat; Develop STEM skills.

# data[].attributes.body
Informational video on how beaks are adapted to what birds eat

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Bird Feeding Adaptations: How Beaks are Adapted to What Birds Eat

# data[].attributes.body
Fun activity to explore the different functions of varying bird beaks.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Wading birds are familiar sights along shorelines and mudflats across North America. These long-legged birds, such as storks, herons, and egrets, inhabit places where land and water meet. Spindly legs keep much of their body from getting wet even as they journey into lakes, swamps, and rivers. Meanwhile their long, widespread toes help them balance on muddy or sandy ground.

One of a wading bird's most notable features is its beak. Each bird has a bill specially equipped for its lifestyle. Herons, for instance, spear fish with long, dagger-like beaks. Flamingos filter out water through a special comblike structure in their bill. And the pink-tinged Roseate Spoonbill uses its namesake appendage to clamp down on prey that swims past.

Beaks are a fabulous examples of adaptation, or how animals over generations have evolved traits that help them survive in their environment. In this activity, kids pretend to be birds by trying a few different beaks out for themselves. In the process, they'll get to think critically about the advantages of different beaks for varied prey and situations.

When you tackle this activity, try to offer at least three food options and three beaks. Afterwards, challenge your kid to identify other bill designs in nature and talk about their possible advantages. Why might a woodpecker's bill differ from a songbird's, for instance? And why might an ibis's curved beak be useful in a muddy landscape?
Materials:
Timer
Pencil and paper

You'll want to gather several different "beaks." A few options:
Drinking straws or pipette
Tweezers
Chopsticks
Tongs
Clothespin (or large binder clip)
Pair of forks
Small strainer (or a plastic comb)

Set up several bowls of "food," such as:
Marbles in water-label this bowl "fish"
Pennies-label this bowl "insects"
Uncooked rice, lentils, or seeds-label this bowl "seeds"
Toothpicks-label this bowl "worms"
Large nuts (like hazelnuts) or dried garbanzo beans-label this bowl "nuts"
Water tinted with food coloring-label this bowl "nectar"
Zip ties-label this bowl "grains"
Activity Instructions:
1. Set up the food options in front of your child, then present an empty cup nearest to your child for their collected (or cached) food.

2. If you have a drinking straw, demonstrate how to use this "beak" first. Instead of slurping up water, slip the straw as deep as possible into the cup of water, then cover the top of the straw with one finger. Keeping your finger in place, lift the straw up and over the water, then lift your finger to release the water back into the cup. Let your child practice this motion once or twice to get the hang of it.

3. Get pencil, paper, and timer ready. Ask your child to pick out a beak and present him or her with the challenge: They will have one minute to grab as much as possible from the bowls using their chosen beak. They cannot directly touch the bowl or the food-only their beaks.

4. Count down from three, say "go!" and start the timer.

5. After a minute, say "stop!" and record what food your child has collected with that beak. Ask them about what they tried to pick up with their beak: What was easiest? What was hardest? Were they surprised by the challenge?

6. Repeat the activity using the other beaks. Then look over the results with your child. Which foods were easiest to 'catch' with each beak? Were some food sources more challenging than the rest? Does the size of the beak make a difference?

7. Last, talk about how these beaks correspond to actual birds:

Tongs are a bit like the beaks of a heron or egret, which they can use to pinch fish swimming in the water.

Forks are like the powerful curved beak of a raptor, that can cut into its food.

Tweezers are a good match for the beak of a small songbird that eats insects, grains, and seeds-think chickadees and warblers-as well as shorebirds like sandpipers that pinch insects in the sand.

Chopsticks are also a good shorebird beak-a bit like an avocet or curlew-allowing birds to pick up prey in the mud or water.

The clothespin (or clip) corresponds to a thick beaked bird, like a grosbeak or cardinal, which can chomp down on nuts, seeds, fruits, and insects.

The straw or pipette like a hummingbird beak, which is perfect for gathering flower nectar.

The strainer or comb, meanwhile, is a special tool much like the portion of a duck or flamingo bill that allows these birds to filter water from food.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In this activity, kids get to try out several beaks for size and discover how powerful a specialized bill can be!

# data[].attributes.body
Advanced reading on survival strategies and adaptation of non-migrating birds.

# data[].attributes.body
Author Mya Thompson reads her book RUBY’S BIRDS, which celebrates birds and bird-watching.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Author Mya Thompson reads her book RUBY'S BIRDS, which celebrates birds and bird-watching.

# data[].attributes.body
Advanced reading on skulls and their insights to evolution and adaptation.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Teeth, jaws, and other skull features can provide important clues about what an animal ate, how it captured and consumed its meals, as well as its state of health when it died. Carnivorous mammals, for example, are well known for their long, dagger-like canines that enable them to catch, hold, and puncture the flesh of their prey. They also have highly adapted premolars-the top and bottom sets are shaped to mesh together like scissors to shear through muscle, tendon, and bone. In contrast, carnivorous reptiles like alligators have only rows of canine-like teeth of varying sizes. This enables them to catch and hold prey, but not to easily disassemble it, so they tend to gulp their meals whole or in large chunks.

Life in the wild can take a heavy toll on teeth and jaws. By analyzing wear patterns, scientists can find interesting clues about an animal's food habits and health. For example, killer whales, or orcas ( Orcinus orca) of the type featured in "A Specimen's Path" are thought to feed largely on sharks, but there have been only a handful of observations of them doing so. Extensive wear on the teeth of Orca O319 and other "offshore" orcas has helped to fill in this picture by providing important indirect evidence of their regular diet of these rough-skinned fish. Scientists have also analyzed wear patterns in and damage to the teeth and jaws of southern sea otters ( Enhydra lutris nereis). By analyzing the skulls of more than 1,200 specimens in the Academy's collection, researchers found that not only are tooth and jaw joint problems common in sea otters, they're also significant enough to shorten the lives of the animals afflicted by them.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A skull can tell science stories from the history of evolution to the identity of an animal. Find out how by visiting the Academy's Skulls exhibit.

# data[].attributes.headline
3D Skull Lab: California Academy of Science

# data[].attributes.subject
3D Skull Lab: California Academy of Science

# data[].attributes.body
Zoom, spin, and glide around 3D scans of over 700 scientific specimens—including over 150 mammal, reptile, and bird skulls.

See what you can learn about the animals behind the scans: By comparing a variety of characteristics—from tusks to eye sockets—you’ll learn more about how these creatures protect themselves and interact with the world.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Our eye-popping Sketchfab collections let you zoom, spin, and glide around 3D scans of over 700 scientific specimens-including over 150 mammal, reptile, and bird skulls.

See what you can learn about the animals behind the scans: By comparing a variety of characteristics-from tusks to eye sockets-you'll learn more about how these creatures protect themselves and interact with the world.

Standard image (1200x900)

It looks menacing, but this pig-like grazer mostly uses its tusks for digging and defense.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Our eye-popping Sketchfab collections let you zoom, spin, and glide around 3D scans of over 700 scientific specimens-including over 150 mammal, reptile, and bird skulls. See what you can learn about the animals behind the scans: By comparing a variety of characteristics-from tusks to eye sockets-you'll learn more about how these creatures protect themselves and interact with the world.

# data[].attributes.body
National Geographic article on animal adaptation. Reading level adjustable by grade (newsELA).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Image

Photograph by Anne Keiser

Animals of the same species are not all exactly the same. Differences largely come from an organism's genes. Genes can be thought of as instructions that are passed down from parent to child. They shape how living things look and behave. Some differences help an animal survive and are called adaptations. Adaptations are passed on from one generation to the next. Over time, they spread and become part of the species.

Structural and Behavioral Adaptations

Some adaptations are structural. That means they are a physical part of the organism. Other adaptations are behavioral, affecting the way a living thing acts.

An example of a structural adaptation is the way some plants have adapted to hot, dry deserts. Plants called succulents have found a way to survive there. They do it by storing water in their thick stems and leaves.

Migration is an example of a behavioral adaptation. Gray whales ( Eschrichtius robustus) migrate thousands of kilometers every year. They swim from the cold Arctic Ocean to the warm waters off the coast of Mexico. Gray whale calves are born in the warm water. Later, they travel to the Arctic waters to feed.

Some adaptations are called exaptations. An exaptation is an adaptation developed for one purpose but used for another. For example, feathers were probably adaptations for managing temperature. Later, they grew bigger and allowed some species to fly.

Adaptations are often a response to a change in the environment.

England's peppered moth ( Biston betularia) is a famous example. Before the 1800s, most peppered moths were light with darker spots. Some moths were gray or black. However, these dark moths were rare.

Over time, the rise of factories changed the environment. The darker moths became more common. Their sooty color blended in with the trees stained by pollution. Birds could not see the dark moths, so they ate the light moths instead. Habitat

Sometimes, an organism develops an adaptation that splits one species into two. This is known as speciation.

One way this can happen is through physical isolation.

A good example is the wide range of marsupials in Oceania. This area includes Australia and New Zealand. Long ago, Oceania was part of Asia. Before it broke away, marsupials arrived. Marsupials are mammals that carry their young in pouches. They are now the main type of mammal in Oceania.

Koalas ( Speciation Phascolarctos cinereus) are one of the most famous marsupials. They adapted to feed on the eucalyptus trees. These trees grow in Australia. The Tasmanian tiger ( Thylacinus cynocephalus) was a meat-eating marsupial. It adapted to fill the role played by big cats, such as tigers, on other continents. These different marsupials are an example of speciation. They developed to fill empty roles in their environment.

Organisms sometimes adapt with other organisms. This is called coadaptation. Certain flowers have adapted their nectar to appeal to hummingbirds. Hummingbirds have adapted long, thin beaks to drink nectar from certain flowers. This relationship helps both organisms. When a hummingbird drinks nectar, it picks up pollen and spreads it to other flowers. The hummingbird gets food, and the plant's pollen gets distributed.

Mimicry is another type of coadaptation. With mimicry, one organism has adapted to look like another. The harmless king snake is a good example. Over time, it has developed a color pattern that looks like the deadly coral snake. This mimicry keeps predators away from the king snake.

Coadaptation

Director

Author

National Geographic Society

Production Managers

Program Specialists

Last Updated

October 19, 2023

For information on user permissions, please read our Terms of Service. If you have questions about how to cite anything on our website in your project or classroom presentation, please contact your teacher. They will best know the preferred format. When you reach out to them, you will need the page title, URL, and the date you accessed the resource.

Media

If a media asset is downloadable, a download button appears in the corner of the media viewer. If no button appears, you cannot download or save the media.

Text

Text on this page is printable and can be used according to our Terms of Service.

Interactives

Any interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. You cannot download interactives.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
An adaptation is any heritable trait that helps an organism, such as a plant or animal, survive and reproduce in its environment.

# data[].attributes.headline
Lessons and Units by CA Education and the Environment Initiative

# data[].attributes.subject
Lessons and Units by CA Education and the Environment Initiative

# data[].attributes.body
Explore these engaging resources (including visual aids, readings, activities, and maps) that are relevant and, if thoughtfully integrated, can help support lessons and units of study focused on California’s NGSS.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The EEI Curriculum includes 40 science units that were created prior to the adoption of the California Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).

Although these units were written for California's science standards prior to NGSS, they contain engaging resources (including visual aids, readings, activities, and maps) that are still relevant and, if thoughtfully integrated, can help support lessons and units of study focused on California's NGSS.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The EEI Curriculum includes 40 science units that were created prior to the adoption of the California Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Although these units were written for California's science standards prior to NGSS, they contain engaging resources (including visual aids, readings, activities, and maps) that are still relevant and, if thoughtfully integrated, can help support lessons and units of study focused on California's NGSS.