08 Birds

There are nearly 10,000 kinds of birds, and they come in all sizes—from the tiny hummingbird to the giant ostrich. All birds have two wings, two legs, a beak or bill, and feathers.

Birds can be found nearly everywhere in the world. There are, for example, land birds, water birds, arctic birds, and tropical birds. Some birds eat insects, while others eat fruit and seeds. There are also birds that eat meat and fish

All birds have several characteristics in common no matter where they live or what they look like. All birds have feathers, which help them in various ways. They help them to fly, to carry water to their young, or they may be used for warmth.

All birds have two wings and legs, but not all birds can fly. The penguin and ostrich, for instance, cannot fly.

A bird's body is made mostly of feathers and hollow bones. Being very light helps them fly. They also have very strong muscles, which helps them fly long distances.

Different kinds of birds have different kinds of wings. Some birds soar through the sky with very little effort, while others have to flap constantly. Still other wings are good for diving underwater.

Birds have a beak or a bill, which does not include teeth. Most birds raise their head and allow water to run down their throat. The beaks of various birds are adapted for many different purposes such as eating grains, skimming the surface of the water, or eating fruit.

All birds also lay hard-shelled eggs. The female lays the eggs, which are then fertilized by the male. Most birds lay eggs in a nest, where they are taken care of by the parents.

Word List

soar : to fly quickly and easil

ﬂ ap : to move wings up and down in order to fl

skimming : touching lightly

You Practice

I. Answer the following questions.

1) What are the smallest and largest kinds of birds?

2) What are some things that all birds have in common?

3) What are some uses of a bird's wings?

4) What are the bodies of birds made of?

5) What kind of bird would you most like to be? Why?

II. Fill in the blanks—Complete the following sentences with words from the reading.

1) Some birds need to f _ _ _ their wings a lot to fly

2) Birds do not have t _ _ _ _.

3) The o _ _ _ _ _ _ is an example of a bird that cannot fly

4) The bones of birds are h _ _ _ _ _.

5) The feathers of birds can be used for w _ _ _ _ _.

III. True / False / Not Given—Write T if the sentence is true, F if it is not true, or NG if there is no information about this sentence.

____ 1) All birds can dive underwater.

____ 2) All birds are carnivores.

____ 3) Most birds have very sharp teeth.

____ 4) Birds never eat other kinds of birds.

____ 5) Birds are quite heavy compared to other animals.