Bird Study Unit Lesson 3: Bird Feathers
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Bird Study Unit Lesson 3: Bird Feathers
Objectives:
- Students will explain what preening is.
- Students will explain why ducks preen.
Materials:
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One per group:
- Small lid with oil
- Watercolor paintbrush
- Cup of water
- Two construction paper strips cut like feathers
- Bird Study Journals
- Preen vocabulary card
Learning Plan: Part 1
Engage:
Show students a video and tell them to observe what the ducks are doing with their bodies: Ask students what the ducks are doing? “Why do you think they are rubbing their beaks on their feathers?” **Wait to explain why until after the experiment!Explore: Oil Experiment
Divide students into small groups. Give each group a small lid with oil, a paintbrush, a cup of water and two construction paper feathers. Have them paint one of the feathers with oil on both sides of the feather. Next have them dip each feather in the water and see what happens. Did the oily feather get wet?Explain:
Tell students that what the ducks are doing in the video is called preening. “Lots of birds preen to clean their feathers. Ducks preen to get oil from the preen gland by their tail and rub the oil on their feathers. Why would they want to put oil on their feathers? That’s right! They put oil on their feathers to keep them dry just like the paper feather with oil stayed dry.”Preening
Preening is a bird’s way of grooming in which they clean their feathers by removing dust, dirt, and bacteria. They align all the feathers in one direction and maintain them every chance they get. Birds preen continually and multiple times a day as well.
Found near the end of the tail is what’s known as a preen gland. It releases a waxy substance that the birds apply as a coat over the feathers while preening. This process makes the feathers strong and allows them to retain their moisture and keep them as pretty as they started out to be. Without preening, flight would be hampered due to those brittle feathers.
Aligning the feathers in the right direction also helps with speed by aligning the feathers to make them more streamlined and help the bird glide through the air.