Divide students into small groups or partners. Show each group a picture of a habitat or environment.
Challenge them to figure out what is in the picture that would help a bird survive.
Allow each group to have a representative share what they decided as a group. Point out common among what the groups shared.
JUNGLE
BEACH
DESERT
LAKE
MOUNTAIN
Explain:
Explain to the students-
Birds need four main things to live: Food, Water, Shelter, and Space.
Birds live in places that can provide these things for them. The place birds live is called a habitat.
What Is a Bird Habitat?
Simply put, a bird habitat is a natural environment in which a bird lives. It includes all the four necessities for a birds' survival. Can you name them? They are food, water, shelter, and nesting areas. Usually, the four necessities can be as follows:
Food: It can be seeds, grains, fruits, nuts or insects, fish, and other birds.
Water: Rivers, swamps, lakes, oceans or any other water body for bathing and drinking.
Shelter: Trees, shrubs, or sometimes caves.
Nesting Sites: Tree hollows, burrows, birdhouses or nesting boxes.
Thus, a healthy habitat is essential for birds to survive.
Depending on the type of birds, habitats can differ too. Let’s take a look at the types of bird habitats.
Share the read-aloud on bird habitats with the students and discuss these main types of bird habitats:
Shore and Sea
Wetlands
Mountains
Forests
Grasslands
Types of Bird Habitats
Shores and seas: These are the birds that live on beaches, marshes or any other coastal habitats. Have you seen any sea bird like a penguin? You would find that the birds who live on the shores are good at swimming. They have the ability to dive and have special beaks that can sift food easily.Many shorebirds are carnivorous, that is meat eaters, and consume a wide range of insects, worms, larvae, tadpoles, molluscs, and similar animals. These birds have round heads, long legs and a handy bill to find food in the sand, mud, gravel and water.
Forests: Whether its tropical areas or the icy mountain regions, you can find forests everywhere. And thus, a lot of birds live in the forests. Parrots, owls, pheasants and many of the softbills such as Hornbills and Doves have made forests their home.
Wetlands: Areas that are formed by rivers, lakes, and ponds are known as wetlands. In simple terms, wetlands occur where water meets land. It includes mangroves, marshes, deltas, floodplains, rice-fields, and even coral reefs. Wetlands exist in almost every country and in every climatic zone ranging from polar regions to the tropics and from high altitudes to dry regions. Can you guess the birds who live over here? It’s easy. Ducks, swans, and geese are usually found in this habitat. You can often find birds such as kingfishers in the wetlands searching for fish. In fact, wetlands are temporary homes for migratory birds. Do you know why? Well, there are three main reasons why birds need wetlands:
Feeding
Nesting
A place to rest during migrations.
These migratory birds prefer not to stay in one wetland area but move in between them. For instance, many water birds regularly move to newly flooded habitats to feed or nest before that wetland dries up.
Grasslands: Grasslands are plains found in most parts of the world. They usually differ in size and temperature. Birds like Parakeets, Rhea, Ostrich, and Seriema reside in grasslands. Grasslands make a fine home to most of the birds because of the easy availability of seeds, fruits, meat, and moderate climate.
Mountains: You might find it challenging to live in the cold weather of the mountains. But mountains provide habitats for many birds. Their bodies can easily adapt to the harsh conditions of the mountains. Bar-headed goose is one of the high-flyers which can be seen in the Himalayas during migration seasons. In high-altitude countries like Tibet, you can find cranes, vultures, hawks, jays and geese. In fact, the Andes mountains are quite rich in bird variety. The Andean condor is commonly found in the Andes.
Conclusion
Birds can adapt to habitat changes over time and can also shift to more suitable locations. In fact, habitat changes can be beneficial as it helps in the growth of plants that may support different bird varieties. However, drastic changes caused by humans can put the bird population in danger and they might have to leave their habitat to a better, safer location.
Have students complete the vocabulary frame for habitat.Vocabulary Frame
Elaborate:
Share these videos of birds in their habitat. Have students name the habitat and how the bird survives there.
Evaluate:
Provide each student with a bird cutout. Lesson 8 Learning Plan Bird CutoutsHave them draw a habitat for their bird. Lesson 8 Writing Response
Have them label or explain how the habitat they drew for the bird will help it survive. Have students share their work with a partner or small group and discuss how the habitats are different.
