Science Fair

For March the home school group has a science fair. Sarah, Maddy, and I entered it, Maddy did one about ants, Sarah did one about panda bears, and I did one about birds. My birds report is two in a half pages long.


FUN STUFF: Read my report carefully because there will be a quiz. Post your answers as a comment, and I will post the answers and the winner next month.

BIRDS

There are all kinds of birds, from pigeons to parrots to swans. You might think that birds are dumb from what you see in the street, but there can be smart ones too. Some parrots can talk, they can make up to 100 or more sounds. They can make the sounds of dogs barking, cars honking, and people talking. Some of the things that birds have in common are they all lay eggs, have feathers, beaks or bills. I think birds are very cool. I have written a little bit more about my favorite birds.

Ostriches are the largest bird. It is so heavy it cannot fly, but instead it runs very fast. An ostrich can out run a cheetah. When ostrich babies are born they can stand up and in five minutes can run as fast as their parents. Ostrich eggs are very strong. A heavy person can stand on them and they will not break. They are five inches across and weight up to 3.3 pounds. They are also thick. They are about 2 millimeters thick. Ostriches are tall. If a tall person stood next to an ostrich, he would only reach its shoulders. Ostriches eat bugs off of the ground that is why people thought they dug their head in the ground. So next time you see an ostrich’s head by the ground, think they are only eating.

Swans have webbed feet and waterproof feathers for swimming, and a flat bill for eating water plants. Swans are graceful fliers, but when they take off and land they are a little clumsy. Some swans are all black, some have a black neck, some have black tips on their wings, and some are just plain white. Most swans build their nest near the water. Baby swans are called cygnets. Baby swans know how to swim when they are born, but cannot fly till 7 to 20 weeks old. Trumpeter swans can make a trumpet call because they have huge windpipes. A trumpeter swan can have a wingspan up to 7 feet long.

Owls are hard to spot because most of them hide when it is light out and hunt at night. They are very quiet when hunting even a sharp-eared mouse could not hear it coming. When it is dark out owls can see 10 to a 100 times better than humans. Owl’s eyes cannot move so they have to move their head to see. Owls can almost rotated their head all the way around. Owls are cool. My favorite owl is the burrowing owl because it is one of the smallest.

Parrots have hooked beaks. The beak is good for cracking nuts. Instead of eating off of the ground parrots use their feet. They have two toes in front and one in the back, so their foot works like a hand when they eat. Most people get parakeets as pets. A parakeet’s real name is budgerigar or “budgie” for short. The biggest parrot is the kakapo. The kakapo looks like an owl so people usually think it is an owl. It is not but its scientific name means “owl-like”. Parrots are very loud but colorful and pretty. My favorite parrot is the fisher’s lovebird because they are rainbow color and pretty.

I think my favorite bird out of the four is the parrot. Birds are cool and smart. I learned a lot about birds from studying them. Maybe the next time you see a bird you will think differently about them.

QUIZ

1. What do birds have in common?

2. Ostriches_______ instead of flying.

3. When are swans clumsy?

4. Swans have ______ feet and_____ feathers for swimming, and a ____ bill for eating ____plants.

5. What is my favorite owl?

6. How many toes do parrots have in front and how many in back?

7. What is the parakeet's real name?

8. What is my favorite parrot?