Bird Beaks – Science Investigation
Name___________________ !
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Date________!
Birds eat many different types of foods. It may depend upon their
environment and whatʼs available for them to eat. It could even depend
upon their body and beak structure and how they are able to get the food.
Bird beaks (or bills) have adapted over the years to help the bird survive in
their environment.
Material - Type of Beak or Bill
Here are the beak simulations that we will use in our experiment.
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Strong jaw with a curved beak (Clothespin)
Pointed long beak (Clothespin with popsicle sticks to form long beak)
Scooping beak (Spoon)
Pointed short beak (Tweezers)
Bird Beaks – Science Investigation
Question
Which type of bird beak/bill is best adapted for different food sources?
Food sources: !
• earthworm in dirt
• insects in tree bark
• insects or small fish in water
• insects in leaves
• seeds that need to be cracked open
Procedure:
1. Use each type of beak (clothespin, popsicle stick, tweezers, spoon) to
pick up as many of the food items as possible in 30 seconds.
2. Choose a person to be a "timer." That person will use the classroom
clock to track 30 seconds.
3. After 30 seconds, count the number of items the bird ate.
4. Record the data under the graph.
5. Graph the data. Remember to use the right “scale” if there are not
enough lines on the graph.
6. Answer the question.
Data Collection:
Earthworm in Dirt
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Number of insects or nuts
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Which type of
bird beak is best
adapted for
eating worms?
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Strong Jaw/
Clothespin
Number caught
Long Beak/
Clothespin
with popsicle
sticks
Number caught
Scooping
Beak/Spoon
Number caught
Pointed Short
Beak/
Tweezers
Number caught
Bird Beaks – Science Investigation
Strong Jaw/
Clothespin
Number caught
Number of insects or nuts
Number of insects or nuts collected
Insects in Tree Bark
Long Beak/
Clothespin
with popsicle
sticks
Number caught
Which type of
bird beak is best
adapted for
eating insects in
tree bark?
_____________
Scooping
Beak/Spoon
Number caught
Pointed Short
Beak/
Tweezers
Number caught
Number of insects or nuts collected
Insects/Fish in Water
Which type of
bird beak is best
adapted for
eating insects/
fish in water?
_____________
Strong Jaw/
Clothespin
Number caught
Long Beak/
Clothespin
with popsicle
sticks
Number caught
Scooping
Beak/Spoon
Number caught
Pointed Short
Beak/
Tweezers
Number caught
Bird Beaks – Science Investigation
Number of insects or nuts collected
Insects in Leaves
Which type of bird
beak is best
adapted for eating
insects in leaves?
_____________
Strong Jaw/
Clothespin
Number caught
Long Beak/
Clothespin
with popsicle
sticks
Number caught
Scooping
Beak/Spoon
Number caught
Pointed Short
Beak/
Tweezers
Number caught
Number of insects or nuts collected
Cracking Open Seeds
Which type of bird
beak is best
adapted for
cracking open
seeds?
_____________
Strong Jaw/
Clothespin
Number caught
Long Beak/
Clothespin
with popsicle
sticks
Number caught
Scooping
Beak/Spoon
Number caught
Pointed Short
Beak/
Tweezers
Number caught
Bird Beaks – Science Investigation
Conclusion:
Write a conclusion that summarizes the results of your experiment. Use vocabulary
words to explain what you learned about bird beak adaptations. Remember this is what
you would share with other scientists so you will need to be specific.
Word Bank: (here are some words that you may choose to use)
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adaptation!
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adapted!
niche! !
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food source! !
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environment! !
ecosystem
structure!
shape
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Bird Beaks – Science Investigation