Number & Operations—Fractions
NAME
DATE
Hummingbirds
THINK ABOUT THE MATH
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Hummingbirds fly in all directions, including right or left, up or down.
They can even fly upside down! Hummingbirds flap their wings about
50 times every second. This is so fast, all we see is a blur.
They use their tiny feet to perch on small branches. If they want to
travel more than two inches, they must fly. Before they lift off, they flap
their wings at almost full speed. They fly fast but can stop suddenly.
Hummingbirds don’t weigh much, which enables them to also make
quick landings.
Because hummingbirds are in almost constant motion, they need to
eat a lot. They feed every 10 minutes or so and eat two-thirds of their
body weight each day. These tiny birds eat sugar from flower nectar,
as well as small insects and pollen. The sugar gives them energy.
Insects provide protein, which helps build strong wing muscles. Their
long bill helps them get nectar from flowers. They have long tongues,
too, to lick the nectar.
Males will fight to protect a food source. They fight less when food
is scarce. Females guard their nests and feed the young.
Hummingbirds fly south for the winter, with some species traveling
as far south as Mexico. Others go only as far as the Gulf of Mexico.
In the spring, they migrate north. They may go as far north as Canada.
One small bird cannot be seen by predators, so hummingbirds do
not migrate in flocks. They fly low in search of food along the way.
It takes one to four weeks for a
bird to migrate, traveling 20 to
25 miles per day. They stop for
food and rest and sleep at night.
Some species travel farther than
others. They store up to half their
body weight before they migrate.
People study hummingbirds
to learn more about flight. They
learn how these amazing birds
do the things they do.
#8389 Real-World Math Problem Solving
58
©Teacher Created Resources
Hummingbirds
Number & Operations—Fractions
NAME
lem Solving
Prob
DATE
Directions:9WITEKIXSERW[IVXLIWIUYIWXMSRW*MVWXWOMQXLITEVEKVETLWXS
¿RHMRJSVQEXMSRXLEXQMKLXLIPT]SYWSPZIXLITVSFPIQ6IQIQFIVXSWLS[]SYV
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1 About how many times do hummingbirds flap their wings in 5 minutes?
2 How much food per day do hummingbirds usually eat?
One common species of
hummingbird weighs 3 grams.
What would be two-thirds of
its body weight? Write and
simplify an expression with
a fraction.
3 Before they migrate, hummingbirds store up to half of their body weight.
How much does the hummingbird from question 2 weigh?
How much food would be half of its
body weight? Write an expression
with a fraction. Simplify and convert
your answer to a mixed number.
4 If it takes a hummingbird 4 weeks
to migrate at 23 miles per day,
how many miles does it travel?
5 To find the greatest distance a hummingbird might migrate, answer the questions below.
What is the longest migration time (in days)?
What is the greatest number of miles a hummingbird might fly in one day?
Write an equation using
expanded form to find the
greatest total distance.
©Teacher Created Resources
59
#8389 Real-World Math Problem Solving
Number & Operations—Fractions
Hummingbirds
NAME
Engage
DATE
Directions:%RW[IVXLIUYIWXMSRWFIPS[
1 Why do people study hummingbirds to learn about flight?
2 How have people applied what they have observed in hummingbird behavior to
human flight?
3 What do hummingbirds eat? How do these foods help them?
4 What else do you think people can learn from studying hummingbirds?
#8389 Real-World Math Problem Solving
60
©Teacher Created Resources