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Backyard Explorer 3 to 5 / Week 09 / Tuesday
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Week 09 · Life Cycles

Tuesday

A bird: egg to adult
// Birth, growth, reproduction and death, in four very different lives
⏱ about 15 min

Tuesday: A Bird, Egg to Adult

From the park bench, Raven spots a nest tucked high in a tree.

A parent bird flies in with something in its beak. Tiny heads pop up.

"Babies!" whispers Rocket. "They look like fuzzy golf balls. Where are their feathers?"

Raven writes the time in her notebook. "What do you notice about their size?"

Nova dims to stay quiet. "Think about what those chicks will need to grow," she hints.

Starting in an egg

Every bird starts life inside an egg.

The parent birds build a nest. Then the female lays her eggs inside it.

A parent sits on the eggs to keep them warm. This is called incubating.

Inside the egg, the chick grows. When it is ready, it pecks its way out.

This is called hatching. Hatching is the bird's birth.

Newly hatched chicks are small and weak. Many have no feathers yet.

The parents bring food to the nest many times a day.

Growing up

The chicks grow fast. Soon feathers replace the fuzz.

The chicks stretch and flap their wings inside the nest.

When their wings are strong, they leave the nest. This is called fledging.

A young bird that just left the nest is a fledgling.

The fledgling keeps growing until it is an adult.

Adult birds find a mate, build a nest and lay eggs. The cycle begins again.

StageWhat the bird looks likeWhat happens
eggan oval shella parent keeps it warm
chicksmall, fuzzy, often no feathersparents bring food
fledglingfeathered, wings still weakleaves the nest, learns to fly
adultfull feathersfinds a mate and lays eggs
BIRD CYCLE CHECK
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
What is a bird's birth called?
Why does a parent bird sit on its eggs?
What is a young bird that just left the nest called?
A bird is born when it ____ from its egg.
A parent bird keeps the eggs ____.
A young bird that has just left the nest is a ____.
StatementTrue or false?
All birds start life inside an egg.?
Newly hatched chicks can fly right away.?
Parents bring food to chicks in the nest.?
A fledgling is an egg.?
WHY THIS EXERCISEBirds hatch helpless, grow with their parents' help, and fly when ready.
A BIRD'S LIFE, IN ORDER
  • ?The adult builds its own nest.
  • ?A chick hatches from the egg.
  • ?The chick grows feathers.
  • ?The fledgling leaves the nest.
  • ?A parent lays eggs in a nest.
WHY THIS EXERCISEThe cycle ends where it began, with eggs in a nest.
What is the name for a parent bird keeping its eggs warm?
WHY THIS EXERCISEIncubating keeps the eggs warm so the chicks inside can grow.
Try it
Look for a nest with a grown-up. Check trees, bushes, gutters and ledges.
Watch from far away for two minutes. Does a parent bird come or go?
Write where the nest was and what you saw.
Safety first
Never touch a nest, an egg or a chick. Never climb to see a nest.
If you find a chick on the ground, leave it alone and tell your grown-up.
Stay with your grown-up and wash your hands afterward.
Draw a bird's life cycle as a circle: egg, chick, fledgling, adult.

Nicely spotted, explorer! Tomorrow an insect changes shape right before our eyes.

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