Good morning Year 5. Let’s think more about our new science topic for this term which is Living Things And Their Habitats.
Here’s an activity about beaks, Perfect Pinchers.
Which beak is the odd one out? Take a look at a puffin, a lapwing and a macaw.
Look at the three images above and focus on the beak. Think of as many similarities and differences as you can. You may want to think about the following ideas.
- the appearance of the beak
- what the beak does
- where the bird might be found (this will help you decide what is special about their beak)
Now, decide which one is the odd one out. Give a reason and there is no wrong answer! You may want to discuss these ideas or you may want to write down your ideas. Choose some of the sentence openers to help you get started. There is also information about the birds at the bottom of the page if you need inspiration.
The ______’s beak is/has…. although the ________’s beak is/has….
In addition, the ______ and the _______ both have…. However the _______ has…
Neither the beak of the _____ and ______ are… but the beak of the ______ is…
The ______ feeds on…. so its beak is….. However, the __________ feeds on…. so its beak is…..
Furthermore, the ______ is found in the….. so its beak is… In contrast, the ______ is found in the….. therefore its beak is…
In conclusion, the __________ is the odd one out because…
Information about the birds
The puffin
Some puffins shed part of their colourful beaks in winter, leaving a smaller, less colourful one behind that will grow through the rest of the year. Puffins dive down to great depths to catch fish, their main diet. Their beaks have backward pointing spines so they can store rows of fish in their mouths without swallowing them. They also use their beaks as picks and shovels to build burrows when they return to land to breed in spring.
The lapwing
The lapwing bird is found on farmland across the UK. Their long pointed beak acts like tweezers to precisely pick up small insects and worms.
The macaw
The macaw is a type of parrot and has a very hard, strong beak which can crack open nuts. They like to chew on things like trees to keep their beaks healthy.
Most birds are insectivores, that is, they eat insects, but across the world birds can be found that eat meat, plants and fruit. A bird’s beak is actually an extenstion of its skull, and you can find nostrils on the upper beak. The beak itself is made of a hard, keratin substance, similar to our fingernails.