Page 64 - Volt Elevate The World Around Us Book 4

Feathers

Apart from flying, the feathers of a bird help it in a number of other ways.
y Feathers trap the body heat and keep the bird warm when the weather is cold.

y Feathers help birds to swim. Some aquatic birds like ducks have waterproof feathers.
They prevent the birds from getting wet.

y The colour of the feathers helps the birds to hide from their enemies.

y Feathers also help to protect a bird’s sensitive skin and attract other birds.

Neck Movement

Some birds like mynah, peacock and owl move their necks a lot. The mynah moves its
neck back and forth with a jerk. The peacock also moves its neck back and forth while

walking. The owl can rotate its neck backwards to a very large extent.

Beaks

Birds use a lot of energy while flying. Thus, they need to eat a lot of food. They use their

sharp eyesight, beaks and claws to get bugs, worms, fish, fruits, grains or nectar. We
can know the type of food the bird eats by observing its beak. The shape of the beak
depends on the kind of food it eats.

y Birds like sparrows and pigeons have short, hard and pointed

beaks. This helps the birds to crack open their food.

sparrow

y Birds like hummingbirds and sunbirds have long and curved
beaks. This helps the birds to suck nectar from flowers.

hummingbird

y Woodpeckers and hoopoes have sharp, strong, straight and
pointed beaks. This helps the birds to make holes in the bark of

trees and pull out insects.

woodpecker

y A parrot has a strong and hooked beak to crack seeds, nuts and
fruits.

parrot

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