Birds of Prey
These top predators (informally called "raptors") hunt vertebrates (including other birds) primarily in flight, using their strong talons and sharp beaks. Additionally, owls have some pretty remarkable adaptations that help them hunt at night. This station focuses primarily on owls and their adaptations.

This station includes Oscar, the mummified Barn Owl (he's a little scary at first, so warn your students before suddenly pulling him out of the tub). Oscar is useful for showing talons, beak, bird knees, and the formation of feathers around the face. Other owl props include the giant eyeballs, eye-splint cups, fringed and non-fringed rulers, and owl wings. Four posters containing owl facts also accompany these tools.

Non-owl parts in this tub include a non-fringed wing, and a whole Merlin. The Merlin provides another excellent example of sharp talons, wing shape, and camouflage. In addition to discussions about owls and birds of prey, this station can be used to talk about birds and bird characteristics in general.
Owls Long Station Information:
How are owls different than other birds? Many owls are awake at night (nocturnal), and regurgitate undigestible prey parts. Brainstorm other differences between owls and other birds.
Birds of prey are birds that hunt with their feet. How can you tell that owls are birds of prey? Do owls compete with other birds of prey for food? They have sharp talons. Birds that hunt from the air also need binocular vision. Owls that hunt at night do not compete with other birds that hunt during the day. Compare binocular vision and monocular vision using the giant eyeballs.
How are owl eyes different than other bird eyes? Owl eyes are large so they can take advantage of low light levels at night. Owl eyes are up to 5% of the total body weight of the owl. If an owl were the size of a human, its eyes would be the size of softballs. Hold the softballs up to your face to see what that would look like.
Why do owls always stare straight ahead? Owls cannot move their eyes in their sockets. To compensate for this limitation, they can turn their heads 270° (3/4 of the way around) in each direction. Use the cups to experience not being able to move you eyes. Put one cup over each eye and look through the hole in the end of the cup and something directly in front of you. Now try looking at something else. Turning your eyeballs doesn’t work; you must turn your head instead.
Do owls need to hear well to hunt at night? Why? How could the round face of the owl help it hear better? The face is shaped like a dish that funnels sound to the ears. The owl’s right ear opening is higher on its head, and the left ear opening is lower. This allows the owl to tell where a sound is coming from and how loud it is because it reaches the ears at different times (this is like binocular vision for the owl’s ears). The location of the sound will activate special cells in the owl’s brain. Each cell represents a point in space around the owl. The owl can make a “neural map,” or a sculpture of the sound in its brain. The owl can use this “map” to know the exact location of its prey. Owls have been known to catch prey in pitch black rooms using only the sound of their prey.
Why do owls fly silently? Fewer organisms are awake at night so there is less sound everywhere. Silence is a type of camouflage. Owl feathers have a fringe on them that helps muffle the sound. Use the rulers to demonstrate how fringe muffles sound. Swing the fringeless ruler around fast enough to get a really good sound out of it. Now try to get a sound with the fringed ruler.
How do human activities affect owls? Burrowing Owls are ground dwellers. Native grasslands have been converted to croplands, and with crops comes the use of pesticides. The Spotted Owl nests and finds its prey in old-growth forests, which contain profitable timber. What can humans do to lessen their impact on the habitats of owls?


What makes a bird a bird?

Beaks - all birds have beaks, but so do octopus and squid. Birds have no teeth so their gizzard grinds up food into pulp with the help of stones the bird has swallowed. What do birds use their beaks for? Do all birds use their beaks the same way?

Wings - all birds have wings, but so do insects and bats. Wings are good for flying, but they can also have other uses. Brainstorm some other uses for wings. Look at some of the examples of wings. Examine their shapes and the arrangement of the feathers. Can you draw some conclusions about your observations and how they relate to habitat, adaptation, and niche?

Flight - not all birds fly, other animals do fly. Most of a bird's energy is used in take-off. Flight takes a lot of energy and birds have a high metabolic rate, so they need to eat a lot to keep the energy flowing. The phrase "eat like a bird" implies not eating much, but birds eat great quantities every day. Think of some birds that don’t fly. Think of some non-bird animals that fly.


Warm blooded - all birds are warm blooded, but so are mammals. Birds must keep their internal body temperature consistent. Birds are covered with an insulating layer of feathers, and they also eat frequently. Cold blooded animals do not neat to eat as frequently, and they do not have insulation. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?

Hollow Bones - not all birds have hollow bones, but no other animals have hollow bones. Why do some birds have hollow bones? Why do some birds not have hollow bones? Do you think hollow bones would be easier to break? Is it worth it?

Eggs - birds lay hard-shelled eggs. Other animals have soft shelled or leathery eggs. Why would a bird need a hard shell on her eggs? Why wouldn’t a leathery or jelly-like egg work? Why do those types of eggs work for other animals? Do you think hard-shelled eggs are harder to make and care for? Why or why not?

Feathers - all birds have feathers. No other animal has feathers. Unlike fur that can be ruffled and not damaged, feathers can be permanently damaged. Wing feathers are used for flight power and steering, body feathers are for camouflage or display, down feathers are next to the skin and trap air for insulation (like underfur), tail feathers are used for steering, balance, and display.