Birds are our Feathered Friends, We should not Harm Birds

We all love to watch birds. Birds are the only living being that have feathers. They breathe faster than any other animal. Their heart beats faster and their body temperature is higher as compared to other animals.

All birds have a head, eyes, beak, tail, a pair of wings, feathers and claws. Have you ever wondered why birds can fly and other animals cannot?

Let us know about it.

• Birds have some special feathers that help them to fly.
• Birds have two wings. They have strong muscles to move the wings. These muscles are attached to the breastbone. These muscles are called flight muscles.
• The body of a bird is shaped like an aeroplane. It is broad in the middle and narrow at the two ends. Such a body is called a streamlined body. A steamlined body helps the birds to cut through the air.
• Birds have strong but hollow bones. Hollow bones make the bird’s body very light. A light body is helpful in flying.
• Since flying needs much energy and strength, a bird has a very efficient heart that beats faster and supplies continuous blood to all parts of the body.

How dose a Bird Fly?

A bird flies with the help of its wings. When it starts to fly, it flaps the wings up and down gradually and goes high up in the air. In the air, it stops flapping the wings and spreads them out. In this position it goes on gliding in the air. The bird makes two kinds of movements with its wings during flying. These movements are called upstroke and downstoke.

• Upstroke lifts the birds body up in the air.
• Downstroke helps the birds to come down.

Most Birds fly but there are some birds that do not fly. They are called flightless birds. Some examples of flightless birds are Ostrich, Kiwi, Emu, Penguin.

Feathers

The body of a bird is covered with many feathers. These feathers are of three kinds- flight feathers, down feathers and body feathers.

• Flight feathers are usually found on the wings and the tail. They help in flying.
• Down feathers are fluffy and soft. They keep the bird’s body warm. Down feathers are found in new born birds.
• Body feathers covers the bird’s body. They give shape to the bird’s body.

Nesting

Birds build nests to lay eggs. They build their nests which are safe from enemies and bad weather. Birds use materials like twigs, dry leaves, cotton, thread, wool, feather, hair, pieces of cloth, paper and pebbles to build their nests. The eggs are laid in the nests. After some time the eggs hatch and baby bird come out. When the baby birds are big enough, they fly away. Most parent bird also leave the nests. They build new nests when they have to lay eggs again.

Let us study about the nesting habits of some birds.

Tailor Bird

The tailor bird uses its sharp beak like a needle to sew leaves together with wool, thread or a spider’s web. It makes the nest cosy by putting cotton, hair, dried grass or straw inside it.

Weaver Bird

The weaver bird makes a strong nest that hangs from the branch of a tree. The bird enters the nest through a tunnel-like hole nfrom the lower end. The bird uses grass and twigs to weave its nest.

Woodpecker

The woodpecker makes a hole in the trunk of a tree with its long and strong beak. It then lines the nest with chips of wood to make it cosy.

Vulture, Kite and Crow

The vulture, kite and crow make their nests on the top of tall trees. They just gather few twigs and put them together in the shape of a shallow cup. Their nests look ugly.

Penguin

The penguin collects a few pebbles and stones to make its nest on the icy ground.

Parental Care in Birds

When the nest is ready, the female bird lays eggs in it. Both the male and female bird sit on the eggs one-by-one to keep them warm.

When the baby bird grow fully inside the eggs, they break the eggshell and come out. The coming out of the young bird from the eggs is called hatching.

The parents bring food for the bady bird and feed them with their beaks. The baby bird grow very fast. They develop feathers in a few days. Then their parents teach them how to fly and how to find food.