Buffy Silverman - Do You Know about Birds?

Do You Know
about
Birds?

Buffy Silverman

To Ruth Silverman,

Thanks for

hatching me

Copyright 2010 by Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.
All rights reserved. International copyright secured. No part of this book may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwisewithout the prior written permission of Lerner Publishing
Group, Inc., except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review.
Lerner Publications Company
A division of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.
241 First Avenue North
Minneapolis, MN 55401 U.S.A.
Website address: www.lernerbooks.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Silverman, Buffy.
Do you know about birds by Buffy Silverman.
p. cm. (Lightning bolt books Meet the animal groups
Includes index.
ISBN 978-0-8225-7541-2 (lib. bdg. : alk. paper)
1. BirdsJuvenile literature. I. Title.
QL676.2.S55 2010
598dc22 2007042175
Manufactured in the United States of America
1 2 3 4 5 6 BP 15 14 13 12 11 10
eISBN: 978-0-7613-8881-4

Contents

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Birds
Have Feathers

Have you seen birds in the
city? Pigeons on the sidewalk
bob their heads. Have you
seen birds in the water?
Swans paddle across the lake.

Like all birds, pigeons and
swans have feathers. Birds
are the only animals
that have feathers.

This pigeon
lives in the
city.

A swan swims
in the lake.

Feathers help birds stay warm
or cool. Birds fluff their feathers
down to keep warm. On hot
days, they flatten their feathers
to cool down.

A blue jay fluffs its
feathers to stay warm.

Smooth feathers body cover
down feathers. Body feathers
overlap, so water runs off them.

Body feathers help
keep this duck dry.

Some birds have
feathers that
help them hide.

Can you spot
this woodcock?

Other birds have brightly
colored feathers.

What do birds use to fly?
Flight feathers!

They steer with
tail feathers.

All birds have
feathers. But not
all birds can fly.

An ostrich
is too heavy
to fly. But
it can run
very fast.

Penguins flap their wings
underwater to swim.
Their feathers keep
them warm and dry.

Birds take care of their
feathers. After flying, this tern
preens its feathers. It uses its
beak like a comb.

Birds Eat with Beaks

Birds need plenty of food to fly,
run, or swim. You chew food
with your teeth.

Birds dont have teeth. Birds
use their beaks to eat. A hawk
tears rabbit meat with its
hook-shaped beak.

A hawks beak
is sharp. It can
rip meat into
small pieces.

What will a heron catch?

It grabs fish with its long beak.

They pry
insects from
under a
trees bark.

Woodpeckers make
a loud knock! They
can drill deep holes
in trees.

A flamingo sweeps its beak
from side to side in the water.

The flamingo
traps tiny plants
and animals in
its beak.

The flamingos
beak is shaped
just right for
scooping.

Cardinals crack
seeds with their
thick beaks.

An oriole sits
in her nest.

Birds Lay Eggs

When winter ends, many birds
find safe places to lay eggs.
Some build nests high in the
trees. A mother oriole weaves
her nest.
She puts soft
feathers inside.
The father
oriole sings in
a nearby tree.
He chases other
birds away.

Puffins dig deep
nests on high
cliffs. The eggs
will be safe there.