Creatures of the Waters

Creatures of the Waters — page 3 — S EA R C H LIG H T Which of the following can be said about an albatross a It spends most of its time on land b It eats other birds c It goes to land only to lay eggs Albatrosses use their long wings to soar and glide on air currents They can stay in the air for hours without flapping their wings The black-browed albatross shown here in flight has a dark marking around the eye that makes it look as though it is frowning

Creatures of the Waters — page 4 — ALBATROSSES F oreverGliding The albatross is an amazing seabird It spends most of its life soaring above the water The only time albatrosses ever go ashore is when they lay eggs and raise their chicks Groups called colonies of the birds build nests on isolated Antarctic islands A single large white egg is laid in a bowl-shaped nest built from plants and soil Sometimes the nest is just a patch of bare ground A young albatross grows slowly It Scientists measuring an albatross wingspread Wolfgang Kaehler Corbis takes at least four months for it to develop all the feathers it will need to fly Once it’s able to fly the albatross will spend the next five to ten years out at sea The albatross can glide for hours at a time without flapping its long narrow wings To stay in the air like this it needs windy weather In calm weather the albatross has trouble keeping its heavy body in the air so it rests on the water and floats like a cork It feeds on small squid and fish But it will also follow fishing boats and eat scraps that are thrown overboard Some kinds of albatrosses are brown but most of them are white with some brown or black markings on their bodies or wings Albatrosses are the largest of all flying birds In fact the wandering albatross has the largest wingspread among living birds The wings of a wandering albatross can measure 11 feet from tip to tip Albatrosses live very long lives and are one of the few species of birds that die of old age LEARN MORE READ THESE ARTICLES DUCKS GULLS PENGUINS DID YOU KNOW In the past sailors believed albatrosses had special powers They believed that killing the bird would bring bad luck P e t e r J o h n s o n C o r b s i Answer c It goes to land only to lay eggs 7

Creatures of the Waters — page 5 — D I D YO U K N O W Ducks make their feathers waterproof l on them They get the by rubbing oi l from special glands on their it on their feathers oi chests and rub ls l with their bi A male wood duck is easily identifiable by his purple and green head his reddish-brown breast flecked with white and his bronze sides Gary W Carter Corbis 8 S EA R C H LIG H T Unscramble these words that have to do with a duck wsmimre nblbiadg dlwaed

Creatures of the Waters — page 6 — i P c t u r e A g e n c y C o r b s i R o g e r W i l m s h u r s t F r a n k L a n e R o y a l t y F r e e C o r b s i hollows near the water There they also eat plants and insects found near the shore Dabbling ducks can fly very fast Diving ducks dive deep down into the water to find things to eat They mostly eat fish They are very strong swimmers Perching ducks make nests in trees and hold on to the branches with their long-clawed toes This is called perching Some may perch on the tall stalks that grow over marshy ponds All ducks are graceful fliers and swimmers But on the ground they waddle from side to side moving slowly in a funny jerky way You usually don’t see a duck waddling too far away from water DUCKS Dabbl e r s Divers a n d P e r c hers Ducks are champion swimmers and are at home almost anywhere near water Some feed and nest in streams and ponds Others live near deep wide lakes Some make their homes on rocky cliffs by the ocean There are three kinds of ducks Dabbling ducks put their heads underwater to eat plants that grow there This way of feeding is called dabbling They build their nests in In winter many ducks fly south where the water is warmer and there’s more to eat But icy Top A dabbling gadwall duck bottom young girl holding a fluffy duckling cold water doesn’t bother them A thick inner layer of soft fluffy feathers called down keeps them warm And their bigger outer feathers help too They’re waterproof Feathers are a duck’s raincoat Every year ducks lose their old feathers and new feathers grow in This is called molting Until the new feathers grow ducks can’t fly So they hide in the grass or on the water to keep safe from enemies LEARN MORE READ THESE ARTICLES GEESE GULLS SWANS nblbiadg dabbling Answer wsmimre swimmer dlwaed waddle 9

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