WHAT IS A BIRD Birds are animals with backbones and they are the only vertebrates with feathers and wings Feathers and wings are very important to these animals for different reasons Birds need their feathers to survive Feathers help birds fly and swim protect their skin from injury and also trap heat to keep them warm Brightly colored feathers help birds get mates Feathers can also help a bird blend into its surroundings so predators can't see it Different birds have different wing sizes and shapes Many large birds have long wings that let them glide without flapping Smaller ds often have wings that let them fly in and out of vegetation Even though all birds have wings some cannot fly However their wings are still important For example ostriches use their wings for balance when they run OTHER IMPORTANT BIRD PARTS Most birds have hollow bones Humans have cartilage between their bones but birds bones are fused together which makes the bones strong That strength along with the air inside the bones makes it easier for birds to fly Most birds have nine air sacs located in their bodies and hollow bones The sacs store air and help push air through the lungs A bird's nose is on its beak otherwise known as its bill Birds use their beaks to find food tear food into smaller pieces and drink water Birds also use them to attack predators and to communicate 4
IDENTIFYING BIRDS There are an estimated 18,000 bird species in the world Birds from the same species might look different depending on what region they live in With so many birds out there it can be hard to identify them It gets even more complicated when males and females have different color patterns Males are usually brighter than females Young birds also look different from older birds And birds feathers often look different during breeding season than during nonbreeding months 5
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK Tab shows the bird category The bird's common name appears here This paragraph gives information about the bird Fun Facts give interesting information related to birds Images show the bird 6
The bird's scientific name appears here How to Spot features give information about the bird's color pattern size range habitat and diet Bird length is determined from the tip of the bird's bill to the tip of its tail Sidebars provide additional information about the topic 7
