Zeina's Science Spectacular :): WHAT'S THAT IN THE SKY?

Look up in the sky! Is it a bird? Is it a plane? NO! It's super m.... Oh, wait, that is a bird! You see them flying, you feed them bread, You might think they're cute, But.. The truth is, you most probably don't know anything about them. Right? Right(: Well, it's a good thing your here! Because in this blog post, we're gonna talk about BIRDS!

You got it! We're Talking about Tweety Bird! No, no. I wish though. But that's something I want to talk about. Most kid shows, or some shows, have animated animals. Let's take looney tunes or something. Tweety Bird is known as a smart, intelligent, adorable, innocent bird that everyone loves Let's go to Winnie the Pooh. The Owl is the smart one in the group, which birds are smart. .. And doesn't elmo have like a rooster, of course, since it's elmo, it's a nice bird.

But, that's not the point. The point is, birds are thought of nice, no one "hates" them, they aren't known as vicious creatures. Now, let's go on to what we're talking about.

What We're Learning (:

Listing 4 characteristics that all birds have in common (:
What are the differences between contour and down feathers? (:
How are a bird's feathers, air sacs, and skeleton adaptations for flight? (:
Pick-A-Bird-And-Tell-Info-About-It-Thing! (:
What is Georgia's Official State Bird? (:

4 Characteristics all birds have!

FIRST, all birds have feathers.

One of the most familiar characteristics of birds is that they ALL have feathers. Every single type. Feathers help birds too. They help them stay dry and warm, It helps them attract mates, and it helps them fly (: And birds take good care of there feathers too. They use their beaks to spread oil on their feathers in a process called "preening". The oil is made by this gland near the birds tail.And I know what your thinking. It's Urine. But NO. It actually makes their feathers water proof and helps them stay clean!

When their feathers wear out, they replace them by "molting". Molting is when they basically
sheds their skin, for them to get replaced. Most birds shed about once a year. Ya know, they're feathers need to be good and fresh to attract a mate, right? True, but what they need to worry about more when attracting their mate is their.. Colors!

Ya see, birds' feathers mean a lot to them because for a boy bird to impress a girl bird, they boy birds need some colorful, standing-out feathers to attract those girls. Unlike man-birds, female birds have a more dull-ish color. Why? Because to protect their eggs, they want to kind of, not be noticed .. that much, To protect their eggs. Which I just want to point out that unlike most other animals, *cough, cough, amphibians and reptiles*, birds are great parents. Like you probably already know how they bring food to them all the time, protects them always, and make sure they are never harmed in or out of there shell.

On to the next subject...

What are differences between a contour and a down feather?

First.... What Are They?

Well, birds have two different types of feathers..

Down Feathers,

And Contour Feathers :D

DOWN FEATHERS:

Down Feathers are their soft and fluffy feathers. This helps a bird to stay warm and cozy (: Why is it make them warm? Yes.. It's soft and stuff. But when a bird fluffes it's down feathers, the air gets trapped inside, providing heat for the birdies to stay warm.

CONTOUR FEATHERS:

These are stiff feathers that cover a bird's body and wings.

The Contour feathers' colors help attract mates.

DIFFERENCES:

The down feathers keep the birds warm..

While the contour feathers help attract mates..

Contour Feathers are strong and light-weight..

While down feathers are soft and fluffy..

Down feathers give a layer of insulation..

While contour feathers help them in flight..

Down feathers are located below the contour feathers...

How Is A Bird's Feathers, Air Sacs, And

Skeleton help them fly? ?

BIRDS FEATHERS:

Well, when a bird flies, they want to be in right temperature,

right? Birds Feathers help keep birds warm when they're cold.. And can supply cool-ness when it's hot.

AIR SACS:

Well it's air sacs help makes it breathe more efficiently then other animals. Whenever a bird breathes, new, fresh air fills the lunges. So that makes it fly better. It needs fresh, good air to fly.

SKELETON:

Birds have light-weight skeleton made of thin and hollow bones.

They are light and strong enough to withstand taking off, flying, and landing.

The bird I picked is....

SWANS!!! <3

I picked this because I LOVE SWANS! They're all sooo pretty and graceful. They are the

biggest waterfowl species everrrr!

Swans are long-necked, heavy bodied, big-footed birds. They glide gracefully when swimming, and when they fly, they're sings flap slowly, and they're neck and head is sticked out. It's the fastest waterfowl bird that can swim and fly. They are the most related to geese and ducks. There are seven species of these amazing birds!

Swans basically mate for life. Though sometimes the swans "divorce", because of egg failure D: The number of eggs in a clutch is usually.. like 3-8. They're also the largest flying birds. They're usually found in temperate areas. All swans eat mostly the same thing. They all eat aquatic vegetation and grains. They eat bugs, leaves, stems, seeds, grasses and algae. They usually live to about 50 years old. These birds are beautiful. They're defiantly not known to be "vicious". And baby swans are adorable!

"Hey mom! It's you! Look in the sky!"

"I'm cuddly, aren't I ma?"

Now, announcing Georgia's

OFFICIAL state bird.

Georgia's Official State bird is.. The Brown Thrasher.

Where they live:

Forest Edges and clearings, brushy fields,

thickets, shrubs, and hedges.

What they eat:

Insects, crustaceans, lizards, amphibians,

earthworms, fruits and berries,

nuts, and seeds.

How they Look:

They are brown at the top, and has a white stomach,

with dark brown-black dots.

It has a really long bill, and flies pretty fast,

Cool Facts about them:

They are very shy birds, but they are most spectacular singers of all birds. But you actually spotting one is smaller then the chance of you hearing them sing.