EVS Revision Ch-6 Natural Fliers

FILL IN THE BLANKS:-

1 Ostrich and Emus are flightless birds.

     2 The shaft of a feather is made up of a very hard material called keratin

     3  Pointed wings indicate a fast flier

.    4  Feathers are held together in place by a hollow tube called  Shaft   or   Rachis

     5  The three types of feathers are-

  Body feathers    

 down feathers                 

 flight feathers  

6. Short and broad winged birds can fly low.

    ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS :-

1.      What is keratin?

Ans.  Feathers are held together in place by a hollow tube called the shaft or rachis. The shaft is made of a very hard material called keratin.

2.      Explain the three types of feathers of birds.

Ans.  Contour (body)  feathers:

Ø  These are small feathers which covers the wings, the body and the tail.

Ø   It gives a sleek shape to the body which helps in flying.

Down feathers:

Ø  These feathers are located underneath the contour feathers.

Ø   It protects the skin and provides warmth to the body.

Flight feathers:

Ø  These are special contour feathers, located on the

wings.

Ø  They help the bird in landing, flying and lifting.

Q3. What are the uses of beaks for a bird?

Ans. Birds use the beaks for gathering food, eating, feeding their young ones, preening, drinking water, collecting material for nests, attacking their enemies and grooming.

Q4)  Briefly describe each type of beak and its function. Give two examples of birds for each type of beak.

A)     Cracker:

1)        Seed eaters have hard, short, thick and cone shaped beak called Crackers.

2)        Perfect for cracking or breaking open seed.

3)        Sparrow, pigeons.

B) Shredder:-

1) Birds of prey have sharp and curved beaks called shredders

2) These beaks help the bird of prey to tear the flesh of small sized animals

 3)  Eagle, Hawks

C) Probe:-

1) Nectar drinking birds have long probing beaks called Probes

2) These beaks work like straws and reach deep into the flowers and sip nectar.

3) Humming bird, Sunbird

D) Chisel:-

1) Wood boring birds have beaks that are shaped like chisels with a sharp cutting edge.

2) These beaks bore holes into hard tree trunks helping the birds to find insects

3) Eg. Woodpecker, Hoopoe

E) Strainer:-

1) Water birds have broad and flat beaks called Strainers.

2) These beaks act as strainers and help the birds to catch insects, small fishes, worms and plants from the water.

3) Duck, Geese

Match the following                                

.        1     Scratching	A    Two toes pointing in forward direction
2    Grasping	B Sharp claws to scratch or dig soil
3      Climbing	C    Sharp and curved claws to grasp its prey
4      Perching	D   long back toe helps to  grab a perch tightly balance easily to sit on a branch

          

 Ans (1-B), (2-C), (3-A), (4-D)

 GIVE REASONS:

1.      Shape of the beaks differs in every bird.

Ans. Birds have no teeth. Therefore the shape of their beaks depends on the type of food they eat and their lifestyle.

2.       The toes are arranged differently in different birds.

Ans: Birds have well adapted legs and feet according to the habitat. The legs are covered in scales and toes equipped with claws, according to the species and its behaviour.

3.      Animals are different from birds.

Ans. The birds have beaks, wings and feathers which makes them different from animals.

Q4.What are flightless birds?

                 Or

      Some birds are known as flightless birds. Give      reason.

Ans.  All the birds show wings and feathers but few of them are not capable of flying, such birds are called as flightless birds. For eg: penguins, ostriches, emus, etc.