Introduction
This WebQuest contains information text about the two articles of birds.
The first article is about pigeons.
Pigeons could be carrying pigeon that will help people if trained properly. What kind of jobs do these birds perform?
The second article is about the bee humming bird, the smallest species of bird.
Task
Bird Brains at Work
Next time you see a pigeon flying across the sky, look at it carefully! Is it holding a can? Or a camera? Or wearing a backpack? If it's a carrier pigeon, it just might be a working bird.
You've probably heard of working dogs that help police officers, or horses that help farmers. Did you know that carrier pigeons can be trained to help people too? What kind of jobs do these birds perform?
Mailman
Carrier pigeons can be trained to carry messages to people. The note is placed into a small skinny can. The can is tied to the pigeon’s leg. Then the pigeon flies off to deliver the note. Carrier pigeons are good messengers because they’re fast and can fly long distances. They also have a good sense of direction. They can even reach places that people can’t. More than 800 years ago, Genghis Khan, an Asian ruler set up pigeon post offices across his lands! As recently as 2010, Cuba used pigeons to send election results to its mountain people.
Lifeguard
From high up in the sky, specially trained pigeons can spot orange life jackets in the ocean. Sometimes it is difficult for humans to spot people lost at sea, especially when the weather is bad. However, pigeons can fly quickly over a large area of water in search of people.
Spy
Many years ago, carrier pigeons were used to help our country during wars. “Spy pigeons” had small cameras that were tied to their feet. As a pigeon flew over enemy land, the camera snapped photos of the land below. This would allow our military to see where the enemies were and what they were doing. The pigeons have probably saved many soldiers' lives. These “spy” birds had a dangerous job. They had to dodge bullets, poisonous gas, and bullies like hawks.
During World Wars 1 and 2, the USA and its allies even had huge pigeon armies. Thousands of pigeons served! They were like flying soldiers. A few even received medals for their brave work.
Scientist’s Helper
In 2006, a group of scientists used pigeons to study air pollution in California. Special backpacks with miniature cellphones were strapped onto pigeons. As the pigeons flew, machines in the backpacks tested to see what gases were in the air. The cell phones sent information about the air to the scientists.
Bird Brains at Work
So next time you see a pigeon, stop and watch it closely. What might look like an ordinary bird to most people, might actually be a hard-working mail carrier, a scientist, a lifeguard, or even a spy!
Question.
1. What did Genghis Kahn use pigeons for 800 years ago?
a. He used pigeons to deliver election results.
b. He used pigeons to find people lost at sea.
c. He used pigeons to carry messages.
d. He kept pigeons as pets.
2. What was the author's purpose for writing this article?
a. to share fictional stories about pigeons helping people
b. to teach readers about the lives of wild pigeons
c. to persuade readers into liking pigeons more
d. to teach readers about real jobs held by carrier pigeons
3. Explain how pigeons have helped our military during wartimes.
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4. Do you think our country's military still uses carrier pigeons during wartime? Why or why not?
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Match each vocabulary word on the left with its definition on the right.
_____ 1. life jacket a. person who rescues people who are in danger of drowning
_____ 2. military b. wearable device that helps a person float in water
_____ 3. election c. small discs given as awards
_____ 4. poisonous d. process in which citizens vote for a government official
_____ 5. lifeguard e. armed forces
_____ 6. Medals f. machine for taking photos
_____ 7. camera g. something that causes illness or death
A Mighty Flier
What is two inches tall, can hover in mid-air, and flies in every direction including backwards? It’s not an insect. The answer is the bee hummingbird.
Most hummingbirds are about three to five inches long. But the bee hummingbird is only five centimeters, or approximately two inches, making it the smallest species of bird alive today. Really it isn’t bigger than a large insect. But don’t let its tiny body fool you. This bird is a fierce flier. It can beat its wings up to 80 times per second. If you ever see one in flight, you’ll notice its wings are just a blur to the human eye. Hummingbirds are also the only vertebrates that can hover in one place. Add to that being able to fly backwards and upside down, and these creatures are amazing flying machines.
And being a master flier isn’t the only one of the bee hummingbird’s talents. The bee hummingbird does a great job performing its part in plant reproduction. During the course of a single day, the bee hummingbird can visit up to 1,500 flowers. And just like a bee, when the bee hummingbird drinks nectar from the flowers, pollen is transferred from the flower to the bird’s body. This pollen is carried to the next flower. Transferring pollen from one flower to another helps plants make seeds.
Besides drinking nectar, bee hummingbirds eat insects. In fact, they eat about half their body mass each day. But what’s more impressive is that they drink eight times their body mass every day. This is why they live in areas where there are gardens and shrubbery. These tiny birds are found primarily in Cuba, but some have been spotted in Jamaica and Haiti as well.
Despite its size, there’s no arguing that the bee hummingbird is a mighty flier.
Questions.
1. How do hummingbirds help flowering plants?
a. They give the flowering plants energy.
b. They help flowering plants make seeds and reproduce.
c. They build their nests in flowering plants.
d. They drink pollen in the flowers.
2. The bee hummingbird is about as large as....
a. a flea b. a bee
c. a dragonfly d. a sparrow
3. If you ever see a hummingbird in flight, you may have a difficult time seeing the wings. They would look blurry. Why?
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4. What do hummingbirds drink?
a. pollen b. insects
c. flowers d. nectar
5. In which countries do bee hummingbirds live?
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6. If a bee hummingbird weighed 2 grams, about how many grams of liquid would it drink in a day? Use your math skills to figure out the answer. Show your work in the space below.
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7. How many times the bee humming bird can beat its wing per second?
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8. During a single day, how many flowers that can be visited by the bee humming bird?
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The scrambled words below are vocabulary words from the article. Unscramble each word and write it on the line. Please be sure each word is spelled correctly.
1. ____________________________ l i r m o y e a x a t p p
hint: about; roughly; estimated number
2. ____________________________ b a t v e e e t r s r
hint: animals with backbones
3. ____________________________ t e a r n c
hint: sweet liquid inside of flowers
4. ____________________________ e l p n o l
hint: powdery dust in flowers that is used to help them reproduce
5. ____________________________ f a n d t s e e r r r
hint: moved
6. ____________________________ a s m s
hint: amount of matter something is made of; can be measured in
pounds, ounces, grams, or kilograms
In the article, “A Mighty Flier,” you learned about the world's smallest bird, the bee hummingbird.
Write a short essay in which you compare and contrast the hummingbird to any other type of bird. In your writing, list five ways the hummingbird is similar to other bird you chose. Then, list five ways a hummingbird is different from the other bird.
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Process
Read through ALL the Instructions below.
1. Individual task
2. Read the descriptive information text carefully
3. Do the exercises, and send the answer sheets by e-mail : yulia.puput@yahoo.com
4. This quiz will be your special score, do it correctly
5. That’s all, have fun the task
Conclusion
Congratulations.
You have done this final quiz.
Hopefully from these articles about pigeons and bee hummingbird can increase your knowledge.
