Everybody Eats

Rahm's Readers Summer Learning Challenge Brain Builder

While birds vary in size, color and shape, they all have beaks. These beaks are tools that help birds gather and capture their good. You can tell what kind of food a bird eats just by looking at its beak! Hummingbirds have long, skinny beaks that help them get nectar and eagles have sharp, hooked beaks to tear at flesh. Since birds live in different habitats with different types of food, their beaks are in important adaptation for their survival.

What kinds of foods do birds eat? Where do birds find their food?

Read

Beaks!: Explore the world of birds as they eat, build, crush and dig with their various beak styles.

Lunch at the Zoo: What Animals Eat and Why: Take a behind the scenes look at how zoos feed all the different animals in their care.

Discover

• How does the shape and size of a birds beak determine what food they can eat?
  • Gather different household tools, such as tweezers, spoons, tongs, clothespins, toothpicks, and chopsticks, and "food" objects, such as raisins, uncooked rice, cereal, uncooked pasta, rubber bands, paper clips, or similar items.
  • Spread "food" out in on a tray.
  • Predict what type of "food" each tool or "beak,"  will be best at collecting
  • For each beak, see how much and what type of food you can pick up in 30 seconds.
  • Chart which food you were able to pick up with each beak.
  • What type of bird beak do the tools remind you of? What real food would birds with these beak actually eat?
• Test you knowledge of bird beaks with the Project Beak Quiz.
• Observe birds at the zoo or in your neighborhood. Observe what the birds eat. What do you notice about the way it uses its beak as a tool?
• Use household materials to engineer your own bird beak with The Curiosity Machine.
• Think about what adaptations other animals have to help them get food. What tools you use to find, prepare and eat food.

Dig Deeper

Make a list of 5 plants and animals you eat regularly. What other animals eat those plants and animals? Where do these animals fall on the food chains?

Rahm’s Readers is in partnership with Chicago Park District, Chicago Public Schools, The Anti-Cruelty Society of Chicago, Brookfield Zoo/Chicago Zoological Society, Lincoln Park Zoo, the Museum of Science and Industry and Chicago City of Learning.

Rahm’s Readers is made possible by The James & Madeleine McMullan Foundation, Cubs Care, Comcast, Dr. Scholl Foundation, CPL Foundation Junior Board, Helen M. Harrison Foundation, Macys, Peoples Gas, Robert R. McCormick Foundation, ComEd, R.R. Donnelley, The Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust, Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Foundation, Verizon and RPM Advertising through the Chicago Public Library Foundation.