notebook-of-birds

The Notebook of Birds
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The Notebook of Birds
The Notebook of Birds
by Carrie Fernandez and WriteBonnieRose
Created and published by arrangement with Thames & Hudson Ltd, London,
Based on The Big Book of Birds © 2019 Yuval Zommer
The Notebook of Birds first published in the USA in 2021 by Daily Skill Building,
Saint Johns | © 2021 Daily Skill Building
Cover Design by Richele McFarlin, Pretty Perfect Printables; original illustrations
© 2019 Yuval Zommer
All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or distributed in any
form by any means—graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording, taping, or storing in information storage or retrieval systems—without
the prior written permission from the publisher.
Original purchaser is granted permission to print copies for use within his or her
immediate family only. For co-op licenses, please email
[email protected].
For free homeschool resources visit Homeschoolgiveaways.com.
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The Notebook of Birds
The Big Book Series, by Yuval Zommer
Daily Skill Building is not affiliated with T&H. The Big Book Notebook Companions
were created with T&H’s permission.
Visit Thames & Hudson Ltd. to learn more about this series:
https://www.thamesandhudsonusa.com/series/the-big-book-series
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The Notebook of Birds
Required Book: The Big Book of Birds, Yuval Zommer
The Big Book of Birds draws in children and parents alike with captivating
information about and charming illustrations of hummingbirds, peacocks,
flamingos, bald eagles, secretary birds, puffins, red-crowned cranes, and more.
The book also invites young bird-watchers to protect birds where they live and
make their gardens bird-friendly. The text is chatty, funny, and full of remarkable
facts. Read more.
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The Notebook of Birds
Introduction
You probably know a lot about birds already just by looking out your window or
maybe going on a walk. This is your chance to learn tons more about these
beautiful animals that often fill our days with their music. Since lots of families
enjoy studying birds in their homeschool lessons, we’re excited that Thames &
Hudson Ltd has given us permission to offer you The Notebook of Birds.
The Notebook of Birds is designed to be a self-paced notebooking journal that
gives you a chance to record the fascinating facts you learn so you can look at
them at any time. As you read through The Big Book of Birds, have The Notebook
of Birds handy so you can follow along. You’ll have the chance to draw, sketch,
label, and much more as you work through both books together!
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The Notebook of Birds
Bird Family Tree
Read pages 6-7 of The Big Book of Birds and answer the questions with what you
learned.
How many different types of birds are there? _____________________________
What does their family group depend on? ________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
What 7 family groups are named?
1. ______________________________ 5. ______________________________
2. ______________________________ 6. ______________________________
3. ______________________________ 7. ______________________________
4. ______________________________
Write the facts you learned about each family group.
Birds of Prey
Types of Birds
Fun Facts
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The Notebook of Birds
Owls
Types of Birds
Fun Facts
Perching Birds
Types of Birds
Fun Facts
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The Notebook of Birds
Water Birds
Types of Birds
Fun Facts
Woodland & Forest Birds
Types of Birds
Fun Facts
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The Notebook of Birds
Seabirds
Types of Birds
Fun Facts
Flightless Birds
Types of Birds
Fun Facts
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The Notebook of Birds
I’m a Bird-Watcher & Feathers and Flying
Read pages 8-11 of The Big Book of Birds and answer the questions with what you
learned.
Why does a bird have feathers? ________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
What are feathers made from? _________________________________________
What else is made from this material? ___________________________________
How many feathers might a swan have? _________________________________
How many feathers might a hummingbird have? ___________________________
What characteristics of a feather help birds recognize each other? _____________
__________________________________________________________________
How do many male birds use their feathers? ______________________________
__________________________________________________________________
What bird has extra-long and flowing feathers? ____________________________
What do ducks do to keep their feathers waterproof? _______________________
__________________________________________________________________
Illustrate some of the bird feathers shown.
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The Notebook of Birds
Birds on the Move & Great Gray Owls
Read pages 12-15 of The Big Book of Birds and answer the questions with what
you learned.
What do nearly half of all birds do each year? ____________________________
__________________________________________________________________
How far do some of them fly? _________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
What tells a bird when to start migrating? ________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
When do many birds migrate? _________________________________________
Why is this a safer time? ______________________________________________
What happens to some birds as they migrate? ____________________________
__________________________________________________________________
What are some ways birds find their way? ________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
How does an emu migrate, and how far does it travel? ______________________
__________________________________________________________________
Why is the great gray owl called “great”? _________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
What does a great gray owl have around its eyes? __________________________
__________________________________________________________________
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The Notebook of Birds
What does this part of a great gray owl do? _______________________________
__________________________________________________________________
What makes a great gray owl silent as it flies? _____________________________
__________________________________________________________________
How many more bones does a great gray owl have in its neck than a person? What
do they allow it to do?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
How does a great gray owl catch prey under the snow? _____________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Illustrate an emu and a great gray owl.
Emu
Great Gray Owl
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The Notebook of Birds
Flamingos & Magpies
Read pages 16-19 of The Big Book of Birds and answer the questions with what
you learned.
Why are flamingos pink? ______________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
How does a flamingo eat? ____________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
How does a flamingo like to sleep? ______________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
What does a flamingo do when it is too hot? ______________________________
__________________________________________________________________
How does a flamingo try to impress a mate? ______________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Do magpies really steal shiny things? ____________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
What is it called when magpies get together to find mates? __________________
__________________________________________________________________
What kind of tail does a magpie have? How does this help it? ________________
__________________________________________________________________
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The Notebook of Birds
What can a magpie remember? ________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
What can a magpie impersonate? ______________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Unlike many types of birds, what is the same for both male and female magpies?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Illustrate a flamingo and a magpie.
Flamingo
Magpie
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The Notebook of Birds
Kingfishers & Flightless Birds
Read pages 20-23 of The Big Book of Birds and answer the questions with what
you learned.
How does a kingfisher hunt? __________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Why does a fish slide down a kingfisher’s throat more easily if it is headfirst?
__________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Why does a kingfisher hover above the water and bob its head before diving?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
What is a kingfisher’s burrow filled with? ________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
What is different about a female kingfisher’s beak? ________________________
_________________________________________________________________
How much too heavy to fly is an ostrich? _________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
How fast can an emu run? ____________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Where does the kiwi live? ____________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
What does it hunt at night? ___________________________________________
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The Notebook of Birds
What is the only flightless parrot? Where does it live? ______________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
What does the Galapagos cormorant use its wings for? _____________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Illustrate the birds you read about.
Kingfisher
Galapagos Cormorant
Kiwi
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The Notebook of Birds
Ostrich
Emu
Takahe
Kakapo
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The Notebook of Birds
Secretary Birds & Parrots
Read pages 24-27 of The Big Book of Birds and answer the questions with what
you learned.
Where does the secretary bird get its name? _____________________________
__________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
How tall is a secretary bird? ___________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
What do secretary birds love to eat? How do they kill their favorite meal? ______
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
How does a secretary bird swallow its food? ______________________________
_________________________________________________________________
How many feathers does a secretary bird have on its head? __________________
__________________________________________________________________
What other glamorous feature does a secretary bird have? __________________
_________________________________________________________________
Why do parrots mimic human voices? ___________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
How are a parrot’s bills shaped? ________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
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The Notebook of Birds
Where do parrots like to live? __________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
How long can a macaw parrot live? _____________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
What type of parrot stays with its partner its whole life? _____________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Illustrate a secretary bird and a parrot.
Secretary Bird
Parrot
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The Notebook of Birds
Bald Eagles & Puffins
Read pages 28-31 of The Big Book of Birds and answer the questions with what
you learned.
Is a bald eagle really bald? If not, why is it called a “bald eagle”? ______________
__________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
How much better can a bald eagle see than a person? ______________________
__________________________________________________________________
How high does a bald eagle fly? ________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
What is the only continent where you can find a bald eagle? _________________
_________________________________________________________________
The bald eagle is the national bird of what country? ________________________
__________________________________________________________________
What does a bald eagle use to catch its prey? _____________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Where does a puffin get its name? ______________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
How does a puffin’s tongue help it catch its prey? __________________________
_________________________________________________________________
How does a puffin tell others its grumpy? ________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
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The Notebook of Birds
How fast can a puffin fly? _____________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
What often happens when a puffin tries to land? __________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Illustrate a bald eagle and a puffin.
Bald Eagle
Puffin
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The Notebook of Birds
Nests
Read pages 32-33 of The Big Book of Birds and answer the questions with what
you learned.
Where is the best place to make a nest? _________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
How does an Asian tailorbird make a nest? What are some other sorts of materials
birds use to build nests?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
What does a cave swiftlet make its nest out of? Where does it place them?
__________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
What do people make out of cave swiftlet nests? __________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Where does a cuckoo lay its eggs? ______________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Who raises the baby cuckoos? _________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
What does a hornero bird make its nest from? What does the nest look like?
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
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The Notebook of Birds
Illustrate and label some of the different kinds of bird nests shown.
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The Notebook of Birds
Eggs
Read pages 34-35 of The Big Book of Birds and answer the questions with what
you learned.
Why do birds lay pointy eggs? _________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
If a bird carried its young like mammals do, it would be too heavy to do what?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
What bird lays the largest egg? How large is the egg? _______________________
_________________________________________________________________
What bird lays the smallest egg? How small is the egg? _____________________
__________________________________________________________________
What is it called when a bird sits on an egg to keep it warm? _________________
_________________________________________________________________
What does a bird sometimes lose to make this process easier? _______________
_________________________________________________________________
What color eggs are laid in dark holes? __________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
What kind of eggs are laid outside? _____________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
What does a baby bird use to start to crack its shell? _______________________
_________________________________________________________________
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The Notebook of Birds
Illustrate some of the different kinds of eggs shown.
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The Notebook of Birds
Albatrosses & Hummingbirds
Read pages 36-39 of The Big Book of Birds and answer the questions with what
you learned.
What is the wingspan of an albatross? How does this help it? _________________
__________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
What do albatrosses sometimes mistake for food? _________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Why does an albatross use “cruise control,” and how does it do this? __________
__________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
How many flight feathers does an albatross have? __________________________
__________________________________________________________________
How long does it take some chicks to replace down feathers with flying feathers?
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Where does an albatross nest? ________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Where does an albatross lay its eggs? ___________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
What can an albatross drink? How does it get rid of the salt? _________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
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The Notebook of Birds
How fast can a hummingbird flap its wings? ______________________________
__________________________________________________________________
How many different kinds of hummingbirds are there? ______________________
__________________________________________________________________
The hummingbird is the only bird that can do what? ________________________
__________________________________________________________________
What is a hummingbird’s favorite food? __________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
How often does a hummingbird have to eat? ______________________________
__________________________________________________________________
How many flowers does it visit in one day? _______________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Illustrate an albatross and a hummingbird.
Albatross
Hummingbird
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The Notebook of Birds
Peacocks & Robins
Read pages 40-43 of The Big Book of Birds and answer the questions with what
you learned.
How many tail feathers does a male peacock have? ________________________
__________________________________________________________________
What will a peacock eat? _____________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Can a peacock fly? ___________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
What does a peacock use to fight off enemies? ____________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Why is a peahen drab brown instead of brightly colored? ____________________
_________________________________________________________________
Why does a robin have a red breast? ____________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
What should a male robin bring to a female robin? _________________________
_________________________________________________________________
What does a robin like to eat the in the summer? __________________________
_________________________________________________________________
What does a robin like to eat in the winter? _______________________________
_________________________________________________________________
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The Notebook of Birds
What are some places a robin will build its nest? __________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
What are some differences between a European robin and an American robin?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Illustrate a peacock and a robin.
Peacock
Robin
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The Notebook of Birds
Swans & Hoopoes
Read pages 44-47 of The Big Book of Birds and answer the questions with what
you learned.
Why does a swan have such a long neck? ________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
What does a swan like to eat? _________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
What color is a North American Trumpeter swan’s beak? ____________________
_________________________________________________________________
What does a swan do when it feels threatened? ___________________________
__________________________________________________________________
What does a swan do to its S-shaped neck when flying? _____________________
_________________________________________________________________
What is a male swan called? What is a female swan called? __________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
What is a baby swan called? ___________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Where does the hoopoe get its name? __________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
How does a male hoopoe teach another male hoopoe a lesson? ______________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
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The Notebook of Birds
Where does a hoopoe like to make its nest? ______________________________
__________________________________________________________________
What are the feathers on a hoopoe’s head called? _________________________
__________________________________________________________________
What does it do with these feathers when it feels excited? ___________________
__________________________________________________________________
What does it do with these feathers when it feels calm? _____________________
__________________________________________________________________
What does a hoopoe use its beak for? ___________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
What is a hoopoe’s favorite treat? ______________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Illustrate a swan and a hoopoe.
Swan
Hoopoe
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The Notebook of Birds
Red-Crowned Cranes
Read pages 48-49 of The Big Book of Birds and answer the questions with what
you learned.
What is a crane good at, even though it doesn’t have webbed feet? ___________
__________________________________________________________________
What does a crane like to live with? _____________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
How does a crane talk to its friends? ____________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
How does a crane find a mate? ________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
How does a parent crane keep its baby safe? ______________________________
_______________________________
Red-Crowned Crane
_______________________________
________________________________
_______________________________
What do baby chicks like to eat?
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
________________________________
Illustrate a red-crowned crane.
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The Notebook of Birds
Bird Calls & Songs
Read pages 52-53 of The Big Book of Birds and answer the questions with what
you learned.
How do birds use their songs? _________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
What kind of bird has the longest and most complicated song? _______________
__________________________________________________________________
What birds sing duets to help the male and female bond? ___________________
_________________________________________________________________
How old is a baby songbird when it starts to learn to sing? ___________________
_________________________________________________________________
Which parent teaches a baby zebra finch to sing? __________________________
_________________________________________________________________
What is the “dawn chorus”? ___________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
What bird is up first? What saying do we get from this? _____________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
On the next page, illustrate and label some of the kinds of birds you read about.
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The Notebook of Birds
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The Notebook of Birds
City Birds
Read pages 54-55 of The Big Book of Birds and answer the questions with what
you learned.
What are some advantages for birds that live in the city? ____________________
__________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
What kind of bird nests on skyscrapers in New York City? ____________________
__________________________________________________________________
What do city birds use to make their nests? _______________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Is it usually warmer or cooler in the city compared with the countryside? _______
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
What birds fly into London each night? __________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
What birds are mentioned that have to sing at a higher pitch? ________________
_________________________________________________________________
Why do they have to sing this way? _____________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
On the next page, illustrate and label some of the kinds of birds you read about.
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The Notebook of Birds
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The Notebook of Birds
Give Garden Birds a Home
Read pages 56-57 of The Big Book of Birds and answer the questions with what
you learned.
What can you put in a bird feeder during the winter? _______________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
What animals do you have to keep the feeders away from? __________________
_________________________________________________________________
What do garden birds love to eat in the spring and summer? _________________
__________________________________________________________________
What nuts should you not put out in the spring? Why not? __________________
_________________________________________________________________
What do blue tits and coal tits like to nest in? _____________________________
_________________________________________________________________
What do robins, wrens, and wagtails prefer? ______________________________
_________________________________________________________________
How can providing a bird bath help? ____________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Name a bird-friendly plant. What does it provide for bids who visit? ___________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
On the next page, illustrate and label some of the kinds of birds you read about.
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The Notebook of Birds
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The Notebook of Birds
Bird Words
Read pages 60-61 of The Big Book of Birds and write the definition for each of the
following words:
Migration: _________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Incubation: ________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Fledgling: _________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Camouflage: _______________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Carnivore: _________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Herbivore: _________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Insectivore: ________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
On the next page, draw a picture of your favorite bird. Be sure to label what kind
of bird it is!
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The Notebook of Birds
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