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Tropical Birds at Night

Tropical Birds at Night

Tropical birds are some of the most beautiful creatures on Earth. Students will learn about their habitats and characteristics and create scratch art that features a colorful bird.

Lesson Plan

Supplies Needed

Gather all the supplies needed to bring your craft ideas to life! From paints and markers to glue and scissors, our crafts section has everything to spark creativity and make every project truly special.

  • Paper
  • Paper Clip(s)

Steps

  • Step 1

    There are dozens of species of tropical birds. These birds are usually vibrantly colored and live in tropical regions (areas characterized by warm temperatures and high humidity) such as rainforests. Have students learn about some of these regions and the birds that inhabit them. For example, toucans are native to the Neotropics from Southern Mexico through Central America. The neotropical realm includes the terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone. They are an arboreal forest species and are primarily frugivorous (fruit-eating) but will also eat insects, small lizards, and even smaller birds. Have students explore information and images of some other vibrant and perhaps lesser-known tropical birds such as the hoatzin found in the Amazon and Orinoco river basins, the turaco of southern Africa, the Guianan cock-of-the-rock of South America, the rainbow lorikeet of Australia, or any other.

  • Step 2

    Have students create scratch art depicting a brightly colored bird. They can use images of birds they researched to guide and inspire them. To begin, have them use crayons to lay down a thick layer of bright colors, then when the page is fully covered with thick crayon, they will apply a layer of black paint over it. After the paint dries, students will use an unfolded paper clip to scratch a bird and background into the black paint, which will reveal the colors below. Ask them to write a brief descriptive paragraph about the bird they depicted.

  • Step 3

    Have students present their art and read what they wrote about the bird. Then display the art on a tropically decorated bulletin board.

Standards

SCI: Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive.

SCI: Obtain and combine information to describe climates in different regions of the world.

Adaptations

Birds play a critical role in maintaining natural ecosystems. Have students learn about their role in protecting the environment. Then ask them to research some of the most endangered species of tropical birds, such as the kakapo (a parrot endemic to New Zealand), the kiwi (a flightless bird also of New Zealand), the hyacinth macaw of the Amazon rainforest, and others. What are the threats to their existence and what can be done to combat the threat?

Biomimicry is the practice of using designs found in nature to solve human challenges. Birds have frequently been the basis of modern inventions and innovations. Have students explore some of them. The most obvious is how they inspired airplane flight. Other examples include how hummingbirds inspired drones, how kingfishers inspired bullet trains, how woodpeckers inspired shock absorbers, etc.