Birds of the Ocean - Home Education Resources · Petrel Petrels all have ... A. crustacean eaters...

Albatross

Albatrosses are among the largest of all flying birds, and one species has a wingspan of over 11 feet (3.5m)! These birds soar for long distances over the ocean with little effort. They eat krill, fish, and squid. Unlike most birds, albatrosses have a strong sense of smell!

Taxonomy: 4 genera; 21 species

Distribution: North Pacific and Southern Oceans

Birds of the Ocean

Auklet

Auklets have also been called “sea sparrows.” However, many birds in this family look a bit like penguins with their black and white plumage, short wings, and upright posture. Auklets eat krill, larval fish, and other zooplankton. They nest in large colonies, often with several auklet species together.

Taxonomy: 4 species

Distribution: North Pacific Ocean, especially Bering Sea

Booby

Boobies are large seabirds with long pointed wings and bills. They fly high above the ocean, then dive with great speed down into the water below. This helps them to dive deep down to get the fish they eat. A famous booby is the blue-footed, with its bright blue webbed feet.

Taxonomy: 6 species

Distribution: tropical and subtropical Pacific and Atlantic

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Cormorant

Cormorants were once called “sea ravens,” but not all birds in this group live on the ocean. Some dive for fish in freshwater lakes. Northern species are mostly black, but southern species are black and white or quite colorful. All cormorants eat fish, and some eat eels and water snakes.


Distribution: almost worldwide

Birds of the Ocean

Eider

Eiders are ducks that live on the ocean. Many seaducks like eiders have special salt glands above their eyes that help them to get rid of the extra salt. Eiders eat crustaceans and mollusks, with mussels being a particular favorite. Some people love to use eiderdown.

Taxonomy: 3 species

Distribution: far North, far South, and temperate North

Fulmar

There is one fulmar that lives in the North, and one that lives in the South. Both fulmars lay a single white egg on a bare cliff. The chick and its parents can all spit a horrible oil at intruders which can actually matt the feathers and kill the attacker! Fulmars feed on a variety of fish.

Taxonomy: 2 species

Distribution: North Pacific & Atlantic; Southern Ocean


Gull

Gulls are medium to large birds and usually are white or gray and may have black markings. While most gulls will scavenge food when possible, they also eat small fish and crabs. Almost all gulls stay rather close to land, never venturing far out to sea. They are intelligent and use tools.

Taxonomy: 6 genera; many spp

Distribution: almost worldwide

Birds of the Ocean

Jaeger

The jaeger is the “masked bandit” of the ocean skies. It will pursue and repeatedly attack other birds in the air, forcing them to drop their catch of fish or other prey. However, jaegers also eat lemmings and other small land creatures on the summer tundra; they winter on the open sea.

Taxonomy: 3 species

Distribution: North Atlantic, North Pacific, Arctic oceans

Kittiwake

Kittiwakes are in the same family as gulls, and look much like them. They have a solid black tip to each wing that helps identify them, and they spend the winter at sea, unlike most gulls. Kittiwakes eat crustaceans and fish and nest on rocky cliffs or even on man-made structures.

Taxonomy: 2 species

Distribution: North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans


Murrelet

Murrelets are unique in their breeding style: some do not form colonies, and they travel far inland to nest, often in forests. Other murrelets do form nesting colonies, but they do not feed their chicks at the nest. Instead, they call them out to sea only a couple days after hatching.


Distribution: North Pacific Ocean

Birds of the Ocean

Noddy

Noddies prefer the warmer weather of the tropics and subtropics. They eat fish and zooplankton, and they often roost at night on the shore. Some noddies lay a single white egg in a fork of a spindly tree to prevent predation. The chick clings to the branch with its long claws.


Distribution: tropics and subtropics

Petrel

Petrels all have distinct long nasal tubes, but otherwise they are a diverse group. Some also have lamellae in their bills, like whales, to filter plankton! Other petrels feed instead on crustaceans, squid, and fish. All petrel species travel long distances to find and catch food.

Taxonomy: about 48 species

Distribution: almost worldwide; especially Southern Ocean


Puffin

Puffins are stubby little ocean birds with brightly colored beaks during the breeding season. The beak then sheds, leaving a smaller and less colorful one in its place. Puffins nest in 3 foot long burrows with a nest inside the end chamber. They eat a mixture of fish and zooplankton.

Taxonomy: 3 species

Distribution: North Atlantic, North Pacific, Arctic oceans

Birds of the Ocean

Scoter

Scoters are seaducks that are mostly black or dark brown and that dive for mollusks and crustaceans. While some scoters build their nests close to the ocean, others fly inland to raise their young along rivers or lakes in the woodlands or on the tundra. Scoters form large ocean flocks.

Taxonomy: 5 species

Distribution: North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans

Shearwater

Shearwaters are tubenose seabirds related to petrels. They have long wings and are strong fliers. Some species migrate over 14,000 km each year. Shearwaters nest in burrows and hunt for fish and squid, but they also sometimes follow whales and fishing boats to gather up the scraps.


Distribution: mostly worldwide; not tropics


Skua

Skuas are strong fliers that look a bit like dark-colored gulls. They nest in temperate or arctic areas. Skuas eat mostly fish during their winters at sea, but during the breeding season they eat lemmings, other birds’ eggs and chicks, and even adult birds up to the size of a gull!

Taxonomy: 4 species

Distribution: mostly worldwide

Birds of the Ocean

Tern

Terns are generally medium to large birds with white or gray plumage. They usually have forked tails and long tapering wings. Their bodies are streamlined for long distance flight, and the Arctic Tern has the longest migration of all birds - over 22,000 km! Not all terns are ocean birds.


Distribution: worldwide

Tropicbird Taxonomy: 3 species

Distribution: tropics and subtropics

Tropicbirds are white with various black markings on their head, back, and wings. Their most distinctive feature is their long central tail feathers, which can double their body length! Tropicbirds are poor swimmers, but their favorite foods are flying fish and squid.


__ __ __ __ - __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ .

Do blue-footed boobies lay bright blue eggs, too?

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Birds of the Ocean 1 Read about the 6 types of Birds of the Ocean listed below, then match them to their descriptions.

_____ albatross

_____ auklet

_____ booby

_____ cormorant

_____ eider

_____ fulmar

A. a seaduck with salt glands above its eyes

B. once called “sea sparrows”

C. fish divers that also eat eels and water snakes

D. very large birds with a strong sense of smell

E. fish eaters that spit dangerous oil at intruders

F. large seabird, some with bright blue feet

Find the six birds above in the puzzle, then use the letters between the words to answer the question.

B B O O B Y L U

F A E F O A O C

T U E D B L O O

O K L B I B E R

S L L M A A Y M

T E W O A T O O

R T T H R R E R

E P A L E O B A

E I D E R S L N

U E E G G S S T

Q:

A:

BLUE-FOOTED BOOBIES LAY

TWO OR THREE PALE BLUE

EGGS.

(Take all the letters except those

in the circled words, in order, left

to right, and you end up with the

message above.)

Do blue-footed boobies lay bright blue eggs, too?


Birds of the Ocean 1 KEY Read about the 6 types of Birds of the Ocean listed below, then match them to their descriptions.

D. albatross

B. auklet

F. booby

C. cormorant

A. eider

E. fulmar

A. a seaduck with salt glands above its eyes

B. once called “sea sparrows”

C. fish divers that also eat eels and water snakes

D. very large birds with a strong sense of smell

E. fish eaters that spit dangerous oil at intruders

F. large seabird, some with bright blue feet

Find the six birds above in the puzzle, then use the letters between the words to answer the question.

B B O O B Y L U

F A E F O A O C

T U E D B L O O

O K L B I B E R

S L L M A A Y M

T E W O A T O O

R T T H R R E R

E P A L E O B A

E I D E R S L N

U E E G G S S T

Q:

A:



_____ gull

_____ jaeger

_____ kittiwake

_____ murrelet

_____ noddy

_____ petrel

A. crustacean eaters with solid black wing tips

B. diverse group of seabirds with long nasal tubes

C. intelligent scavengers that stay close to land

D. seabirds with the most unique breeding styles

E. the “masked bandit” of the ocean skies

F. warm-weather seabirds that roost on shore

Write the answers, then use the selected letters to answer the question at the bottom.

What bird once numbered over one-half million on its island home in the western Atlantic ocean, but was nearly wiped out by the introduction of

cats, rats, dogs, and pigs (less than 200 left in 1996)?

Q:

the ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

A:

1. Which bird above might have a 3-day-old chick swimming in the water?

2. What is one place that noddies live? 3. What is something that gulls will do whenever they can? 4 . What is a one-word name for ALL the six animals in the list above?

___ ___ ___ R ___ ___ ___ T 4 5 3 13 2

___ ___ 0 ___ ___ ___ S 10 8

S ___ ___ V ___ ___ ___ ___ 7 12

___ ___ A ___ ___ ___ ___ S 9 1 11 6



C. gull

E. jaeger

A. kittiwake

D. murrelet

F. noddy

B. petrel

A. crustacean eaters with solid black wing tips

B. diverse group of seabirds with long nasal tubes

C. intelligent scavengers that stay close to land

D. seabirds with the most unique breeding styles

E. the “masked bandit” of the ocean skies

F. warm-weather seabirds that roost on shore

Write the answers, then use the selected letters to answer the question at the bottom.

What bird once numbered over one-half million on its island home in the western Atlantic ocean, but was nearly wiped out by the introduction of

cats, rats, dogs, and pigs (less than 200 left in 1996)?

Q:

the BERMUDA PETREL A:

1. Which bird above might have a 3-day-old chick swimming in the water?

2. What is one place that noddies live? 3. What is something that gulls will do whenever they can? 4 . What is a one-word name for ALL the six animals in the list above?

MURRELET TROPICS SCAVENGE SEABIRDS



_____ puffin

_____ scoter

_____ shearwater

_____ skua

_____ tern

_____ tropicbird

A. strong fliers that eat other birds and lemmings

B. long distance fliers with a tubenose

C. poor swimmers with long central tail feathers

D. black or dark brown seaducks that form flocks

E. forked-tail birds with the longest migration

F. stubby birds with bright beaks while breeding

1 2 3 4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Use your Birds of the Ocean information to complete the puzzle.

ACROSS

1. tropicbirds have long central tail __________

6. skuas can eat birds up to the size of a _____

8. something shearwaters follow for scraps

9. terns have long ____________ wings

10. scoters eat mollusks and _______________

DOWN

2. skuas will eat other birds’ ________

3. shearwaters are ___________ seabirds

4. tropicbirds love flying fish and _________

5. scoters form large ocean ___________

7. the ________ tern has the longest migration


F. puffin

D. scoter

B. shearwater

A. skua

E. tern

C. tropicbird

A. strong fliers that eat other birds and lemmings

B. long distance fliers with a tubenose

C. poor swimmers with long central tail feathers

D. black or dark brown seaducks that form flocks

E. forked-tail birds with the longest migration

F. stubby birds with bright beaks while breeding

F E A T H E R S

G U Q F

G B G U L L

S E I O

A N D C

R B O A T S K

C S S

T A P E R I N G

I

C R U S T A C E A N S

Use your Birds of the Ocean information to complete the puzzle.


ACROSS

1. tropicbirds have long central tail feathers

6. skuas can eat birds up to the size of a gull

8. something shearwaters follow for scraps

boats

9. terns have long tapering wings

10. scoters eat mollusks and crustaceans

DOWN

2. skuas will eat other birds’ eggs

3. shearwaters are tubenose seabirds

4. tropicbirds love flying fish and squid

5. scoters form large ocean flocks

7. the Arctic tern has the longest migration

Who Am I ?


Answer the riddles with words from the box below. Not all the words will be used.

albatross

auklet

booby

cormorant

eider

fulmar

gull

jaeger

kittiwake

1. I spend the summer on the tun-dra eating lemmings and raising my chicks. In the winter, I live out at sea, chasing other birds until they drop their fish for me to catch. Who am I? ____________________________

2. I live in the north and my feath-ers are almost totally black. I dive underwater for fish, eels, and even snakes. Some of my cousins live on lakes instead of oceans. Who am I? ____________________________

3. I am black and white like a pen-guin, but I am smaller. I get to-gether with my friends and my cousins in huge flocks and we all hunt for krill and zooplankton. Who am I? ____________________________

4. I am a black and white seaduck. I eat mollusks and crustaceans, and I love mussels the best. Some people use my soft feathers in their sleeping bags or comforters. Who am I? ____________________________

5. I have long pointed wings and a long pointed bill, too. I fly high over the ocean, then dive down deep to catch my fish. Some of my cousins have blue webbed feet. Who am I? ____________________________

6. I am mostly white and gray, but I have black tips to my wings. Some people say I look just like a gull, but I spend my winters at sea. I eat some crustaceans, too. Who am I? ____________________________

Who Am I ? KEY



albatross

auklet

booby

cormorant

eider

fulmar

gull

jaeger

kittiwake

1. I spend the summer on the tun-dra eating lemmings and raising my chicks. In the winter, I live out at sea, chasing other birds until they drop their fish for me to catch. Who am I?

jaeger

2. I live in the north and my feath-ers are almost totally black. I dive underwater for fish, eels, and even snakes. Some of my cousins live on lakes instead of oceans. Who am I?

cormorant

3. I am black and white like a pen-guin, but I am smaller. I get to-gether with my friends and my cousins in huge flocks and we all hunt for krill and zooplankton. Who am I?

auklet

4. I am a black and white seaduck. I eat mollusks and crustaceans, and I love mussels the best. Some people use my soft feathers in their sleeping bags or comforters. Who am I?

eider

5. I have long pointed wings and a long pointed bill, too. I fly high over the ocean, then dive down deep to catch my fish. Some of my cousins have blue webbed feet. Who am I?

booby

6. I am mostly white and gray, but I have black tips to my wings. Some people say I look just like a gull, but I spend my winters at sea. I eat some crustaceans, too. Who am I?

kittiwake

Who Am I ?



murrelet

noddy

petrel

puffin

scoter

shearwater

skua

tern

tropicbird

1. I don’t like the cold, so I stay where it is warm all year. I balance my egg in a skinny tree fork and my chick has to hang on with its extra-long claws. Who am I? ____________________________

2. I don’t like the cold either. I al-so cannot swim very well, but I just love to catch flying fish in midair. Most people think my long tail feathers are beautiful. Who am I? ____________________________

3. I am a seabird with a tubenose. I fly long distances every year to go to my nesting place where I dig a burrow. You might see me fol-lowing your boat if you’re fishing. Who am I? ____________________________

4. I also have a tubenose bill, and some of my cousins can even strain out plankton with their bills! I can travel far, too, and I go a long way to catch my fish and squid dinner. Who am I? ____________________________

5. I look a lot like a gull with dark-er feathers. Usually I eat fish, but I get so hungry that I eat the eggs and chicks of other birds, and even the big birds themselves! Who am I? ____________________________

6. I am a black duck that loves the ocean. The only time I leave it is to build my nest in a forest or just flat on the tundra. I love company; all my friends and I flock together. Who am I? ____________________________

Who Am I ? KEY



murrelet

noddy

petrel

puffin

scoter

shearwater

skua

tern

tropicbird

1. I don’t like the cold, so I stay where it is warm all year. I balance my egg in a skinny tree fork and my chick has to hang on with its extra-long claws. Who am I?

noddy

2. I don’t like the cold either. I al-so cannot swim very well, but I just love to catch flying fish in midair. Most people think my long tail feathers are beautiful. Who am I?

tropicbird

3. I am a seabird with a tubenose. I fly long distances every year to go to my nesting place where I dig a burrow. You might see me fol-lowing your boat if you’re fishing. Who am I?

shearwater

4. I also have a tubenose bill, and some of my cousins can even strain out plankton with their bills! I can travel far, too, and I go a long way to catch my fish and squid dinner. Who am I?

petrel

5. I look a lot like a gull with dark-er feathers. Usually I eat fish, but I get so hungry that I eat the eggs and chicks of other birds, and even the big birds themselves! Who am I?

skua

6. I am a black duck that loves the ocean. The only time I leave it is to build my nest in a forest or just flat on the tundra. I love company; all my friends and I flock together. Who am I?

scoter

Seabird Mates


Use a different color crayon or pencil for each line to match seabird mates.


Auk Talk Use these /aw/ words to complete the sentences.

call

hawk

thought

stalk

moth

crawl

raw

small

walk

lost

caught

salt

1. Auks are ________________ seabirds.

2. Will an auk eat a butterfly or a ______________?

3. That chick is _____________. It is not with its mom.

4. I hope that ______________ will not eat the chick!

5. No, it has just __________________ a mouse instead.

6. The mom auk will ________________ to her chick.

7. I _______________ it could not ______________ yet.

8. Chicks do not ______________ like human babies.

9. They eat ____________ fish from their moms.

10. The moms catch the fish in the ______________ water.

11. Sometimes other animals _______________ the moms.

Between Albatrosses and Noddies Circle the word in each row that would NOT be found between the guide words.


auklet --- eider 1. baboon evening dovetail azure 2. earlier beauty careful attempt 3. either dynamite coconut baby 4. career chance friendly doughnut

petrel --- scoter 1. raced pieces skipped 2. quiet papyrus salmon 3. sauce pockets smelly 4. open scavenge puny

jaeger --- noddy 1. jumping noted marvelous 2. inside moldy kangaroo 3. novel noble journeys 4. January lions jackrabbit

Pick one word from the box on the right to fit between each set of guide words.

seabird

Pacific

species

webbed

squid

plankton

cormorant

whales

crustacean

cement _________________ corn

space ______________ speckled

savory _______________ second

welcome ______________ wheel

oyster ________________ pepper

places ________________ please

violet ___________________ west

creepy ________________ dollar

spell ___________________ swing

Between Albatrosses and Noddies KEY Circle the word in each row that would NOT be found between the guide words.


auklet --- eider 1. baboon evening dovetail azure 2. earlier beauty careful attempt 3. either dynamite coconut baby 4. career chance friendly doughnut

petrel --- scoter 1. raced pieces skipped 2. quiet papyrus salmon 3. sauce pockets smelly 4. open scavenge puny

jaeger --- noddy 1. jumping noted marvelous 2. inside moldy kangaroo 3. novel noble journeys 4. January lions jackrabbit

Pick one word from the box on the right to fit between each set of guide words.

seabird

Pacific

species

webbed

squid

plankton

cormorant

whales

crustacean

cement cormorant corn

space species speckled

savory seabird second

welcome whales wheel

oyster Pacific pepper

places plankton please

violet webbed west

creepy crustacean dollar

spell squid swing

JAEGER JAEGER JAEGER

JAEGER JAEGER JAEGER

tern tern gull


gull kittiwake kittiwake

albatross auklet

eider scoter booby

murrelet


jaeger nought

jaeger nought

jaeger nought

jaeger nought

jaeger nought

jaeger nought

jaeger nought

jaeger nought

jaeger nought


Print the third page back-to-back with the first two pages. Make at least 3 copies, for a 54-card deck. If possible, print on card stock and laminate or cover with clear contact paper for durability. Shuffle and place the deck face-down between players. Game Rules: 1. On each turn, players take the top card off the deck. 2. When a player draws a JAEGER card, they may “jaeger” 1 other player - taking up to 1 each of these three species from that player: gull, tern, kittiwake. 3. Cards that are not the above 3 species are “safe” - they may never be jaegered (taken). 4. The winner is the player with the most bird cards left once the deck has been used up. 5. To break a tie, place 5 jaeger cards and 5 of any other cards in a pile and shuffle. Place face-down and have each player draw 3 cards, one at a time in turn. The player with the most jaegers wins. Repeat, if necessary, to break ties.

JAEGER nought game


Birds of the Ocean - Home Education Resources · Petrel Petrels all have ... A. crustacean eaters...

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Transcript of Birds of the Ocean - Home Education Resources · Petrel Petrels all have ... A. crustacean eaters...