Birdwatching in the DR

​Birds in the DR and Birdwatching

​by Teacher Jorge

Birds are animals that have this following traits in common:

• Lay eggs

• Beak

• Feathers

• Hot blood

• Wings

​

What is a bird?

Multiple Choice

Which of the following are NOT a characteristics of birds?

• Beaks

• Laying eggs

• Teeth

• Feathers

Multiple Choice

True or False: Flight is a classifying trait for birds

• True

• False

The island of La Hispaniola (DR + Haiti) is the most diverse place in terms of birds, with 320 different species, and 10% are endemic

Birds in the DR

Open Ended

How many species of birds are endemic, if 10% of 320 species are endemic?

Among all the living species of birds, we can find the following types in La Hispaniola:

-Owls and nightjars

-Ducks

-Hummingbirds

-Pigeons and doves

-Woodpeckers

-Egrets and herons

-Seagulls and terns

-Cuckoos

-Parrots and parakeets

-Pelicans

-Songbirds

And so much more!

Different kinds of birds

Multiple Choice

What kind of bird is this?

• Pigeon/dove

• Owl

• Cuckoo

• Parrot

Multiple Choice

What kind of bird is this?

• Pigeon/dove

• Owl

• Cuckoo

• Parrot

Multiple Choice

What kind of bird is this?

• Pigeon/dove

• Owl

• Cuckoo

• Parrot

Multiple Choice

What kind of bird is this?

• Pigeon/dove

• Owl

• Cuckoo

• Parrot

Most of the birds can be classified as songbirds, some songbirds examples can be:

​-Grackles

-Vireos

-Ravens and crows

-Thrushes

-Kingbirds and flycatchers

-Warblers

- Todies

And many more. They are called songbirds because of their complex songs!

Songbirds alone are very very different!

Multiple Choice

What kind of bird is this?

• Crow

• Mockingbird

• Kingbird

• Grackle

Multiple Choice

What kind of bird is this?

• Crow

• Mockingbird

• Kingbird

• Grackle

Multiple Choice

What kind of bird is this?

• Crow

• Mockingbird

• Kingbird

• Grackle

Multiple Choice

What kind of bird is this?

• Crow

• Mockingbird

• Kingbird

• Grackle

Birds, like any other animal, are consumers, which means they have to eat other organisms to feed themselves. Some can eat lizards, seeds, fruits, or even other birds! How do we know?

​

What do birds do in a food chain?

Like mammals have different kinds of teeth, bird beaks are adapted to the diet that they have. Different beaks help them get different types of food.

​

The answer is in the beak

Birds sing thanks to their syrinx. Like our vocal chords, it allows them to create amazing sounds for different purposes. Most animals use sound for the same reasons: territory, mating, or communication. Let's listen to some birds!

​

How do birds communicate?

Multiple Choice

What bird makes this sound?

• Psittacara chloropterus

• Zenaida macroura

• Coereba flaveola

• Melanerpes striatus

Multiple Choice

What bird makes this sound?

• Psittacara chloropterus

• Zenaida macroura

• Coereba flaveola

• Melanerpes striatus

Multiple Choice

What bird makes this sound?

• Psittacara chloropterus

• Zenaida macroura

• Coereba flaveola

• Melanerpes striatus

Draw

Draw a beak of a bird that feeds on fish

Multiple Choice

What bird makes this sound?

• Psittacara chloropterus

• Zenaida macroura

• Coereba flaveola

• Melanerpes striatus

Draw

Draw a beak of a bird that feeds on seeds

Draw

Draw a beak of a bird that feeds on meat/animals