Teacher Answer Key

Vocabulary Organizer Answer Key

Adaptation:   Hummingbirds developed wings and an ability to hover in order to eat nectar from flowers

Competition:  Birds with differently colored feathers compete to protect their territory

Environment:  The only food source for the birds was the nectar in flowers, causing them to evolve to suit that food source.

Natural Selection:  Hummingbirds became smaller and smaller so they could move faster

Variation: In the same species, different bills developed for different types of flowers

Rufous Hummingbird Organizer Answer Key

1.  Describe the migration route of the Rufous Hummingbird:  
Begins in coastal Alaska, south to the Rockies and to the mountains of Mexico for the winter.  In the spring they go back through Western California and to Southwest Canada for the summer.

1a. How far do the birds travel?  
Over 5,000 miles round trip.

2.  Why is the Rufous like a GPS system? 
Accurate navigation abilities, storing lots of information about the route, always come back to the same place.

3.  What information is used to track the Rufous Hummingbirds? 
Gender, size/weight, and feather color.

4.  How do young birds know the migration route? 
It is genetically programmed. 

4a. What adaptations to the trip do they make?  
They will adjust their trip for late blooming flowers or for yearly variations in their food supply.

5.  How does Dr. Calder plan to gather more information about the Rufous Hummingbirds? 
Using new technology, he plans to gather more genetic information from feather and tissue samples.

Beak Characteristics Organizer Answer Key

 	First Thoughts	Questions	Revised Answers	
1. Brown Creeper	(Answers will vary)	(Answers will vary)	To probe under bark for insects	
2. Eagle			 Tearing flesh	
3. Curlew			 Probing shoreline for food trapped in sediments	
4. Spoonbill			 Shoveling through shallow waters for food	
5. Flamingo			 Separating mud and silt to find food	
6. Skimmer			 Lower jaw scoops fish from water	
7. Hummingbird			 Beak is used like a straw in flowers	
8. Heron			 Spearing fish in the water	
9. Woodpecker			 Drill into tree bark for insects	
10. Cardinal			 Nut cracker	
11. Duck			 Used as a sieve to catch fish and drain water	
12. Pelican			 Pouch for holding fish caught underwater