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Shadow of the Condor
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Classroom Activity
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Objective
To observe and list the physical features of the condor and make
inferences about its habits.
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copy of "Do You Know This Bird?" student handout (HTML)
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Before watching, copy and distribute the "Do You Know This
Bird?" student handout. Ask students to observe and list the
physical features of the condor. Have them make a second list,
based on these observations, of inferences about its
habits—how and what it eats, where it might live, and what
may cause its extinction. As they watch the program, instruct
students to look for information that supports or refutes their
inferences.
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Have students share the information they gathered from the
program. What did they find out about the condor's eating and
living habits? What did they learn about the causes for its
extinction? Add the new causes to the list you began before
watching. You may want to share the former and present range of
the condor presented in
Program Contents.
Before viewing the program, student observations and inferences
about the condor should be based solely on the picture. The condor,
at an adult weight of as much as 25 pounds, is the world's heaviest
fully-flighted bird. Such features as its sharp curved beak and
large scaly talons might indicate that the bird is a predator (in
fact, condors, like most other vultures, eat decaying animal
remains). The broad wingspan (nearly nine and a half feet) of the
animal may indicate that it can fly over large areas and needs a
large nesting area.
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