Four Winds Nature Institute
4 Casey Rd. Chittenden, VT 05737
802-353-9440 www.fourwindsinstitute.org
ECOSYSTEMS: FOREST BIRDS
~Teaching Outline~
Focus: The Northern Forest, with its many layers of vegetation and abundance of insect prey,
provides food and nesting grounds for a wide variety of migratory birds (not in HON).
What makes the forest a good place for birds to live?
Puppet Show: meet some forest inhabitants and learn how they are linked in a food web.
Forest Food Scramble: experience how birds avoid competition by foraging in different layers of
the forest.
Field Mark Match: observe physical differences and learn the special field marks of some forest
bird species.
Life in Layers: see how different birds occupy specific layers in a forest where they find food or
nesting sites.
Forest Birds Foray: look for birds in a forest and practice identifying them by sight.
Songbird Marco Polo: experience how birds stay in contact with others of their kind through song.
Journal Activity – Forest Home Survey: draw a cross-sectional picture of the forest, noting the
locations of singing birds.
Closing Thoughts: review what birds live in a forest and how each is special.
SUGGESTED OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
Forest Food Scramble, Field Mark Match, Life in Layers, Forest Birds Foray, Songbird Marco
Polo, Forest Home Survey, Closing Thoughts
Unit Concepts/Ideas:
A. Many bird species find the resources they need to live and raise a family in the forest.
B. The different layers in a forest – forest floor, shrub, understory and canopy – provide homes
for different kinds of birds.
C. Forest birds communicate with others of their kind both visually and through songs and
calls.
D. Different kinds of birds can be identified by a variety of field marks – specific
characteristics that distinguish them from other bird species.
E. Birds are an important component of the forest ecosystem, helping protect the vitality of the
many plants by keeping insect populations under control.
Unit Vocabulary: inhabitant, migratory, forest layers, understory, canopy, forest floor, shrub,
prey, predator, territory, field marks
Science Grade Expectations:
Grades PK-K A forest is “home” for a variety of plants and animals. Birds are living animals; they
need food and water to survive. Each kind of bird communicates with other birds of its kind.
Grades 1-2 A forest habitat provides water, food, shelter and space for plants and animals that live
there. Birds have a variety of physical features that help them survive in different environments.
They get what they need to grow and survive from their environment. Birds communicate with
songs, calls, and visual signals to locate a mate, warn of danger and establish territory.
Grades 3-4 An ecosystem consists of all the living and non-living things in a specific place; a forest
is an ecosystem. Birds have certain physical and behavioral characteristics that help them to get
what they need to survive in their environment. They can be identified by distinguishing physical
and behavioral characteristics. Birds can be sorted into groups using various features to decide which
belong to which group. The details of the life cycle of different bird species are unique to its kind
though they have common stages of development.
Grades 5-6 A forest is habitat for plants and animals that are adapted to the conditions there. Birds
have characteristics that help them find what they need to survive in their environment and provide
for their survival: defense, obtain food, eliminate waste, reproduce. They can be identified by
distinguishing physical and behavioral characteristics. The number and kinds of birds and other
animals an ecosystem can support depends on the availability of food, water and other resources.
Availability of vital resources changes seasonally and influences behavioral patterns of birds and
other animals.
Science Skills:
A. Identifying through active listening some of the different components of the forest food web.
B. Listening to the variety of sounds in a forest to determine the kinds of birds that live there
C. Role-playing to understand the benefits of forest layers and specialized niches
D. Using tools to observe and identify birds from various layers of the forest
E. Observing the different layers of a forest and trying to identify the birds that live there
Vermont Standards: Inquiry 7.1, The Living World 7.13, Universe, Earth and the Environment
7.15, Natural Resources and Agriculture 7.16, Listening 1.13, Questioning 2.1, Sustainability 3.9,
Understanding Place 4.6
New Hampshire Standards: Science Process Skills SPS1, SPS3, SPS4, Life Science LS1, LS2,
LS3, Earth Space Science ESS1, ESS2
Four Winds Nature Institute –7/08.