Continue with Microsoft TeamsUnusual Bird Homes
Vocabulary
Read the vocabulary terms to understand the reading better.
Nest
A nest is a shelter made by an animal for its eggs and young.
Tunnel
A tunnel is an underground or underwater passage.
Soil
Soil is a mixture of minerals and organisms that cover most of the earth’s surface and is where plants grow.
Many birds build nests shaped a like a bowl, and the nests sit on tree branches. Read about two birds that build different kinds of homes.
Baya Weavers
The baya weaver builds a nest with walls and a roof. The nest is made of grass. The nest does not sit on a branch. Instead, it hangs from a branch.
A baya weaver builds its nest at the end of a thin branch. Animals that want to eat eggs in the nest are too heavy to walk along such a thin branch to get the eggs. The baya weaver puts a layer of mud inside the nest. The mud keeps the inside of the nest a comfortable temperature whether it gets hot or cold outside.
Bee Eaters
The bee eater does not build a home from twigs or grass. It digs a tunnel home in a wall of sandy soil at the side of a river. The bee eater chooses a place where the sandy soil is not too hard or too soft.
A bee eater uses its beak to start digging a small hole in the soil. Soon, the hole is deep enough for the bird to go inside. Then the bird digs with its feet to make the hole into a long tunnel. At the end of the tunnel is a space where bee eaters lay eggs. The tunnel is too narrow for other animals to crawl along to eat the eggs. Inside the tunnel, the air stays a comfortable temperature when the weather outside gets warmer or cooler.
To learn more about unusual bird homes, watch the video by SciShow on YouTube.
Show What You Know!
Complete some questions about the reading selection by clicking “Begin Questions” below.
