Continue with Microsoft TeamsRead About Birds and Bats
Vocabulary
Can you find where all the definitions are in the text?
Insects are arthropods that have six legs, three body parts (head, thorax [midsection], abdomen), and usually one or two pairs of wings (e.g., flies, beetles, crickets, butterflies, and bees).
Nocturnal means to be active mostly at night.
To hatch means to break out of an egg.
Birds and Bats
Birds and bats are both animals that can fly. In some ways, these animals are the same. In other ways, these animals are very different.
A bird’s wings are covered with feathers. A bat’s wings have no feathers.
Some kinds of bats eat fruit and seeds, and so do some kinds of birds. Many birds and bats eat insects. Some insects can eat up the plants that farmers grow. Birds and bats help farmers by eating some of these insects.
Bats sleep hanging upside down. Some birds sleep standing up, and others sit down to sleep. Birds and bats sleep at different times. Most birds sleep at night, but most bats sleep during the day. Animals that sleep during the day and are active at night are called nocturnal animals.
Baby bats do not hatch from eggs, but baby birds do. Baby bats drink milk from their mother. Baby birds are fed by their parents. The parents might catch worms and insects to feed their babies.
Many birds build nests. Most birds build nests in trees, but some birds build nests on the ground. Bats do not build nests. They often use caves, trees, or barns as homes.
Fact File: Are Vampire Bats Real?
Yes, there really are vampire bats that drink blood! They bite sleeping animals to make a little bit of blood come out. The animals do not die after losing only a little blood. Vampire bats almost never bite humans.
To learn more about Vampire Bats, watch the video by SciShow on Youtube.