ook Closer
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Birds
A Dorling Kindersley Book
LONDON, NEW YORK, MUNICH, MELBOURNE, and DELHI
Text by Sue Mal...
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ook Closer
L
o
o
Birds
A Dorling Kindersley Book
LONDON, NEW YORK, MUNICH, MELBOURNE, and DELHI
Text by Sue Malyan Editor Penny Smith Senior designer Janet Allis Publishing manager Susan Leonard Managing art editor Clare Shedden Jacket design Simon Oon Picture researcher Sarah Mills Production Luca Bazzoli DTP Designer Almudena Díaz First published in Great Britain in 2005 by Dorling Kindersley Limited 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL A Penguin Company 2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1 Copyright © 2005 Dorling Kindersley Limited, London A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. ISBN 1-4053-1166-5 Colour reproduction by Colourscan, Singapore Printed and bound in China by Hung Hing Discover more at
www.dk.com
Contents 6
Laughing cry
8
Night watcher
10 Shy bird 12 Just hatched 14 On the beach 16 Bird call 18 First feathers 20 Enormous bill 22 Grab a snack 23 Index and Glossary
Look out for us. We will show you the size of every bird in this book.
6
h i n g g u c r y a L
sh!
... A woodpecker builds its nest in a tree. It digs out a nest hole using its strong beak.
...
you know d Di
oo
On the edge of a wood a sound like laughter rings out. It’s a bright green woodpecker and it is searching for food.
Sw
fee li
I’m Green woodpeckers are 31 cm (12 in) long and can live up to 15 years.
. eckish
n
bi a g
tp
I fly to a tree then hop up the trunk holding on with my claws.
These red feathers show that I’m a male. Females have black feathers here.
I use my long, sticky tongue to catch insects. Sometimes I poke my tongue into ants’ nests.
7
w t a h t c g h i e r N
At night a barn owl watches and listens. It is waiting for a mouse, vole, or frog to kill and eat.
I’m
I snatch my prey in my sharp, hooked talons.
Barn owls grow to 39 cm (15 in) long. They can live up to 21 years.
n g i you! h c t a w
8
These white feathers help to direct sounds into my ears.
...
you know d Di
e e e e r ech c S
!
... An owl eats its prey whole. Later it coughs up the bones, feathers, or fur in a hard lump called a pellet.
My body is tiny, but my fluffy feathers make me look big.
9
10
b y ird h S
At the edge of a swamp, a purple gallinule is hiding. It will dive underwater if it is frightened. A purple gallinule can be 20 cm (8 in) long.
My feathers are coated with oil so water flows off them easily.
11
When I spread out my toes, I can walk on floating leaves.
I find my food in the wet ground. I eat seeds, insects, and dead fish.
you know d Di ... A gallinule keeps in contact with its family by making quiet clicking noises.
...
I have long legs so I can wade through water.
12
t s h u a t ch e d J
A few hours after hatching, this fluffy partridge chick is up and running about. Its stripy colouring helps it to hide in the undergrowth. My soft, fluffy feathers are called down. They keep me lovely and warm. A red-legged partridge chick stands at 8 cm (3 in) high. An adult grows to 34 cm (14 in).
I’ll soon be growing my proper feathers, and I’ll be able to fly when I’m just 16 days old.
13
W
you know d Di ... A partridge nests in a hollow in the ground. Here she lays up to 25 eggs. That’s more than any other bird.
...
I use my long toes to scratch around in the soil, looking for food.
e r e h
m g u o t m to? r u o ’s
14
the beach n O
At the seashore oystercatchers sit in shallow holes called scrapes. They are guarding their eggs.
Oystercatchers can grow to 45 cm (18 in) long.
Can you spot my eggs? They look just like pebbles.
...
... This bird uses its beak to open shells. It prises or smashes them open and eats the soft flesh inside.
I
s e b l l ’
e r e h g n itti
.
15
ee ks
you know d Di
w r o f
I don’t just eat oysters I like crabs, shrimps, and worms too!
16
d c r a i ll B
Screech! An eastern rosella spots danger and screeches to warn its friends. Later, it finds fruit and seeds. It calls other rosellas, inviting them to the feast.
flap ! flap!
... A rosella’s beak never stops growing. It is worn into shape cracking nuts and seeds.
...
you know d Di
I’m a friendly bird and I live with my family. Other rosellas live with their mates.
I’m a male. My brightly coloured feathers help me attract a female.
cra ck
cra ck
un cr
The eastern rosella can grow to 60 cm (2 ft) long.
17
ch!
18
f e t a t s h r e i rs F
High up in an oak tree, a young tawny owl sits quietly. Its mottled feathers blend in with the branches and leaves, making it difficult to be seen.
Tawny owls grow up to 39 cm (15 in).
I have soft downy feathers because I am a young bird.
...
ou kno y d w i D
... An owl can look behind it by turning its head right round so it faces backwards.
o o
oo
-h
o
My feathers have fluffy edges that help me to fly silently.
19
h
Feathers on my toes protect me from the bites of my prey.
20
m o r us bill o n E
In the hot, wet rainforest, a Cuvier’s toucan is having a snack. It uses its bill to break into a sweet passionfruit. Yum! Yum!
My bill is nearly as big as my body, but it’s very light because it’s hollow.
p lur
slurp s
A toucan’s bill can be 12 cm (5 in) long.
When I eat, I lift up my bill and tip food down my throat.
...
you know d Di ... When a toucan wants to sleep, it rests its bill on its back, then nods off.
Passionfruit ’s m You recognize your friends by yf av their faces, but ou I know mine by rite! their colourful bills.
21
22
b a a s r n ack G
From the edge of a stream, a grey wagtail darts out. It grabs a fly in its beak and holds on to the wriggling insect. My tail helps me steer when I fly.
...
ou kno y d w Di ... When a wagtail perches, it tail bobs up and down. This is why it is called a wagtail.
I carry dirt from my nest and drop it in the stream.
Index A wagtail can grow to 19 cm (7 in) long and live up to 7 years.
I like eating flies, midges, and beetles.
barn owl 8-9 beak or bill 6, 15, 16, 20, 21, 22 claws 7, 8 Cuvier’s toucan 20-21 eastern rosella 16-17 eggs 14 feathers 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 17, 18, 19 green woodpecker 6-7
grey wagtail 22-23 nesting 6, 13 oak tree 18 oystercatcher 14-15 purple gallinule 10-11 rainforest 20 red-legged partridge 12-13 seashore 14 stream 22 swamp 10 tawny owl 18-19 wood 6
Glossary Beak the hard mouth of a bird. Bill another name for a beak. Chick a young bird. Down the fluffy feathers of a young bird.
Egg the hard-shelled, oval object from which a chick hatches.
Mate the partner of an animal or bird.
Pellet the undigested food coughed up by an owl.
23
Prey creatures an animal hunts for food.
Rainforest a tropical forest that has lots of rainfall. Scrapes shallow nests scratched in the ground.
Swamp soggy land that is sometimes covered with water.
Talons the claws of an owl. Wade walking slowly through water.
