Blending Fact and Fiction: Birding Writing Prompt

​One day, you look out your window at your bird feeder and
​you see a bird struggling to pick up a sunflower seed.
Suddenly, the bird’s beak changes shape!

Bluebird at bird feeder in my backyard this past winter.

There are a few topics that are the ‘go to’ for environmental educators to help capture the imagination of children: trees, bugs and birds. Why? Because they are easier to find! It is easier to teach a child about a topic when they can see it in the same moment you are teaching. Other wildlife species are great for capturing children’s imagination but the chance of seeing it are much smaller. I will never forget seeing a puma in Belize and a tiger in India, but I still get excited when I see a blue jay outside my window. Help your child feel that same excitement by taking advantage of what is right in your own backyard.

Start by reviewing my tips on blending science and creative writing here.

Then use the writing prompt, scientific background and key vocabulary described below to write a fictional story inspired by science. 

​One day, you look out your window at your bird feeder and ​you see a bird struggling to pick up a sunflower seed. Suddenly, the bird’s beak changes shape!

Science Background

Comparing bird beaks is a classic lesson on adaptations. A bird’s beak gives a lot of clues as to where the bird lives and what it may eat. Ornithologists use the features of a bird’s beak to help identify different bird species. Compare the long beak of a pelican to the short beak of a chickadee or the sharp hooked beak of a hawk. These three birds have different diets and different methods of obtaining their food.

Generally speaking,

• Pelican: Lives along coasts and eats fish.
• Chickadee: Lives in forested areas. Eats seeds and insects.
• Hawk: Lives near edges between woods and open areas. Eats small mammals. 

Creative Writing Elements

​If the bird’s beak gives ornithologists clues into the bird’s lifestyle, what would happen if a bird could change its beak? How would the ability to alter its physical appearance change where the bird lived or what it ate? Would there be any negative consequences? Consider how the bird interacts with other animals in the environment.
Other characteristics such as wing span, coloration and bird song can also be used to describe the bird in your story. 

Key Vocabulary

• Ornithologist: A scientist who studies birds.
• Adaptation: a physical or behavioral characteristic that helps a species survive in its environment.
• Upper Mandible: top part of the beak
• Lower Mandible: bottom part of the beak
• Wing span: Measurement from the tip of one wing to the the tip of the other wing on a bird.