Bird Eggs and Feathers (Animal Signatures® Kit)

Introduction (from the activity booklet that comes with this kit):

This kit invites students to explore the two features that differentiate birds from other animals: feathers and hard-shelled eggs. All birds, including flightless species, have feathers. They help keep them warm, dry, camouflaged, and during the breeding season, attractive to mates. Feathers give birds not only their colors, but also their lift. All birds lay eggs as part of their life cycle. Hatching birds often leave egg fragments in the nest or on the ground below. Eggs, egg fragments, and feathers are classic bird “signatures” that help us understand bird life in an area. This kit contains seven different, cleaned, and infertile eggs collected from domestic barnyard fowl (coturnix quail, ringneck pheasant, duck, goose, turkey, and two varieties of chicken). The kit also contains five different packets of feathers from domestic birds—over 50 naturally shed (not plucked) feathers representing a variety of colors and types from different species. Other kit components include a chicken life cycle replica set, one 3x hand lens, Take-Along Guide to Birds, Nests and Eggs, four blackline masters, and an activity guide. The activities in this kit address the Next Generation Science Standards, specifically these Disciplinary Core Ideas: Structure and Function (LS1.A) and Growth and Development of Organisms (LS1.B). The activities also relate to Structure and Function as a Crosscutting Concept. Note: Wild bird eggs and feathers are protected under various state and federal statutes. All of the eggs and feathers in this kit are from domestic fowl humanely raised on small family farms.