New England Owls Activities -- PreK-2

Pre Visit

Key words – nocturnal, predator, raptor, talons

Activity 1: Who’s awake at night? Some animals, like most humans, are active during the day and asleep during the night.  These animals are said to be diurnal.  Other animals, like owls, are awake at night and asleep during the day.  Owl and other nighttime creatures are said to be nocturnal. Below is a list of animals.  Can you determine which animals are nocturnal and which are diurnal?  Divide the list into two groups. Ideas:  1.  Cut out pictures of the animals with its name and have children physically place the animals into two groups. 2.  Give children the full list.  Circle diurnal animals with a green pen.  Circle nocturnal animals with a red pen. hawk owl squirrel skunk woodpecker salamander duck turtle butterfly bat (Answers:  NOCTURNAL animals include the owl, skunk, salamander, and bat) Follow up discussion: Most nocturnal animals have special adaptations that help them survive in a darkened world.  Owls, for example, have large eyes which help them see better in the dark.  Larger eyes allow more light to reach the back of the eyes and therefore make it easier for the owl to see.  Owls also have excellent hearing that helps them locate their prey even if they can’t see it.

Activity 2: Beaks, claws and eyes Raptors, also known as “birds of prey”, have three common characteristics that help them hunt and capture prey. Beak The beak is sharp for tearing flesh of prey.  It is also small and curved downward out of the way of the raptor’s field of vision.  This enables the bird to clearly see its prey.  Claws Raptors grab their prey with powerful feet called “talons”.  The feet are very strong and the claws are very sharp. Eyes The eyes of raptors, and most other predators, both face forward.  This allows the bird to look at its prey with both eyes at the same time, and get a better idea about exactly where in space its prey is located. Obtain pictures of a variety of birds, both raptors (hawks and owls) and non-raptors.  Examine the beaks, claws, and eyes of the birds to determine whether or not they are raptors. Examples: Animal Duck Lifestyle large bill extending in front of face webbed feet eyes on either side of head The duck’s bill is adapted for grasping vegetation.  Its feet are good for paddling in water.  The duck in NOT a predator, and it cannot see something with both eyes at once.  In contrast, it can see almost all around it… it must watch out for predators and be ready to get away! Animal Woodpecker Lifestyle strong bill extending in front of face two claws facing forward, two facing back The woodpecker’s bill is adapted for pecking on trees for insects.  Its claws enable it to perch on the side of a tree. Animal Hummingbird Lifestyle thin long beak extending in front of face thin claws for perching periodically The hummingbird’s bill is adapted for obtaining nectar from the inside of tubular flowers

Post Visit

Activity: What did the owl eat? Examine the bones collected from your owl pellet.  Use the bone charts to identify what kind of animal(s) your owl ate.  Try to reassemble the skeleton of the prey animal.  Glue the arrangement to a strong piece of poster board. Count the number of complete skulls found in one owl pellet to determine how many animals are represented.  Assuming an owl expels one pellet a day, estimate how many prey animals the owl might eat in a week (or month, or year).

New England Owls Activities -- Grades 3-5

Pre Visit

Key words – nocturnal, diurnal, predator, raptor, talons, binocular vision

	Activity 1: Who’s awake at night? Some animals, like most humans, are active during the day and asleep during the night.  These animals are said to be diurnal.  Other animals, like owls, are awake at night and asleep during the day.  Owl and other nighttime creatures are said to be nocturnal. Below is a list of animals.  Can you determine which animals are nocturnal and which are diurnal?  Divide the list into two groups. Ideas:  1.  Cut out pictures of the animals with its name and have children physically place the animals into two groups. 2.  Give children the full list.  Circle diurnal animals with a green pen.  Circle nocturnal animals with a red pen. hawk owl squirrel skunk woodpecker salamander duck turtle butterfly bat (Answers:  NOCTURNAL animals include the owl, skunk, salamander, and bat) Follow up discussion: Most nocturnal animals have special adaptations that help them survive in a darkened world.  Owls, for example, have large eyes which help them see better in the dark.  Larger eyes allow more light to reach the back of the eyes and therefore make it easier for the owl to see.  Owls also have excellent hearing that helps them locate their prey even if they can’t see it. Question for the curious: 1) Bats are also nocturnal, yet they have very small eyes.  Why is this? 2) Bats use echolocation as their primary sense.
	Activity 2: Beaks, claws and eyes Raptors, also known as “birds of prey”, have three common characteristics that help them hunt and capture prey. Beak The beak is sharp for tearing flesh of prey.  It is also small and curved downward out of the way of the raptor’s field of vision.  This enables the bird to clearly see its prey.  Claws Raptors grab their prey with powerful feet called “talons”.  The feet are very strong and the claws are very sharp. Eyes The eyes of raptors, and most other predators, both face forward.  This allows the bird to look at its prey with both eyes at the same time, and get a better idea about exactly where in space its prey is located.
	Activity 3: Binocular vision? Look at the person next to you and notice how his/her eyes are arranged on the face.  Do they both face forward, or is there an eye on either side of the head?  Do you have binocular vision?  Have a friend hold a pencil up in front of you.  Look at it with both eyes.  Now cover one eye with your hand.  Is the pencil in the same place?  Now uncover the first eye and cover the other eye.  Did the pencil change position at all?  What happens? The pencil appears to move slightly from one side to the other depending on which eye is looking at it.  The slight difference is due to the slight difference in position of your two eyes. Question: If this pencil test was performed on a duck, would the duck see the same thing YOU saw?  Why or why not? Obtain pictures of a variety of birds, both raptors (hawks and owls) and non-raptors.  Examine the beaks, claws, and eyes of the birds to determine whether or not they are raptors. Examples: Animal Duck Lifestyle large bill extending in front of face webbed feet eyes on either side of head The duck’s bill is adapted for grasping vegetation.  Its feet are good for paddling in water.  The duck in NOT a predator, and it cannot see something with both eyes at once.  In contrast, it can see almost all around it… it must watch out for predators and be ready to get away! Animal Woodpecker Lifestyle strong bill extending in front of face two claws facing forward, two facing back The woodpecker’s bill is adapted for pecking on trees for insects.  Its claws enable it to perch on the side of a tree. Animal Hummingbird Lifestyle thin long beak extending in front of face thin claws for perching periodically The hummingbird’s bill is adapted for obtaining nectar from the inside of tubular flowers

Post Visit

Key Words – Carnivore, digestion, owl pellet

Activity 1: Haws vs. Owls Both hawks and owls are raptors.  Both hawks and owls may share the same habitat, yet they avoid competition because they hunt at different times of the day.  Hawks are diurnal and owls are nocturnal.  List some of the similarities and differences between hawks and owls. DIFFERENCES Hawks -diurnal -flies fast -wings make noise -hunts diurnal mammals Owls -nocturnal -flies slowly -noiseless flight -hunts nocturnal animals SIMILARITIES -raptors (curved beak, talons, binocular vision, predator) -camouflage coloration

Activity 2: What did the owl eat? Examine the bones collected from your owl pellet.  Use the bone charts to identify what kind of animal(s) your owl ate.  Try to reassemble the skeleton of the prey animal.  Glue the arrangement to a strong piece of poster board. Count the number of complete skulls found in one owl pellet to determine how many animals are represented.  Assuming an owl expels one pellet a day, estimate how many prey animals the owl might eat in a week (or month, or year). Brainstorm:  What can owl pellets tell us? The freshness of the pellet tells you how long ago the owl was there The number of pellets tells you how long the owl has been roosting there The skeletons in the pellets tell you what species of animals the owl ate The number of skeletons tell you how many animals the owl eats