Fit the Bill is a fun activity to do at home or with a few other children. This activity can be broken up over a few days by working with one bird each day or go all out and do it all at one time.
Activity
Experiment 1: (sparrows, cardinals and finch-like birds)
- Use a dish with seeds in their shells like sunflower seeds.
- Give children a dropper, straw, scooper and pliers. (pliers are the winner)
The goal is to figure out what kind of birds eat that food and what shape is their beak needs to be.
Experiment 2: (Ibises, curlews, snipes and other burrowing beak birds.
- Put dry oatmeal and gummy worms in a bowl.
- Give children a strainer, tweezers, pliers, and chopsticks. (chopsticks are the winner)
Experiment 3: (Hummingbirds)
- Use a water bottle or narrow vase with water to represent nectar.
- Give children a scooper or net, dropper, straw and spoon. (straw is the winner)
Experiment 4: (Warblers)
- spread peanut butter on a stick or small log then sprinkle with rice.
- Give children tweezers, a scoop, pliers and straw. (tweezers are the winner)
This experiment can be altered to fit birds in your area. The possibilities are endless. Enjoy finding which bill fits what bird.