Winners of the RSPB Competition ‘Fascinated by Birds?’
Following our recent competition in collaboration with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) here are the winning questions.
The best student entries will be awarded gift ‘Wildlife Explorers’ membership for one year with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) www.rspb.org.uk/youth/join_in/index.asp plus colourful Science Across the World certificates of recognition.
A choice of the very popular new book by ASE and the Woodland Trust, ‘Nature Detectives, Environmental Science for Primary Children’ or a quality ‘Bird Identification’ book applicable to their region will be awarded to Ms Candy Bonoan-Lagazon, Centro Montessori, Philippines as the teacher with the highest number of quality entries.
8 – 12 Years Category
Overall Winner – ÖZGÜN ARDA, Age 12, Private Kalamis School, Turkey
QUESTION: HOW DO BIRDS USE THEIR ENERGY WHILE THEY ARE MIGRATING?
ANSWER: Birds use a lot of energy in order to fly. They need more energy than all the other creatures on earth. For example a very tiny bird needs to flap wings 2.5 million times in order to travel the distance between Hawaii- Alaska. In spite of this it can stay up in the air for 36 hours at most. During this journey its speed is approximately 80 km/h and the acid level in its blood increase so much that it can cause some fatal risks for the bird. Some birds can avoid this risk by landing.
2nd Place – Rosa Fides G. Mina, Age 10, Centro Montessori, Philippines
QUESTION: WHAT ARE SOME STRANGE NESTS THAT PHILIPPINE BIRDS MAKE?
ANSWER: One example is the nest of a Philippine Frog-mouth. The bird uses downy feathers that are plucked from itself and sticks the feathers together using spider-webs, moss and lichens.
Another example is the nest of a Black-nated Tern. It’s nest is just a scrape in the sand beside shore rocks and small islets.
The Philippine Mallard ducks have nests made of grass placed in dense clumps on the ground near water.
The last example is the nest of a Philippine Eagle. The nest is made of sticks in the main fork of a tree usually 35m above ground.
3rd Place – Frances Alvarez, Age 11, Centro Montessori, Philippines
QUESTION: HOW CAN SOME BIRDS TALK?
ANSWER: Actually, most of the few species of talking birds can’t exactly talk but can only mimic things they hear. Most of the time they don’t even know what they are saying.
The birds that can talk are birds that were trained really well by people. Talking birds have a limited vocabulary according to how much it’s taught.
The few species of talking birds have complex voice boxes that can produce sounds. They do not use their tongue for talking and they have no lips like humans.
13 – 16 Years Category
Overall Winner - Sümeyye Ertem, Age 13, Özel Çamlica Kalem Ilkögretim Okulu, Turkey
 QUESTION: WHY DO BIRDS FLY LIKE A “V”?
ANSWER: Every bird makes a current for the others while they flutter. So the other can increase their speed 71% with the help of this current. If a goose leave the “V” shape , it can’t fly and has to join the group again. If the leader gets tired, it goes to the end and the other becomes the leader. So the process continues. The back ones shout at the fronts to increase the speed. If one of the geese is hunted, other two geese lease with it and wait till it dies or comeovers. Then they join a group to catch their first group.
The following students will receive prizes for Highly Commended Entries:
Ma. Margarita G. Goco, Age 9, Centro Montessori, Philippines
Question: What bird is an interior decorator and an architect?
Answer: A Gardener Bowerbird or Vogelkop Bowerbird builds a teepee-like structure. They use shells, flowers, berries and human things like glass, batteries and many more. It’s found in Western New Guinea. It’s the greatest bowerbird.
A male Satin Bowerbird is silk blue black with blue eyes, found in Australia. He mixes fruit juice with saliva to paint his bower to attract a female.
The Regent Bowerbird or “avenue builders” have beautiful plumage and are from Eastern Australia.
The brightest bowerbird is SericolusAureus. There’s a group of bowerbirds that don’t build bowers.
Gülfem Akin, Age 10, Özel Çamlica Kalem Ilkögretim Okulu, Turkey
Question: How can birds change their feathers?
Answer: The mammals and the birds nails and hair can be reproduced. It can be slowly and fast. Birds reproduce their hair twice a year. This process is not fast so the birds can move and fly while this reproduction. But some of them like goose, swan change their feathers suddenly so they can’t fly for 1-2 weeks and some of the sexes change their feathers in different times and ways.
Tugçe Torun, Age 12, Özel Çamlica Kalem Ilkögretim Okulu, Turkey
Question: Why do sea- gulls have spotted beaks?
Answer: Most of the sea gulls have red spots on their beaks. Animal scientists researched that there spots are for the kids. When the kids see the spot, it hit it and the mother seagull gives food (fish) to the kids. The kids recognize the red spots more easily. The junior seagulls assume every red spot as a beak even a red pencil.
Kerim Can Dansuk, Age 12, Eyuboglu Ilkogretim Okulu, Turkey
Are they good hunters?
We know owls from Harry Potter. I think owls are funny little animals but in real life owls are predators. They kill other animals to survive. The little owls eat little animals like insects. The larger owls eat young foxes,crabs, reptiles and birds. Owls are quiet in the mornings but they are active at night. Owls eyes can see things in the low light well. However there are two more things that owls good hunters. One of them is their ears! Owls can hear very good. They can hear the prey in leaves or underground. Owls wing and taloon makes owls good hunters too. Owls have large and rounded wings so they can fly quietly at night. Owls taloons are powerful and curved so the prey can’t escape. These make owls good predators. You see owls are predators.
Felice Alvarez, Age 11, Centrol Montessori, Philippines
Question: Which came first, the bird or the egg?
Answer: The egg because of evolution. It all started with single-cell organisms which evolved into various species of living things. Evolution went on and on until one specie evolved into the dinosaurs. Out of one egg came the ancestor of the birds, the Archeopteryx. The closest ancestor of the Archeopteryx is the Toodon. So therefore the egg came first.
Alissandra Isabella S. Martinez, Age 12, Centrol Montessori, Philippines
Question: What is the most creative way of making a bird’s nest?
Answer: Nests have many different locations, materials and sizes. Nests could be in a hole, in a tree or rock while some are woven-hanging structures. Materials can vary from sticks, leaves, grass, mud and animal materials like horse hair, snake skin and feathers. Some nests are built with amazing talent. The tailor birds of Asia (Orthotomus) build by sewing a pocket and gathering edges of leaves using plant fibers and other special materials. Some birds like the weavers can tie knots with strips of grass or palm leaves and it really makes a nice and compact nest.
Congratulations to the winners and those with highly commended entries. Unfortunately, it is not possible to acknowledge all entries received.
The RSPB www.rspb.org.uk is the UK charity working to secure a healthy environment for birds and wildlife, helping to create a better world for us all. RSPB belongs to Birdlife International, the global partnership of bird conservation societies.
Link to Latest Features and Features Archive
|
