3-5

Bird Migration

Implement this lesson:

Use this lesson when discussing ecosystems, habitats, or other environmental TEKs. This lesson can be used as part of a larger local theme i.e. Oceans Week. It is best to implement this lesson in conjunction with visiting a bird watching areas such as the local wetlands.

 

Lesson Objective:

The student will be able to understand the environmental factors affecting bird migration, choose a focus bird, and create a map of its migration.

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)

Science TEKS

3.1(A): Ask questions about organisms, objects, and events in the environment.

3.10(A): Collect information from observations using simple equipment.

3.9(A): Explore how adaptations enable organisms to survive in their environment.

3.15(A): Organize information to create a visual display or map.

3.7(B): Communicate and justify a solution.

3.11(B): Identify and discuss how different forms of energy can be used.

3.14(A): Identify the importance of conservation.

3.8(A): Collect and record data.

4.11(A) Identify and explain advantages and disadvantages of using Earth’s renewable and nonrenewable natural resources such as wind, water, sunlight, plants, animals, coal, oil, and natural gas

4.11(B) explain the critical role of energy resources to modern life and how conservation, disposal, and recycling of natural resources impact the environment

4.11(C) determine the physical properties of rocks that allow Earth’s natural resources to be stored there

4.12(A) investigate and explain how most producers can make their own food using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide through the cycling of matter

4.12(B)* describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy through food webs, including the roles of the Sun, producers, consumers, and decomposers

4.12(C) identify and describe past environments based on fossil evidence, including common Texas fossils

4.13(A) explore and explain how structures and functions of plants such as waxy leaves and deep roots enable them to survive in their environment

4.13(B) differentiate between inherited and acquired physical traits of organisms

5.10(A) explain how the Sun and the ocean interact in the water cycle and affect weather

5.10(B) model and describe the processes that led to the formation of sedimentary rocks and fossil fuels

5.10(C) model and identify how changes to Earth’s surface by wind, water, or ice result in the formation of landforms, including deltas, canyons, and sand dunes

5.11(A) design and explain solutions such as conservation, recycling, or proper disposal to minimize environmental impact of the use of natural resources

5.12(A) observe and describe how a variety of organisms survive by interacting with biotic and abiotic factors in a healthy ecosystem

5.12(B) predict how changes in the ecosystem affect the cycling of matter and flow of energy in a food web

5.12(C) describe a healthy ecosystem and how human activities can be beneficial or harmful to an ecosystem

5.13(A) analyze the structures and functions of different species to identify how organisms survive in the same environment

5.13(B) explain how instinctual behavioral traits such as turtle hatchlings returning to the sea and learned behavioral traits such as orcas hunting in packs increase chances of survival

What Signals Birds to Migrate?

Birds don’t have calendars or watches, but they do have special ways of knowing when it’s time to start their long trip. These clues are called environmental signals.

1. Daylight Hours

  • Birds notice when days get longer or shorter.

  • Shorter days in the fall tell birds: “Time to fly south to stay warm!”

  • Longer days in the spring tell them: “Time to fly north to build nests and raise chicks!”

2. Temperature Changes

  • When the weather gets cooler, it means winter is coming.

  • Birds sense the chill and know it’s time to head to warmer places.

 3. Food Supply

  • Birds keep track of how much food is around.

  • If flowers, insects, or berries start to disappear, birds know it’s time to move where food is easier to find.

 4. Weather Patterns

  • Big storms or winds can also help signal birds.

  • Many birds wait for good wind conditions to help them travel long distances.

5. Internal “Body Clock”

  • Birds have a built-in biological clock that tells them when to get restless and ready to fly.

  • Some even put on extra fat layers before leaving, like packing snacks for the road trip!

Summary

Birds use daylight, temperature, food, weather, and their own body clocks to know when it’s time to migrate. These signals work together like nature’s alarm clock, saying: “Pack your wings—it’s time to go!”

Bird Migration on the Texas Gulf Coast

Every year, millions of birds take an amazing journey called migration. Migration means traveling from one place to another, often very far away. The Texas Gulf Coast is like a rest stop on a super-long road trip for birds!

Why Birds Migrate

  • In the spring, birds fly north to have babies where it’s cooler and food is plentiful.

  • In the fall, they fly south to warmer places, like Mexico, Central America, or even South America.

  • They do this every year, back and forth!

Why the Texas Coast Is Important

  • The Gulf Coast has bays, marshes, islands, and beaches where birds can rest and eat.

  • After crossing the Gulf of Mexico (a HUGE stretch of ocean), birds land in Texas tired and hungry.

  • Texas gives them the fuel they need (bugs, fish, seeds, berries) to keep flying.

Birds You Might See

  • Ruby-throated Hummingbirds – tiny birds that fly across the Gulf!

  • Sandpipers and Plovers – small shorebirds that search the sand for food.

  • Herons and Egrets – tall wading birds in marshes.

  • Pelicans – big birds that dive for fish.

  • Warblers – colorful songbirds stopping to eat insects before moving on.

  • Whooping Cranes – rare, tall birds that spend winter on the Texas coast.

Why Migration Matters

Bird migration is one of nature’s greatest journeys! The Texas Gulf Coast is like a giant bird airport, helping birds rest and refuel so they can finish their trip. Without healthy bays and marshes, the birds wouldn’t have the energy to make it.

Possible Books:

  • The Longest Journey by Amy Hevron
  • Follow the Flyway by Sarah S Emmer
  • The Long, Long Journey by Sandra Markle
  • Seabird by Clarion Holling

Material Needed:

  • Maps of North America, Gulf Coast, Texas, etc
  • Computers
  • Paper for drawing and writing
  • Materials to draw, write, color

Lesson Plan:

Engage:

Read a book or show a short video on bird migration, the whooping cranes are a great example.

Explore:

Students choose a birds that migrates through Texas and researches about where it comes from and where it goes. On the maps they will draw the birds migration path and draw a picture of it. Some are a few great examples:

  • Ruby-throated Hummingbird – tiny but mighty, they fly all the way across the Gulf of Mexico!

  • American White Pelican – big white birds with huge beaks that glide in flocks.

  • Sandpipers & Plovers – little shorebirds that run along the beach looking for food.

  • Yellow Warbler – a small, bright yellow songbird that loves to eat insects.

  • Whooping Crane – tall, rare birds that spend winter in Texas marshes.

  • Swainson’s Hawk – large hawks that soar through Texas on their way to South America.

  • Barn Swallow – speedy flyers that swoop through the air catching bugs.

Explain:

Explain to students about the environmental changes that occur to signal bird migration. Here is a great resource for more information.

Elaborate:

Students return to the bird they researched and list the factors both biotic and abiotic that cause the bird to migrate.

Evaluate:

The students present the information on their bird in a gallery walk format.

Lesson by: Marisa Flores