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Shorebird Importance

Implement this Lesson:

This lesson work great in conjunction with an outdoor trip to view birds. Many migrating species winter along the Gulf Coast during the winter.

Lesson Objective:

The students will be able to understand the importance of shorebirds by researching an individual shorebird. They will then play a fun game of identifying the bird call.

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

Why Shorebirds Matter on the Texas Gulf Coast

Shorebirds are the long-legged, quick little birds you see running and poking along the water’s edge. They’re more than just pretty to look at — they help keep the coast healthy!

Shorebirds are like tiny helpers that clean, plant, and connect ecosystems. They also bring life and color to the coast and tell us how healthy the shoreline is. Protecting shorebirds helps keep the whole Gulf Coast healthy too.

Nature’s Cleanup Crew

  • Shorebirds eat insects, worms, crabs, and leftover bits of plants and animals in the mud.

  • This cleans up the shoreline and helps keep the ecosystem balanced.

Seed Spreaders

  • Some shorebirds eat fruits and seeds, then drop the seeds in new places.

  • This helps plants grow in more areas.

Part of the Food Web

  • Shorebirds are both hunters (eating small creatures) and prey (food for hawks, foxes, or bigger birds).

  • They’re an important link in the coastal food chain.

World Travelers

  • Many shorebirds migrate thousands of miles, using the Texas Gulf Coast as a “rest stop.”

  • The coast provides food and safe places for them to rest and refuel.

Nature’s Health Testers

  • Scientists watch shorebirds to learn about the health of beaches, bays, and marshes.

  • If shorebird numbers drop, it can mean something’s wrong with the habitat.

Common Shorebirds of the Texas Gulf Coast

Bird What It Looks Like Fun Fact
Willet Gray-brown, medium size with a loud “pill-will-willet” call Shows bold black-and-white wings when it flies.
Black-necked Stilt Very long pink legs, black-and-white body Nicknamed the “stilt walker” for its tall legs.
American Avocet Long up-curved bill, orange head and neck in breeding season Sweeps its bill back and forth in the water to catch food.
Marbled Godwit Large, long-billed, brown shorebird Uses its long bill to probe deep into mud for worms.
Sanderling Small, pale sandpiper that runs along the surf Looks like it’s playing tag with the waves.
Piping Plover Small, sandy-colored bird with a black neck band An endangered species that nests on Texas beaches.
Snowy Plover Tiny, pale plover with dark patches on the face Blends in with the sand to hide from predators.
Long-billed Curlew Very large with a super-long, curved bill One of the biggest shorebirds you’ll see in Texas.
Ruddy Turnstone Small with bright orange legs and patterned back Flips over shells and rocks to find food.
Dunlin Medium-small sandpiper, brown with a long black bill In spring it gets a black belly patch.

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

Materials:

Lesson Plan:

Engage:

  • Play common shorebird songs for students and ask them to identify them. Have they heard of them before.
  • Show video of different common shorebirds. Have they seen them?

Explore:

  • Students work in groups of two or three to research a common shorebird
  • Students will create a presentation of some kind (brochure, ppt, drawing, etc) of their shorebird
  • They must be able to tell students why their shorebird is important, its migration, food it eats, and where it lays its eggs.
  • Each group will visit with the teacher to understand and play their birds song

Explain:

  • Each students group presents their research

Elaborate:

  • Student find a rock and paint a picture of their bird on it

Evaluate:

  • The teachers plays each of the different shorebird calls. Students have to guess which bird call belongs to each bird and write one fact about it.

Lesson by: Michelle Atkinson