Children will construct a warbler mobile by cutting out the bird shapes, use the activity guide or a field guide to color each bird, and then hang it from the ceiling. Students will become familiar with warblers, how they look, and discover why males are flashier.
Background
Boreal forest warblers belong to the American wood warbler family (Parulidae) and have similar characteristics. They have a short slender bill that is generally used for gleaning insects off leaves. All boreal forest warblers migrate and they generally live in woodlands and swampy places where they find lots of bugs to eat. Warblers are active and flit around in the trees. Often their colors are yellow, olive, and grey. In the spring and early summer the males are brightly patterned with yellow, red, orange, black, and white. In the fall both the male, female, and young warblers' feathers look alike.
Materials
warbler silhouette pattern
cardstock or other heavy paper
tracing paper
glue and tape
crayons, colored pencils or markers
scissors
light weight string/thumb tack
Procedure
- Trace the warbler outline on tracing paper, glue to cardstock or another heavy paper, and then cut out for use as a pattern to make the rest of the birds.
- Trace the outline of your pattern eight times on cardstock and cut around the birds.
- Color both sides of each one as a different species using the activity book, a field guide, or make up the colors. Include brightly colored breeding males, duller females, and camouflaged young.
- Use the sharp point of your scissors to punch a small hole in the tip of one wing in each bird. Cut 8 pieces of thread, 4 threads should be 6 inches and the other 4 should be 10 inches. Thread one string through each bird, securing with a knot (a little tape over the knot once it is threaded will make the bird more secure).
- Trace the circle to make a disk that the warblers will hang from. Glue it to cardstock. Cut out the disk and using your scissors again, punch 8 evenly spaced holes along the outer edge and one in the center of the disk.
- String each bird through a hole, alternating the long and short strings. Secure each with a knot (a small piece of tape across the knot will make it more secure) and use a thumb tack through the center hole to attach the mobile to your ceiling.
Why are the males are so brightly colored in the spring and early summer? Why would they want to get rid of those flashy feathers in time to migrate? Why are the females duller?
Warbler Mobile based on the Gull-Go-Around found in "Bird Wise" by Pamela M. Hickman
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