NCERT Solutions for Class 3 EVS Chapter 8 Flying High

1. On my head I have a crest,
All say I dance the best,
Of my feathers I am proud,
Before the rain I cry aloud
Answer: Peacock.

2. Long and grooved is my tail,
High up in the sky I sail,
I pick and eat all the mice.
The ________ is what you call me.
Answer: Eagle

3. My feathers are green,
My beak’s red,
Guava and green chilli
I’m fed,
I love to imitate people’s voice
And keep making a lot of noise ________
Answer: Parrot

4. Black are my feathers and
black is my _____________.
kau-kau I do all day long ____________
Answer: Beak, Crow

5. Koohu-Koohu is my sound,
Everywhere I am found,
My sweet voice gives me fame,
_____________ is my name.
Answer: Koel (Cuckoo)

6. Dead animals I do eat,
Making places clean and neat,
High up in the _______ I fly,
Vulture is what I’m called by.
Answer: Sky

7. My beak is pink, feathers grey,
Guter Ghoo I go on all day,
In houses I make my home,
A _______ is how I’m known.
Answer. Pigeon

8. My beak is very special,
I use it like a needle,
Stitching leaves I make my home,
The _______ bird is how I’m known.
Answer: Sparrow

Can you move your neck like the owl?
No, I cannot move my neck like the owl.

There are some birds which can imitate our voice. Do you know the name of any such bird? Draw its picture in your notebook, colour it and write its name.
Parrot can imitate our voice.

Other than birds, which are the other animals that can fly?
Mosquitoes, houseflies, honeybees, butterflies, etc. can also fly

If you could fly like a bird where would you like to go? What else would you do?
I would like to fly high up in the sky and see how everything looks from such a height.

What would happen if birds could not fly but only walk on their feet?
They would not be able to enjoy the flight in the sky. They will be just like all other land-animals. If birds could not fly, they would not be able to enjoy flying high. They would have similar to other land animals. They would not be able to save themselves by flying away.

What are birds?
Birds are the animals that can fly. They have feathers. They have wings to fly and limbs to run, walk, hop or perch. Their body is divided into three parts: – head, Trunk and a tail. They have two pairs of limbs – the legs and the wings. Birds have legs, but no hands. Their wings are covered with feathers. Many birds can fly with the help of their wings. The mouth of bird is called a beak. But they don’t have teeth.

What are flightless birds?
Flightless birds are birds which cannot fly. They depend on their ability to run or swim. Some examples are the ostrich, emu, cassowary, rhea, kiwi, and penguin.

Why are some birds not able to fly?
Some birds are unable to fly because their flat breastbones lack the keel which is a point along the breastbone of many birds to which the flight muscles are attached. This keel gives support to the strong muscles which are required for flight. Their wings can’t possibly lift their heavy bodies off the ground and that is why they cannot fly.

How do the birds fly?
Birds fly due to the following things:
• They have wings and feathers that help them in flying.
• The wings are attached to the breastbone with powerful muscles.
• Their bones are hollow as a result they have low body weight and hence it is easy to fly for them.
• The tails help in changing direction while flying.
• They have a streamlined body shaped like an aeroplane that helps them to cut their way through air.

Birds have three types of feathers:

Why do birds have beaks?
Birds do not have teeth. They have beaks which help them to eat. They also use their beaks to make their nests. Different birds have different type of beaks (shape and size) on the basis of the food they eat.

Why do birds build nests?
Birds build nests for different purposes –
• They build nests to live as they provide them with a safe place for their eggs and young birds to develop.
• Bird nests are extremely diverse, although each species typically has a nesting style.
• Some birds do not make nests at all and instead lay their eggs in a simple scrape in the ground.

How are different types of beaks useful for birds?
Different types of beaks are useful for birds in the following ways-
• Birds that eat seeds have a short beak like pigeon
• Birds that eat nuts and can easily crack and open the nuts and seeds have strong, curved beak. They use their feet to hold the nuts.eg- Parrot
• Birds like Woodpecker have a long beak that helps them to pull the insects out of the tree bark.
• A duck has a flat broad beak with holes in it that helps water and mud to flow out of the holes and the food remains in the mouth
• A Kingfisher has a long scissor type beak which helps it to catch live fish from water

Give reasons for the following: (i) Birds have boat-shaped body. ii) Ducks have webbed feet. iii) A woodpecker has a beak like a chisel.
(i) Birds have a boat- shaped body so that they can fly easily in air. Birds have strong flight muscles to move the wings up and down. The tail of a bird acts like the rudder of a boat to change the direction during flight. Boat shaped body helps a bird while flying. Boat shaped body reduce the air pressure and reduce the drag of air while flying.

(ii) Webbed feet has a thick flap of skin between the toes that are used to attach them together. This is a special adaptation seen in animals that swim sometimes. Ducks use their feet to swim. Their webbed feet are uniquely designed to help them move through the water. Ducks use their webbed feet like paddles to provide more surface to push against the water.

(iii) The chisel-like beak is strong and powerful, with a chisel like tip for drilling holes into wood so as to catch insects and eat. Woodpeckers also have strong thin beaks to peck through wood to find bugs. The chiselling beaks or chisel-shaped beak is used by these birds to drill holes into tree barks, wood, to catch insects and eat.
iv) Parrots are kept as pets.
Ans. Parrots are kept as pets as they are very rewarding pets for their owners, due to their intelligence and desire to interact with people. Many parrots are very affectionate, even cuddly with trusted people, and require a lot of attention from their owners constantly.

Why are some birds seen only in winters and not in summers?
The reason for some birds being seen only in winters and not in summers is their diet. Some birds don’t need to rely on the plenty of summer. They can hunt for insects in the bark of trees and find enough food to make it through the cold, dark months.If a bird is of a species that can find food in the winter, it has no need to migrate

Why do some birds fly south in winter and some don’t?
Ans. Birds migrate to move from areas of low or decreasing resources to areas of high or increasing resources. The two primary resources which they look for are food and nesting locations. As winter approaches and the availability of insects and other food drops, the birds move south again.

What is migration?
When winter approaches and the ground freezes, many birds move to warmer places. This movement of birds that takes place every year is called migration. The birds migrate due to harsh weather conditions and lack of food. The birds return to the same place every summer during Migration. These birds are called migratory birds. They travel from one place to another at regular times often over long distances. Example- Siberian Cranes- They are snowy white colour birds and migrate during winter to India

How do the birds use their claws and feet?
Birds use their feet and claws in the following ways:
1. to catch and hold their food.
2. to protect themselves from their enemies.

What type of nest does the weaver bird have?
Weaver Bird weaves its nest out of twigs and grass. The nest is very strong and hangs from the branch of the tree. The bird enters the nest through a tunnel like tube. Weaver nests are usually built of sticks, grass or blades of reeds or grass. Weavers use their bills to build nests. They sometimes use their feet to hold part of a grass blade to thread the other end through the nest.

Name the following: i. a bird that moves her neck back and forth with a jerk ii. a bird that can rotate its neck backwards to a large extent.
i. Mynah
ii. Owl

Write few features of a bird
Few features of a bird are:
i. They have wings and feathers
ii. They lay eggs to reproduce
iii. They fly in the sky
iv. They have beaks and claws