After a final round of MuseumMobile virtual classroom visits this spring, I received an envelope of thank you notes from 4th graders at Drummond Elementary. I had visited their class three times via Zoom over the school year and each lesson focused on bird adaptations. The first lesson covered owls, then we discussed loons, and finally we learned about bird nests. I loved reading through the thank you notes and noticing what the kids remembered from my visits. What do you think was the most common fact noted in these letters?
A. Owl pellets are like puke with bones inside.
B. Loons cannot walk on land.
C. Hawks can shoot their poop.
Not surprisingly, the fourth graders clearly remembered one of my favorite facts: Red-tailed Hawks (and some other raptors) can shoot their poop several feet to keep their nests clean. Since hawks spend a lot of effort building their nests and return to them year after year, it makes sense that they have this amazing adaptation to keep a tidy nest.
This amazing skill is masterfully demonstrated by two Bald Eagle chicks:
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