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The Cuckoo That Hands Off Its Parenting

7th grade nonfiction passage about cuckoos and borrowed nests: 238 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

7th grade nonfiction cuckoos and borrowed nests 238 words

The Cuckoo That Hands Off Its Parenting

Raising a family takes most birds a great deal of work, from building the nest to feeding hungry chicks for weeks. The common cuckoo skips every one of those jobs. A female cuckoo keeps an eye out for a smaller bird, like a reed warbler, that is busy with its own nest. The moment the owner steps away, the cuckoo darts over, adds one egg to the clutch, and leaves for good.

What makes the scheme work is a clever disguise. Cuckoo eggs often look remarkably like the eggs of the bird that will raise them, with similar colors and speckles. Each female tends to specialize in one host species, so her eggs match that bird's.

Often the cuckoo egg hatches a little earlier than the others. In many cases the new chick pushes the other eggs out of the nest, which leaves the foster parents with only one mouth to feed. The chick grows much larger than its adopted parents, yet they keep carrying food to it, partly because its wide, bright mouth and loud begging call are so hard for them to ignore.

Hosts are not helpless, though. Over many generations, some birds have become better at spotting odd-looking eggs and tossing them out of the nest. In response, cuckoo eggs have become even better copies. Biologists describe this long contest as an evolutionary arms race, with each side improving in answer to the other.

Questions

  1. What does a female cuckoo do with her egg? in the text

  2. Which bird is given as an example of a host? in the text

  3. What does the cuckoo chick often do soon after it hatches? in the text

  4. Why do some hosts toss out odd-looking eggs? in the text

  5. Why do the foster parents keep feeding a chick that is bigger than they are? think about it

  6. What does the term arms race suggest about hosts and cuckoos? think about it

Words to know

host
the bird that unknowingly raises another bird's egg
specialize
to focus on one particular kind of thing
foster
taking care of a young animal that is not your own
generations
groups of animals born and growing up at about the same time
evolutionary
having to do with slow changes in living things over time
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One passage, three levels

The same topic and facts written three ways, so a mixed class can read and talk about one text. Each group’s sheet shows only a shape; the key says which is which.

● Easier · 201 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.5

Most birds build a nest. They lay eggs and feed their chicks for weeks. The common cuckoo does none of this. A female cuckoo watches for a small bird that is building a nest. One example is the reed warbler. When the owner leaves, the cuckoo slips in. She lays one egg with the others. Then she flies away for good.

The trick works because of a disguise. Cuckoo eggs often look like the eggs of the bird that will raise them. They have the same colors and speckles. Each female picks one host bird, so her eggs match that bird.

The cuckoo egg often hatches a little early. The new chick often pushes the other eggs out of the nest. Then the foster parents have only one mouth to feed. The chick grows much bigger than they are. They still bring it food. Its wide, bright mouth and loud call are hard for them to ignore.

Hosts can fight back. Over many generations, some birds learn to spot odd eggs and toss them out. Then cuckoo eggs get even better at looking the same. Scientists call this an arms race. Each side keeps getting better in answer to the other.

▲ This passage · 238 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 7.4

Raising a family takes most birds a great deal of work, from building the nest to feeding hungry chicks for weeks. The common cuckoo skips every one of those jobs. A female cuckoo keeps an eye out for a smaller bird, like a reed warbler, that is busy with its own nest. The moment the owner steps away, the cuckoo darts over, adds one egg to the clutch, and leaves for good.

What makes the scheme work is a clever disguise. Cuckoo eggs often look remarkably like the eggs of the bird that will raise them, with similar colors and speckles. Each female tends to specialize in one host species, so her eggs match that bird's.

Often the cuckoo egg hatches a little earlier than the others. In many cases the new chick pushes the other eggs out of the nest, which leaves the foster parents with only one mouth to feed. The chick grows much larger than its adopted parents, yet they keep carrying food to it, partly because its wide, bright mouth and loud begging call are so hard for them to ignore.

Hosts are not helpless, though. Over many generations, some birds have become better at spotting odd-looking eggs and tossing them out of the nest. In response, cuckoo eggs have become even better copies. Biologists describe this long contest as an evolutionary arms race, with each side improving in answer to the other.

■ Harder · 244 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 10.6

Most birds construct a nest, lay their eggs and devote several weeks to feeding their young. The common cuckoo avoids every one of those responsibilities. A female cuckoo keeps watch for a small bird, such as a reed warbler, that is occupied with building its nest. As soon as the owner wanders off for a moment, the cuckoo slips in, lays a single egg among the others, and then flies away, never to return.

The scheme succeeds because of a careful disguise. Cuckoo eggs frequently resemble the eggs of the species that will raise them, with remarkably similar colors and speckles. Each female tends to specialize in one particular host species, so that her eggs match that bird's.

The cuckoo egg usually hatches slightly before the others, and in many cases the newborn chick shoves the remaining eggs out of the nest, leaving the foster parents with only a single mouth to feed. The chick eventually grows far larger than its adopted parents, yet they continue to carry food to it, partly because its wide, bright mouth and loud begging call are so difficult for them to resist.

The hosts are not helpless, however. Over many generations, some birds have grown better at recognizing unfamiliar-looking eggs and tossing them out of the nest, and in response, cuckoo eggs have become even more convincing copies. Biologists describe this prolonged contest as an evolutionary arms race, with each side improving in reply to the other.

Download as one PDF

How to use it

  1. Press Read it big (or B) to put the text on the projector, or Full screen (F) to fill the whole screen.
  2. Ask the questions one at a time and use Show answer when the class has decided. A shows or hides every answer.
  3. Print student copy for the class, or Print with answers for yourself.

Ideas for class

  • Before reading, put host, specialize, foster, generations and evolutionary on the board with their meanings from the Words to know section and have students predict what the text will be about.
  • Read it aloud once while students follow along, then have them reread it alone or with a partner. At a calm 100 words a minute it takes about 2 minutes to read aloud.
  • Use the Read it big button (or B) to put the text on the projector, and Show answer on one question at a time so the class commits to an answer first.
  • Question 5 asks the reader to infer. Ask students to point to the words in the passage that led them to their answer.
  • Ask students to write one question the passage did not answer, then look for the answer in a book or on a classroom screen.
  • Print the student copy for independent work and keep the answer-key copy for yourself.

Related

Questions

What reading level is "The Cuckoo That Hands Off Its Parenting"?

It was written for 7th grade. It has 238 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 7.3. That is a formula's estimate from sentence length and syllables, and it is not a Lexile or a guided reading level, so check it against your students.

What do the questions ask?

There are six. 4 ask for something the text says directly and 2 ask the reader to work something out from clues. Each has an answer in the key, and the answers are written as a teacher would accept them, not as the only possible wording.

How long does it take to read?

About 2 minutes read aloud at 100 words a minute. For a one-minute fluency check, paste it into the fluency timer and use the word count.

Can I print it?

Yes. Print student copy gives the passage, the questions with lines to write on, and the word meanings. Print with answers gives the same page with the answers filled in. Both are made in your browser.

Is this passage from a published book?

No. It was written for Peabody Teach, so there is no book to buy and no login to read it.

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