Orange Feathers, White Feathers: teacher key

Bearded Vultures, grade 5 edition, written for 5th grade. A bearded vulture changes color as it grows up. It eats mostly bones, and people brought it back to the Alps in 1986.

Read the book. Print this page for the key.

Questions and answers

1. What happens to a young bearded vulture's head, chest and belly feathers as it grows up?
   • They turn white (answer)
   • They fall out
   • They turn blue
2. What dyes a bearded vulture's chest feathers orange?
   • Berries
   • Bathing in water that has iron in it (answer)
   • Eating meat
3. How many chicks does a pair raise in a breeding season?
   • Three
   • Two
   • One (answer)
4. Where were bearded vultures brought back in 1986?
   • The Alps, starting in Austria (answer)
   • The sea
   • A city park
5. Young chicks cannot digest bone. What do the parents do?
   • Leave them alone
   • Bring fresh meat first (answer)
   • Carry bones high up

Words

• digest: break down food
• acid: strong liquid
• iron: a metal
• breeding: raising young