A Name That Got It Wrong: teacher key

Bearded Vultures, grade 6 edition, written for 6th grade. The name lammergeier means lamb vulture, but the bird was wrongly blamed for taking lambs. A bearded vulture eats mostly bones and, in the Alps, starts breeding in winter.

Read the book. Print this page for the key.

Questions and answers

1. What does the name lammergeier mean?
   • Lamb vulture (answer)
   • Bone breaker
   • Sky glider
2. How old is a bearded vulture when it is grown up enough to breed?
   • 1 to 2 years
   • 5 to 7 years (answer)
   • 20 years
3. When do bearded vultures in the Alps start breeding?
   • In summer
   • In spring
   • In winter (answer)
4. How long does a bearded vulture egg take to hatch?
   • About 55 days (answer)
   • About 5 days
   • About 155 days
5. A pair uses the same nest again. What does this tell you about the nest?
   • It is used for many seasons (answer)
   • It falls apart each year
   • It is built on the ground
6. In the text, what does hatch mean?
   • To fall asleep
   • To come out of an egg (answer)
   • To fly high

Words

• lammergeier: lamb vulture
• digest: break down food
• hatch: come out
• breeding: raising young
• iron: a metal