Horns Made of Feathers: teacher key

Great Horned Owls, grade 4 edition, written for 4th grade. The horns on a great horned owl are really feathers. Learn how this night hunter looks, hunts, eats and raises its young.

Read the book. Print this page for the key.

Questions and answers

1. What are the horns on a great horned owl?
   • Tufts of feathers (answer)
   • Real horns
   • Ears
2. How far can an owl turn its head?
   • About 90 degrees
   • About 270 degrees (answer)
   • All the way around twice
3. What does a great horned owl do after it watches from a high perch?
   • It swoops down to catch its food (answer)
   • It builds a nest
   • It coughs up pellets
4. What does a great horned owl cough up?
   • Pellets of bones and fur it cannot digest (answer)
   • Whole mice
   • Down
5. Who feeds the young owls?
   • Both parents (answer)
   • Only hawks
   • No one
6. An owl cannot move its eyes in the sockets. How does it look around?
   • It turns its head (answer)
   • It closes its eyes
   • It stays still

Words

• sockets: eye holes
• perch: a high seat
• prey: hunted animals
• pellets: small lumps
• down: soft feathers