What the Feathers Tell: teacher key

Gyrfalcons, grade 10 edition, written for 10th grade. Measurements, cameras and genetic samples show how gyrfalcons live and how researchers keep track of them.

Read the book. Print this page for the key.

Questions and answers

1. When do biologists on the Seward Peninsula band gyrfalcon chicks?
   • When they are 3 years old
   • When they are about 25 days old (answer)
   • Before they hatch
2. How many molted feathers did biologists collect in July 2012?
   • 854 (answer)
   • 58
   • 2,600
3. What did the mean size of 100 clutches on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta come to?
   • 3.43 eggs (answer)
   • 1 egg
   • 12 eggs
4. What strongly influences gyrfalcon breeding success and density?
   • Cliff colors
   • The calendar
   • Prey numbers (answer)
5. Why do biologists band gyrfalcon chicks?
   • So the birds can be identified in the future (answer)
   • To make them heavier
   • To keep them in the nest
6. What does molted mean?
   • Hatched
   • Shed (answer)
   • Hunted

Words

• culmen: upper beak ridge
• molted: shed
• clutches: sets of eggs
• raptors: birds of prey
• ptarmigan: a bird