How Fast, How Far, How Sharp: teacher key

Northern Goshawks, grade 9 edition, written for 9th grade. Goshawk speed, eyesight and weights come with sources that disagree and with measures that are hard to get. See what the numbers do and do not say.

Read the book. Print this page for the key.

Questions and answers

1. How fast did two measured dives reach?
   • 23.9 and 24.2 meters per second (answer)
   • 40 meters per second
   • 5 meters per second
2. What is one thing sources do not say about the 40 figure?
   • What color the bird was
   • How the speed was measured (answer)
   • Where the forest was
3. How do scientists learn what a goshawk eats?
   • By asking the bird
   • By weighing eggs
   • From pellets and prey remains near perches (answer)
4. What happened to goshawks in the UK?
   • Almost gone by the end of the 19th century, then back (answer)
   • Always common
   • Never lived there
5. Why do young accipiters fly more buoyantly than adults?
   • They are bigger
   • Their wing loading is lower (answer)
   • They live on the ground

Words

• retina: eye's light layer
• pellets: coughed-up leftovers
• buoyantly: lightly floating