Question: 1. Let's say you're hanging out with family around the dinner table, and between mouthfuls of turkey they ask what you've learned about dinosaurs. You reply that one of the most interesting things you've learned is that all birds ARE dinosaurs, including the turkey that everyone is eating! Your family is skeptical, and concerned that you're being taught a bunch of rubbish. What FIVE lines of evidence would you use to respond? In other words, of all the evidence we've discussed, what FIVE things do you think best demonstrate the evolutionary link between dinosaurs and birds? Remember, you're trying to convince your family, so you also need to EXPLAIN THE SIGNIFICANCE of each piece of evidence.
2. Read this National Geographic article - Why Birds Matter, and Are Worth Protecting (By Jonathan Franzen) and answer the following questions:
(A) About how many bird species are there? (It's worth noting that there are about 5000 species of mammals.
(B) Thick-billed murres use their wings to fly and swim, diving into oceans to feed. How deep can they dive?
(C) Corvids (which include crows, ravens, and jays) are among the most intelligent and social of all birds. The article refers to a YouTube video of a crow using a lid for what purpose?
(D) There's an individual bird, a red knot tagged as B95, that has flown more miles than separate what two objects?
(E) At one point, the author quotes Shakespeare to epitomize the whole point of this essay. Read the last four paragraphs closely, and explain how King Lear's lament ("O, reason not the need!") relates to why we should value birds.
[Also, just for fun, and completely optional, you may find it interesting to learn about the dark secrets of the bird world.]