Two Feeder Gardens, Many Structure Clues

Nia's Backyard Observation Log

Nia observed two feeder gardens behind her apartment building. Garden A had a nectar feeder beside trumpet vine flowers. Garden B had a berry tray beneath a serviceberry shrub. She recorded what she could see. Ideas about structures inside a living thing were based on science information, not on looking inside the animals.

At Garden A, a ruby-throated hummingbird inserted its long bill into the trumpet-shaped flowers. Its tongue reached nectar deep inside a flower. The bird hovered while its wings moved quickly. Nia also saw the bird visit a small nest in a nearby shrub. Later, two young hummingbirds appeared near the nest.

At Garden B, a northern cardinal used its short, thick bill to pick up serviceberries and crack open dry seeds placed on the tray. Its strong feet held the tray edge. Nia saw the cardinal carry grass to a nest. Several days later, she heard young cardinals calling from that nest.

Nia learned that a bird's flight muscles pull on its bones to move its wings. Lungs bring oxygen into the body, and the digestive system breaks food into forms the body can use for energy and growth. These are inside structures. Bills, tongues, wings, feathers, feet, and claws are outside structures.

The two plants also showed different clues. The trumpet vine's roots took in water, and tubes inside its stem moved water toward the leaves and flowers. After flowers were visited, some trumpet vine flowers formed seed pods. The serviceberry shrub's branches held berries. Each berry contained seeds that could grow into new serviceberry plants when conditions were suitable.

During two-hour observations, hummingbirds made 8 visits to deep trumpet flowers and 3 visits to nearby shallow flowers. Cardinals made 6 visits to serviceberries and 5 visits to the dry-seed tray. These counts describe this observation period; they do not tell what every bird would do in every place.