Page 40 - ICSE Science 3 : E-book

Scratching birds

Birds like hen have strong feet with three toes in front and
one toe at the back. Their feet have hard and sharp claws

to help them scratch and dig the ground in search of seeds
and worms.
Toes of a hen

Wading birds

Water birds like heron and crane have long, slender legs with

spread out thin and long toes. These wading birds can walk
on the mud in the shallow water of ponds to catch their prey

such as fi sh and crabs. Their toes help them to stand on the
soft mud near water without sinking. Their long legs help

them to walk in water without getting their feathers wet. Toes of a heron

Swimming birds

Birds like duck and swan have webbed feet with three toes
in front and one toe at the back. The front toes are joined by

the skin forming a web. The webbed feet act like paddles
and push water back to help the bird move forward. This

helps the bird to swim. The webbed feet also help the birds
Toes of a duck
to walk on mud easily.

TIME TO REVISE

Write two examples for each of the following.

1. Birds with strong, short and hard beaks ___________ ___________

2. Birds with strong, sharp and hooked beaks ___________ ___________
3. Birds with strong and chisel-shaped beaks ___________ ___________

4. Birds with long and pointed beaks ___________ ___________

5. Birds with broad and fl at beaks ___________ ___________
6. Perching birds ___________ ___________

7. Wading birds ___________ ___________

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