29 L3-Animals in the Air

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Oxford Read and Discover level 3 Animals In the Air by Robert Quinn

Introduction We see lots of animals in the air. Many of them have wings and can fly, like birds, butterflies, and bats. Other animals can jump into the air, like frogs and kangaroos. What animals can you see here? Which animals can fly? Which animals can jump? Discover! Now read and discover more about animals in the air!

Chapter 1 Animals That Fly Many animals fly because it helps them to stay safe, and they can move around fast to find food. For example, bees fly to collect nectar from flowers. Then they use the nectar to make honey. Some animals fly to hunt other animals, so that they can eat them. For example, owls fly to hunt smaller animals, like mice. Some animals fly to stay safe from other animals that want to eat them. For example, small birds fly to escape from cats and dogs. Many birds make their homes in tall trees, where they are safe. Some birds, like storks, make their nests in high places, like the top of tall poles or buildings. Discover! Some storks make very big nests. The nests can be 2 meters across.

Chapter 2 Wings and Feathers Birds have many small feathers on their body. The feathers keep birds warm and dry. Most birds also have longer feathers on their wings and tail. These are called flight feathers because they help birds to fly. Birds have very thin bones with air spaces inside. The bones are very light, so it's easy for birds to fly. Some birds have very big wings. The Andean condor is one of the biggest flying birds in the world. It can have a wingspan of 3 meters. Other flying birds are small, with short wings. Some hummingbirds have a wingspan of only 6 centimeters. Discover! The biggest flying bird was the Giant Teratorn. It lived about six million years ago and it had a wingspan of up to 7 meters!

Chapter 3 Amazing Fliers Most birds can fly, and some of them are amazing fliers! The fastest bird in the world is the peregrine falcon. When it's diving straight down, a peregrine falcon can fly at more than 200 kilometers per hour! Swallows are really amazing fliers. They hunt insects in the air, so they need to dive and turn very fast. It's fun to watch swallows in the evening, when there are lots of insects flying around. Some birds make amazing journeys to find food, or to travel to a place to have their babies. Bar-tailed godwits fly all the way from New Zealand to Alaska that's about 16,500 kilometers! The journey only takes about one week, with a short stop in China to rest and eat. Discover! Swifts are small birds that spend most of the time flying. They can even sleep in the air!