Select the one animal that has all of the bird traits listed above.
Common ostriches have a beak and feathers. They also have two wings, but they cannot fly. Ostriches lay the biggest eggs of any bird. The shell of an ostrich egg is so hard that you can stand on the egg without breaking it! Florida manatees have hairs on their bodies that are similar to whiskers. These hairs help the manatees feel the water moving around them. Female manatees feed their offspring milk.
Birds are a group of animals with similar traits. The following traits can be used to identify birds:
They have feathers.
They have wings.
They have a beak.
They make eggs with shells. Observe the animals and read the descriptions.
Scientists sort animals with similar traits into groups. This is called classification. Classification helps scientists learn about how animals live.
How do scientists classify animals? First, they make observations about an animal. Scientists observe the animal's traits, including its body parts and behavior. Then, scientists compare the animal's traits to other animals' traits. Scientists classify animals with similar traits into a group.
To decide if an animal is part of a group, look at the traits of the group.
Birds have the following traits:
They have feathers.
They have wings.
They have a beak.
They make eggs with shells.
Compare each animal's traits to the group's traits. Select the animal with traits similar to the group's traits.
A Florida manatee has the following traits:
It feeds its offspring milk.
It has hair.
A Florida manatee does not have all of the traits of a bird. A Florida manatee is a mammal.
A common ostrich has the following traits:
It has feathers.
It has wings.
It has a beak.
It makes eggs with shells.
A common ostrich has the traits of a bird. A common ostrich is a bird.