Bird Genders

This slideshow provides several examples of Iowa bird species with pictures of both genders for each species.

Image

Baxter

Iowa Core Standard

MS-LS4-4

Construct an explanation based on evidence that describes how genetic variations of traits in a population increase some individuals' probability of surviving and reproducing in a specific environment

Driving Question

Why do some species have males and females that look different and some not?

Probing Questions

What causes certain individuals to develop different characteristics over time?

Classroom Suggestions

Students could:

Review the slides and have students guess which birds are male and which are female.
Conduct investigations about competition to reinforce the idea that sexual selection is driven by competition within populations.

Resources

The Cornell Lab | All About Birds: This a web unit students can go through and explore fancy males and the different ways they can be fancy. There are some great videos. It is very explanatory so I would save this as an extension or until later in the unit.
The Cornell Lab | All About Birds: Why do female Belted Kingfishers have an extra rust-colored "belt" that the males don't have?: Interesting article on origins of "pretty" females in Belted Kingfishers. Could be used to address questions on why some species have females that are more attractive.

Contributors

Submitted by Samantha Hofman.