Chapter 8 of 24
Chapter 8: Flying High
Avian Diversity: Beak Shapes, Feathers, Flying Habits, Claws, and Ecological Roles | CBSE Session 2026–27
Core Pedagogical Competencies & Concepts
- Diverse bird beaks adapted to food: Hooked beaks for meat (Eagle), curved beaks for cracking nuts (Parrot), needle beaks for nectar (Sunbird), flat beaks for filtering mud (Duck).
- Feather functions: Flight feathers on wings, down feathers keeping the body warm, and tail feathers steering like a rudder.
- Unique bird traits: The Owl can rotate its head almost fully backward; the Myna jerks its neck back and forth.
- The role of scavenger birds (Vultures, Crows) as 'nature's sanitation squad' cleaning carcasses.
All Textbook Exercises & In-Text Tasks (17 Questions)
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Q1
Beak Adaptations
Why do different birds have different shapes of beaks? Explain with three examples.
[3 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Different birds have different beak shapes because their beaks are specialized biological tools adapted to their specific diet:
1. Eagle / Vulture: Strong, sharp, hooked beaks to tear through tough meat and flesh.
2. Parrot: Hard, hooked curved beak to crack open tough nutshells and bite into hard green fruits.
3. Woodpecker: Long, straight, chisel-like beak to peck deep holes into tree bark to pull out hidden wood-boring insects.
1. Eagle / Vulture: Strong, sharp, hooked beaks to tear through tough meat and flesh.
2. Parrot: Hard, hooked curved beak to crack open tough nutshells and bite into hard green fruits.
3. Woodpecker: Long, straight, chisel-like beak to peck deep holes into tree bark to pull out hidden wood-boring insects.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Explanation of dietary adaptation principle
1.5 Marks
Three accurate bird-beak functional pairings
1.5 Marks
Q2
Feather Functions
What are the two main purposes of feathers on a bird's body?
[3 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
1. Flight & Steering: Strong, broad flight feathers on wings and tail give aerodynamic lift and help steer direction in the air.
2. Thermal Insulation & Weatherproofing: Soft, fluffy down feathers close to the skin trap warm air to protect the bird from freezing cold and shed water droplets during rain.
2. Thermal Insulation & Weatherproofing: Soft, fluffy down feathers close to the skin trap warm air to protect the bird from freezing cold and shed water droplets during rain.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Flight aerodynamic role
1.5 Marks
Thermal insulation and waterproofing role
1.5 Marks
Q3
Unique Avian Facts
Which bird can turn its head around backwards to see behind itself, and which bird is known for copying human speech?
[2 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
The Owl can rotate its head around almost completely (up to 270 degrees) to observe behind itself, and the Parrot is famous for imitating and repeating human speech.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Identification of the Owl and Parrot with correct traits
2 Marks
Q4
Bird Riddles • Flying High
Solve the bird riddles from Chapter 8:
(a) 'On my head I have a crest, all say I dance the best. Of my feathers I am proud, before the rain I cry aloud.' $\rightarrow$ _____
(b) 'Long and grooved is my tail, high up in the sky I sail. I pick and eat all the mice.' $\rightarrow$ _____
(c) 'My beak is pink, feathers grey, Guter-goo I go on all day.' $\rightarrow$ _____
(d) 'In the trunk of trees holes I make, hidden insects I intake. Tuk-tuk-tuk goes my work.' $\rightarrow$ _____
[4 Marks]
(a) 'On my head I have a crest, all say I dance the best. Of my feathers I am proud, before the rain I cry aloud.' $\rightarrow$ _____
(b) 'Long and grooved is my tail, high up in the sky I sail. I pick and eat all the mice.' $\rightarrow$ _____
(c) 'My beak is pink, feathers grey, Guter-goo I go on all day.' $\rightarrow$ _____
(d) 'In the trunk of trees holes I make, hidden insects I intake. Tuk-tuk-tuk goes my work.' $\rightarrow$ _____
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Bird Riddle Solutions:
• (a) Peacock (National Bird of India)
• (b) Eagle / Kite
• (c) Pigeon
• (d) Woodpecker
• (a) Peacock (National Bird of India)
• (b) Eagle / Kite
• (c) Pigeon
• (d) Woodpecker
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Correct bird identification for (a) and (b)
2.0 M
Correct bird identification for (c) and (d)
2.0 M
Q5
Bird Beaks • Adaptation to Diet
Match each bird's beak shape to the food it eats:
• Eagle/Vulture: [Short strong beak for cracking seeds, Hooked sharp beak for tearing meat, Long slender beak for sucking nectar, Flat broad beak for scooping mud]
• Sparrow/Pigeon: [Short strong beak for cracking seeds, Hooked sharp beak for tearing meat, Long slender beak for sucking nectar, Flat broad beak for scooping mud]
• Sunbird/Hummingbird: [Short strong beak for cracking seeds, Hooked sharp beak for tearing meat, Long slender beak for sucking nectar, Flat broad beak for scooping mud]
• Duck: [Short strong beak for cracking seeds, Hooked sharp beak for tearing meat, Long slender beak for sucking nectar, Flat broad beak for scooping mud]
[4 Marks]
• Eagle/Vulture: [Short strong beak for cracking seeds, Hooked sharp beak for tearing meat, Long slender beak for sucking nectar, Flat broad beak for scooping mud]
• Sparrow/Pigeon: [Short strong beak for cracking seeds, Hooked sharp beak for tearing meat, Long slender beak for sucking nectar, Flat broad beak for scooping mud]
• Sunbird/Hummingbird: [Short strong beak for cracking seeds, Hooked sharp beak for tearing meat, Long slender beak for sucking nectar, Flat broad beak for scooping mud]
• Duck: [Short strong beak for cracking seeds, Hooked sharp beak for tearing meat, Long slender beak for sucking nectar, Flat broad beak for scooping mud]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Beak Adaptations:
• Eagle/Vulture: Hooked sharp beak for tearing meat.
• Sparrow/Pigeon: Short, strong cone-shaped beak for cracking seeds.
• Sunbird: Long, curved, slender beak for sipping flower nectar.
• Duck: Flat broad beak with strainer holes for filtering insects and worms from water mud.
• Eagle/Vulture: Hooked sharp beak for tearing meat.
• Sparrow/Pigeon: Short, strong cone-shaped beak for cracking seeds.
• Sunbird: Long, curved, slender beak for sipping flower nectar.
• Duck: Flat broad beak with strainer holes for filtering insects and worms from water mud.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
All 4 beak-diet adaptations correctly matched
4.0 M
Q6
Bird Feathers • Flight and Warmth
What two essential functions do feathers perform for a bird?
[2 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Functions of Feathers:
1. Flight: Long, strong wing and tail feathers provide lift and balance, enabling birds to fly and steer.
2. Body Warmth & Waterproofing: Soft down feathers trap a layer of warm air against the body, keeping the bird warm during cold nights and shedding rainwater.
1. Flight: Long, strong wing and tail feathers provide lift and balance, enabling birds to fly and steer.
2. Body Warmth & Waterproofing: Soft down feathers trap a layer of warm air against the body, keeping the bird warm during cold nights and shedding rainwater.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Flight mechanism explained
1.0 M
Thermal insulation/waterproofing explained
1.0 M
Q7
Owl's Unique Feature • Neck Rotation
What special ability does an owl have regarding its eyes and neck?
[2 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Owl's Anatomy:
• An owl cannot move its eyes inside its sockets, so nature has gifted it a flexible neck that can rotate up to 270 degrees backward to see all around silently in the dark.
• An owl cannot move its eyes inside its sockets, so nature has gifted it a flexible neck that can rotate up to 270 degrees backward to see all around silently in the dark.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Fixed eyes and 270-degree neck rotation explained
2.0 M
Q8
Observation Time • Animals and Habits
In Chapter 8 ('Flying High'), what animals did the characters observe, and how do they move from place to place?
[3 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Observations:
Animals move in diverse ways adapted to their bodies:
• Birds (Crow, Pigeon): Fly using wings and hop on two feet.
• Mammals (Cow, Dog): Walk and run on four legs.
• Reptiles (Lizard, Snake): Crawl on walls or slither on the ground.
• Insects (Ant, Grasshopper): Walk on six legs and hop/fly.
Animals move in diverse ways adapted to their bodies:
• Birds (Crow, Pigeon): Fly using wings and hop on two feet.
• Mammals (Cow, Dog): Walk and run on four legs.
• Reptiles (Lizard, Snake): Crawl on walls or slither on the ground.
• Insects (Ant, Grasshopper): Walk on six legs and hop/fly.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Birds, mammals, reptiles, insects movement
3 M
Q9
Find Out & Write • Animal Habitats
Name two animals that live:
(a) On trees
(b) In water
(c) On land
(d) Underground in burrows.
[2 Marks]
(a) On trees
(b) In water
(c) On land
(d) Underground in burrows.
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Habitats:
• (a) On trees: Monkey, Squirrel, Owl.
• (b) In water: Fish, Frog, Crocodile.
• (c) On land: Horse, Elephant, Goat.
• (d) In burrows: Rabbit, Earthworm, Snake.
• (a) On trees: Monkey, Squirrel, Owl.
• (b) In water: Fish, Frog, Crocodile.
• (c) On land: Horse, Elephant, Goat.
• (d) In burrows: Rabbit, Earthworm, Snake.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Correct examples for all 4 habitats
2 M
Q10
Discuss & Share • Our Senses
How do our five sense organs help us understand and navigate our daily environment?
[3 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Five Senses:
1. Eyes: Help us see shapes, colours, and identify hazards.
2. Ears: Help us hear traffic horns, spoken words, and alarm sounds.
3. Nose: Helps us smell food, flowers, and detect smoke or gas leaks.
4. Tongue: Helps us taste sweet, sour, salty, and bitter food.
5. Skin: Helps us feel touch, heat, cold, roughness, and pain.
1. Eyes: Help us see shapes, colours, and identify hazards.
2. Ears: Help us hear traffic horns, spoken words, and alarm sounds.
3. Nose: Helps us smell food, flowers, and detect smoke or gas leaks.
4. Tongue: Helps us taste sweet, sour, salty, and bitter food.
5. Skin: Helps us feel touch, heat, cold, roughness, and pain.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
All 5 sense organs explained with functions
3 M
Q11
Water Cycle & Weather • Rain and Clouds
Where does rainwater come from, and why do plants and trees look fresher and greener after a rain shower?
[3 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Rain and Plant Health:
• Rain comes from water evaporating from rivers, ponds, and seas, forming clouds in the sky that cool and condense into rain droplets.
• Rain washes off thick dust accumulated on leaves, unblocks stomata for breathing, and deeply soaks the roots with fresh mineral-rich moisture.
• Rain comes from water evaporating from rivers, ponds, and seas, forming clouds in the sky that cool and condense into rain droplets.
• Rain washes off thick dust accumulated on leaves, unblocks stomata for breathing, and deeply soaks the roots with fresh mineral-rich moisture.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Water cycle / cloud formation
1.5 M
Why plants look greener after rain
1.5 M
Q12
Food Diversity • Regional Diets
Why do people living in Kerala eat more rice, fish, and coconut, while people in Punjab eat more wheat chapatis, mustard greens, and lassi?
[3 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Regional Food Factors:
• What people eat depends directly on what grows easily and abundantly in their climate and geography.
• Kerala has coastal climate, abundant rainfall, and coconut groves, making fish and rice staples.
• Punjab has fertile plains ideal for wheat and mustard cultivation, and a strong dairy culture.
• What people eat depends directly on what grows easily and abundantly in their climate and geography.
• Kerala has coastal climate, abundant rainfall, and coconut groves, making fish and rice staples.
• Punjab has fertile plains ideal for wheat and mustard cultivation, and a strong dairy culture.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Climate and agriculture connection
1.5 M
Kerala and Punjab examples explained
1.5 M
Q13
Cooking Methods • Kitchen Science
Match each food item to its primary method of cooking:
(a) Idli — (1) Frying
(b) Puri — (2) Steaming
(c) Roti — (3) Roasting on Tawa.
[3 Marks]
(a) Idli — (1) Frying
(b) Puri — (2) Steaming
(c) Roti — (3) Roasting on Tawa.
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Matching:
• (a) Idli — (2) Steaming
• (b) Puri — (1) Frying in oil
• (c) Roti — (3) Roasting on Tawa.
• (a) Idli — (2) Steaming
• (b) Puri — (1) Frying in oil
• (c) Roti — (3) Roasting on Tawa.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Idli-Steaming, Puri-Frying, Roti-Roasting
3 M
Q14
Shelter & Houses • Diversity in Homes
Why are houses in heavy-rainfall regions like Assam built on bamboo stilts with sloping roofs?
[3 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Stilt Houses:
• Bamboo Stilts: Keep the house 10 to 12 feet above ground level to prevent floodwaters and wild animals from entering.
• Sloping Roofs: Allow torrential rainwater to slide off quickly without accumulating or causing leaks.
• Bamboo Stilts: Keep the house 10 to 12 feet above ground level to prevent floodwaters and wild animals from entering.
• Sloping Roofs: Allow torrential rainwater to slide off quickly without accumulating or causing leaks.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Reason for bamboo stilts (floods)
1.5 M
Reason for sloping roof (rain runoff)
1.5 M
Q15
Community Helpers • Occupations
Identify the worker who:
(a) Mends our shoes
(b) Delivers letters and parcels
(c) Shapes clay into earthen pots on a wheel
(d) Treats sick people and prescribes medicines.
[2 Marks]
(a) Mends our shoes
(b) Delivers letters and parcels
(c) Shapes clay into earthen pots on a wheel
(d) Treats sick people and prescribes medicines.
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Community Helpers:
• (a) Mends shoes: Cobbler
• (b) Delivers letters: Postman / Mail carrier
• (c) Shapes clay pots: Potter
• (d) Treats sick people: Doctor.
• (a) Mends shoes: Cobbler
• (b) Delivers letters: Postman / Mail carrier
• (c) Shapes clay pots: Potter
• (d) Treats sick people: Doctor.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Cobbler, Postman, Potter, Doctor
2 M
Q16
Web of Life • Food Chain
What is the 'Web of Life'? Draw a simple food chain showing how grass, deer, and lion are connected.
[3 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Web of Life & Food Chain:
• The Web of Life shows that every living organism is interconnected and depends on others for survival.
• Food Chain: Sunlight → Grass (Producer) → Deer (Herbivore) → Lion (Carnivore).
If grass disappears, deer starve; if deer disappear, lions cannot survive.
• The Web of Life shows that every living organism is interconnected and depends on others for survival.
• Food Chain: Sunlight → Grass (Producer) → Deer (Herbivore) → Lion (Carnivore).
If grass disappears, deer starve; if deer disappear, lions cannot survive.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Definition of Web of Life
1.5 M
Grass → Deer → Lion chain explained
1.5 M
Q17
Review Questions • True or False
Write True or False:
(a) Blind people can read books written in Braille script using their fingertips.
(b) Rainwater is the main natural source of fresh water on Earth.
(c) Animals do not have feelings and cannot communicate danger to each other.
[3 Marks]
(a) Blind people can read books written in Braille script using their fingertips.
(b) Rainwater is the main natural source of fresh water on Earth.
(c) Animals do not have feelings and cannot communicate danger to each other.
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Answers:
• (a) True: Braille uses raised dots felt with fingertips.
• (b) True: Rain replenishes rivers, lakes, and groundwater.
• (c) False: Animals communicate through warning calls, scents, and body language to alert their group of predators.
• (a) True: Braille uses raised dots felt with fingertips.
• (b) True: Rain replenishes rivers, lakes, and groundwater.
• (c) False: Animals communicate through warning calls, scents, and body language to alert their group of predators.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
True, True, False with reasoning
3 M
🌟 NEP 2020 Competency-Based Case Study
Avian Conservation: The Vanishing House Sparrow
Old grandparents recall that when they were children, dozens of chirping house sparrows nested inside ceiling ventilators and ate dropped rice grains in courtyards. Today, house sparrows have largely disappeared from modern glass-fronted concrete cities.
Analytical Task: Analyze the environmental causes behind the decline of urban sparrows and recommend two citizen actions to bring them back.
Evaluation & Model Answer:
Causes of Sparrow Decline: (1) Modern matchbox-style concrete houses lack open ventilators and eaves, leaving no safe nesting crevices. (2) Heavy chemical gardening pesticides kill small green caterpillars that mother sparrows feed to newly hatched chicks. (3) Excessive concrete paving eliminates open soil patches where birds dust-bathe and forage for grass seeds.
Citizen Actions: Install artificial wooden nest boxes under balcony roofs, keep a regular terracotta water and millet feeder, and plant native green shrubs in gardens.
Citizen Actions: Install artificial wooden nest boxes under balcony roofs, keep a regular terracotta water and millet feeder, and plant native green shrubs in gardens.
Rubric: Urban architecture impact, pesticide elimination of insect food, practical nesting/feeding mitigation (4 Marks).