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  • That’s a Humdinger! Black-Chinned Hummingbird Nesting in Response to Forest Treatments
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That’s a Humdinger! Black-Chinned Hummingbird Nesting in Response to Forest Treatments

  • Article
  • Upper Elementary
  • 1 Classroom Period
  • Wildlife
  • Forest management
  • Hummingbirds
  • Invasive Species
  • Nesting Sites
  • Tree Canopy
  • Understory
PDF preview of 'That's a Humdinger' article cover.
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Many different types of birds live in riparian forests. In this study, the scientists were interested in black-chinned hummingbirds that live in riparian forests. The scientists wanted to know if black-chinned hummingbirds were being affected by human changes to the forest.

That’s a Humdinger! Black-Chinned Hummingbird Nesting in Response to Forest Treatments

Part Of

Animals and Ecosystems of the Southwestern United States Investi-gator (Rocky Mountain Research Station) - Vol. 3 No. 1

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  • The question you will answer in this FACTivity is: What species of birds are found living in my schoolyard? You will act as an ornithologist while learning to identify birds...

    FACTivity – That’s a Humdinger!

    • Activity
    • Upper Elementary
    • 2-3 Classroom Periods
    • Wildlife
    • Bird Watching
    • Birds
    • Field Guide
    • Outdoor Activity
    The question you will answer in this FACTivity is: What species of birds are found living in my schoolyard? You will act as an ornithologist while learning to identify birds...
    Explore Activity Download FACTivity (PDF)
    Explore Activity Download FACTivity (PDF)

    Part Of

    That's a Humdinger! Black-Chinned Hummingbird Nesting in Response to Forest Treatments

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Glossary

View All Glossary
  • aquatic

    (ǝ kwä tik): Growing or living in or often found in water.

  • canopy

    (ka nə pē): A protective covering: such as, the uppermost spreading branchy layer of a forest.

  • control

    (kǝn trōl): A variable factor that has been kept constant and which is used as a standard of comparison to the experimental component in a controlled experiment.

  • coordinate

    (kō ȯrd nət): Any of a set of numbers used to locate a point on a line or surface or in space.

  • debris

    (də brē): The remains of something broken down or destroyed.

  • economy

    (i kä nǝ mē): A system relating to the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services in a country, area, or period.

  • ecosystem

    (ē kō sis tǝm): A system made up of an ecological community of living things interacting with their environment especially under natural conditions.

  • erosion

    (i rō zhǝn): The process of deteriorating or disappearing by wearing away.

  • habitat

    (ha bә tat): The place or environment where a plant or animal naturally or normally lives and grows.

  • herbicide

    ((h)ər bə sīd): A substance used to destroy or slow plant growth.

  • invasive

    (in vā siv): Tending to spread especially in a quick or aggressive manner, such as a nonnative species growing and dispersing easily, usually to the detriment of native species and ecosystems.

  • leaf litter

    (lēf li tər): Dead plant material, like leaves and twigs.

  • native

    (nā tiv): Living or growing naturally in a particular region.

  • prevalent

    (pre və lənt): Widespread.

  • productive

    (prə dək tiv): Having the quality or power of producing especially in abundance.

  • randomly

    (ran dǝm lē): So that each possibility has a definite and especially an equal probability of occurring.

  • riparian

    (rə per ē ən): Relating to or living or located on the bank of a natural watercourse (such as a river or sometimes a lake or tidewater).

  • sediment

    (se dǝ mǝnt): Material deposited by water, wind, or glaciers.

  • transition

    (tran zi shən): A changing from one state, stage, place, or subject to another.

  • understory

    (ǝn dǝr stȯr ē): The plant layer, especially the trees and shrubs, between the forest canopy and the ground cover.

  • Photo of Deborah Finch standing in a forest.

    Deborah Finch

    Wildlife Biologist

    “One of my favorite science experiences was collecting bird and small mammal data on the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest in Oregon and Idaho. While I was there, I lived in a...
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  • Photo of Max Smith, he is bird-watching with his dog near Seattle, Washington.

    Max Smith

    Wildlife Biologist

    My favorite science experience is going outside to discover where birds nest, what they eat, and what eats them. In the photo, I am bird-watching with my dog near Seattle,...
    View Profile

Jump To

  • Education Standards
  • Educator Guide
  • Education Files
  • Project Learning Tree

Standards addressed in this Article:

Social Studies Standards

Social Studies Standards are educational guidelines outlining the essential knowledge, skills, and concepts students should learn in subjects such as history, geography, civics, and economics, aiming to provide a comprehensive understanding of societal structures, historical events, and global perspectives.
  • People, Places, and Environments
  • Power, Authority, and Governance
  • Science, Technology, and Society

About Investi-gator

The Investi-gator is another member of the Natural Inquirer family. The Natural Inquirer, for middle school students, and the Investi-gator, for upper elementary students, present science the way scientists most often share their research with each other. That process is the written scientific paper. Each Investi-gator article presents research conducted by Forest Service scientists and their cooperators. All the research in the Investi-gator is concerned with nature or with society’s relationship to nature.

  • Meet the Scientist

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  • Thinking About Science

    A short introduction to something about the scientific process that is related to the research being presented.

  • Thinking About the Environment

    A short introduction to something about the natural environment that is related to the research being presented.

  • Introduction

    The part of the written scientific paper that introduces the scientific problem or question the scientists wants to solve or answer.

  • Method

    The part of the written scientific paper that describes how the scientists collected and analyzed their data or information.

  • Findings

    The part of the written scientific paper that describes what the scientists discovered.

  • Discussion

    The part of the written scientific paper that summarizes the research and offers any new insights.

  • Reflection Section

    These are questions placed after the Introduction, Methods, Findings, and Discussion sections. The purpose of the questions is to help students think about what they have read.

  • Glossary

    Possible new terms you will find in the article. Glossary words are printed in bold in the article.

  • FACTivity

    This is an activity that you can do in your classroom.

Education Files

Project Learning Tree

If you are a trained Project Learning Tree educator, you may use Activity #12 “Invasive Species” or Activity #22 “Trees as Habitat” as additional resources.

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