Feathered Friends

Introduce students to some of New Zealand's native feathered friends, especially the kākā in the Botanic Garden aviaries. This is an observation-based kit that requires critical thinking from senior students, with practical follow-up information on how we can help our native birds.

• Please bring your own pens/pencils, and printed-out worksheets.
• It is recommended that you spend half an hour in class discussing what makes species 'native' or 'endemic', talking about introduced pests and predators, and exploring how mammal predators provide challenges for native bird survival.
• Good classroom follow-up activities to cement learning could include a field-trip to Orokonui Ecosanctuary, doing your own bird-spotting at school, participating in trapping on school grounds to support the Urban Linkage project, and keeping the Egg-Snatch game in your classroom game repertoire.

Related Curriculum Achievement Objectives:

Junior: Curriculum Level 3

Senior: Curriculum Level 4

• Science: Living World, Understanding about Science
• Technology: Brief Development

Learning Outcomes:

• Observe common Dunedin birds
• Become familiar with kākā and their features
• Think critically about how we keep captive birds comfortable
• Understand why native birds struggle with introduced predators

Physical Resources:

• 15x Wild Bird Guide checklists
• 15x whiteboard markers
• 1x bird’s nest
• 1x stone egg
• Colouring crayons
• 1x reference sheets for facilitators