1. Flight Patterns by Mary Erickson, Ph.D.

2. There’s something magical about the birds that live around us.

3. Very different birds live in different environments around the world. African Crested Crane Australian Galah European Jackdaw Antarctic Adelie Penguin

4. A great many birds live in different regions of the United States...

5. ... and in the varied regions around the state of Arizona.

6. Which of these Arizona birds have you seen? Which can you name?

7. Why do you think some birds live in some environments, and not in others? What other birds live in Arizona? Curved-Billed Thrasher Albers Towhee Wild Turkey Great-Tailed Grackle Raven

8. Feathers make the lives of birds possible. Flight feathers on their wings & tails help them fly. Contour feathers give their bodies a streamlined form. Fluffy down feathers are close to their bodies to capture heat and keep them warm.

9. Birds have feathers 1) so they can fly 2) to keep them warm 3) to keep them dry.

10. Their feathers also make beautiful patterns. Some patterns help birds hide, like the dove among the rocks. Other patterns help them attract a mate, like those on parrots.

11. Repeated colors on some bird’s feathers make distinctive patterns.

12. Other patterns are made by the repetition of shapes and sizes of the feathers themselves. Which brown feathers on this bald eagle have pointed tips? Which have rounded tips? Where are the largest and the smallest brown feathers?

13. Where does this seagull have a pattern of small narrow feathers? Where does it have a pattern of larger, wider feathers?

14. In a follow-up project, you will: Research a bird that lives in your environment Show a bird and the space around it. Enhance your artwork with patterns.

15. You are invited to visit the Birds of a Feather exhibition to see artworks inspired by birds and their feathers. Beth Shook