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Secretary Birds Animal Themes

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Secretary Birds
Print Secretary Birds Reading Comprehension with Sixth Grade Work

Print Secretary Birds Reading Comprehension


Reading Level

	edHelper's suggested reading level:	grades 6 to 8
	Flesch-Kincaid grade level:	7.63

Vocabulary

	challenging words:		standing, dealing, crane-like, quill-like, savannahs, theory, secretary, superior, among, possibly, fierce, however, such, include, throughout, base
	content words:		United States, South Africa

Other Languages
     Spanish: El Pájaro Secretario

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Secretary Birds

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¹     In the world of birds, there is one group that is most famous for their superior hunting skills. We call them birds of prey or raptors. For a bird to be categorized as such, it must have excellent eyesight, muscular legs, sharp claws, and hooked beaks. Can you think of a bird of prey? Sure, the national bird of the United States - the bald eagle - is one excellent example! Other familiar birds of prey include hawks, vultures, and falcons.
 
²     Among these fierce predators, secretary birds are the only birds of prey that have a pair of crane-like long legs. We can find secretary birds throughout African savannahs. Standing more than 3 feet tall, secretary birds are most recognizable by their long, black head crests of feathers. In fact, these feathers are possibly how secretary birds got their name. Back in the 19th century, British law secretaries often carried their quill pens in their wigs. The resemblance of the bird's head crests to a secretary's quill pens is one popular theory of why we called the animal the secretary bird.

Paragraphs 3 to 4:
For the complete story with questions: click here for printable

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Animal Themes

Animal Themes

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Birds

Birds

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Grasslands

Grasslands

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Animals

Amphibians         Birds         Deserts         Fish         Freshwater         Grasslands         Insects

Invertebrates         Mammals         Oceans         Polar Regions         Rain Forest         Reptiles

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