We researched Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution and natural selection. We found out about Darwin's finches theory. We then carried out a practical investigation into whether the shape and size of a bird's beak effects the amount of food it can collect. We used tweezers, scissors, a spoon and a peg to mimic different shaped and sized bird beaks. We then had a selection of different food types - elastic bands (worms), cocktail sticks (caterpillars) pom-poms (berries) and paper clips (insects) to collect. Each person in the class chose one beak type and collected as many food items as they could in 30 seconds. We then calculated the average amount of each food type collected by each beak and recorded our data as a bar chart. ![]() It was clear that the spoon beak was most effective at collecting paper clips and pom-poms and so, this bird was best suited to living on an island with insects and/or berries available. The tweezer beak collected the most elastic bands, so this bird would be most suited to living on an island with an abundance of worms. The peg and scissors beaks, although not the most effective at collecting one particular food, were able to collect all food types in nearly equal amounts so would be best living on islands with diverse food options available. They would manage to survive by eating a mixed diet. Charles Darwin found similar results:
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AuthorThis is the blog of Shamrocks' Class (Year 6) Archives
April 2024
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