Like something from a low-budget horror movie, terror birds ruled the roost in South America millions of years ago. Things didn't go as well when they headed north! With an intriguing video, biology scholars explore the massive migration event that was marked by North and South America swapping species. 

Concepts

birds, fossil records, fossils, animal migration, north america, south america, herbivores, carnivores, animal anatomy, evolution

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Full of fun and interesting facts, the video makes a great addition to an evolution or adaptation lesson
• Expand the lesson by learning more about the giant ground sloths that also lived during the time of the Terror Birds

Classroom Considerations

• Show a diagram of a skull from a present-day bird so that students can compare it with the Terror Bird's skull

• This video is hosted on YouTube

Pros

• Thoroughly illustrates and discusses the special adaptations of the Terror Birds
• Animations allow viewers to better understand the movement of plates and formation of islands that brought North and South America together

Cons

• None

Common Core

SL.6.2 SL.7.2 SL.9-10.2