The poet Homer believed that birds went to battle tribes of goat-riding dwarfs during the winter. As the video explains, this myth and many others that seem crazy to us now, wasn't questioned for many years. The reality isn't quite as interesting as now we know birds migrate for warmer weather and more food. However, scientists are still debating just how they navigate. Can they see the electromagnetic spectrum, or do their beaks work like a compass?

Concepts

animal migration, migration, birds

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Research some of the myths mentioned at the beginning of the video
• Challenge class members to create their own myths about a natural phenomenon

Classroom Considerations

• Video would fit into a biology class, history class, or an animal behavior course

• This video is hosted on YouTube

Pros

• Follows a typical path of science from what we didn't know, to what we know now, and on to additional questions we still need to answer
• Interesting and engaging content holds the attention of the audience

Cons

• None