Karoro

 

Local wildlife: Karoro Mini  personal response

Comprehension strategy 1 – INFERRING Using clues from the surrounding words, work out what words are missing.

Comprehension strategy 2 – SUMMARISING  Summarise the story in 20 words , including who, where, when and the 3 most important whats. The karoro attack chicks- eggs and even lambs. It is native to NZ. They also eat sea creatures.

Comprehension strategy 3 – MAKING CONNECTIONS Personal connection. Relate this story to something that has happened to you or people you know in your own life; or what other book or film is it similar to. How is it the same, how is it different? It is similar to when I was reading a book about a baby cow who died (not a lamb but still dies as a newborn). It's different because the cow didn’t die by a bird.

Comprehension strategy 4 – REREADING FOR INFORMATION Answer these questions: What are 2 location facts about the karoro? common in the South Island. They usually stay close to the coast. What are 2 description facts? First year birds are brown and in the second  year the back is brown and the breast and neck are white flecked with brown. And the bill is yellow with a red spot at the tip of the lower bill. What  are two things it does? Attacks animals, flies in flocks.

Comprehension strategy 5 - Developing vocabulary  Find the meanings or synonyms for 5 of the words below. Remember some words have more than one meaning. You must choose the meaning that fits the word as it is used in the text. Tip - in Google type in “synonym for ______” Swamp- marsh- bog- mire- wetland- fenland- swampland Grasp-grip-clutch-hold-clasp-clench-catch-sieze-snatch-grapple.  Dappled- dot-spot-mark-fleck-streak-speckled-marble-speck-mottle-spotty-dotted Abdomen-stomach- belly-gut-tummy-guts-tum- inside Nymph- sprite- sylph- wood nymph- water nymph Swamp grasp abdomen galaxid,  dappled nymph

Comprehension strategy 6 -  Create a question using 2 of the “7 sisters” i.e. where, when, who, what, which, how and why Why do birds attack but not eat the lambs, which season am I likely to see them? E.g. When does this plant flower and what do the seeds look like?

No clues today - guess/infer what words you think will fit.

Karoro (Black-backed gull)

The karoro is a native bird. It is both a scavenger and a predator. It is an omnivore. That is, it will eat both plants and animals.

Black-billed gulls are found all over New Zealand, but they are most common in the South Island. They usually stay close to the coast.

Most of the Black-backed gull’s feathers are white. The back is black. The bill  is yellow with a red spot at the tip of the lower bill.  The eye is pale yellow and the legs greenish yellow.  First year birds are brown and in the second  year the back is brown and the breast and neck are white flecked with brown. 

Both predators and scavengers,  Black-Backed gulls threaten rare birds  such as the New Zealand dotterel, little blue penguin, and some terns and petrels by predating on eggs and chicks, and can also attack newborn lambs. They also feed on washed up fish and shellfish, and aren’t fussy if it’s been dead a few days and is getting a bit smelly. They are often seen in fields taking worms and grubs and scavenging in rubbish dumps. There are sometimes massive flocks of them hanging around the Bottle Lake landfill. They frequently rob other seabirds of their catch, and they can swallow a small wild duck whole.