Hawk Mountain soared into Tilden Elementary on Tuesday, April 31. Two educators from Hawk Mountain Sanctuary brought a red-tailed hawk and a great horned owl to show and explain to students the adaptations of birds. The students learned that the red tailed hawk is part of the raptor family. A raptor is a bird of prey that hunts and feeds on other animals. The great horned owl is also a predator with many fascinating adaptations for living and surviving in the wild. The great horned owl has a built in ‘stealth’ type adaptation, which allows it to fly through the air undetected. The ends of each of the feathers are soft and feathery allowing the air to flow through them without making a sound. Students also learned that the Great Horned Owl has large eyes that don’t move in their sockets. The owl can swivel its head more than 180 degrees to look in any direction. The students and staff were delighted to have this visit. After the assembly, the students returned to their classes to take the Science PSSA tests. These tests assess many science related skills such as animal adaptations. What an awesome review before a big test…living, breathing examples! Goooooooooooo HAWKS!!