12 of 114 results for "birds"
Collection
PreK–2 Nature Explorers Unit

Meet Ranger Hamza, beloved host of BBC's Ranger Hamza's EcoQuest, and his faithful Ramblers. In these short video clips, your young nature explorers can learn all about the natural world around them, from birds and insects to flowers and trees. Make sure you follow up with your own nature walk, and don't miss our free nature walk worksheets!

Collection
Teach the Tropical Rainforest Ecosystem

Guide your students on a hike through the tropical rainforest ecosystem! From the Amazon in South America to the jungles of Southeast Asia, rainforests are full of unique and amazing species. 

Perfect for grades 3–8, here’s what you need to bring ecosystems to life:

  • Iconic BBC Videos: Share the clips on this page to introduce the location, plants, animals, and climate of the rainforest. (Don't miss the spider monkeys and waterfall toads!) Brought to you by world-class BBC programs like Planet Earth, Deadly 60, Seven Worlds, One Planet, and Life.
  • Free Printable: Use the Tropical Rainforest Brochure Template to help students pull it all together in an ecosystem report with facts they’ve learned (and a little extra research).

It’s everything you need to make ecosystems easy to teach and truly memorable for your students.

Collection
Teach the Desert Ecosystem

Guide your students on a journey through the desert ecosystem! From the sweeping sands of the Namib and Kalahari in southern Africa, to the dry heart of Australia’s Outback, and the rocky cold of the Gobi, deserts come in many forms. 

Perfect for grades 3–8, here’s what you need to bring ecosystems to life:

  • Iconic BBC Videos: Share the clips on this page to introduce the location, plants, animals, and climate of the desert. (Don't miss the lions and lizards!) Brought to you by world-class BBC programs like Planet Earth, Wilderness With Simon Reeve, Africa, and Seven Worlds, One Planet.
  • Free Printable: Use the Desert Brochure Template to help students pull it all together in an ecosystem report with facts they’ve learned (and a little extra research).

It’s everything you need to make ecosystems easy to teach and truly memorable for your students.

Video
Chester Zoo: Vultures

Vultures are the unsung heroes of Africa's ecosystems, playing a vital role in keeping the environment clean and healthy. With their incredible eyesight, enormous wingspans, and remarkably powerful digestive systems, these expert scavengers help prevent the spread of disease by safely consuming animal carcasses that other animals avoid.

In this fact file video from Chester Zoo, discover the amazing adaptations that make vultures so important to the natural world, learn about the critically endangered hooded vulture and how it raises its young, and explore the challenges these remarkable birds face in the wild. You'll also see why protecting vultures is essential for healthy ecosystems and how conservation efforts are helping safeguard their future.

News Clip
Hey ChatGPT, Can You Fix COVID?

Okay, ChatGPT can't cure COVID, but using AI to develop vaccines has shown promising results. 

Even though COVID vaccines ultimately saved lives, many were lost in the early days of the disease because scientists couldn’t develop the vaccine faster than the virus spread, and they had to update it when the virus mutated. Now, a team at the University of Cambridge has a way to get ahead of things. 

They took the genetic blueprint of multiple coronaviruses related to the one that caused COVID-19 (think: the guest list to the worst family reunion ever) and are using artificial intelligence to work on a vaccine that would protect against a range of the viruses. It’s the first time a vaccine’s key component has been designed by AI and tested on people, but the trial’s work could open up a world of possibilities. Success would signify that we can use an AI antigen that’s safe and, importantly, can represent a whole group of viruses. That would mean we could move away from chasing a particular infection when it happens and towards preventing a whole family of viruses. 

It’s too soon to know for sure, but scientists are hopeful that this technology can be implemented to replace the flu vaccine, prepare for bird flu, or protect against hemorrhagic fevers like Ebola.

News Clip
Someone's Targeting Britain's Birds of Prey — And Investigators Want To Know Who

The RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) is investigating attacks on birds of prey, also called raptors. Raptors hunt and feed on other animals, but even though they're near the top of the food chain, one of their biggest threats is humans.

There have been reports of raptors found dead in suspicious circumstances or caught in illegal traps. Investigators are reviewing footage from cameras near some traps to help identify who's responsible. The traps themselves are legal when used correctly, and any animal that isn't the intended target must be released unharmed. But footage has shown some people mistreating or killing these protected birds instead.

Investigators believe money is behind some of the attacks. Raptors sometimes hunt game birds, which people also hunt for sport or profit. By illegally removing birds of prey, some people may be trying to leave more game birds available for shooting. Officials are struggling to find ways to reduce these attacks — fines and prosecution haven't been very effective so far. Some campaigners want stronger licensing rules for trap use, while others argue that would be hard to enforce and might not stop illegal attacks either.

News Clip
5-Minute Charge. No Steering Wheel. Flying Cars by Next Year. Welcome to Auto China

It’s officially the “Beijing International Automotive Exhibition,” but its friends call it “Auto China,” and it’s now the largest car show in the world. Nearly 1000 companies flock to the exhibits taking up more than 380,000 square meters, or over 50 football fields! Or 1,246,719 feet and 50 soccer fields, if you’re from America! Or 9,329,989 beep-boop-zoinks and 50 astro-space-ball fields if you’re a Martian from outer space! Any way you spin it, this car show is a big deal, and there were two standout trends.

The first was electric vehicles. There’s always been an issue with charging, as makers have tried to maximize how far cars can travel on single charge while minimizing how long that charge takes. Now, a company called BYD claims to have an ultra-fast charging system that can provide 400 km of range with only 5 minutes of charging. What’s more, it’s designed to operate under extreme weather conditions. Since batteries are usually sensitive to high or low temperatures, addressing this is a major step in making electric vehicles as reliable as gas cars. 

The other big topic was also fully autonomous, or self-driving cars. The company Geely developed a self-driving car built specifically for ride-hailing, so there’s no steering wheel or driver’s seat. That means you can pick your nose without fear of the driver judging you! Xpeng’s driverless car uses a combination of lasers, radar, and cameras to build a real time picture of the road, but we hope it works just as well in the clouds, because they may be extending this technology into flying cars as early as next year. It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s just my Uber! That’s one way to beat traffic.

Playlist
Desert Animals Around the World: A BBC Video Playlist

Deserts look empty. They are anything but.

From the sun-scorched dunes of the Sahara to the scrubby plains of Australia, desert animals have cracked one of nature's toughest puzzles: how to survive where water is scarce, temperatures are brutal, and food is hard to find. In this playlist, you'll meet the remarkable species that call these landscapes home — from the iconic camel and the lightning-fast hawk to the bounding kangaroo and the armored pangolin.

Each clip, drawn from landmark BBC series including Seven Worlds, One Planet and Planet Earth II, puts you face-to-face with real desert survival in action. Some animals store water and energy for enormous journeys across open terrain. Others hunt by night, move in short bursts, or use camouflage so good they practically disappear. Every strategy is different. Every one is extraordinary.

As you watch, think bigger: How do animals adapt to temperatures that would stop most creatures in their tracks? What physical traits make desert life not just possible, but thriving? And how do these species — predator and prey, reptile and mammal — depend on each other to keep desert ecosystems in balance?

This playlist won't just teach you about deserts. It will make you see them differently.

News Clip
Birdwatching Is Cool (And Gen Z Is Proving It)

Birdwatching is taking off in a big way among young people. Reports say that around 750,000 people aged 16–29 in the UK and millions in the U.S. now regularly go birdwatching — turning what was once seen as a “quiet” hobby into a fast-growing trend.

Part of the appeal is how simple it is to start. You don’t need expensive gear or special training — just curiosity and a bit of time outdoors. It’s a low-pressure way to take a break from screens, notice what’s around you, and actually tune into sounds and spaces most people scroll past.

Ironically, social media is helping drive the trend. Birdwatching accounts, short videos, and identification apps are making it easier than ever to learn bird calls, spot species, and share discoveries with others. Instead of pulling people away from nature, platforms like TikTok and Instagram are often pushing people back into it.

Conservationists are especially excited because this kind of interest helps more people connect with wildlife and care about protecting it. Birdwatching is becoming less about binoculars and notebooks — and more about curiosity, community, and noticing the world a little differently.

Playlist
Video Playlist: Animal Moms and Their Young

With Mother’s Day coming up in the U.S., what better way to celebrate than by spotlighting some of nature’s most devoted moms?

This fun, feel‑good 8‑video BBC playlist dives into the incredible bond between animal moms and their babies — and the wild ways they raise them. Watch puma cubs practice their hunting skills, a baby orangutan learn the ropes high in the treetops, humpback whale calves set off on their first epic journeys, and prairie dog pups turn playtime into survival training.

From feeding and protection to movement and life lessons, these clips show just how much it takes to grow up in the wild — and how moms make it all possible.

Featuring favorites like prairie dogs, orangutans, polar bears, and humpback whales, this playlist pulls from iconic BBC series like Animal Babies and Planet Earth.

Because mom love? It’s everywhere in the animal kingdom!

Playlist
Video Playlist: The Best of Sir David Attenborough

Celebrate the incredible work of Sir David Attenborough — a storyteller who has helped millions of students and viewers explore the natural world. On the occasion of his 100th birthday on May 8, 2026, we honor his enormous accomplishments in the field of environmental advocacy and his role in revolutionizing nature documentaries.

This playlist brings together 10 unforgettable clips from landmark BBC series like Planet Earth, Blue Planet, and Frozen Planet. Each video showcases amazing wildlife, powerful storytelling, and moments that spark curiosity and wonder.

Perfect for the classroom or at home, these videos help students connect with nature, understand our planet, and feel inspired to protect it.

Video
JoJo and Gran Gran Build a Scarecrow

In JoJo and Gran Gran Build a Scarecrow, JoJo and her friends are working in the community garden. When pigeons come to eat the vegetables, they build a scarecrow to scare the birds away. Two real-life children make a bird feeder from an apple and seeds. This video is excerpted from BBC’s JoJo & Gran Gran, a children's animated television series following JoJo, an inquisitive and cheerful 4-and-a-half-year-old girl and her loving Gran Gran, who always has something new to teach her.