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Verbal·Information and Ideas·Command of Evidence
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Broken-Wing Display in Various Bird Species
Species nameCommon nameOrderPerforms broken-wing display?
Coccyzus americanusyellow-billed cuckooCuculiformesYes
Calidris maritimapurple sandpiperCharadriiformesNo
Phalaropus fulicariusred phalaropeCharadriiformesYes
Grus canadensissandhill craneGruiformesYes
Bubo cinerascensgreyish eagle-owlStrigiformesNo
While observing birds for a biology class, a group of students noticed a black-banded plover (Charadrius thoracicus), a bird of the order Charadriiformes (shorebirds), slowly move away, make loud noises, and feign an injured wing as the group approached the bird’s ground nest. Researching this behavior, the students learned that this phenomenon is commonly referred to as “broken-wing display” and is meant to lure predators away from the nesting site and toward a seemingly vulnerable adult bird. Upon learning of other birds that also exhibit the behavior they had observed, the students hypothesized that the phenomenon is exclusive to shorebirds.
Which choice best describes data from the table that weaken the students’ claim?
A
Both the yellow-billed cuckoo and the sandhill crane are known to perform broken-wing display.
B
The red phalarope, in the order Charadriiformes, is known to perform broken-wing display, and the greyish eagle-owl, in the order Strigiformes, is not.
C
Neither the greyish eagle-owl nor the purple sandpiper is known to perform broken-wing display.
D
Unlike the red phalarope, the purple sandpiper is not known to perform broken-wing display, even though both are in the order Charadriiformes.