Animals & Environment
Clever Disabled Parrot Becomes Alpha Leader
20 Jun 2026
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a Level
Warm-up → Read & Listen → Check Understanding → Language → Use It
WARM UP
Think Ahead:
Which detail do you think appears in this story?
a) A bird that flies to the moon
b) A parrot that uses a small stone as a tool
c) A dog that cleans its own ears
Ask:
(1) Do you have a pet bird at home?
(2) How do birds clean themselves?
VOCABULARY
parrot (n)
beak (n)
pebble (n)
clean (v)
clever (adj)
bird (n)
A colourful bird that can copy sounds.
The hard mouth of a bird.
A small, smooth stone.
To remove dirt from something.
Quick at learning and understanding things.
An animal with feathers and wings.
Meet Bruce. Bruce is a very special parrot from New Zealand. He is a green bird called a kea. Bruce has a big problem. He does not have a top beak. He lost it in an accident when he was young. Parrots need their mouths to clean their feathers. This cleaning is called preening. It is hard for Bruce to clean himself without his full mouth. But Bruce is very clever. He found a smart way to help himself. He looks for a small pebble on the ground. He holds the pebble in his mouth. Then, he rubs the small stone against his green feathers. This helps him clean his coat. Scientists watched his interesting behaviour for many days. They say Bruce is the only bird that uses a tool like this. He shows everyone that animals can solve tough problems.
Listen
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Why is Bruce special?
2. What happened to Bruce's beak?
3. How does Bruce clean his feathers?
4. Why do you think tools are helpful?
5. Would you like to see Bruce in real life?
6. What other clever things can animals do?
FILL IN THE GAPS
Section 1: Fill in the Gaps
Word Bank: parrot, beak, clever, pebble
Meet Bruce. Bruce is a very special _______(1) from New Zealand. He is a green bird called a kea. Bruce has a big problem. He does not have a top _______(2). He lost it in an accident when he was young. Parrots need their mouths to clean their feathers. This cleaning is called preening. It is hard for Bruce to clean himself without his full mouth. But Bruce is very _______(3). He found a smart way to help himself. He looks for a small _______(4) on the ground. He holds the pebble in his mouth. Then, he rubs the small stone against his green feathers. This helps him clean his coat. Scientists watched his interesting behaviour for many days. They say Bruce is the only bird that uses a tool like this. He shows everyone that animals can solve tough problems.
Section 2: Main Idea
Choose the best summary of the story:
a) A parrot loses its friend in New Zealand.
b) A clever parrot with a missing beak uses a pebble to clean its feathers.
c) Scientists build a new home for wild green birds.
UNDERSTANDING
Section 3: True or False
1. Bruce is a blue parrot from Australia. T/F
2. Bruce does not have a top beak. T/F
3. Bruce is the only bird seen using a stone tool like this. T/F
Section 4: Put Events in Order
Put these events in the correct order from 1 to 3:
a) Bruce picks up a small pebble from the ground.
b) Bruce loses his top beak in an accident.
c) Bruce rubs the stone against his feathers to clean them.
LANGUAGE
Section 5: Vocab Match
1. parrot
2. beak
3. pebble
4. clean
a) To remove dirt from something.
b) A small, smooth stone.
c) A colourful bird that can copy sounds.
d) The hard mouth of a bird.
USE IT
Section 6: Discussion Builder
Complete the sentences with the correct word:
1. I think Bruce is a very _______ bird because he uses tools.
a) sleepy b) clever c) angry
2. The parrot holds a small _______ in his mouth to preen.
a) tree b) fish c) pebble
Section 7: Sentence Unscramble
Put the parts in the correct order to make sentences:
1. A) Bruce B) is C) a D) clever E) bird
2. A) He B) holds C) the D) small E) pebble
ANSWER KEY
Warm Up
Answer: b
Section 1:
1) parrot,
2) beak,
3) clever,
4) pebble
Section 2:
Answer: b
Section 3:
1) False, 2) True, 3) True
Section 4:
a) 2, b) 1, c) 3
Section 5:
1-c, 2-d, 3-b, 4-a
Section 6:
1-b, 2-c
Section 7:
1) Bruce is a clever bird,
2) He holds the small pebble
Section 8:
Student answers will vary.
Example: 1) Bruce is special because he uses a tool to clean himself.