Category Birds

Have you heard the expression ‘as dead as a dodo’? Dodos were strange-looking, heavy birds that could not fly. They lived on islands in the Indian Ocean until sailors hunted the very last one. Sadly, they have been extinct since 1800.

Is it true? Penguins argue with their wings.

Yes. Penguins live close together. When they squabble with each other, they flap their wings and jab their beaks to help make their point!

Amazing! Ostriches cannot fly, but they can run very quickly indeed. The African ostrich can sprint long at 70 kph! They live in dry grasslands and may have to travel a long way for food.

What has invisible wings?

Kiwis are flightless birds whose wings are so tiny that you cannot see them. They have long whiskers, no tail and a good sense of smell. They hunt at night for worms and insects.

Which bird ‘flies’ underwater?

Penguins are water birds which cannot fly. They live in the chilly Antarctic. They slide on snow and ice using their bellies as toboggans. But in water they are very graceful, using their wings as flippers as they swim along catching fish.

Picture Credit : Google

When a male gannet has caught fish for his mate and young, he must call out and wait for the female’s reply before he can find them amongst all the other gannets.

Why do birds sing?

Birds sing most of all during the breeding season. A male bird sings to attract a mate, or to tell other birds to keep away from his territory. Males and females also call to warn other birds that an enemy is near, such as a cat or a human.

Which birds copy sounds?

Some birds are natural mimics. This means they can copy sounds, such as the telephone ringing or even human speech. The mynah bird used to be popular as a caged pet because of this talent. Australian lyrebirds can even imitate a chainsaw!

Amazing! The African grey parrot is a real chatterbox. It can learn up to 800 different words, but it doesn’t know what they mean!

Is it true? Birds can sing very high notes.

Yes. Many birds can sing notes too high for us to hear! There is a wide range of beautiful birdsong, full of high and low notes.

Picture Credit : Google

The young of tree-nesting birds are naked and blind at first. Their parents have to look after them, and they are always hungry! They open their beaks wide and call loudly, which forces the parents to feed them.

What sits on its mother’s back?

Baby grebes can swim soon after they hatch. When they get cold or tired, they sit on their mother’s back to warm up and have a rest.

Amazing! The hummingbird lays the world’s smallest eggs. Each is only the size of your fingernail. Compared to this, an ostrich egg is huge, and thousands of times heavier.

Which father sits on his eggs until they hatch?

The male ostrich makes eggs with up to twelve different females. The females all lay their eggs in same nest. The male then sits on them himself until they hatch. Many types of male bird, including pigeons, take it in turns with the female to sit on the eggs.

Is it true? A duckling could mistake you for its mother.

Yes. A duckling thinks that the first creature it sees after hatching is its mother. If you were around, that would be you!

Picture Credit : Google

Most birds build nests to hide their eggs and to keep their young warm and safe from enemies. Colonies of weaver birds often build several nests in the same tree.

Amazing! Some nests are huge. An eagle’s nest or eyrie is so big that you could lie down in it! Some birds, such as the hummingbird, make tiny nests. The bee hummingbird’s nest is the same size as a thimble.

Why do birds sit on their eggs?

Birds sit on their eggs to keep them warm while the baby birds inside grow. If the eggs get cold, the babies inside will die, so birds don’t leave their eggs alone for long.

Is it true? Nests are birds’ homes where they sleep at night.

No. Birds only use nests for laying eggs and raising their chicks. They rest at night in hedges, trees or holes.

Do birds’ eggs all look the same?

Birds’ eggs are often coloured or patterned for camouflage. The guillemot’s eggs are also an unusual shape. They are pointed at one end so that if nudged, they spin in a circle instead of rolling off a cliff.

Picture Credit : Google

Water birds have skin between their toes. Their feet are like paddles, helping them move easily through the water. They can also walk on mud without sinking in.

Amazing! Jacanas are water birds that live in tropical places. Their very long toes allow them to step on water plants without sinking. They are sometimes called ‘lily-trotters’.

Is it true? Birds stand on one leg when they’ve hurt their foot.

No. When a bird stands on one leg, it is keeping the other foot warm, tucked up under its feathers.

What has legs like stilts?

Herons and storks have very long legs which look like stilts. They are ideal for standing or wading in shallow water, where the birds use their long beaks to catch fish and frogs.

Why don’t birds fall when they sleep?

Birds have a long tendon attached to each toe. When they rest on branches or another perch, they bend their legs and their toes lock around the perch.

Picture Credit : Google

A pelican has a beak with a stretchy pouch which can hold far more fish than its stomach! It scoops fish from the water using its beak like fishing net.

Amazing! A woodpecker uses its unusual beak to drill for insects, to make holes in dying trees to use as nests, and to hammer on a tree to mark its territory.

Why do birds have beaks?

Birds use their beaks to catch and hold food, to make nests and to preen themselves. They have different beaks because they eat different food. The toucan uses its enormous beak to pull fruits from delicate branches.

Is it true? Birds have teeth?

No. Birds cannot chew, so they grind food up with a gizzard inside their bodies, and sometimes by swallowing small stones too.

What climbs with its beak?

Parrots usually live in big noisy groups in tropical forests. They have short, curved powerful beaks for cracking nuts and seeds. Some parrots have beaks so strong that they can even use them to pull themselves up trees.

Picture Credit : Google