Bird House Reviews

Interesting Facts About Birds

Birds are one of the most interesting types of creatures on earth. While most possess the same basic characteristics, birds also display some of the weirdest traits in the animal kingdom. Many of their strange behaviors are still unexplained. Let's explore some of the most interesting facts about birds.

Ravens Have an Increcible Mimicking Ability

We may tend to think of parrots when thinking of birds that can mimic humans, but ravens have this ability, too, and some of them are even better than parrots. Only ravens that have been raised alongside humans can mimic human speech.The raven's ability doesn't stop with human speech, though. They can mimic a whole range of sounds. Ravens in the wild will mimic the sound of wild animals like wolves in order to lure them to a carcass they need help getting open.

Lightweight Skeletons

Birds have very light skeletons to help keep them aloft during flight. Their skeletons are so light that their feathers actually weight more than their bones.

Ostriches Have Really Big Eyes

The award for the land animal with the largest eyes goes to the ostrich. Their eyes are actually the size of a billiard ball and are even larger than their brains.

A Range of Egg Sizes

The smallest bird egg is a hummingbird egg, which is the size of a pea. Coming in with the largest eggs is the ostrich - its eggs are the size of a cantaloupe.

Out of the Mouths of Birds

While many birds get their food fair and square, the parasitic jaeger prefers to steal from other birds. If it sees another bird with food in its mouth, it will bully it into dropping the food and then take the tasty treat for itself.

Anting

Cardinals, and a few other bird species, will occasionally cover themselves in live or dead ants. Scientists are still trying to figure out why the birds do this. Right now, the best guess is that the birds use the formic acid from the ants to rid themselves of parasites such as lice.

It Turns Out the Egg Came First

It's a question nearly as old as time itself: what came first, the chicken or the egg? There is finally an answer to this question. Reptiles laid eggs long before chickens evolved. Thus, the egg came first.

Beautiful Music

A European wren's song may be composed of up to 800 notes. This melody can be heard up to 1,650 feet away.

Smart Birds

Ravens and crows are among the smartest birds. Crows can figure out puzzles and even use some rudimentary tools. Ravens have an even more peculiar trait for an animal. They appear to make plans before actually doing something. This is the first creature in the animal kingdom to do this outside of humans.

Don't Forget About the Pigeons

Pigeons are pretty intelligent in their own right. They severed as messengers during World War II and can recognize human faces. Some scientists claim to have taught pigeons to read. They can recognize 50 words and can distinguish words from nonsense words.Also, don't leave a pigeon alone with your cell phone. Some of them have learned to use touch screens.

The Elephant Bird

While ostriches are the largest living bird, the biggest bird of all time was the elephant bird. This flightless bird tipped the scales at over 1000 pounds. Their eggs were so large that you could fit seven ostrich eggs inside one elephant bird egg.

Ducks Have Guards That "Keep Watch"

When large groups of ducks sleep together, the ducks on the outside will sleep with one eye open to keep watch for predators. These ducks sleep lightly, and their brains stay partially awake.

Flamingos Eat Upside Down

Have you ever seen a group of flamingos with their heads in the water? They aren't just rooting around for food. They're also eating what they find. They can only eat when their heads are upside down.

The Original Hang Gliders

The albatross can glide for up to six hours without ever flapping its wings.

The Kiwi Is Similar to a Mammal

Strangely, kiwis have a lot in common with mammals. While they have feathers, they resemble mammalian hair or fur more than they resemble bird feathers. Kiwis also have marrow inside their bones and nostrils. Scientists have no idea why they have these mammalian traits.One more fun fact about the kiwi: they cannot see, so they use smell for hunting.

The First Birds

Birds evolved from reptiles over 147 million years ago, but you probably wouldn't even recognize these early birds. They looked more like reptiles and had tails and teeth.

The Fancy Bearded Vulture

Bearded vultures have a few traits that set them apart from other birds. First, up to 90% of their diet is made up of bone. These vultures drop the bones from high in the air to break into smaller pieces so that they can get to the marrow.The strangeness doesn't end there. These birds are also the only known bird to dye their feathers. The males use red soil to color their feathers. Scientists think they do this to demonstrate their dominance.

Humans Don't Just Eat Birds - We Eat the Nests, Too!

Swiftlets make their nests using their own saliva, and in certain parts of the world, the nests are eaten by humans. Even though the nest has no distinct flavor, it is one of the most expensive foods in the world.

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, No It's a...Bird?

The California Condor has an incredibly large wingspan - nine and a half feet! It is so large that people often mistake them for a small airplane when seen from far away.These magnificent birds are highly endangered. At one point, the entire population numbered 22 birds. The numbers are now up to around 400.

How to Tell If Your Chickens Will Lay Brown or White Eggs

Have you ever wondered why your supermarket has both white and brown eggs? It seems some people prefer one or the other, but why are the eggs different? It turns out that chickens with red earlobes lay brown eggs while chickens with white earlobes lay white eggs. Scientists are not sure why, but there is a genetic link between earlobe color and egg color.

How to Find Some Tasty Earthworms, Bassian Thrush Style

While many birds will root around in the dirt to find some worms, the Bassian thrush has a unique method. If they can't find any earthworms wiggling around, the thrush will actually fart to get the earthworms moving and make them easier to find. A little gross, but it gets the job done.

Humans Aren't the Only Creatures Who Hoard

Woodpeckers hoard acorns by drilling holes and storing them in trees. Some woodpeckers have been known to hoard as many as 50,000 acorns in one tree. Maybe it's time for an intervention.

A Bird Is Actually the Fastest Animal on Earth

While cheetahs can run the fastest on land, the peregrine falcon has been known to reach speeds of up to 242 mph. They move this quickly while diving for prey, so if you see a peregrine falcon bearing down on you, watch out!

Poisonous Birds?

While we tend to think of poisonous reptiles and bugs, there is one species of poisonous bird. The Hooded Pitohui is a bird that is indigenous to Papua, New Guinea. Its skin and feathers contain poisonous secretions.

How Many Types of Birds Are There?

There are numerous types of birds in the world, so many that some have yet to be discovered. Scientists cannot even agree on how many species there are. Some put the average at around 10,000, while others think there may be as many as 18,000 different species. Around 2/3 of the known species are native to tropical rainforests.Birds are also the most widespread creatures on earth, meaning you can find them virtually anywhere.Think you can never see that many birds in a lifetime? Some birdwatchers have reported seeing up to 9,000 different species. That's quite a few birds!

Penguins' Coloring Helps Them Stay Safe in the Water

Everyone knows penguins for their distinct black and white coloring, but did you know this coloring serves as camouflage for the birds while they're swimming? When a penguin is in the water, predators below it have trouble seeing its white below because it blends in with the light from above. Creatures above the water have trouble making out the penguin's dark back amidst the waves.

Bird Lungs

Bird lungs are very different from human lungs. Their lungs are more complex and actually take up about 20% of their bodies.

Jumping Penguins

While penguins are mostly known for their distinctive waddle and their graceful swimming, they are also pretty decent jumpers. An adult penguin can jump as high as six feet!

Eat Now, Digest Later

Since birds often have to grab their food an fly away, their digestive systems have adapted to let them digest their food at a later, more appropriate time.

The Chicken and the T. Rex?

Believe it or not, the closest living relative to a T. Rex is a chicken. You may find this a bit of a stretch, but scientists have proven it. The two may look nothing alike, but if you consider the way a chicken runs and how a T. Rex runs, you will notice that there is a similar bone structure there.The ostrich is also closely related to the T. Rex. Strangely enough, the chicken and the ostrich are not that close, genetically speaking.

En Garde!

The adorable Sword-billed hummingbird is reading for a fencing match. Its beak is longer than the length of its body.

Asleep at the Wheel

Animals have some strange sleeping habits, but the albatross has one of the strangest - and most useful - abilities. It can actually sleep while it flies. They have been reported to sleep and fly at speeds of up to 25 mph.

Chatty Parrots

Everyone knows that parrots can talk, but did you know that African Gray Parrot has the largest vocabulary by far? While most parrots can learn around 50 words, the African Gray Parrot can learn up to 800 words.

Woodpecker Communication

While all woodpeckers may sound the same to you, each woodpecker actually has a distinct drumming pattern. Woodpeckers can recognize one another by this drumming pattern alone.

Underwater Flying

While penguins are known for their swimming abilities, puffins can also swim. Puffins have a unique style of swimming. They swim by flapping their wings, making it look like they are flying underwater.

Superior Water Carriers

A pelican can carry up to two and a half pounds of water in its bill. It can then squeeze out the water, leaving any food for the pelican to eat.

Quack Echo

The laws of physics tell us that when sound waves encounter a solid surface, the waves bounce off, creating an echo. But for some reason, duck quacks have no echo. Scientists are still trying to puzzle this one out.

Hummingbird Metabolism

You've seen how fast a hummingbird can flap its wings, so it's no surprise that these tiny creatures have an insanely high metabolism. In fact, if humans had the same metabolism, we would have to eat around 285 pounds of protein just to maintain it.

Flamingo Love

Once a flamingo finds a mate, it mates for life. Some flamingos stay together for up to 50 years. We hope you enjoyed these interesting facts about birds and have a newfound appreciation for these amazing creatures!