BIRDS  
Bird     -      Vertebrate      -      Omnivore
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GREEN PARROTS
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NEW ZEALAND KEA
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THE SIX-WIRED BIRD OF PARADISE, thought to be extinct until rediscovered in 2006 in the Indonesian jungle
BIRDS
For the following birds, click on the button below ...
General:
Male:  Cock
Female:  Hen
Young:  Chick
Bockwhite Quails:
Male:  Bob
Female:  Betty
Young:  Chick
Cranes:
Male:  Crane
Female:  Crane
Young:  Chick, Colt
Doves:
Male:  Cock
Female:  Hen
Young:  Chick, Squal
Ducks:
Male:  Duck
Female:  Duck, Hen
Young:  Duckling
Eagles:
Male:  Eagle
Female:  Eagle
Young:  Eaglet, Fledgling
Falcons - Hawks:
Male:  Tierce, Tercel
Female:  Falcon
Young:  Eyas
Gulls:
Male:  Cock
Female:  Hen
Young:  Chick, Scorrie
Guinea Fowl:
Male:  Cock
Female:  Hen
Young:  Chick
Owls
Male:  Owl
Female:  Owl
Young:  Fledgling, Owlet
Patridge:
Male:  Cock
Female: Hen, Chantelle
Young:  Chick
Peacocks:
Male:  Peacock
Female:  Peahen
Young:  Peachick
Puffins:
Male:  Puffin
Female:  Puffin
Young:  Pufflings
Quelea:
Male:  Cock
Female:  Hen
Young:  Chick
Turkeys:
Male:  Torn, Gobbler,  Slag,  Jake
Female:  Hen
Young:  Poult


BIRDS     .     Omithophobia is the fear of birds.
  • Are warm blooded, like mammals.  
  • Can be found everywhere in the world, including Antarctica.
  • Live in trees, on the ground, in forests and in the deserts.
  • Most eat twice their body weight each day.
  • Eat plants and insects.  Some eat only fish (kingfishers), whilst others eat only seeds and fruit (parrots).
  • Usually sleep standing up, unless in a nest.
  • Will tuck its head under its wing to sleep.
  • Walk, if they are mainly ground birds.
  • Hop, is they are mainly tree birds.
  • Can drink salt water.
  • Can recognise landmarks.
  • Cannot burp.
  • Keep their nests clean by eating their chicks' poo 
  • Urban birds have learned to line their nests with cigarette butts.  Nicotine is a powerful insecticide that wards off mites, lice and fleas.
  • The remains of birds hit by aeroplanes are known as 'snare'.
  • The fastest known muscle in nature is found in the throats of songbirds.
  • There are 40 different muscle in a bird's wing.
  • The Antpitta Avis Canis Ridgley bird barks like a dog
  • Some birds use ants to clean their feathers, as the ants squirt formic acid which kills parasites.
  • Birds can recognise landmarks .
  • Birds practise their songs quietly in private before they perform them in public.
  • Birds are immune to the heat of chilli peppers.
  • Before chicks hatch, they communicate with each other and their mother through a system of sounds.
  • Baby birds growing up without a father present, will never learn to sing properly.
Budgerigar
  • The bird with the largest vocabulary was Puck the Budgie, who died in 1998.  He knew 1,728 words (the same as a 4 year old child).
Buzzards
  • Buzzards can see small rodents from a height of 15,000 ft.
Crows
  • Five years of research at the University of Washington has shown that crows can remember faces - especially those who pose a threat to them.  They also invite other crows to join them to take revenge upon their attackers.
  • Crows can remember individual human faces for year after an encounter.
  • If in danger, its friends will come and offer support.
  • Love playing tricks on one another.
Eagles
  • The Bald Eagle became America's national symbol when it was placed on the great sealing in 1782. One member of Congress, Benjamin Franklin, did not support the Bald Eagle selection.  He thought that they should have selected a more uniquely American bird, such as the Turkey.
Falcons
  • The fastest flying bird is the Peregrine Falcon, flying at a speed of between 168-217 miles per hour.
Flamingoes
  • Flamingoes are naturally white in colour - their diet of brine shrimp and algae turns them pink.
Hummingbirds
  • Are the only birds that can fly backwards.
  • Their wings can beat at up to 80 times per second.
Jays
  • Blue Jays mimic the call of a Hawk in order to scare away other birds.
Keas
  • Was featured on the reverse side of the New Zealand $10 note between 1967 - 1992.
  • The youngest section of the New Zealand Scouts (known as Beavers in the UK) are known as Keas. 
  • Keas usually play alone by tossing an object using their beaks or their feet.
Kiwis
  • Kiwis are the only known birds to have nostrils at the tip of their beak.
  • Kiwi eggs are a quarter of the size of the female's body - so large that eating and breathing is difficult.
Penguins
  • Male Gentoo and Adelie Penguins  'propose' to their life-time mates with a pebble.
  • Nearly 3% of the ice in Antarctic glaciers is Penguin urine.
  • The African Penguin (Jackass Penguin) is so called because it makes donkey-like braying sound.
Pigeons
  • Pigeons' bones weigh less than their feathers.
  • Pigeon parents hide their young for a month after they hatch.  This keeps them safe from predators.
Peregrine Falcons
  • Peregrin Falcon siblings practice hunting by taking turns at being the target.
Toucans
  • Toucans curl into little balls when they sleep.
Turkeys
  • Turkeys can reproduce without mating - known as parthenogenesis.  
Woodpeckers
  • Woodpeckers wrap their tongues around their skulls. This protects the skull from all the high-impact knocks, acting like a crash helmet.
FLIGHTLESS BIRDS
Some birds cannot fly, including Turkeys and Rails:
  • Africa:                   Ostriches 
  • Australia:             Cassowary and Emus 
  • Antarctic:             Penguins 
  • Galapagos:          Galapagos Cormorant
  • Madagascar:       Elephant Bird
  • New Guinea:        Kakapo Parrots
  • New Zealand:      Kiwis  -  Takahe  -  Weka 
  • South America:    Steamer Ducks  -  Junin Grebe  -  Rhea  -  Titicaca Grebe  -  Kagu 
  • Tasmania:             Tasmanian Native Hen
For some extinct birds, visit ...
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OSTRICH
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TURKEY
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EMU
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PENGUINS
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KIWI
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RHEA