While surfing around the web I found this cool article in BirdWatchersDigest.com
1. There are 9,567 different bird species alive today. Fossilized remains, however, show that at one time there were more than 150,000 different bird species on this planet.
2. Although the swift can reach speeds of up to 170 mph, 
most experts agree that the world’s fastest bird is the peregrine falcon. It can fly at speeds in excess of 200 mph! The world’s slowest flying bird is the American woodcock. At top speed it can move at 5 mph!
3. A vulture once collided with a jetliner over West Africa. The jet was flying at an altitude of 37,000 feet! Vultures have the world’s slowest wing beat - 1 beat per second. Hummingbirds, on the other hand, beat their wings up to 90 times per second.
4. A group of chickens is called a peep. There are more chickens in the world than people. They only have 250 to 350 taste buds compared with the 9,000 or so we humans have. They absorb vitamin D through their combs from sunshine and have really bad night vision. They are also the closest living relatives of Tyrannosaurus rex.
5. The goose was the first bird to be domesticated by man. An ancient story tells how a flock of white geese raised the alarm when Rome was attacked by the Gauls, and thus saved the city. Incidentally, speaking of the ancient Romans, they also ate flamingo tongues and regarded them as a rare delicacy.
6. Studies show that most wild birds will die in their first year of life. But if they can survive this first year then they stand a strong chance of living for some considerable time. The American robin, for instance, can live up to 12 years and both the great blue heron and the Canada goose can live for more than 23 years, the blue jay for more than 18 years, and some blackbird species for 15-plus years.
7. Not only is the ostrich the only bird on the planet to have a urinary bladder and an eye that is bigger than its brain, it’s also the largest known flightless bird, weighing in at over 300 pounds and standing up to 8 feet tall. It’s also pretty nimble on its feet, having been clocked at speeds in excess of 55 mph.
8. The world’s smallest bird is the bee hummingbird. It weighs less than one-tenth of an ounce, is around 2 1/2 inches long and has a 4-inch wingspan.
9. It’s reckoned that around 2 billion birds are killed each year in North America alone by pet and feral cats.
10. Swans mate for life. Some swans have more than 20,000 feathers in their plumage.
Read more....
Other articles that may be of interest to you:
Choosing a Birdfeeder for your Backyard
What you need to know Choosing a Decorative Birdhouse
5 Elements for a Wildlife Habitat in Your Backyard
0 comments:
Post a Comment