Carrier Pigeon

The system of exchanging messages with the help of pigeon is called pigeon post. During World War I, carrier pigeons were nothing less than couriers adopted by both sides. Though other means of communication had developed in the World War II, pigeons were still preferred for passing information. With this brief history, let's try to learn more about carrier pigeon, its application and raising tips.

What is a Carrier Pigeon?

By carrier pigeon, we mean homing pigeons in general, which were used for passing messages in previous times (before the invention of communication devices). The typical messenger pigeons used several years ago carried lightweight things on their way back home, i.e. in only one way. Thus, carrier pigeons were first transported to another location, from where the message had to be delivered. There are also citations that mention the usage of homing pigeons for sending urgent drugs.

Homing pigeons are created as hybrids from the rock pigeon (scientific name Columba livia domestica) that exhibits peculiar homing ability. This bird tends to come back to its own nest (and own mate). What differentiates a messenger type pigeon from the remaining pigeon species is, it find its way back to its mentally marked home as its nest, even after flying to far off distances. To be more precise, a homing pigeon specifically trained as messenger is called a carrier pigeon.

Usually, a message written on a lightweight paper is rolled first, and then attached to the pigeon's leg with a thread. A carrier pigeon handler raises and trains homing pigeons of various breeds for carrying messages from another location. After being trained properly, these kinds of bird can carry up to 75 g weight. At times, you will come across bird centers and online sites that put carrier pigeons for sale.

How to Raise a Carrier Pigeon?

Indeed, pigeon post is by far an interesting way for long distance communication. For many bird lovers, 'is the carrier pigeon extinct' has been a common query. Well, it is not an extinct bird. While carrier pigeons are not an absolute necessity for carrying messages in today's date, many hobbyists are fascinated with these lovely birds and prefer keeping them for fun. Raising this homing pigeon is no different from the usual way of keeping pigeons as pets. The challenges lie in the training part.

If you have a passion for bird keeping, you can even rear and train a homing pigeon to serve as a carrier pigeon. Believe me, it will be fun to own a bird that can carry your message (in a small paper) from another destination. Of course, you need to take out time and spend some effort for training your pet bird. In the first year, your pet pigeon needs to be maintained in a comfortable crate with lots of food and water. Also, you are expected to spend enough time with your pet bird. You can learn more on what do birds eat.

After the bird gets acclimatized to its cozy bird house or loft, you can start with the actual training process. Take your pigeon away from home (about one mile in the first try) and release it. As it feels hungry after some time, it will surely return to its nest. You can wait near its loft and feed your pigeon with good food, that it loves the most. Likewise, increase the flight distance gradually, and it will surely make its way back home. Allow your carrier pigeon to fly back a distance of about 70 miles.

As you see, raising a homing pigeon is not as difficult as it sounds. For using as a carrier pigeon, you can give your pet bird to the other person with whom you want to exchange messages. Besides this, using canaries and carrier pigeons in mines is still followed today. They help in predicting the presence of harmful gas in mining sites. If canaries return after visiting mines, methane gas is absent in the mines, and vice versa.

By Ningthoujam Sandhyarani
Published: 2/5/2011

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Top 10 Amazing Facts About Ravens

In there stepped a stately raven of the saintly days of yore;
Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;
But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door
Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door
Perched, and sat, and nothing more. - The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe

Messenger of doom, ominous bird of ill-will or evil, nasty black flying beast... a few titles of one of nature's most misunderstood species, the raven or member of the Corvus genus of bird species. But can one bird be all that bad? Take a look at the following trivia and tidbits about the raven, to get a real glimpse into the life of this winged animal.

The Raven's Look

There are 8 sub-species or types of ravens with slight differences in size or habitat. The larger species amongst these are the thick-billed raven and the common raven. Smaller types are the fan-tailed raven and the Chihuahuan raven.

Ravens are synonymous with the color black. They have a deep, rich black plumage, showing a bluish or purplish glossy tinge or sheen in light. Around the neck, ravens have lightish gray feathers. During the molting phase, a raven's feathers start to turn brownish or copperish, before they fall off. Juvenile and young ravens are a little shabby, as their plumage starts off as brown especially with the tail and neck feathers.

Ravens have colored irises. The common raven has a dark brown iris color with its young exhibiting a bluish gray iris color. Australian raven species have pure white irises.

Not Your Average Bird Behavior

It is believed that ravens mate for life, after pairing up soon after attaining sexual maturity. They are even observed to use the same nest for bringing up their offspring. Some nesting ravens will drop large stones or objects on predators approaching their nest, in order to distract them.

Female ravens are rather picky in choosing a mate and look for certain qualities or traits. A good mate should be capable of providing or obtaining food and be reasonably smart. But it's not all about being a breadwinner, a good mate should have a "need for speed" trait. Indeed male ravens go all out in the quest to attract a mate. They perform amazing aerial stunts that can put even an eagle to shame. Diving, twirling mid-air, flying upside down for a distance, chasing each other, mid-air stops and starts, flying in loops, locking talons etc, are just a few acrobatic sky maneuvers that ravens perform to show off during mating season.

Ravens are amongst the brainier animal species. Not only are their brains bigger in size as compared to other birds, they are very very smart in solving puzzles, imitating others and show remarkable insights and skills that are not instinctive in nature. They are considered "inventors" or animals that can identify a problem and solve it efficiently and quickly, as opposed to most species that perform trial-and-error.

A large carcass with bones cannot be broken into with a raven's beak, so the ravens attract wolves and coyotes to the carcass. They wait for the animal to break open the flesh and sneak around them to eat the now opened flesh.

Ravens collect food and hoard it in caches but they are very secretive about their locations. Flock members will however spy on each other, just to find each others caches and then steal from the other raven's cache! But the stolen-from raven learns from these incidents and next time, will fly further away to make a food cache, for a better hiding place. It will even trick its followers by making a "pretend" or fake cache, so that the thieves are fooled into stealing from an empty cache.

Ravens have few natural predators, the most notable examples being the red tail hawk and the great horned owl. But a flock of ravens will band together and mob or jeer at the sight of these birds, to intimidate them into flying off.

Ravens also steal or raid other animals food caches like foxes. They are quite fearless around large predators, like the Gray Wolf and have been observed stealing prey literally from under a wolf's nose. They even gather at other birds nests to wait for the mother to turn her back and then snatch off a chick. They can hunt in a large flock, especially for a prey that is too large for a pair or a single bird.

Ravens are regarded as one of the most playful and naughty of all avian species. They like harassing dogs and cats by pulling their tails or sneaking up on them and cawing loudly in their ears. Ravens have been observed to play catch-me-if-you-can games with wolves. They even like playing at sword fights, by breaking off bits of twigs and bark and fighting with each other. They like to slide in the snow, hang from places upside down and in snowy areas, they even push snow from roofs onto humans below.

A notable case of raven behavior is with bird baths or decorative garden sculptures that hold water. During the nesting season, parent ravens look for a source of water close to the nest, so that they can dip and soften their food in it, to feed to the young ones. This dipping also ensures their babies get enough water. But for garden owners, this means cleaning up a bath full of dead or rotting debris, body parts and feathers from the "dipping" rituals of such solicitous parenting!

Interesting Facts About Ravens

Ravens are considered to be harbingers of ill-omen and death in most Western folklore. They are considered so evil, that their favorite food is said to be the flesh of a dead man.

In Chinese, Egyptian, Greek and Semitic myths, the raven is a messenger of bad or stormy weather. In Sweden, they represent the ghosts of murdered people. In Germany, they are symbols of eternally dammed souls.

Odin, the most powerful of all Norse gods, had 2 pet ravens, Hugin and Munin who saw and heard everything and reported such information to Odin.

In the Bible, the raven was the first animal to fly or leave Noah's Ark, to see if the flood had died down. Ravens are mentioned in 7 of the Bible's verses.

The raven is a key mythological figure in North American folklore. It is regarded as the beast that created the Earth, a trickster and sly being and even its black plumage is explained in an ancient Indian story.

In Irish Celtic folklore, ravens were mediators between the gods and the mortals. They would bring prophecies and messages between the realm of the gods and Earth. The Celtic goddess Morrigan takes the form of a raven to visit those who will soon die on the battlefield.

 

The best raven myth is that of the Welsh/Celtic god, Brân the Blessed. The Welsh word for raven is bran. Brân the Blessed was the King of the Britons and was dying after a vicious battle against the Irish. He was so anxious to protect his people, that he told his followers to cut off his head and bury it under the White Hill, so that his presence would prevent Britain from ever being invaded. This is why the Tower of London (built over White Hill) is populated by ravens and has 6 official raven residents. Legend has it that if the ravens ever leave the Tower, the British empire will fall.

From the above amazing facts about ravens, it just goes to show you shouldn't judge a book by its cover or in this case, a bird by its color. Whether scavenger, predator or prankster, the raven is a classic example of brains with an eye for mischief.

By Rave Uno
Published: 7/7/2011

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Tips on Raising Quails

Quails are small sized terrestrial birds that originated from the Phasianidae family. These medium sized birds comprise numerous species of which some of them are bred and raised on a large scale. Depending on the quail species, they differ in their appearance, which gives the breeder a variety to choose from. These little plump birds have become popular in cookery as their eggs have good amount of nutrition value. In early times these birds were mostly used for hunting purposes and now they are mainly used for food. Raising and hatching quail eggs is not an easy task and must be done with complete dedication. Well raised quails can prove profitable. However, improper care can lead to many problems. Before considering the idea of raising quails, it is important to think of the space, cost and materials that are required to bring up these plump birds. In case you are planning to breed quails then you must make yourself aware about the bird's health issues, growth rate and the size of the flock. So, read through the tips on how to raise these birds, to start your own mini quail farming.

Raising Quails

Selecting the Right Flock
Quails must be well selected before starting the breeding process. The birds must be of the similar size and must weigh normal. A 60 day old quail will weigh around 120 g while a 30-35 old will weigh about 100 g. Therefore, before bringing in the quails choose the appropriate flock so that breeding becomes a risk free process. Before purchasing the flock go through the medical or family record to understand the growth rate and also to predict any future health issues. If you are a beginner then purchase less quails but the ratio of females to males should be more. Males tend to easily breed with females and within 6 weeks a female quail is ready to lay eggs. These eggs can be consumed after 4-5 weeks.

Housing for Quails
Also consider the cost of the cage that you will need for the quails. These are medium sized but plump birds, so, they require sufficient space to move around. You can either purchase a cage, which has a strong base or build it with plywood, mesh wire and lumber. Construct a big cage which would provide the birds with sufficient space and comfort as they grow. In case the flock is big, build or purchase layered cages so that you can accommodate the birds well.

Setting up Brooders
Brooders are boxes which has an inbuilt bulb and provides shelter to the newborn chicks. Brooder boxes keep the chicks warm until they develop feathers. Ventilation of air is important to prevent the brooder from getting too warm. After 10 days, the chicks can be brought out and kept under room temperature. Spread layers of newspapers on the cage flooring so that it can absorb the droppings of the bird. Newspapers can be easily rolled up and disposed off, which makes cleaning easy.

Quail Diet
To assure healthy quails, it is essential to feed them a high protein diet. Feed a proper balanced diet to your birds to assure their healthy life. Small insects and seeds are among the bird's favorite foods. However, if you are raising these birds for food purposes then wheat seed and greens are healthy food constituents for quails.

These tips on how to raise quails are effective and will make their care easy for you. However, it is preferred to build the cage slightly above the ground so that the birds stay unharmed from predators. Also, water and food must be clean and clear of dirt and must be fresh to consume. The occupation of raising quails for any purpose, requires dedication and knowledge to gain maximum benefits.

By Amruta Gaikwad
Published: 7/13/2011

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Facts About the Wedge-tailed Eagle

The wedge-tailed (Aquila audax) eagle is native to Australia and commonly known as the Eaglehawk. These huge birds of prey are spread throughout Australia and even in Southern New Guinea. The name of the bird is derived from the shape of its tail. This bird has a heavy body and a wide wing span that enables it to glide swiftly in the sky at a great height. Wedge-tailed eagles are known to live up to 20 years and pairs stay faithful to each other.

Wedge-tailed Eagle Facts

Distribution and Habitat
These majestic species of bird is spread all over the continent of Australia. These birds prefer living away from the city and mainly in forest areas. Wedge-tailed eagles are adaptable birds but prefer to stay in a peaceful and undisturbed environment.

Description
The male wedge-tailed eagles are darker than the females. The young ones of these eagles are light brown in color and have reddish heads. As they mature their color turns darker. The chicks of this species develop within few weeks. The second week after the hatching of the chicks, they begin to develop feathers. The female wedge-tailed eagle weighs around 7.1 to 12lbs and males weigh around 4.4 and 8.8lbs. These birds are built with a wide wingspan which measures around 227 cm. These birds grow up to a height of 1 meter. Eagles have a very sharp eyesight and can hunt their prey even if they fly very high. They have a hooked long beak which helps them to tear open the carcass and rip the meat. Their claws are huge and strong enough to have a good grip over their prey and even to cling on to a branch.

Food Sources
This largest bird of prey has a varied diet and mainly feeds on ground animals. Rabbits constitute a maximum of their diet, but, they also consume kangaroos, hares, wallabies, snakes, ravens, foxes, sheep and lizards. Most of their prey are caught while landing on the ground and pinning them against the ground by their claws. In order to hunt big animals, these eagles will form a flock and hunt together.

Breeding and Nesting
Wedge-tailed eagles opt for tall trees to get a good view. They build large nests either in tall trees or on the edge of the cliff. The nest is 2 meters wide and 4 meters deep. It is made out of sticks and the top of the nest is shallow and ringed with fresh leaves. These eagles maintain the same partner for years and use the same home during their nesting season.

The breeding of these birds take place from April to September. Both the male and female look after their nest and their young ones till they are old enough to take flight and fend for themselves. The female lays around 2-3 eggs which hatch separately. Whichever chick hatches first, it is always larger than the next hatching. The breeding process depends on the availability of food. The first chick is the strongest and has more chances to survive. In case of less food supply, the largest chick will eat the smaller chicks. In the initial weeks, the parents feed their young ones and later the chicks make attempts to feed themselves. In order to stay safe from predators, the little ones lay flat in the nest so that they are not easily spotted. Young wedge-tailed eagles live up to 11-12 weeks with their parents before taking leave into the wild.

Status
Earlier, the wedge-tailed eagles were a common bird of prey in Australia, however, deforestation has brought down their population. As per the record, there are only 200 pairs of Tasmanian wedged-tailed eagle alive. Even hunting of these eagles is considered illegal. Juvenile wedge-tailed eagles are at more risk from predators and also from feeding on carcass of a sick animal. These factors have disrupted their breeding and nesting ground and therefore, these birds are rated as endangered species.

These facts about the wedge-tailed eagle give you a brief idea about these birds of prey. Due to drastic reduction in their number, it has become a matter of concern. Such birds form an important part of our eco-system and must be protected from extinction.

By Amruta Gaikwad
Published: 7/14/2011

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House Sparrow Facts

House Sparrow is a tiny bird found roaming around in our neighborhood. It is scientifically known as Passer domesticus. It is found to exist at every place where humans have a living. There are a very few places where House Sparrows have no existence. It is very sociable and linked to human establishments in a great way and is found in large cities as well as rural areas. It is associated more than any other bird, with human beings. A House Sparrow can be identified as a small bird with large, round head, stout bill, short tail and a full chest. Females have black, buff and brown strips on the back and have a dull brown body with grayish-brown underparts while their male counterparts are brightly colored with white cheeks, gray head and black bib. To know more about them, check out some fascinating facts that follow.

Interesting House Sparrows Facts

1. House Sparrow has its origin in Great Britain. It is also known as English sparrow to differentiate from the native North American Sparrow.
2. Salt Lake City, California and San Francisco were few of the cities where House Sparrows were introduced.
3. In 1851, the House Sparrow was brought in Brooklyn, New York for the first time, in North America. Later, the species flourished to a large extent and spread across the West Coast and Rocky Mountains.
4. Killing of House Sparrow was legally banned in Texas in the year 1883.
5. House Sparrow is a symbol of loyalty in Japan owing to its friendly nature and ability to live in groups.
6. It symbolizes insignificance in the New Testament of the Bible and is associated with loneliness in the Old Testament.
7. There are fifteen different subspecies of House Sparrows in the West.
8. House Sparrows can grow as old as 12 years!
9. The oldest sparrow, recorded till date is known to live for 15 years and 9 months!
10. Both sexes of House Sparrow measure 15-17 cm in length with a wingspan of 19-25 cm and weigh around 27-29 g.
11. The North American sparrows are longer than South American sparrows.
12. The adaptability of House Sparrow to the North American environment has led to the sidelining of other bird species. This has become a cause of concern as their growing population has become unmanageable.
13. House Sparrows have the capability of swimming underwater! Yes, its true. Even though these birds are not water birds, it is observed that they can actually swim underwater to move from one place to the other.
14. Like most living beings, House Sparrows also have enemies. House Birds and Starlings are bird species known to destroy the eggs of House Sparrows and fight for nests.
15. House Sparrows love to play with dust and soil. They spoil themselves in the dust as if trying to have a bath with it.
16. House Sparrows are philopatric i.e., they have the tendency to get back to their birthplace after migration.
17. Their general diet includes grains, seeds and vegetables which they easily steal away from human dwellings.
18. The Handbook of Texas Online mentions the fact that House Sparrows can feed on around 830 variety of foods.
19. They have a mate for every breeding season and live in the same group for life.
20. Both the male and female sparrow incubate the eggs for 10-14 days after which the eggs hatch and the young ones are taken care of.
21. Their flying capacity is not more than 3-5 km. They keep roaming around near their dwelling for fetching food for themselves and their young ones.
22. Older male sparrows with large black patches on the body are dominant over males with small patches.
23. Male sparrows dominate over females during fall and winter while females dominate during summer and spring.
24. House Sparrows, when nervous, flick their tails to ease out the tension.
25. They have contributed to science in a significant way. Approximately 5000 research papers have been published with these little birds as study species.

Now you know how amazing these tiny birds are! Their close proximity to our dwellings have made them an inseparable part of our surroundings. Significant decrease in the population of House Sparrows is seen these days. This could possibly be due to less availability of nesting sites, mobile phone radiations, predation and diseases. We can do our bit by building bird boxes in our garden or backyard to provide a nesting space to them. If the population drops down drastically, it will be really sad to see fewer or no House Sparrows around.

By Priyanka Kosta Sonkushre
Published: 7/22/2011

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Different Types of Birds

There could be nothing more pleasant than waking up in the morning to the sounds of the sweet chirping of the birds. Their delicate sounds seem like music to me. Although I can never follow what they try to convey, the one thing that can be clearly inferred is that they are always hungry first thing in the morning! Having a bird table has given me tremendous pleasure of having visitors throughout the morning period. Sometimes, apart from the occasional common species, I am fortunate enough to have the not-so-social varieties gracing my food platter laid out for the birds. The beautiful sounds they use to communicate can sometimes be a hilarious experience as well, with the variations they provide. Witnessing the different types of birds that I have come across, I often wondered how many such species may have existed in reality, some which are extinct or on their way to extinction. Therefore, I have compiled a list of different types of birds that include the common varieties and the rare types of birds as well.

Different Types of Birds

Avocet
The avocet bird belongs to three different species. This bird is found in North and South America, Europe and even Australia. This long legged bird has webbed feet and an upturned bill.

Eastern Bluebirds
These types of birds are around 6 ½ inches in length. Such birds are found mainly in gardens and orchards with the arrival of spring. Male eastern bluebirds are bright blue on the upper half and have a white belly. Female eastern bluebirds have a grayish head with shades of blue as well.

Catbirds
Catbirds are known to imitate the sounds of other birds. This bird is gray in color and has a shade of chestnut, just under its tail.

Doves
These are smaller than pigeons and are long tailed in their appearance. Doves are found throughout the world and these birds are also a symbol of romance as well as peace.

Bald Eagle
The bald eagle is found in marshes and near coastlines. These have very large and broad wings with a broad tail. The head and tail are white in color, which is the major distinguishable factor of the bald eagle. The long hooked bill is yellow in color.

Flamingo
These pink-bodied types of birds with a unique beak are generally found in large colonies. These occur in many African countries, areas of Florida and one particular type of species are found only in the Andean highlands.

Geese
Geese are medium to large in size and can be domesticated easily. There are many species of the same. Most of these kinds are migratory. This bird is vegetarian by nature therefore not a favorite when it comes to farmers trying to protect their crops.

Herons
Herons have a slight resemblance to different types of birds such as the storks, spoonbills etc. These are also known as egrets or bitterns. Such birds are generally found near wetlands. These feed on aquatic life.

Kingfishers
The kingfishers are also one of the most beautiful birds that I have ever seen. These are found in the woodland areas as well as wetlands. They are superb divers when it comes to catching fish in the rivers. Their pointed bills are what help them bag the catch. Kingfishers have superb eyesight whether they are in air or under water.

Magpie
This bird is considered to be a thief because it is known to steal young birds away from the nests. Such is the reputation of the magpie that it turned out to be the main culprit in the popular Tintin series, The Castafiore Emerald. There are many species of the same. These birds are self reliant from their young age when it comes to hunting for their food.

Owls
These nocturnal birds hunt in the night for insects, mammals and even other birds. There are many varieties of owls and many of these are found all over except for regions of Antarctica and remote islands. The unique feature of owls is that it can rotate its head in any direction.

Penguins
Penguins are found in the Southern hemisphere. The Emperor Penguin is the largest of these species. These are aquatic birds and flightless and there a few species that are found in the temperate zone as well.

Peafowls
The Peafowl includes two species of birds. The male is called the peacock and the female, a peahen. In India, the peacock enjoys the position of a national bird and is most admired for its attractive tail, which is displayed during the courtship period.

Quails
Quails belong to the pheasant family. These are medium sized birds and feed mainly on seeds and insects as well.

Roadrunners
Roadrunners are generally found in the deserts of Southwestern United States, Central America and Mexico. Such kinds of birds feed largely on insects and lead either a solitary life or in pairs.

Sparrows
Sparrows are plump and tiny birds that have powerful beaks. These include seeds and insects in their diet.

Toucans
Toucans have a very colorful and large bill, which is the most distinguishing factor of these birds. These are brightly colored, flamboyant birds. These types of birds eat fruits but can also include insects in their diet as well. Such birds are non migratory and nest in tree holes.

Vultures
Vultures are easily distinguished because of their bald head and brown bodies. These are scavengers and generally kill only the wounded or sick animals.

Woodpeckers
The woodpecker probably got its name because of the tapping sound it creates when it pecks on the tree trunks. This method is used as means of communication as well as to find insects in the tree trunk.

These are just a few types of birds that I have compiled in this piece. There are many beautiful and attractive birds one can see in nature apart from these. Birds are better off in their natural surrounding, so if you think you can have it as a pet, you need to think again! Birds would prefer to have their own freedom rather being cooped up in a cage. Observe and enjoy their presence but at a distance!

By Kashmira Lad
Last Updated: 9/20/2011

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Types of Birds

Birds are generally recognized as the feathered, flying members of the animal kingdom, situated in the class Aves.

The world's ten thousand bird species typically get organized into approximately thirty different orders.

Approximately nine hundred year round and migratory bird species live in the United States. They generally fits into eighteen different bird orders.

• Loons (Order Gaviiformes)
• Grebes (Order Podicipediformes)
• Albatross, Sharwaters, Strom Petrels (Order Procellariiformes)
• Pelicans and Cormorants (Order Pelecaniformes)
• Herons (Order Ciconiiformes)
• Ducks, Geese, Swans (Order Anseriformes)
• Eagles, Falcons, Hawks, Vultures (Order Falconiformes)
• Chachalaca Grouse, Turkey, Quail (Order Galliformes)
• Rails (Order Gruiformes)
• Shorebirds such as Plovers, Sandpipers, Gulls and Terns (Order Charadriiformes)
• Cuckoos, Roadrunners Order: Cuculiformes
• Nighthawks Order Caprimulgiformes
• Doves and Pigeons (Order Columbiformes)
• Owls (Order Strigiformes)
• Swifts, Hummingbirds (Order Apodiformes)
• Kingflisher (Order Coraciiformes)
• Woodpeckers (Order Piciformes)
• Everything else (Order Passeriformes)

Almost one-half of North American species fit into the Passeriformes order, the perching birds. Passerines (sparrows, finches, cardinals, jays, crows, warblers and more), as they are collectively known, are the most common birds seen in residential areas and backyard feeders.

With the exception of Loons, Albatross and Nighthawks, the links in the box on the right point to pictorial essays covering all the different types of birds found in the United States. The pictures of birds link leads to a complete list of about 150 different birds.

All but a few pictures were taken in natural settings. The article, Bird Photography Tips is offered for people interested in learning more about the subject.

School students and teachers may use any pictures for a school project as long the picture is accompanied by the copyright label.

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Bird Facts

From back yard birding to long distance birding, Americans continue to pass down their interest in wild birds from generation to generation.

Some people may have a limited acquaintance with wild birds, knowing less than a handful of species, or the species that visit their yard. Specialists might be able to identify birds by the thousands of species.

Even if it's only a mascot for a sports team, almost everyone can count at least one bird identification success.

For all wild bird identification enthusiasts, here are some additional bird facts.

• Approximately ten thousand bird species share the world with humans.
• With over three thousand native species, South America is the world's bird capital. The rought world breakdown goes as follows.
• South America: 3,200 bird species
• Asia: 2,900 bird species
• Africa: 2,300 bird species
• North America (including Central America, Mexico, United States, Canada and Caribbean) 2,00 bird species
• United States: 888 bird species
• Australia: 1,700 bird species
• Europe: 1,000 bird species
• Antarctica: 65 bird species
• The arctic tern possibly holds the title as longest migrator, flying (round trip) 18,600 miles between the arctic and Antarctica.
• All birds molt and regrow their feathers.
• Approximately ninety bird species have gone extinct since 1681. The Passenger Pigeon, Carolina Parakeet, Labrador Duck and (probably) Ivory Billed-woodpecker are the most well known extinct native species.
• With approximately 425 species divided into approximately 100 genera, the tyrant flycatchers (Tyrannidae) are the world's largest bird family.
• The Ostrich (Struthio camelus) is the largest living bird.
• The Bee Hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae) is the world's smallest bird.
• The Peregrine Falcon gets credit as the world's fastest flying bird.
• While birds are known for their ability to fly, not all birds fly. Penguins, Ostrich, Rhea, Kiwi and a few duck and grebe species are among the world's flightless birds.
• Seven different states, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia, designate the Cardinal as their state bird, making it the most popular state bird.

The links in the box point to articles fill with more bird facts. The Types of Birds link includes pictures and information on more than one hundred and fifty different native bird species.

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Tree Swallow

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Great Blue Heron

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Downy Woodpecker

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Red-winged Blackbird

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Western Scrub Jay

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Song Sparrow

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american robin

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