10 things you (probably) didn’t know about birds
Learning new things about the avian species is one of the many joys of birding. Here are ten things you probably didn’t know about birds.
What is The World’s Fastest Bird?
The Peregrine Falcon is the fastest-moving bird in the world. It can dive at speeds of up to 200 miles per hour. This is how it snatches up its prey in an instant. Of course, a bird that flies fast must have incredible agility skills to maneuver through obstacles without injuring itself.
What is The World’s Slowest Bird?
Conversely, the slowest-moving bird in the world is the American Woodcock, flying at an average speed of 5 miles per hour. This bird looks rather peculiar, with an elongated beak, a plump body, and a large head. It saunters across the ground and uses its funky beak to probe the soil for earthworms or other prey.
What Bird Can Hold its Breath The Longest?
The Emperor Penguin can hold its breath underwater for more than 20 minutes at a time! This allows them to catch their underwater prey with ease. But how does it work? Well, Emperor Penguins are genetically equipped to operate on extremely low oxygen levels. This allows them to maintain functionality underwater for long periods of time.
Which Bird Has The Best Hearing?
Barn Owls have the most acute hearing capabilities out of all the birds. In fact, they can hear sounds that are ten times softer than what we hear as humans. This allows them to pinpoint the location of small prey that scurry across the ground, such as mice, rats, and other rodents.
What’s The World’s Smallest Bird?
The Bee Hummingbird is the world’s smallest bird, measuring an average length of 2.24 inches. They only weigh about 1.6 grams. They are so small that it is easy to mistake them for bumblebees, hence the name, Bee Hummingbird.
What’s The World’s Largest Bird?
The flightless ostrich is the world’s largest bird, growing up to an astounding height of 9.2 feet tall! They can also be as heavy as 320 pounds. That’s a big bird!
Which Bird Has The Longest Wingspan?
The bird with the longest wingspan is the Wandering Albatross. Their wingspan stretches up to 11 feet long. This allows them to glide over the ocean winds smoothly for long periods, where they catch their aquatic prey.
Which Bird Lays The Largest Eggs?
We know that ostriches are the most enormous birds in the world. But did you know that they also lay the largest eggs in the world? That’s right! On average, ostrich eggs measure 7 inches by 4 ½ inches.
Which Bird Has The Most Feathers?
The bird with the most feathers is the elegant Tundra Swan. These beautiful birds have 25,216 feathers on average. They need their heavy plumage to keep them warm in the arctic climates they favor. Contrary to other birds, Tundra Swans migrate to colder areas when the weather gets warm.
Which Bird Has The Least Feathers?
The Ruby-throated Hummingbird has up to 1,000 feathers, making it the least feathered bird in the world. With such a tiny body to cover, it’s no surprise that hummingbirds don’t require much plumage.