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15 Amazing Facts About 15 Birds

BY ANNA GREEN

JANUARY 5, 2019

iStock.com/Khmel

ISTOCK.COM/KHMEL

From brilliantly colored hummingbirds to farting thrushes, birds are among the most beautiful and
bizarre creatures on Earth. With over 9000 species, our fine feathered friends inhabit almost every inch
of the planet, making their homes in the frozen expanses of Antarctica, the humid rainforests of South
America, and every climate in between. Here are 15 amazing facts you might not know about 15
amazing bird species.

1. RAVENS ARE GREAT AT MIMICKING HUMAN SPEECH AND SOUNDS.

A raven with its beak open

ISTOCK.COM/STEP2626

While ravens in the wild are unlikely to pick up human language, in captivity they can become quite
talkative. Some ravens are even better than parrots at mimicking human speech, not to mention sounds
from the human world like car engines revving or toilets flushing. In the wild, meanwhile, ravens
sometimes imitate other animals, mimicking predators like wolves or foxes to attract them to tasty
carcasses they're unable to break open on their own.

2. OSTRICHES HAVE THE LARGEST EYES OF ANY LAND ANIMAL.

portrait of an ostrich

ISTOCK.COM/SABDIZ
Ostrich eyes are the largest of any animal that lives on land (though they can't rival some of the massive
creatures that inhabit the depths of the sea). Approximately the size of a billiard ball, their eyes are
actually bigger than their brains.

3. CARDINALS LIKE TO COVER THEMSELVES IN ANTS.

a cardinal on a branch

ISTOCK.COM/MIRJANA SIMEUNOVICH

Cardinals (along with several other bird species) sometimes cover themselves in crushed or living ants,
smearing them over their feathers, or allowing living ants to crawl on them. While scientists still aren't
sure what the purpose of "anting" is, some believe the birds use the formic acid secreted during their ant
bath to help get rid of lice and other parasites.

4. OWLS DEVOUR THEIR PREY WHOLE.

An owl landing on the grass

ISTOCK.COM/LOTHAR BRADEMANN

When owls catch larger animals (raccoons and rabbits, for instance), they tear them up into more
manageable, bite-size pieces. But, they've also been known to simply swallow smaller animals, from
insects to mice, whole. Owls then regurgitate pellets full of indigestible elements of their meal like
animal bones and fur.

5. SOME DUCKS SLEEP WITH ONE EYE OPEN.

four sleeping ducks

ISTOCK.COM/CRISTINAGUTIERREZDELOLMO

When they nap in groups, the ducks on the perimeter keep guard by sleeping with one eye open. While
the other ducks sleep more deeply, those on the outside of the circle also keep one side of their brain
awake, even as they doze, so that predators won’t be able to sneak up on them.

6. KIWIS ARE SOMETIMES CALLED "HONORARY MAMMALS."

a kiwi bird
ISTOCK.COM/JASON MAGERKORTH

Native to New Zealand, kiwis are a bizarre, land-bound bird. Scientists, so mystified by the kiwi's strange
properties—which include feathers that feel like hair, heavy bones filled with marrow, and nostrils on the
tip of their nose (rather than on the base of their beak like most birds)—have sometimes called them
"honorary mammals."

7. MOST HUMMINGBIRDS WEIGH LESS THAN A NICKEL.

A hummingbird by a flower

ISTOCK.COM/WEBGUZS

Hummingbirds are incredibly lightweight. The average hummingbird is around 4 grams (one gram less
than a nickel), while the smallest, the bee hummingbird, is closer to 1.6 grams, less than the weight of a
penny. The largest member of the hummingbird family, meanwhile, is the aptly named giant
hummingbird, which can get up to 24 grams—enormous for a hummingbird, but only equivalent to
about a handful of loose change.

8. IN ANCIENT GREECE, PIGEONS DELIVERED THE RESULTS OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES.

two pigeons

ISTOCK.COM/FOCUSPHOTOART

Believed to be the first domesticated bird, pigeons were used for millennia to deliver messages, including
important military information, and the outcome of the early Olympic games. Though non-avian mail
delivery has become more popular over time, pigeons were used as recently as World War II to carry
select messages.

9. PARROTS CAN LEARN TO SAY HUNDREDS OF WORDS.

African grey parrot on a branch

ISTOCK.COM/NAKED KING

While most parrots only learn around 50 words, some African grey parrots have been known to learn
hundreds. Einstein, a brilliant African grey parrot at the Knoxville Zoo in Tennessee, can say around 200
words.
10. SWIFTLET NESTS ARE A DELICACY.

a dried swiftlet nest

ISTOCK.COM/DEXTORTH

Some swiftlets, appropriately named Edible-nest swiftlets, build nests almost exclusively from their
hardened saliva. The saliva nests are considered a delicacy in some countries—in China, they are most
frequently used to make bird’s nest soup—and are one of the most expensive foods in the world, despite
having little flavor and no real nutritional value.

11. BASSIAN THRUSHES FIND FOOD BY FARTING.

a bassian thrush

JJ HARRISON, WIKIMEDIA COMMONS // CC BY-SA 3.0

Worm-eating Bassian thrushes have been known to dislodge their prey from piles of leaves by directing
their farts at them. The excretion of gas shifts the leaf-litter on the ground and apparently provokes
worms to move around, revealing their location.

12. WOODPECKERS HOARD ACORNS.

woodpecker with acorns

ISTOCK.COM/STEVEBYLAND

Acorn woodpeckers store acorns by drilling holes in trees, fence posts, utility poles, and buildings, and
depositing their nuts there. They have been known to store up to 50,000 acorns—each in its own tiny
hole—in a single tree, called a "granary tree."

13. THE UNIQUE BLACK AND WHITE COLORING OF PENGUINS WORKS AS CAMOFLAGE.

Penguins swimming in the ocean

ISTOCK.COM/MUSAT

While penguins might stand out on land, underwater their black and white coloring helps them stay
hidden from both predators and prey. As they swim, their black backs blend in with the darker ocean
water below them so that they're difficult to spot from above. Their white chests, meanwhile, help them
blend in with the lighter, brighter surface of the water, so that from below, they're near-invisible. On
land, meanwhile, their black backs may stand out sharply against the snowy landscape, but in most
regions, the birds face so few predators on land, it's unnecessary to try to blend into the background.

14. HOATZIN CHICKS ARE BORN WITH CLAWS ON THEIR WINGS.

A hoatzin bird

ISTOCK.COM/GAARDMAN

Though they disappear after three months, young hoatzin (also known as "stink birds" for their unique
stench) have two claws on each wing, which they can use to climb across tree branches or pull
themselves out of water onto dry land. The claws also help chicks hide from predators: After jumping
from their nest into the water below, the little hoatzin swim some distance, then pull themselves on land
with their claws. When the coast is clear, they use their claws to climb up onto a tree branch.

15. BUDGIES CATCH EACH OTHER'S YAWNS.

Three budgies on a ledge.

ISTOCK.COM/KHMEL

Budgerigars, or budgies, a common parakeet, are the only bird species so far discovered who are
susceptible to contagious yawning. While humans, dogs, chimps, lab rats, and a few other creatures have
all been known to catch each other's yawns, budgies are the first non-mammal species observed
exhibiting the behavior. Many scientists believe the unconscious, instinctual response may be a primitive
way of showing empathy, or it might be a sign of group alertness.

This story first ran in 2016.

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Invasive Snakehead Fish That Can Breathe on Land Is Roaming Georgia

BY JAKE ROSSEN

OCTOBER 10, 2019

Mohd Fazlin Mohd Effendy Ooi, Flickr // CC BY 2.0

MOHD FAZLIN MOHD EFFENDY OOI, FLICKR // CC BY 2.0

A fish recently found in Georgia has wildlife officials stirred up. In fact, they’re advising anyone who sees
a northern snakehead to kill it on sight.

That death sentence might sound extreme, but there’s good reason for it. The northern snakehead,
which can survive for brief periods on land and breathe air, is an invasive species in North America. With
one specimen found in a privately owned pond in Gwinnett County, the state wants to take swift action
to make certain the fish, which is native to East Asia, doesn’t continue to spread. Non-native species can
upset local ecosystems by competing with native species for food and habitat.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division is advising people who
encounter the snakehead—a long, splotchy-brown fish that can reach 3 feet in length—to kill it and
freeze it, then report the catch to the agency's fisheries office.

Wildlife authorities believe snakeheads wind up in non-native areas as a result of the aquarium trade or
food industry. A snakehead was recently caught in southwestern Pennsylvania. The species has been
spotted in 14 states.

[h/t CNN]

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Meet Holly: The Winner of Alaska's ‘Fat Bear Week’ Competition at Katmai National Park

BY MICHELE DEBCZAK

OCTOBER 9, 2019

Katmai National Park and Preserve via Flickr, Public Domain

KATMAI NATIONAL PARK AND PRESERVE VIA FLICKR, PUBLIC DOMAIN

It's that time of year when the air gets a little colder, the days get a little shorter, and the bears get much,
much fatter. Every year, in celebration of the impressive, pre-hibernation transformations of its brown
bears, Alaska's Katmai National Park and Preserve hosts a competition to determine which fat bear
reigns supreme. As NPR reports, Holly (a.k.a. Bear 435) is the official winner of 2019's Fat Bear Week.

In order to build enough bulk to survive the winter, brown bears must eat a year's worth of food in six
months. After gobbling as much salmon as they can find, their mass typically peaks in October, which is
also when Katmai holds its annual competition.

This year, the park pitted 12 coastal brown bears against each other in a March Madness-style bracket.
Images of the chunky contestants were shared on Facebook, and followers cast votes for their favorite
fat bears by "liking" them.

A before and after shot of Holly, winner of Katmai National Park and Preserve's Fat Bear Week
competition

KATMAI NATIONAL PARK AND PRESERVE VIA FLICKR, PUBLIC DOMAIN

Holly beat runner-up Lefty by nearly 14,000 votes. The before-and-after shot above makes it easy to see
why: Between July 12 and September 22, 2019, she grew from a scrawny bear into a hulking beast. The
preserve announced her win on Facebook, writing: "She is fat. She is fabulous. She is 435 Holly. And you
voted her the 2019 Fat Bear Week Champion. All hail Holly whose healthy heft will help her hibernate
until the spring. Long live the Queen of Corpulence!"
Holly's new body is good for more than making her an internet sensation. The fatter a bear is, the more
likely it is to survive the winter. But other factors, like climate change waking hibernating bears earlier
than usual, still pose a threat.

[h/t NPR]

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