It's been quite a while since I've posted any suggestions for weekend activities, but that's about to change. Tomorrow, the 5th of January is National Bird Day and it might be fun for you and your family or friends to do a little bird-watching. The study of birds is called ornithology. And let me say right here that if I couldn't be a frog I would want to be a bird. Birds are amazing creatures and I can only imagine how wonderful it must be to soar high up in the sky and see the world from a far-away perspective. Sure, some frogs can "fly" but they are, in reality, closer to flying squirrels gliding deftly from one tree branch to another, than they are to birds.
To help celebrate National Bird Day and, hopefully, pique your interest in learning more about our winged friends, I have collected a bunch of interesting facts about birds that I found very interesting. I hope you'll enjoy them as well.
1. The chicken is the closest living relative to the Tyrannosaurus Rex.
2. The smallest bird egg belongs to the hummingbird and is the size of a pea. The largest bird egg, from which the ostrich hatches, is the size of a cantaloupe.
3. A bird’s eye takes up about 50 percent of its head; our eyes take up about 5 percent of our head. To be comparable to a bird’s eyes, humans eyes would have to be the size of baseballs. (And you'd all like a little like me!)
4. The penguin is the only bird that can swim, but not fly. It is also the only bird that walks upright.
5. Owls turn their heads almost 360○ (a complete circle) but they cannot move their eyes.
6. Chickens have over 200 distinct noises they make for communicating.
7. Female birds choose their mate based on how attractive they find them! (Is it me, or does that seem shallow?)
8. According to National Geographic, scientists have an answer for the age-old dispute over which came first, the chicken or the egg. Reptiles were laying eggs thousands of years before chickens appeared. The first chicken came from an egg laid by a bird that was not quite a chicken. Therefore, the egg came first.
9. The first bird domesticated by humans was the goose.
10. Kiwi birds are blind, so they hunt by smell.
11. Some breeds of chickens can lay colored eggs. The Ameraucana and Araucana can lay green or blue eggs. (Anyone for Green Eggs and Ham?)
12. The common phrase “eat like a bird” should mean something quite different! Many birds eat twice their weight in food each day. In fact, a bird requires more food in proportion to its size than a baby or a cat.
13. A group of larks is called an exaltation, a group of chickens is called a peep, a group of geese is called a gaggle, a group of ravens is called a murder, and a group of owls is called a parliament.
14. Chickens that lay brown eggs have red earlobes. There is a genetic link between the two.
15. Crows have the largest cerebral hemispheres (brains), relative to body size, of any avian family.
16. Mockingbirds can imitate many sounds, from a squeaking door to a cat meowing.
These are some pretty amazing facts, am I right? Since every area of the world has many beautiful species of birds, there's no good excuse to not get outdoors and see what birds you can find in your own neighborhood.
Little brother Quigley got a pair of binoculars for Christmas and I know he's anxious to try them out. So this weekend, my buddies and I are taking Junior out for a hop through the woods to check out the birds and all the other abundant wildlife that live on the shores of Land of Lily Pad.
Have a super weekend, whatever you choose to do. Stay safe, have a little fun, and I invite you all back here again on Monday when I resume my normal weekly schedule. Until then,
PEACE.
To help celebrate National Bird Day and, hopefully, pique your interest in learning more about our winged friends, I have collected a bunch of interesting facts about birds that I found very interesting. I hope you'll enjoy them as well.
1. The chicken is the closest living relative to the Tyrannosaurus Rex.
2. The smallest bird egg belongs to the hummingbird and is the size of a pea. The largest bird egg, from which the ostrich hatches, is the size of a cantaloupe.
3. A bird’s eye takes up about 50 percent of its head; our eyes take up about 5 percent of our head. To be comparable to a bird’s eyes, humans eyes would have to be the size of baseballs. (And you'd all like a little like me!)
4. The penguin is the only bird that can swim, but not fly. It is also the only bird that walks upright.
5. Owls turn their heads almost 360○ (a complete circle) but they cannot move their eyes.
6. Chickens have over 200 distinct noises they make for communicating.
7. Female birds choose their mate based on how attractive they find them! (Is it me, or does that seem shallow?)
8. According to National Geographic, scientists have an answer for the age-old dispute over which came first, the chicken or the egg. Reptiles were laying eggs thousands of years before chickens appeared. The first chicken came from an egg laid by a bird that was not quite a chicken. Therefore, the egg came first.
9. The first bird domesticated by humans was the goose.
10. Kiwi birds are blind, so they hunt by smell.
11. Some breeds of chickens can lay colored eggs. The Ameraucana and Araucana can lay green or blue eggs. (Anyone for Green Eggs and Ham?)
12. The common phrase “eat like a bird” should mean something quite different! Many birds eat twice their weight in food each day. In fact, a bird requires more food in proportion to its size than a baby or a cat.
13. A group of larks is called an exaltation, a group of chickens is called a peep, a group of geese is called a gaggle, a group of ravens is called a murder, and a group of owls is called a parliament.
14. Chickens that lay brown eggs have red earlobes. There is a genetic link between the two.
15. Crows have the largest cerebral hemispheres (brains), relative to body size, of any avian family.
16. Mockingbirds can imitate many sounds, from a squeaking door to a cat meowing.
These are some pretty amazing facts, am I right? Since every area of the world has many beautiful species of birds, there's no good excuse to not get outdoors and see what birds you can find in your own neighborhood.
Little brother Quigley got a pair of binoculars for Christmas and I know he's anxious to try them out. So this weekend, my buddies and I are taking Junior out for a hop through the woods to check out the birds and all the other abundant wildlife that live on the shores of Land of Lily Pad.
Have a super weekend, whatever you choose to do. Stay safe, have a little fun, and I invite you all back here again on Monday when I resume my normal weekly schedule. Until then,
PEACE.
https://www.mspca.org/pet_resources/interesting-facts-about-birds/
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