Birds are the closest living relatives of crocodilians, as well as the descendants of extinct dinosaurs with feathers. This makes them the only surviving dinosaurs.
100 Mind-Blowing Birds Facts
In Utah, birds have the right of way on a highway.
The word “peacock” does not apply to both male and female birds. It’s only the males that are called peacocks, while the females are called peahens. Together, the collective name for them is “peafowl.”
Wind turbines kill between 10,000 and 100,000 birds each year in the UK. Interestingly, painting one of the blades of a wind turbine black can reduce bird deaths by 70 per cent.
Pigeons can tell the difference between Picasso and Monet. What?! A 1995 study shows that the birds can differentiate between the two artists.
An ostrich’s eye is bigger than its brain. This could be why the birds often run around in circles when trying to escape predators despite their fast running speed.
No one knows for sure how dinosaurs mate. It’s easy to get caught up in a dinosaur’s grotesque features, but have you ever wondered how dinosaurs mated in the first place? With all those spines and armour, how did they do it enough to roam the world before us? So far, no dinosaurs have been found with their reproductive organs intact. Until then, only cross-referencing from existing descendants (birds and reptiles) as well as computer modelling can give us hints as to how they’d done the deed.
Penguins can jump as high as 9 feet in the air. These creatures may be known for their adorable waddling, but they’re quite the action stars. One of the fun facts about these fun creatures is that depending on their species, penguins can jump up to 9 feet. How do these boxy birds do it, you ask? The magic happens underwater – penguins wrap their bodies in air bubbles from their wings and use this to propel themselves up to the surface.
The Canary Islands are named after dogs, not birds. One of the fun facts you wouldn’t think about: The Canary Islands aren’t named after canary birds! The location was named after dogs. Despite being off the coast of Northwestern Africa, the archipelago is part of Spain. The area’s Spanish name is Islas Canarias. This name is rooted in the Latin phrase Canariae Insulae, or “island of dogs.”
The red-billed quelea is the most common bird on Earth. You may have never seen one in your community, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t building a legion. These birds are native to sub-Saharan Africa, where they’re considered “agricultural pests” because their flocks can destroy entire crops. Their population fluctuates between 1 to 10 billion queleas, which makes scientists conclude that they are the most abundant birds on Earth.
The most popular state bird is the Northern Cardinal. Out of the 50 states in the U.S., seven voted for this species as their favourite bird. Perhaps this may be due to the Angry Birds trend from a few years back.
Frigate birds can sleep while flying. This is possible because they can keep only half of their brain’s hemispheres awake. Theoretically, they could fly forever if they didn’t need food or water.
The chicken is the closest relative to the T-Rex. Recent studies have now accepted that prehistoric dinosaurs have more in common with present-day birds than they do with reptiles. Research has found that their genetic makeup is shared more with chickens and ostriches rather than lizards.
Ravens are always aware when someone is watching them. These birds are known for being notoriously clever creatures and they display what is called the ‘theory of mind’. This is also known as the ability to attribute mental states to others.
An eagle is capable of killing a young deer and flying away with it. Bald eagles especially are one of the strongest and most aggressive species of eagles. These birds are capable of swooping in and carrying away your baby.
Birds can recognise landmarks. Birds are built with their kind of GPS that allows them to navigate easily during migration. A young bird will imprint on the sun and stars that allow it to attain familiarity with its location.
Birds require gravity to swallow. Birds cannot chew their food and instead swallow their prey whole. The oesophagus of a bird is wide enough to swallow larger meals. They depend on gravity to push their food down the oesophagus and then later be propelled into their stomachs.
Hummingbirds are the only birds that can fly backwards. They are also able to hover and change flight direction quickly. These birds are such skilled flyers that they are often referred to as the flying ninja.
Birds have hollow bones which help them fly. Birds are unique creatures with many interesting facts to feature. However, one of their more creepy features is their hollow bones. Deep inside, birds are pretty much paper mache. While humans have dense bones filled with marrow, most birds of flight have only air and struts in their bones.
Woodpeckers would eat brains if they get too hungry. One of the darker WTF facts: If a woodpecker goes too long without food, they will pin down other birds and peck at their heads until they can eat their brains.
Over 10,000 birds a year die from smashing into windows. So much for those bird brains.
Hummingbirds are the only birds that can fly backwards.
Patas Monkey diet consists mainly of grasses, shelled fruit seeds, berries, locusts and other insects, birds and lizards.
Both male and female pigeons produce a substance called crop milk to feed their chicks. Very few birds have this rare ability, just greater flamingos, emperor penguins, pigeons and doves.
In the wild, axolotls have plenty of predators. That includes certain species of birds that swoop down and lift them out of the water, as well as large fish like tilapia and perch.
The seagulls in the Alfred Hitchcock movie “The Birds” (1963) were fed a mixture of wheat and whisky so they would stand around and not fly too much.
Smaller animals tend to perceive time as if it is passing in slow motion. Insects and small birds, for example, can see more information in one second than a larger animal such as an elephant.