Owl Be Back!
Which bird has the longest wingspan?
A) Ostrich
B) Wandering Albatross
C) Bald Eagle
Wandering Albatross
The largest known specimen of wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans), a male caught and measured by the Antarctic research ship USNS Eltanin in the Tasman Sea in 1965, had a wingspan of 11 ft. 11 in. As a result of its impressive wingspan, the wandering albatross is an expert glider and can remain aloft for long periods without beating its wings. In fact, the wandering albatross has sometimes been known to sleep while it flies. Even the wandering albatross, however, can't compete with the extinct South American teratoron (Argentavis magnificens). The teratoron, which existed 6 to 8 million years ago, had an estimated wingspan of 25 feet!
What bird has the longest lifespan?
A) Ostrich
B) Parrot
C) Swan
Parrot
Some species of parrots have been known to live more than 100 years, Cockatoos aren't far behind, sometimes living as long as 75 years.
Which bird can fly backwards?
A) Hummingbird
B) Warbler
C) Heron
Hummingbird
Birds like flycatchers, warblers, egrets and herons can move back slightly using the fluttering method - but the only bird that can actually fly backwards without relying on the wind is the amazing hummingbird.
How many species of penguins live at the North Pole?
A) 4
B) 1
C) 0
0
You can find plenty of penguins in Antarctica, but there are no penguins living at the North Pole or any other part of the Arctic. In fact, the birds live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere.
Why do ostriches swallow stones?
A) To sharpen teeth
B) They think they're bugs
C) To help digest food
To help digest food
Since ostriches don't have teeth, they swallow small stones and pebbles which help to grind their food when it reaches the gizzard (second stomach). The gizzard contracts and grinds the stones against each other and against the food that the bird has swallowed.
How many known species of birds are there?
A) 30,000
B) 20,000
C) 10,000
10,000
There are approximately 10,000 known species of birds in the world. The best continent for bird watching is South America where over 3,200 species are known to exist.
What evolutionary adaptation helps birds fly?
A) Double joints
B) Hollow bones
C) Talons
Hollow bones
Birds evolved not only wings, but many other adaptations that make it possible to fly. Feathers provide insulation, waterproofing, and a lightweight means to become airborne. Birds have honeycombed or hollow bones, reducing body weight. And instead of weighty jawbones and teeth, birds evolved a light and serviceable beak made of keratin. Most birds consume energy-packed foods rich in calories - like seeds, fruits, and meat, which adds as little as possible to a bird's payload. And what they eat is processed rapidly, so they aren't weighed down by waste.
Which bird builds nests that are considered a delicacy in some countries?
A) Hummingbird
B) Swiftlet
C) Black Kite
Swiftlet
Some swiftlets appropriately named, "Edible-Nest Swiftlets," build nests almost exclusively from their hardened saliva. In China, the saliva nests are 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.
Why do woodpeckers usually peck in short bursts?
A) Their beaks hurt
B) Their heads overheat
C) They have short attention spans
Their heads overheat
The rapid pecking causes a woodpecker's skull to heat up, which is why they often peck in short bursts with brief breaks in between, giving the head some time to cool down.
For their size, hummingbirds have the largest _______ of all birds.
A) Brain
B) Stomach
C) Eyes
Brain
A hummingbird's brain makes up a whopping 4.2 percent of its weight; proportionally, that's the largest of any bird's. Studies have shown that they can remember every flower they've ever visited, migration routes, and even recognize humans that fill their feeders.
What color are the American robin's eggs?
A) Blue
B) Pink
C) Orange
Blue
Many birds have pigment glands that deposit colors on their eggs as they pass through the mother's oviduct. In the case of the American robin, the eggs are an eye-catching blue. Normally, a robin will lay three to five eggs per clutch. It takes about two weeks to incubate the eggs. The mother robin will spend most of her time sitting on the nest, but the male bird may occasionally sit on the eggs to give her a break. After hatching, the young robins will remain in the nest for about fifteen days.
Which bird builds nests that can house 200 birds and last 100 years?
A) Baya Weaver
B) Little Grebe
C) Sociable Weaver
Sociable Weaver
A sociable weaver nest is perhaps the most spectacular structure built by any bird. Like an apartment complex, it can house hundreds of birds and can be used for generations
A bald eagle nest can weigh up to _________.
A) 7,000 LBS
B) 5,500 LBS
C) 4,400 LBS
4,400 LBS
The largest known bird's nest was built by a pair of bald eagles near St. Petersburg, Florida, USA and measured 2.9 meters (9 ft 6 in) wide and 6 meters (20 ft) deep. It was examined in 1963 and was estimated to weigh more than 2 tons (4,409 lbs).
What is the most commonly sighted bird in the UK?
A) House sparrow
B) Starling
C) Blackbird
House sparrow
According to a survey conducted by the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds), the most commonly sighted bird in the UK is the house sparrow. Around four of them appeared in each garden
Which species of woodpecker is known for hoarding?
A) Chestnut woodpecker
B) Acorn woodpecker
C) Cinnamon woodpecker
Acorn woodpecker
As their name suggests, acorn woodpeckers drill holes in which they stash acorns. A typical, "Granary tree," contains hundreds or even thousands of acorns - the largest on record contained around 50,000.
What bird has such a long tail that, when taking flight from a branch, it must launch itself backwards in order to avoid ripping the tail to shreds?
A) Cuckoo
B) Quetzal
C) Palm Cockatoo
Quetzal
During mating season, male quetzals grow twin tail feathers that form an amazing train up to three feet (one meter) long.
What bird inflates a bright red balloon on its neck to attract a mate?
A) Eastern Meadowlark
B) Sulfur Crested Cockatoo
C) Magnificent Frigate Bird
Magnificent Frigate Bird
When the balloon is fully inflated to half the size of the magnificent frigate bird's body, he flaps his wings and rattles his bill
The yellow-bellied sapsucker is a type of ___________.
A) Vulture
B) Owl
C) Woodpecker
Woodpecker
The yellow-bellied sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius) is a medium-sized woodpecker that lives on a diet of tree sap, insects, and berries. The sapsucker can be found in Canada and the Eastern United States. During the winter, it migrates to Central America and the West Indies.
What is the largest known parrot vocabulary?
A) 1,728 words
B) 382 words
C) 728 words
1,728 words
A budgie named Puck holds the world record for the largest vocabulary of any bird at 1,728 words.
What percent of parrot species are endangerd?
A) 75%
B) 10%
C) 50%
50%
Almost 50% of all parrot species are endangered and almost 25% of the species are critically endangered. The main reasons for this are persistent habitat destruction, such as land clearance with fire or settlement, and the continuing trade in birds, which still offers wild-caught stock.
What is a group of owls called?
A) Watch
B) Colony
C) Parliament
Parliament
A group of owls is called a parliament. Group names for other birds include a bevy for quail, a brood of hens, a cast of hawks, a company of parrots, a dole of doves, a gaggle of geese, a host of sparrows, a murder of crows, a party of jays, a rafter of turkeys, and a watch of nightingales.
One ostrich egg is equivalent to the weight of how many chicken eggs?
A) 24
B) 12
C) 6
24
One ostrich egg weighs 3 to 4 pounds - the equivalent of about 24 chicken eggs. An ostrich can lay as many as 70 of these massive eggs in one year.
Which bird has sometimes been called an, "Honorary Mammal?"
A) Penguin
B) Kiwi
C) Cassowary
Kiwi
Native to New Zealand, kiwis are a bizarre, land-bound bird. Scientists, 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."
What sound do owls make?
A) Whinny
B) Hoot
C) Bark
All of the above
In addition to hoots, owls may chirp, whistle, scream, screech, bark, growl, shriek, hiss or even whinny. Scientists call these different sounds vocalizations.
A) 60 minutes
B) 40 minutes
C) 20 minutes
20 minutes
While hunting, the species can remain submerged around 20 minutes, diving to a depth of 535 meters (1,755 feet). It has several adaptations to facilitate this, including unusually structured hemoglobin to allow it to function at low oxygen levels, solid bones to reduce barotrauma, and the ability to reduce its metabolism and shut down non-essential organ functions.