14 Interesting facts about birds

In the modern world the person is getting more and more detached from nature and becomes focused on gadgets and technologies. We are almost not noticing birds that surround us everywhere on the streets.

We see birds every day but we know so little about them. And the birds are incredible creatures. Here we offer 14 interesting facts about birds you probably didn’t know about.

• 1. Vultures may eat meat infected with anthrax.

  These birds are so fierce that they can eat carrion, hooves, horns. But the most unusual thing is that they may eat meat infected with anthrax. And this is all thanks to increased acidity from gastric juice that can digest even bacteria Bacillus anthracis.

• 2. The ostrich eye size is bigger than its brain.

  The scientists have officially proven this fact. The brain weight of an average ostrich is 42 grams, while the eye weighs 47 grams. And they are so big for a reason. Thanks to evolution these birds may see not only what is in front of them, but what is on the sides as well.

  The ostrich needs to hunt in order to survive. But besides that it should not become the hunter’s prey itself. That is why such eye structure lets the ostriches not only gain food but ensures their security.

• 3. Basian blackbirds release gas in order to look for food.

  These birds inhabiting Australia have developed the most unusual hunting methods. Their intestines produce an incredible amount of gas. It is done so that the blackbird may “blow” over the hunting area; it is like a vacuum cleaner with the function of blowing out.

  The worms immediately start scuttling around in such uncomfortable conditions and this reveals them. Thus the Basian blackbirds hunt without putting much effort.

• 4. The average body temperature of a bird is 8 degrees higher than that of a person.

  Such thermoregulation is explained by the high metabolism in birds. All body processes proceed much faster than in humans. Therefore, their average body temperature varies from 40 to 43 degrees, depending on the species. Nature has endowed birds with this ability for a reason. The fact is that high temperature is necessary for incubation of offspring.

• 5. The American Woodcock is one of the slowest birds in the world.

  It flies so slowly that a person can catch up and catch it without any problems. This is an unpretentious bird that prefers to be on the surface of the earth for most of its life and poking around in it in search of worms. Therefore, with flying skills, things are far from being the best for it. The American woodcock has a speed of only 8 km/h. It is also known for the fact that when he gets his food, he dances funny.

• 6. Chickens are born psychopathic killers.

  Few people know that the bloodlust of chickens is one of the most serious problems on farms around the world. We are used to the fact that chickens are the most cute and harmless creatures. In fact, if the chick sees even a small red spot on one of its relatives, then it can pounce on him and tear to pieces.

  And it is getting more interesting. The other chick may have red spots after the fight with the first one. Here is when the others join and the chaotic fight begins.

  They tried to solve this problem with the help of special contact lenses. But they gave up this idea because it cost too much. That is why the chicks may start real genocide among their kin in some farms.

• 7. Birds do not sweat.

  Birds do not sweat not only at rest, but during the flight or running as well. Nature did its best to make their bodies lightweight so that they do not have difficulties in flight.

  In light and dry skin, there are absolutely no sweat glands. The only gland is the coccygeal. It is needed to produce lubricant for feathers. Birds are cooled thanks to the perfect breathing system. It is as if they are sweating from the inside, and not from the outside, like us. When the temperature outside rises, the birds are cooled with strong wing flaps.

• 8. There are more artificial flamingos than real live birds.

  There are no more than 3 million individuals worldwide. But there are about q billion flamingo toys made of plastic. You ask why the world needed such a huge number of artificial flamingos? There is still no answer.

• 9. Dodo birds were eaten not by people.

  People didn’t eat the dodo birds because they tasted disgusting. It was in the 17th century that the dodos (Raphus cucullatus) were associated with silliness.

  When the first people arrived in Mauritius, they were surprised by the unusual body of these creatures. And their behavior was too naïve and trusting.

  Dodos were the ancestors of the modern pigeons. They lived without fear and were not afraid of predators; they could easily come close to the people’s camp and let them pet them. This was the reason why these birds got extinct very quickly.

  The dodos were annihilated not by people, but other predators. People couldn’t eat their meat because of the disgusting taste. And other predators could easily attack the dodos because of the lack of survival instinct.

• 10. Poisonous birds.

  Being poisonous is unusual for birds. Nevertheless, even among them there are 6 poisonous species and thrust flycatcher and blue-capped ifrit are among them. Poisonous birds live in Australia and New Guinea. The poison of these birds is activated only if you eat it.

  The birds became poisonous because they feed on insects that contain toxic substances. It should be noted that this poison does not harm the birds, they became immune to it.

  It is also known that because of feeding on toxic insects, the meat of clawed goose and common quail may gain toxic properties.

• 11. They used to melt oil from oilbirds because their meet was very fat.

  These South American nightjars are active preferably at night and live in caves. Their lifestyle resembles more the bats rather than the birds we are used to. They became known for their oily features thanks to their food – palms. Because of this their meat became very fat, resembling whale blubber.

  Local residents used to even evaporate oil from them, which they used for cooking. Now the guajaros (oilbirds) are on the verge of extinction, therefore they are under the prohibition of hunting at the state level.

• 12. Hummingbird is a voracious little bird.

  Hummingbird is the smallest bird in the world, but one of the most voracious. It is Able to reach speeds up to 80 km / h. And in order for it to have enough energy for such a flight, the bird needs to eat accordingly. Scientists have found that the weight of food consumed by this little bird per day exceeds its own weight by 2-3 times.

  There is one more peculiarity – the hummingbirds eat while flying.

• 13. Fieldfares have the most insulting defense system.

  They poop on their enemies despising them. The fieldfares live in colonies and in case of danger they start attacking the enemies with droppings actively. They have the same attitude towards people, that is why you should avoid flocks of fieldfares.

• 14. The maximum age of a flamingo is 83 years.

  One of the pink flamingos that lived in the Adelaide Zoo in Australia was able to break the world record for life expectancy. It might have lived even longer if the bird had not had to be euthanized due to severely deteriorating health. For comparison, in the natural environment, flamingos live 25 years.