Top 10 Facts about Birds
1. All birds lay eggs
All female birds lay eggs. Their baby birds then hatch out of the shells when they are ready.
2. All birds have feathers!
All birds have feathers. Feathers help birds to fly. They help to control the wind when flying through the air. They also keep birds warm in the winter!
3. Birds don’t have teeth
Birds don’t have teeth, they have to swallow food whole. They have an organ called a gizzard which grinds up their food.
4. Birds migrate to other countries
A lot of birds migrate to different locations. They often need to migrate for food and weather.
5. The smallest bird is a Bee Hummingbird
The Bee Hummingbird is the smallest bird on the planet. It can grow from 5 to 6.1 centimetres. The bee hummingbird, is closer to 1.6 grams, less than the weight of a penny
6. Kiwis are sometimes called “honorary mammals”
Kiwis are land bound bird. They have strange properties which include feathers that feel like hair, heavy bones filled with marrow and nostrils on the tip of their nose. Kiwis are sometimes called “honorary mammals”.
7. Birds are great communicators
Birds chirp and sing. They do this for lots of different reasons. One of the reasons is to attract a mate. Another reason is to warn other birds of danger. They also do it to scare off predators!
8. A group of birds is called a flock
A flock of birds is a large group of birds from the same species. They stay very close together. It is believed they do this as they are safer from predators when they are in a group. When they are in a flock they are usually travelling together or looking for food.
8. Some birds can mimic humans!
You might already know that parrots can mimic what we say. Crows and ravens can also do it.
9. Ostriches have the largest eyes in any mammal on land
As well as their large eyes, they also lay the largest eggs and they are the largest bird! The ostrich’s eye is bigger than its brain.
10. In ancient Greece, pigeons delivered the results of the Olympic games
Pigeons are believed to the first domesticated bird. They were used to deliver messages including military information and outcome of the early Olympic games.