The Life of Birds: The Mastery of Flight

What do the shearwater birds of Japan have to do in order to take flight?

Climb trees to take off

The shearwaters only come to land to nest.

How do albatross take off?

Taxi – run along the ground

The secret to bird flight is a wing with a thick, rounded front edge that curves gently
downward to the back edge which is very thin.

How did the osprey solve the problem created when it was carrying a fish through the
air?
It positioned the fish in its talons so the head faced forward and created less drag

Pelicans save 20% of their energy by mixing flapping with gliding.

Quills on a bird’s feathers are hollow and very light.

All birds lavish a great deal of attention on their feathers. After all, their life depends on
it.

How does the sword billed hummingbird comb its plumage?

With one foot

How does a bird that does not have access to deep water bathe?
Dust

What is special about many parrots’ and cockatoos’ feathers?

They have powder

Crows and jays use ants to help them control parasites.

A peregrine falcon can dive at 200 miles per hour.

How are a barn owl’s wings different from a peregrine’s?

They are round and broad

How does a barn owl detect mice and voles that are hidden?
Rustling sounds

What is the only bird that can hover for any length of time without any headwind?
Hummingbird
A hummingbird can beat its wings 25 times per second.

The hillstar hummingbird’s heart in flight is contracted 1000 times per minute.

The purple collared woodstar from Ecuador has a wingspan of approximately two
inches and can beat its wings 75 beats per second.

Sandpipers will nearly double their weight to prepare for their 6,000 mile migration.

Snow goose migration is triggered by shortened days and dropping temperatures.