18 Surprising Bird Facts: You Probably Didn’t Know

Birds are some of the most fascinating creatures in the world. They come in remarkable colors and are covered in feathers.

Many birds can fly, as well as can run, jump, and swim. From the perching birds to the colorful hummingbirds, we have more than 1800 species of birds all over the planet.

These birds are a unique treasure with their song, beauty, and intelligence. So, in this article, we will now discuss some really incredible and amazing facts about birds.

Surprising Bird Facts

👉 Only birds have feathers.

Birds are vertebrate, warm-blooded animals that lay eggs. One specific feature that distinguishes birds from any other animal is their feathers.

Though most birds fly, some other types, like ostriches and penguins, are birds that cannot fly. Despite having feathers, Kiwi is the world’s only bird without wings, which is native to New Zealand. 

👉 Birds’ feathers have various types of features.

Usually, birds use their feathers for flight. These animals have muscles at the base of each feather to help in their motion as they fly.

These feathers also help them by regulating their temperature and also help them to attract a mate.

Also, these feathers are water-resistant, so birds can remain dry even in the rain or water.

👉 There are over 18000 bird species.

There are thousands of bird species all over the world. Many scientists say the number of bird species will be over 10,000.

However, according to new research, there are almost 18000 species of birds in the world.

The BOU, or British Ornithologists Union in the UK, estimates that there are actually 628 species of birds. In contrast, in the US, there are about 1120 bird species.

However, according to studies from National Geographic, the number of birds worldwide may range from 50 billion to 430 billion.

👉 The most common bird species

The most common ones are the “passerines” or the perching birds. These are known for the incredible configuration of their feet. 

These birds have three toes pointing to the front and one to the back. This enables them to perch on different slender structures, such as wires, branches, feeders, etc. Also, these birds are famous for their unique vocals.

Other common bird species include Cuculiformes or cuckoo birds, Columbiformes or pigeons and doves, and others.

👉 Birds flock together for protection.

A group of birds is known as a flock. All the birds in a flock fall under the same species and usually move together with proper coordination.

For different species flocking has different benefits. It helps by protecting most species against predators.

Flocking helps birds to stay alert because they can be able to look in different directions. A predator could become confused or distracted when they encounter a flock swirling around, eventually making it difficult to target one prey.

👉 Other benefits of flocking

Flocks offer other benefits for some other bird species, such as the geese. The geese’s V formation helps them reduce flying energy.

When a bird in the front flaps its wings, the bird at the back benefits from it, sensing and feeling the air’s impact. This can greatly help when a bird is smaller or injured.

With several thousands of bird species, these feathery animals are the only creatures you can find in every continent across North America, South America, Africa, etc.

👉 The bird that cannot be seen in Antarctica

Birds can occupy different kinds of environments. Also, they can migrate from one habitat to another as the season changes because, with changing seasons, they need to seek shelter or find food for their young.

You can see the peregrine falcon on every place or continent in the world except Antarctica. These birds live in wide-open areas and can be found almost everywhere, including deserts. Also, these peregrine falcons can even live on skyscrapers and bridges.

👉 Female birds lay eggs.

Whether a female bird has a mate, all can lay eggs. For instance, chickens with red earlobes mainly lay brown eggs.

There is a notable genetic link between the color of the legs and the red earlobes. In contrast, the Ameraucana and Araucana chicken species lay blue or green eggs.

The hummingbird lays the smallest bird egg. Generally, female birds can increase their reproductive activity according to the environmental changes to prepare for laying eggs and even caring for their chicks.

👉 Some birds have mimicking abilities.

Some birds, like parrots, can mimic human speech. One of the most talkative and intelligent birds is the African Grey Parrot.

One parrot can mimic hundreds of words because of its significant mental capacity. According to several researchers, these birds can mimic words and even use those words to communicate with their owners.

Moreover, in the wild, ravens can mimic the sound of their predators to attract them to carcasses, which they cannot break open. Some ravens can even mimic sounds and human speech from their environment.

👉 Birds evolved from dinosaurs

it is believed that birds evolved from a specific dinosaur species called Theropods. This particular group is the same one to which the Tyrannosaurus rex belonged.

Usually, the earliest known bird is the Archaeopteryx, which lived almost 150 million years ago in the Jurassic period. Those animals looked similar to small feathered dinosaurs. 

Though these animals had teeth, scientists believe these birds lost their teeth and eventually evolved beaks.

👉 The ostrich has the largest eyes.

The ostrich is a specific bird species with the largest eyes of any animal residing on the land. These birds’ eyes are a lot bigger than their brain and almost five times bigger than human’s eyes.

In addition, the ostrich is the biggest bird in the world. These are flightless birds that are famous for their remarkable running prowess and long neck.

Also, their powerful legs and large eyes help them escape predators. Also, they lay the largest bird eggs in the world, weighing almost 2.5 kg.

👉 Hoatzin chicks have wings with claws.

The young hoatzin, also called the stink bird, mainly has two claws on its wings. These birds use these claws to pull themselves out of the water and climb tree branches.

Also, these birds use their claws to hide from danger. The young ones jump from their nests and into the water when they face threats. 

Also, hoatzins use their claws to get on land, and when the coast is clear, they climb to tree branches with the help of their claws.

👉 Some birds sleep by opening one eye.

Ducks are birds that have a single-brain sleeping pattern. Thus, half of their brain stays active and awake while the other half sleeps.

When ducks sleep in a group, the ducks on the outer rim usually sleep with one eye open; hence, they can remain alert for predators within their surroundings.

However, Mallard ducks show more erratic sleeping behavior. These birds sleep with one eye open and one leg on the water. They behave like this to conserve heat while they try to roost on water.

👉 Penguins can jump almost 9 feet.

A penguin is a flightless bird that walks upright. These birds spend a lot of time at sea, so they are fast swimmers.

Though penguins cannot still fly, they are excellent jumpers, as a penguin can jump almost 9 feet from the sea to the shore. While approaching the water, penguins can even jump to prop themselves into it really fast.

These birds have black and white body colors that are great camouflage. Also, these birds can swallow many fish at a time due to the spines around their mouths.

👉 Birds are excellent navigators.

Many birds can navigate long distances using different cues, including the position of the stars, the sun, and the Earth’s magnetic field.

Some birds can even use topography and landmarks to navigate, and some even have a “map sense” that enables them to orient themselves depending on the locations of familiar landmarks.

Also, birds are highly social animals that live in large colonies or flocks. Their social behavior also includes cooperative breeding, where multiple birds help to raise the young. 

👉 Birds have a unique digestive system.

A bird’s digestive system includes a crop that can store food before it enters the stomach and a gizzard that can grind food into small particles.

Also, birds have an efficient system that can extract nutrients from their food, which enables them to survive on a diet that would not be sufficient for most other animals.

In addition, birds have a high metabolism, enabling them to maintain their body temperature and perform some energy-intensive activities that are important for flight.

👉 Birds have an efficient respiratory system.

Birds have a highly efficient respiratory system that allows them to get enough oxygen to their muscles more quickly than other animals.

They have a set of air sacs that can work as bellows and hence, can pump air through their lungs and keep fresh oxygen flowing to their muscles. This enables birds to fly at high altitudes and for long periods of time.

👉 Crows can recognize human faces.

Crows are incredibly intelligent birds. They can recognize human faces and even navigate human environments. Also, crows mourn the death of their family.

Birds can communicate with different vocalizations, such as whistles, singing, trills, gurgles, warbles, rattles, and many other sounds.

So, birds are interesting animals that play a vital role in many cultures and ecosystems. 

At the end of this article, we learned about 18 really amazing facts about this interesting animal of our planet called birds.

These facts offer us a clear picture of this fascinating feathery animal of our ecosystem. If you want to collect some more information, you may visit our website.