FACTS ABOUT BIRDS
Birds are one of the six basic animal groups. Birds, best known for their ability to fly, are unmatched in their command of the skies. Albatrosses glide long distances over the open sea, hummingbirds hover motionless in mid-air, and eagles swoop down to capture prey with pinpoint accuracy. But not all birds are aerobatic experts.
Of the 9,865 bird species, 1,227 species are considered threatened with extinction, 838 species are near threatened, 7,735 species are considered to be of least concern, and 65 species lack the data to determine their status. There are also four species of birds that are classified as extinct in the wild. The last living members of those species survive only in captivity.
Feathers are a defining characteristic of the group, meaning simply that if an animal has feathers, then it is a bird. Feathers serve many functions in birds but most notable is the critical role feathers play in enabling birds to fly. In addition to helping to enable flight, feathers also provide protection from the elements. Feathers provide birds with waterproofing and insulation and even block harmful rays from reaching birds' skin.
Eggs vary in size and color depending on species. Although there is a wide range of egg colors, only two pigments contribute to the color of the shell. The first pigment is derived from hemoglobin and the second from bile. Most species lay their eggs in a nest. Nests may vary in size, shape, and construction material, but the most common nest shape is cup-shaped.
Many species of birds migrate to high latitudes to breed during the spring and summer. Then during the fall and winter months they migrate to regions of lower latitude. Many species follow similar routes each year when migrating. These routes are referred to as migratory flyways.
Instead they have bills that are made of the protein keratin. Bird bills come in a variety of shapes and sizes and are adapted to the particular diet of each species. Herons, for example, have a sharp, pointed bill that enable them to capture fish. Finches on the other hand have a short, conical bill that is well-suited for cracking open seeds.
The largest bird is a ostrich.
Ostriches are flightless birds that have a large body, small head, long legs, and a long neck. Although they cannot fly, they are remarkable runners, able to run at speeds of up to 45 mph for half an hour. Adult ostriches weigh between 220 and 350 pounds and measure between 7 and 9 1/4 feet in height.
Written By Laura Klappenbach, About.com Guide (the Arthur of this blog, Mabry Boyle, took out all the information corresponding to evolution)
Monday, February 11, 2013
Carolina Wrens!!
This past summer I saw a pair of Carolina Wrens wondering around my house. They started going in and out of our tree house and I thought that maybe they were nesting in it, but now and then I saw them come out with a twig or two and thought that they must not be nesting there because if they were they would not be taking sticks out of there. A few days later I realized that they were on my front porch. I went out and was on the porch and found a foundation of a little nest-- and out of the blue came two Carolina wrens--both totally oblivious to the fact that I was standing right in front of their nest. They just kept building.
After a day or two the nest was complete. Soon, I saw the mother most of the time sitting in her nest. One time she left and I took the chance to look inside the nest. There, sitting in that little hole, was three little eggs that were white with pink speckles. A day later there was another egg. Day by day I watched and waited. The mother was always on her eggs.
On a stormy night I made sure the eggs were safe and the mother was on them, and on a sunny day I would watch to see if the eggs had hatched. After about two weeks I saw three little (not only little but tiny) baby birds sitting in the nest. The forth had not hatched yet. A few days later the forth egg was gone (I still don't know what happened to that egg) but at least there were sill three. Soon the birds started growing feathers.
They were getting stronger every day. Now and then you could hear them trying to sing. After a while you could see they were getting way too big for their nest. One day we came home from some place and the nest had toppled over on the ground with no birds there. I started crying because I was afraid some predator might of taken them! I looked around still crying hoping that at least one was okay.
As i walked around my favorite tree, a little bird tried to fly and fell to the ground. i picked him up smiling, and after a wile another bird had shown up and i was relived that all of the were together. i do have pictures of them when they grew up but i could not put them on my blog now. I will post them later, but here are some pics.
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