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Bird Fun Facts

© Barbara Lombardi

I don't really write that much about birds. That may be because I never owned a bird, but that's not to say I don't think they are beautiful feathered friends. In fact during the years of my pet sitting I had quite a few bird customers and really gained an appreciation for birds. I also learned that they can be quite a lot of work.

Here are just a few fun facts I picked up about birds that I thought I'd share with you:

A bird's normal body temperature is ususlly 7-8 degrees hotter than ours. Almost 3/4 of the air a bird breathes is used to help cool them down as they do not have sweat glands.

A bird's heart beats 400 times per minute while they are at rest. When they are flying however, their heart could beat up to 1000 beats per minute.

The most yolks ever found in a single chicken's egg is nine.

The Kiwi of New Zealand is the world's only wingless bird.

Birds that don't fly: ostriches, penguins, and dodo birds.

Cher Ami was the name of a famous homing pigeon during World War I. The bird lost an eye and a leg while delivering a message during the war and was given the Distinguished Service Cross. Believe it ir not, the bird's leg was replaced by a wooden one.

Can you name a poisonous bird? The Hooded Pitohui, which is a resident of Papua, New Guinea. You can find the poison in its feathers and in its skin.

Pigeons can fly as fast as 100 miles per hour.

The now extinct Elephant Bird of Madagascar laid an egg that weighed 27 pounds.

The world's smallest bird egg belongs to the humingbird. The world's largest bird egg belongs to the ostrich.

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