1. There are 9,567 different bird species
alive today. Fossilized remains, however,
show that at one time there were more than
150,000 different bird species on this planet.
2. Although the swift can reach speeds of
up to 170 mph, most experts agree that
the world’s fastest bird is the peregrine
falcon. It can fly at speeds in excess of 200
mph! The world’s slowest flying bird is the
American woodcock. At top speed it can
move at 5 mph!
3. A vulture once collided with a jetliner
over West Africa. The jet was flying at an
altitude of 37,000 feet! Vultures have the
world’s slowest wing beat – 1 beat per
second. Hummingbirds, on the other hand,
beat their wings up to 90 times per second.
4. A group of chickens is called a peep.
There are more chickens in the world than
people. They only have 250 to 350 taste
buds compared with the 9,000 or so we
humans have. They absorb vitamin D through
their combs from sunshine and have really
bad night vision. They are also the closest
living relatives of Tyrannosaurus rex.
5. The goose was the first bird to be
domesticated by man. An ancient story tells
how a flock of white geese raised the alarm
when Rome was attacked by the Gauls, and
thus saved the city. Incidentally, speaking of
the ancient Romans, they also ate flamingo
tongues and regarded them as a rare
delicacy.
6. Studies show that most wild birds will
die in their first year of life. But if they
can survive this first year then they stand a
strong chance of living for some considerable
time. The American robin, for instance, can
live up to 12 years and both the great blue
heron and the Canada goose can live for
more than 23 years, the blue jay for more
than 18 years, and some blackbird species
for 15-plus years.
7. Not only is the ostrich the only bird on
the planet to have a urinary bladder and
an eye that is bigger than its brain, it’s
also the largest known flightless bird,
weighing in at over 300 pounds and
standing up to 8 feet tall. It’s also pretty
nimble on its feet, having been clocked at
speeds in excess of 55 mph.
8. The world’s smallest bird is the bee
hummingbird. It weighs less than one-tenth
of an ounce, is around 2 1/2 inches long and
has a 4-inch wingspan.
9. It’s reckoned that around 2 billion birds
are killed each year in North America
alone by pet and feral cats.
10. Swans mate for life. Some swans have
more than 20,000 feathers in their plumage.
11. On one occasion a group of starlings
chose to take a rest on the minute hand
of Big Ben. As a result the famous timepiece
became 5 minutes slow!
12. Mockingbirds can imitate about any
sound imaginable, from a barking dog to
squeaky hinges, to the notes from a piano
to a cackling hen to even a cat meowing.
What’s more, their mimicry is so skilled that
even electronic analysis would find it
difficult to distinguish between the original
sound and the impression.
13. A duck’s eggshell is porous to allow
the baby duckling to breathe. With proper
care and feeding pet ducks can live up to 20
years or more. Research at Indiana State
University has shown that ducks on the edge
of a group sleep with one eye open whereas
those in the middle of the group confidently
sleep with both eyes closed.
14. The Arctic tern can live for more than
30 years, and during the breeding season
its bill colour will change from black to
red.
15. A group of owls is called a parliament.
A group of larks is called an exaltation. A
group of crows is called a murder.
16. The emperor penguin incubates the
penguin egg by balancing it on his feet
and covering it with the bottom of his
belly. Penguins openly accept same-sex
commitments and gay penguin couples are a
common sight in penguin colonies.
17. The highest price ever paid for a book
about birds was in 1989, when a set of
John James Audubon’s books titled The
Birds of America were sold at auction for
$3.96 million.
18. Farmers dislike them because of the
damage they inflict upon their crops, but
many people believe crows and ravens
rank among the most intelligent of all
birds and have a brainpower comparable
to that of dolphins. They are thought to be
right up there with the African grey parrot
that has a vocabulary of more than 800
words.
19. A seabird known as the fulmar spits
rancid yellow oil at anyone or anything
that intrudes into its nesting area. The
bird can spit with great precision at distances
of up to 5 feet. The bird reeks of the smell of
the rancid oil and some fulmar eggs that
have been in museums for nearly a century
still stink!
20. Some sparrows, the partridge, and the
skylark are in danger. Their numbers have
dwindled significantly over the past few
years. The decline has been attributed to an
increased use of chemically based pesticides.

birdwatchersdigest.com/bwdsite/solve/faqs/20things.php

But OP, during your research, did you also ask whether a parrot can speak our native dialects

Noted!!

u no mention say babalawo dey use am so juju

hummmmm interesting

jamex93:
u no mention say babalawo dey use am so juju

Lol