April 1st is International Bird Day. The main purpose of the holiday is to solve the problem of extinction of some species of birds and prevent the occurrence of an ecological catastrophe in the world.
Birds are an important part of the ecosystem. They also play a significant role in human life. There is a theory that birds are descended from terropoid dinosaurs, because they have much in common with them, such as the skeleton.
The idea of holding a single Bird Day belongs to UNESCO. It was proposed to hold an international biological program for the protection of wildlife on April 1. Birds in nature are not the property or property of one country. Most of them constantly migrate, flying to warmer climes and returning back.
These feathered creatures are an integral part of a comfortable human life. The extinction of one of the species can lead not only to a natural imbalance, but also to an ecological catastrophe in the world. Therefore, it is important to protect each species and create the proper conditions for the increase in the population in the world.
For the first time, International Bird Day began to be celebrated on May 4 in 1984. The spring date was chosen for the celebration. After all, it is during this period that birds return home, begin to nest and have offspring.
1. Winston Churchill had the oldest parrot in the world, who was 104 years old.
2. To date, 350 species of parrots have been officially recorded.
3. The woodpecker is considered the smallest in the world, the length of which does not exceed 8 cm.
4. Monk Parrot – the only parrot in the world that builds its own nest.
5. Nests of monk parakeets can weigh over 200 kg.
6. Chickens are considered the most famous and widespread birds in the world.
7. Most parrots can fly up to 500 miles a day in search of food.
8. Compared to other animal species, birds have a reduced sense of taste.
9. The plumage of birds weighs more than the skeleton.
10. The shape of the beak of each bird species is designed for a certain type of food.
11. There are several dates in the world dedicated to the protection of birds, namely: International Migratory Bird Day, Bird Day, National Bird Day in the USA, National Bird Day in the UK.
12. The science that studies birds is called ornithology. Today, more than 10,000 species of birds are known.
13. Birds live on all six continents and inhabit all ecosystems of the planet.
14. The smallest bird in the world is the bee hummingbird.
15. The largest bird in the world is the African ostrich.
16. Scientists believe that birds evolved from reptiles. The fossilized remains were found in modern Germany in 1860.
17. Birds are able to migrate thousands of kilometers, for example, penguins regularly cover long distances.
18. Birds, along with parasites, can carry deadly diseases.
19. Some species of birds are able to pollinate plants. The seeds of some flowers germinate only after passing through the digestive tract.
20. Francis Willoughby and John Ray developed the first classification of birds in the book “Ornithology” in 1676.
21. Today, the taxonomic classification of birds developed by Carl Linnaeus in 1758 is used.
22. Birds are considered a social species. They are able to transfer knowledge from generation to generation, communicate using visual signals, sounds, songs.
23. Some species of birds have the ability to reproduce complex vocal patterns.
24. The vast majority of bird species are monogamous.
25. Evolution took more than 100 million years to create a bird.
26. Due to human activity, about 1800 species of birds were destroyed over the course of one century.
27. Since 2009, about 1230 endangered birds have been listed in the Red Book.
28. Swans are considered one of the smallest bird species in the world.
29. Swans live in pairs until the end of their lives, and if they lose a partner, then a lonely bird will stop breeding.
30. Regular mowing of lawns and cutting down of trees leads to a sharp reduction in the number of sparrows in cities.
31. In the 60s of the 20th century, the peregrine falcon abruptly disappeared due to the agricultural powder DDT.
32. Our ancestors endowed birds with human traits, such as wisdom (owl), strength (eagle), dexterity (falcon).
33. The African ostrich is considered the largest bird in the world. Its weight can reach 150 kg, and its height is 2.7 meters.
34. Some species of large birds that once lived on Earth weighed about 400 kilograms.
35. The wandering albatross has the largest wingspan. It reaches almost three and a half meters.
36. Pelagornis Sandersi is the largest flying bird in the history of the Earth.
37. No other living creature on the planet has feathers except birds.
38. Unlike other animals, birds have two larynxes.
39. Owls can fly completely silently due to the special structure of their feathers.
40. The goose is the first bird to be domesticated.
41. One of the smartest animals is crows. Their intelligence and emotionality are not inferior to a child of 3-4 years old.
42. Ravens recognize themselves in the reflection of the mirror and preen themselves in front of it.
43. Sparrows see the world in pink.
44. The tit can reach speeds of up to 140 km/h and fly a distance of up to 3,000 km/h.
45. Many species of birds can dive, but only the penguin can swim, but cannot fly.
46. Marine bird species can drink salty sea water.
47. Flamingos can sleep standing on one leg.
48. The peregrine falcon reaches speeds of over 300 km/h.
49. Migratory birds fly in a wedge to reduce air resistance.
50. The African ostrich runs at speeds up to 70 km/h.
51. Hawks are able to see a mouse-vole at a distance of up to a kilometer.
52. Ducks and geese are able to withstand cold up to hundreds of degrees below zero.
53. The lyrebird bird can imitate any sounds, up to the howling of a chainsaw or human crying.
54. The only bird capable of flying backwards is the hummingbird.
55. Nearly two-thirds of all bird species live in tropical forests.
56. Large birds of prey can live up to 50 years, such as the wandering albatross.
57. Birds see the Earth’s magnetic field.
58. The Arctic tern covers a distance of up to 90 thousand kilometers per year.
59. The most dangerous bird on Earth is the cassowary.
60. The sea bird, the sooty tern, can live in the sea from 3 to 10 years.
61. Only 45 species are classified as birds of paradise, 38 of which live only in New Guinea.
62. The sparrow is considered the smartest bird, because for 100 grams of the mass of a sparrow there are 4.5 grams of the brain.
63. An emperor penguin can fast for 9 weeks.
64. Chickens can pretend to be dead to save their own lives.
65. A tit can feed its chicks about 1000 times a day.
66. The highest flying bird in the world is the African Vulture.
67. The needle-tailed swift is the fastest bird in the world.
68. There are six species of poisonous birds on Earth.