Birds Facts

The world's oldest crow was 59 years old. Its name was Tataji.

Gloucestershire Airport in England used to blast Tina Turner's 'Simply the Best' on the runways to scare birds away, running the experiment from 2002 to 2005.

The longest recorded flight of a chicken is 13 seconds!

Most birds tilt their heads back when drinking water to let gravity help the liquid flow down their throat, but they swallow food using muscular contractions called peristalsis—the same mechanism humans use.

In a letter to his daughter in 1784, Benjamin Franklin criticized the Bald Eagle as a bird of 'bad moral character' and wrote that the Wild Turkey was 'a much more respectable Bird.' While he never actually proposed the turkey as the national symbol, his colorful comparison has fueled a popular myth ever since.

Most domestic turkeys are so heavy they are unable to fly.

Vultures fly without flapping their wings.

A single magpie is considered a sign of bad luck. A Guide to the Scientific Knowledge of Things Familiar recites an old proverb concerning the incidence of bad weather when magpies forage alone and a possible scientific explanation for this.

The female pigeon cannot lay eggs if she is alone. In order for her ovaries to function, she must be able to see another pigeon.

Over 1 billion birds a year die from smashing into windows in the United States alone.

A parrot named Alex was subject of a 30-year experiment. His last words to his caretaker were: "You be good, see you tomorrow. I love you."

Avocados are poisonous to birds.

In Turkish, the bird we call a Turkey is called "Hindi" ("from India"). In India, it's called "Peru." In Arabic, the bird is called "Greek chicken"; in Greek it's called "French chicken"; and in French it's called "Indian chicken." The bird is indigenous to none of these places.

Flamingos pee on their legs to cool themselves off.

Roosters can't crow if they can't fully extend their necks.

A bird 'chews' with its stomach.

An albatross can sleep while it flies!

Hummingbirds can't walk.

An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.

Some birds in cities have learned to line their nests with cigarette butts in order to ward off parasites, as burnt nicotine works as an insecticide to ward off mites, lice, and fleas.

A woodpecker can peck twenty times a second.

Hummingbirds can weigh less than a penny!

Over 10,000 birds a year die from smashing into windows!

Crows living in some urban areas drop nuts into traffic to let the passing cars crush them, then they wait for the red lights to stop the traffic so they can grab and eat it.