Fascinating Facts about Birds - 1

A Group of Owls

A group of owls is called a parliament.

Biggest Bird

The ostrich is the biggest bird (up to 2.7m tall) and it lays the biggest egg.

Bird Song

Bird song is to warn other birds to stay out of the singer's territory.

Flying Power

Weight for weight, a bird is much stronger than a human.

Humming-birds

Humming-birds are the only birds that are able to fly backwards

Moulting

At least once a year most birds moult - they shed their old feathers and grow new ones. Birds moult before winter so that the new feathers will have grown before the weather becomes colder.

Outer Space

If birds were sent into outer space on a spaceship they would soon die as they need gravity in order to swallow.

Preening

Birds help to keep their feathers clean by preening them. They use their beaks to take oil from a preen gland near their tail. By running their beaks over their feathers they oil them and make them waterproof. Preening also smooths their feathers and removes dirt and parasites.

Puffins

A puffin is able to fly, but cannot take off from level ground. To get into the air, they jump off the sides of cliffs.

The Longest Wing-span

The bird with the longest wing-span is the wandering albatross. They can have a wing-span of almost 4m.