birds

GUESS THE ANIMAL WEEK!!!

We thought we’d devote a whole week to testing your animal guessing skills! So get ready to look at the picture closely, read the clues carefully and tell us who you think the animal is in the comments below!

• I have a bald head.
• I am a bird.
• I am thought of as the garbage man of the animal world.

WHO AM I?

FEATHERY FRIDAY #83

It’s Feathery Friday yet again and we have wild and crazy bird for you today! Ok, they may not be very crazy but they are wild and wonderful! Who is this loony bird? Come find out!

MEET THE COMMON LOON!

   Range/Habitat: North America-Greenland-Western Europe/sea coasts and

large lakes

   Diet: Carnivore: fish

   Length/Weight: 28-35”/6 ½-10lbs”

   Conservation Status: Common

Fun Facts:

• Common loons are also known as the Great Northern Loon.
• Common Loons are made for life in the water. They have webbed feet and water proof feathers.
• They are excellent swimmers and divers. They can dive to great depths.
• They take extra care to keep their dense feathers clean, this is called preening. They have to do this because the feathers keep them warm in the cold waters where they live.
• Common loons are often found in pairs.
• They are very clumsy on land.
• Common loons use their bills to spear fish.
• Both the female and male take care of the chicks. Chicks can swim at a very young age. Sometimes you’ll even see the chicks riding on the back of the mothers back.
• Common loons are very vocal birds and make several different types of calls.
• Common loons are the provincial bird of Ontario, Canada and are the state bird of Maine.

These noisy birds are very pretty with their black heads and spots.  We love the special adaptations they have for living in cold waters. People, elephants and horses don’t do well in cold water! What do you do stay warm when it gets cold? We like to put on scarves!

Watch this video of two loons calling to each other!

SUPER SURPRISE THURSDAY #83

It’s that day of the week where you look at the picture, read the clues and tell us who the surprise animal is!

• I am a bird.
• I live in the North Atlantic.
• I look like a penguin, but I am not.

WHO AM I?

GREATEST HITS- FEATHERY FRIDAY

It’s that special day of the week dedicated to our feathery friends! So are you ready to head to Central America to meet a duck who doesn’t quack? Let’s head out on today’s adventure!

MEET THE MUSCOVY DUCK!

   Range/Habitat: Central-South America/ wetlands, lakes, rivers

   Diet: Omnivore: roots, leaves, fish, insects

   Length/Weight: 26-33”/ 7-15 lbs

   Conservation Status: common

Fun Facts:

• Muscovy Ducks have wild and domesticated populations.
• They are not very vocal and only make a few noises, including hisses!
• Muscovy ducks have black and white feathers.
• They have wide flat tails.
• Muscovy ducks perch in trees.
• Muscovy ducks have claws on their feet.

Muscovy ducks are super cute! Who knew there were ducks out there that didn’t quack! Neat! Hiss! Hiss!

GREATEST HITS- SUPER SURPRISE THURSDAY

We’re going to the rainforests of South America today to meet one gorgeous and colorful bird! We’ll have to climb to the top to find them! Are you ready?

MEET THE CHESTNUT-EARED ARACARI!

   Range/Habitat: Central- Northern South America/ rainforests

   Diet: Frugivore: fruit, insects

   Length/Weight: 13-16”/ 11 oz

   Conservation Status: common

Fun Facts:

• Chestnut-eared aracari have black feathers with yellow bellies.
• They live in the canopies of the rainforest.
• Chestnut-eared aracari have large bills with yellow teeth like looking markings.
• They are members of the toucan family.
• Chestnut-eared aracari live in small groups.

We just love these gorgeous birds! Those beaks are just perfect for picking fruit from the trees! What do you think?

GREATEST HITS- FEATHERY FRIDAY!!

We’re off to Africa today to find a colorful and most famous bird! We all know these pinkies! Have you guessed it by now? That’s right; it’s time to meet a flamingo! Grab your wellies again, we’re going wading!

MEET THE LESSER FLAMINGO!

   Range/Habitat: West-Central-Southern Africa/ wetlands, lakes

   Diet: Herbivore: blue-green algae

   Length/Weight: up to 3 ¼ ft/ up to 4 ½ lbs

   Conservation Status: Near threatened

Fun Facts:

• Lesser flamingos are the smallest of all flamingos.
• They are light to dark pink in coloration.
• Lesser flamingos have long dark beaks.
• They feed at dusk and dark.
• Lesser flamingos live in large colonies. There have been flocks of up to 1 million birds.
• You can see hundreds are of flamingos move together in elaborate courtship rituals.
• Lesser flamingos build mud mounds to lay their one egg on.
• They can live up to 50 years.

We just love flamingos! They’re long legs and bright pink feathers make them one of the most iconic birds on the planet! And yes they do sleep on one leg; it helps them conserve body heat! Hhhmm… we might practice being flamingos, but that is hard with four legs!

AMAZING ANIMAL FACTS- BIRDS!

We’re sharing some amazing bird facts today! Get ready to learn and share these facts with your friends!

1. AN ARCTIC TERN’S MIGRATION IS UP TO 44,000 MILES PER YEAR!

Those birds must be tired!

2. MALE OSTRICHES ROAR LIKE LIONS!

We wonder if they do any other impressions!

3. A HUMMINGBIRD WEIGHS LESS THAN A PENNY.

That is one teeny bird.

4. FLAMINGOS CAN ONLY EAT WITH THEIR HEADS UPSIDE DOWN.

Hhmmmmm… this one makes us dizzy.

5. KIWIS HUNT BY SMELL.

It’s because they have really bad eyesight. Maybe kiwis can get glasses.

FEATHERY FRIDAY #82

We’re heading to the wild west of the United States today! Grab your cowboy hats and boots and let’s off on an adventure to find a little bird with amazing camouflage! Have you been working on your observation skills partners?

MEET THE COMMON POORWILL!

   Range/Habitat: South Canada-Central United States/ scrub-desert

   Diet: carnivore: insects

   Length/Weight: 7-8”/ 1- 2 1/8 oz

   Conservation Status: common

Fun Facts:

•          Common Poorwills are the smallest member of the nightjar family in North America.
•          They get their name from the male’s call.
•          Common Poorwills are nocturnal.
•          Common poorwills have excellent camouflage.
•          They go into torpor (a similar state to hibernation) in winter.

These little birds are gorgeous and hard to spot! Those feathers look just like the rock and scrub habitat they live in!