Wonderful creatures!
Amazing beauty visually and with their songs/calls even more amazing.
Add the most amazing fact of all........... they can FLY!
Bird
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird
Birds are a group of warm-bloodedvertebrates constituting the classAves (/ˈeɪviːz/), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweight skeleton. Birds live worldwide and range in size from the 5.5 cm (2.2 in) bee hummingbird to the 2.8 m (9 ft 2 in) common ostrich. There are over 11,000 living species, more than half of which are passerine, or "perching" birds. Birds have wings whose development varies according to species; the only known groups without wings are the extinct moa and elephant birds. Wings, which are modified forelimbs, gave birds the ability to fly, although further evolution has led to the loss of flight in some birds, including ratites, penguins, and diverse endemic island species. The digestive and respiratory systems of birds are also uniquely adapted for flight. Some bird species of aquatic environments, particularly seabirds and some waterbirds, have further evolved for swimming. The study of birds is called ornithology.
Birds are featheredtheropoddinosaurs and constitute the only known living dinosaurs. Likewise, birds are considered reptiles in the modern cladistic sense of the term, and their closest living relatives are the crocodilians. Birds are descendants of the primitive avialans (whose members include Archaeopteryx) which first appeared during the Late Jurassic. According to recent estimates, modern birds (Neornithes) evolved in the Late Cretaceous and diversified dramatically around the time of the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event 66 million years ago, which killed off the pterosaurs and all non-avian dinosaurs.[7]
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What's your favorite bird?
We have 3 bird feeders outside the kitchen/living room window so as to see all the different kinds that come to visit.
Sometimes, they are more like squirrel feeders (-:
I fill the bird feeders up with black oil sunflower seed most of the time. During the Winter, when plants are dormant and wild life struggles to survive because of the cold and no food, birds and squirrels are numerous at the feeders most of the day.
My son recently noticed this bird at our feeders:
Incredibly, this bird will lay eggs in the nest of other birds and let that other bird raise its young!!
Somebody should sing this song to the other bird when there's a really different looking egg in their nest.
Cowbirds also have a very odd call:
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown-headed_cowbird
Brown-headed Cowbird Christmas Bird Count Map
Here's a gorgeous bird with several different calls:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Blue_Jay/sounds
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_jay
The blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata) is a passerine bird in the family Corvidae, native to eastern North America. It lives in most of the eastern and central United States; some eastern populations may be migratory. Resident populations are also in Newfoundland, Canada; breeding populations are found across southern Canada. It breeds in both deciduous and coniferous forests, and is common in residential areas. Its coloration is predominantly blue, with a white chest and underparts, and a blue crest; it has a black, U-shaped collar around its neck and a black border behind the crest. Males and females are similar in size and plumage, and plumage does not vary throughout the year. Four subspecies have been recognized.
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| Approximate distribution map Year-round-purple Nonbreeding-blue |
Birds, among other animals, also are great predictors of weather events
Great topic as they really are amazing!
The water birds like ducks and geese are about the only animals that fly, swim (or float), and walk.
Geese unlike ducks are typically monogamous and very emotional towards their “spouse”. They mourn their spouses that die (very human like). I’ve seen it first hand at a local park. They also can make great guard birds as they’re typically very protective of their owners and their territory:
https://www.birdzilla.com/learn/do-geese-mate-for-life/
Crows and similar birds are actually very smart! Birdbrain is a misnomer in general:
https://news.vanderbilt.edu/2016/06/13/study-gives-new-meaning-to-the-term-bird-brain/. Bb
“Eat like a bird” is kind of a misnomer when you consider the weight of their food vs their body weight. I assume this is because of how much energy they expend while flying.
Birds can be very handy considering the nests they build out of whatever materials they find. That amazes me!
Wonderful points, Larry!
https://www.cambridgeday.com/2023/02/11/crows-can-indeed-be-scary-smart/
From holding their own funerals to their penchant for maintaining grudges, this is one fascinating corvid.
https://www.audubon.org/news/10-fun-facts-about-american-crow
10. American Crows’ smarts and adaptability have served them well in the Anthropocene. They’ve been getting more numerous in recent decades, especially in urban centers. According to BirdLife International, their population has grown by nearly 20 percent each decade for the past 40 years. The total breeding population of the species is currently estimated to be 27 million.
Yeah, birds are cool and amazing-from water fowl (a whole category in itself) to crows which have out smarted me more than once.
Ive a few feeders myself and enjoy watching the birds change like the seasons.Just swa my first Towhee (eastern) for this Spring as it migrates following wood/brush lines and random feeders if they are lucky
.A couple may be seen for a few days off and on as they linger northward and ditto but southward in the fall.
The cowbirds have been here for a month and I'd just as soon they not be at all
I am entertained and amazed by birds all year.
Thanks for bringing up the subject.
John
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Egd73TfeiMA
As part of our Bird from Home project, we put out an open call for images of birds taken at or near home. The entries did not disappoint. Here are some of our favorites, with the story behind each shot.
https://www.audubon.org/news/50-photos-birds-brought-joy-our-readers-year