'/> Amazing Animals: 15 Weird and Amazing Bird Facts Around The World Part Two

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

15 Weird and Amazing Bird Facts Around The World Part Two

These birds really fascinate the imagination of the human mind. From a small songbird down to a gentle penguin, these avian record holders are truly one-of-a-kind.

Here is Part two of 15 Weird and Amazing Bird Facts Around The World. In case you miss the initial post, then go check this link.

High Nests

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The highest tree nest constructed by any bird is that of the Marbled Murrelet (Branchyramphus marmoratus), a small North Pacific member of the auk family of seabirds. Its nests have been discovered as high as 45 m (147ft), usually on moss-covered branches of old conifer trees.

This may explain why the first formally identified nest of this species was not recorded by science until recently as 1961, in Asia; the first North American example was not found until 1974.

Most Bird Songs Recorded

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The Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus), a small New World species of songbird, has been recorded singing 22,197 songs in a 10-hour period, an average of over 2,000 songs per hour!

Shortest Migration

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In stark contrast to the thousands of kilometers flown by certain migrating birds, North America’s Blue Grouse (Dendragapus obscurus) descends a mere 300 m (984 ft) from its winter home in the mountainous pine forests to deciduous woodlands in order to feed upon the early crop of seeds and fresh leaves.

Smallest Eggs

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Surprisingly, bearing in mind that it lays the largest eggs of any bird, the bird that lays the smallest eggs relative to body weight is the Ostrich (Struthio camelus). This is because the egg’s weight is only 1.4-1.5% of the ostrich’s total weight. A comparable percentage has also been recorded for the Emperor Penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri).

Longest Bird Tongue

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Relative to body size, the longest tongue of any bird is that of the Wryneck (Jynx torquilla), a European relative of woodpeckers. Its tongue is two-thirds of its 16.5-cm (6.4-in) body length. On a human scale, this would mean you could lick your knees without bending over!

Lowest Nesting Altitude

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The little Green Bee-eater (Merops orientalis) nests at 400 m (1,312 ft) below sea level in the Dead Sea area of the Middle East. This is the lowest nesting altitude recorded for any species of bird.

Check out Part 1 here:

22 comments:

  1. another interesting facts about birds, thanks for sharing all these information. you're so good in doing this in detailed and in order. :) keep it up...:)

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  2. I have a niece who loves animals. She prefers to watch Discovery and NatGeo over Disney and Cartoon Network. I am sure she would love these tidbits. TFS!

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  3. oh wow, thanks for filling me in again of interesting facts Donald, did not know that though the ostrich eggs are the largest, yet they have the smallest eggs if compared to their body weight.

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  4. Thanks for sharing infos about these kinds of birds. We often do seen them around but don't really know anything about them, except that they have wings and fly around. :)

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  5. great facts, woot at first I was shocked with the smallest egg belonging to the ostrich but reading on it makes sense actually, thanks the great knowledge.. woot..that boost my morning

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  6. your post reminds me of amazing cap stories. meron pa ba nun? thanks for this very interesting and educational post. :)

    ps.
    posted a link about laksa in that post. now, i don't even know how to describe. basta ang alam ko masarap siya. haha!

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  7. new domain,papaleng, Congrats. Am impressed how you research all these birds.

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  8. simply amazing! thanks for sharing all the info about different birds Papaleng. It makes me appreciate the animal kingdom more.

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  9. what a wonderful thing to learn, one thing i like the most was the song bird...

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  10. Awww.. Another great information about birds paps! :)

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  11. red-eyed vireo/2k songs per hour? wow...who needs an ipod? lol

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  12. nice papaleng :) like and share ko :)

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  13. wow i am not familiar of these birds. i know know about the ostrich. very interesting facts papaleng! thanks for sharing!

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  14. GReat infos again, Papaleng. Puede ba gawing pet ang mga eto?

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  15. Wow! Interesting list, especially about the red-eyed vireo. For some reason, I always thought the nightingale will be the one listed.

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  16. interesting facts about these birds! I never thought the smallest eggs comes from the largest bird! Thanks for the trivia!

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  17. I learned a lot about birds from this post and I was surprised about the ostrich eggs but yes compared to their size their eggs are small.

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  18. wow i dont even knwo those kind of birds indeed exists! love the songbird though haha a a lot of songs for abird! xx

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  19. another post about animals and these lovely birds are really amazing

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  20. Wow! Really interesting! I learned a whole lot today about birds!

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  21. thats cool! all created by God has their own skills. just like us.. humans. indeed AMAZING animals.

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  22. longest bird tongue!! let me see!!! love this compilation.. encyclopedia online :)

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