fact
The Canadian territory of Yukon operates “drunk tanks” for birds. If you encounter a bird that seems drunk (and flies into things), you can call Environment Yukon and they will place the bird under their care until it sobers up.
Wild birds in Australia can be heard swearing, having learned the words from escaped pets.
Willie, a parrot, alerted its owner, Megan Howard, when the toddler she was babysitting began to choke. Megan was in the bathroom, the parrot began screaming “mama, baby” while flapping its wings as the child turned blue. Megan rushed over and performed the Heimlich, saving the girls life.
Eight-year-old Gabi Mann of Seattle, Washington receives gifts from crows in her garden. She feeds the crows regularly and little “treasures” are given in return including a miniature silver ball, a black button, a blue paper clip, a yellow bead, a blue Lego piece, and a pearl colored heart. 00
Newborn ducks will take on the characteristics of the first animal they see. If the first animal they see is a human, then they will think they’re human and grow up thinking they’re human. This is called “imprinting” and it’s the natural instinct to follow the first thing they see.
In order to maintain peace and quiet at night, the Long Beach City Council proposed a ban on “singing of birds” between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. in 1957.
In woodpeckers, most of the energy from pecking that reaches the brain is heat. The reason why woodpeckers peck in short bursts is to let their brain cool off.
In woodpeckers, most of the energy from pecking that reaches the brain is heat. The reason why woodpeckers peck in short bursts is to let their brain cool off.
In 1890, 60 common starlings were released in Central Park in an attempt to introduce every bird mentioned in the works of Shakespeare to America. They became a pest, and there are currently 150 million of them.
Hummingbirds are constantly hours away from starving to death, only being able to store enough energy to survive overnight. Having the highest metabolic rate of animal kingdom, their heart can reach 1260 BPM and they’ll breath 250 times a minute at rest.