When people talk about impressive birds, they usually think of the biggest, the fastest or even the ones with the coolest dance moves. However, with more than 10,000 types of birds in existence, there are numerous species that are unfamiliar to most of us. Unfortunately, we can’t cover them all in this article, but we’ll share some fascinating facts about a few noteworthy birds that distinguish themselves from their avian peers.
The majority of people are aware of the fact that birds can make some kind of noise, be it a whistle, croak or chirp. However, birds tend to be very noticeable creatures, with brightly colored feathers and loud songs to make them stand out. Although many bird species have unique vocalizations, one group of birds has come up with a rather unusual method of creating sound. The manakin, belonging to the genus Pipra, creates buzzing and humming noises by vibrating its feathers and clacking its wings together, similar to the sound of violins. Additionally, they incorporate clicks, chirps, and impressive dance moves to entertain their audience, becoming a one-man orchestra and ballet performance.
Native to the rainforests of Central and South America, manakins require a significant amount of force to snap their wings together hard and fast enough to create sound. They have solid wing bones, instead of the usual lightweight bird bones filled with air pockets, to support their vigorous dancing. Consequently, manakins are not particularly graceful fliers due to the additional weight.
The bowerbird may not catch your eye with its unremarkable appearance, featuring slightly iridescent feathers and a posture similar to that of a large sparrow. However, these birds possess an extraordinary creative ability when it comes to their mating ritual. Male bowerbirds build sculptures using plant matter as a foundation, and then decorate them with the precision of a fashion designer to attract a mate. These sculptures often adhere to a specific color scheme, and the birds constantly rearrange and straighten them. Bowerbirds can be found in Australia and New Guinea and have an interesting habit of incorporating treasures such as flowers, feathers, and berries into their bowers. Nowadays, they even add human-made items like pen caps, rubber, fabric scraps, paper scraps, and bottle tops.
Have you ever heard of the bee hummingbird? It may not be as famous as the largest bird in the world, but it certainly deserves recognition for its impressive title as the smallest bird. Incredibly, this tiny bird weighs less than two paperclips! Despite its size, the bee hummingbird is a mighty creature that pollinates up to 1,500 flowers every day and consumes half of its body weight in food daily. To sustain such an active lifestyle, bee hummingbirds burn energy equivalent to a human running ten marathons – impressive, right? These birds are native to Cuba and surrounding islands, but unfortunately, their small size attracts many predators like spiders, wasps, and praying mantids.
The toucan is a well-known bird with its large bill and vibrant colors. However, its cousin, the emerald toucanet, is a smaller version that is not as commonly recognized. Unlike the larger keel-billed toucan, the emerald toucanet is less than half its size, but just as cute. Its iridescent green feathers are complemented by a blue throat and orange rump, creating a miniature rainbow sensation. The emerald toucanet is native to Central and South America and has an interesting mating ritual where they play a game of fruit toss using their disproportionately large beaks. If this level of adorableness doesn’t trigger a release of oxytocin and dopamine in your brain, you can check out some pictures of baby penguins.
The kiwi bird is a unique and fascinating animal that stands out due to its fuzzy, funky, and flightless characteristics. Their inability to fly has defined their existence, but they have compensated by developing strong leg and feet muscles to dig burrows and forage for food. While their feathers may not be needed for aerodynamics, they provide cozy warmth, making them look like muppets. However, being flightless has also put them at great risk since they lack natural predators and have a poor instinct to avoid danger. Unfortunately, poaching for the feather trade and the presence of predators have caused declines in their populations. Nevertheless, the people of New Zealand have come together to protect the kiwi population. Kiwi birds are endemic to New Zealand and cannot be found anywhere else in the world. An interesting fact about these birds is that all five species have an exceptional sense of smell, relying on their nostrils at the tip of their beaks to compensate for poor eyesight.
The Tufted Puffin is a unique bird species that can be found living on remote, treeless islands in the deep blue sea. While they may not exactly resemble muffins, they do look quite clown-like with their bright orange bills and long white ear tufts. These birds primarily feed on small fish, but invertebrates also make up a significant portion of their diet. The tufted puffins live in colonies throughout the Pacific Ocean, specifically along the northern coastlines of North America and Russia. A fascinating fact about these birds is that they have short wings that are designed for swimming and diving, which makes it harder for them to take flight. To compensate, they flap their wings approximately 400 times per minute, which brings them close to hummingbird status. When nesting on cliffsides, they take advantage of the elevation to lift into the air. However, when lifting off from the water, they rely on their strong breast muscles to power them.
The Magellanic Woodpecker is a true headbanger, taking this punk rock movement to new heights. Instead of using instruments, they use their strong beaks to create cavities in trees, providing safe and cozy nesting places for themselves and other bird species. These woodpeckers are the largest in South America, growing up to 18 inches long and flying gracefully through old-growth beech forests. They are reminiscent of dragons from folklore. Their native distribution is in southern Chile and Argentina. Interestingly, woodpeckers don’t suffer from concussions because they have plenty of padding in their birdbrains, thanks to their spongey bone texture and a tongue that wraps around their skull. This means that they don’t lose too many brain cells while making their nests, not that they had many to begin with.
Meet the Potoo bird – not to be confused with a potato. These four species of bird have mottled grey and brown feathers and large, dilating eyes that make them look like a potato with googly eyes. This unique appearance helps them blend into their surroundings during the day when they pretend to be tree branches. Their beaks may seem small when closed, but they can open comically wide, earning them the nickname “frogmouths” and allowing them to catch flying insects like moths. Potoo birds are native to tropical Central and South America and have an eerie call that sounds like a fading cascade of “BU-OHs” on moonlit nights, similar to the call of North America’s whippoorwill or chuck-will’s-widow.
The Red-knobbed Hornbill is an impressive bird that can only be found on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. Its bill is comparable in size to the largest toucan, but what sets it apart is the large casque on top of its beak. This casque is not just for show – it actually helps to amplify the hornbill’s loud vocalizations, which can be heard from over a mile away. In addition to being noisy, hornbills are also important seed dispersers due to their voracious appetite for fruit. Unfortunately, hornbills are often targeted by poachers for their prized casques and feathers.
Meet the hoatzin, an unusual bird species that has retained some features of its dinosaur ancestors while evolving into modern-day birds. While other birds evolved their forelimbs into wings, the hoatzin has retained claws on the ends of its wings, which is a characteristic of its pterodactyl ancestor. This feature helps the flightless baby hoatzins to clamber around in the vegetation, which is essential for their survival in flooded, swampy forests where they reside. Interestingly, even adult hoatzins use their wings to balance through the brush. The hoatzin is native to tropical South America and has a unique way of digesting all the plant matter it eats. Bacteria in the hoatzin’s crop ferments the food matter, creating a foul odor around the bird, giving it the nickname “stinkbird.”
The Common Raven, or Corvus corax, may seem like an odd addition to this list due to its popularity in myths and legends. However, we have included it because their incredible intelligence is often overlooked. Ravens, as well as other members of the Corvidae family, have displayed remarkable cognitive abilities. They have even been said to possess a higher level of intelligence than young human children. Ravens can remember the locations of their food caches, understand water displacement, and use tools for foraging purposes. They have a wide distribution range, spanning from the Arctic and temperate regions of North America and Eurasia to mountainous areas of South America and North Africa. With over 30 vocalizations, ravens also have their own advanced communication system and can even imitate human speech like parrots do!
The kakapo is a peculiar New Zealand bird that can rival the kiwi in terms of silliness. Unlike other parrots, this ground-nesting species cannot fly, forages at night, and has owl-like facial discs. Despite being the heaviest parrot weighing about 13 pounds, they can still move around the forest by waddling and even climbing trees with their beaks and claws to search for food. The kakapo’s native distribution is limited to New Zealand, and it can live for up to 60-90 years when not threatened by predation or habitat loss.
The black-thighed falconet is a remarkable bird of prey that holds the record for being the smallest in the world, measuring only about 5-6 inches in length. They can be found in forest edges and burn sites in Southeast Asia, where they exhibit their excellent hunting skills by striking prey while in midflight and using their talons to rip their catch apart. Despite their small size, these birds are known to feed on invertebrates, reptiles, and even other bird species. During breeding season, they seek out woodpecker excavations to nest.
The majestic wandering albatross is a seabird with impressive wingspan that measures almost 12 feet, even bigger than the California condor. This bird uses its soaring abilities to fly over 500 miles in a single day with minimal wing flaps. The wandering albatross is native to the Southern Oceans and has an exceptional lifespan of 50-60 years. They spend most of their lives in flight, only coming down to land for feeding and breeding purposes. These facts make the wandering albatross an interesting and remarkable bird species.
The vulturine guinea fowl is a peculiar poultry bird with unique ornate feathers and a bald head resembling that of a vulture. It is an omnivore, consuming a variety of seeds, roots, invertebrates, small rodents, and reptiles. With a height of approximately two feet, it is the largest guinea fowl species. The bird is native to East Africa and spends most of its time on the ground, displaying excellent running skills while preferring to roost in trees at night. While birdwatching, one can observe not only the stunning beauty of birds but also their fascinating behaviors such as flight patterns and feeding habits. So keep an eye out for interesting birds even in your own backyard!
