trivia

Heaviest Flyer	The Kori Bustard of east South Africa - males weigh 18.1kg (40lbs) the same size as a TV. The wingspan is 2.5 metres. (8ft)

	Mute Swan	50.6lb	White pelican	24.2
	Indian Bustard	40lbs	Wild turkey	23.8
Heaviest Living Birds	Trumpeter Swan	38	Californian Condor	23
	Manchurian-Crane	33	Andean Condor	22.7
	Kori (giano) Bustard	30	Pink Pelican	22.4
	Grey Pelican Crane	28.6	Asian white Crane	22
	Bl Vulture	27.5	Stanley Bustard	22
	Wandering Albatross	26.75	Arabian Bustard	22
	Griffon Vulture	26.4	Royal Albatross	26.25
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Highest Flyer	In 1973 a Rippells griffon vulture collided with an airplane flying at 11,270metres (37,000ft) over west Africa - highest altitude at which any bird has been identified. They usually fly at 1500m (500ft).
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How do geese keep together?	When Brent geese migrate from Siberia to Europe they keep together and do not lose sight of one another, as the birds have a white rump that is easily seen from behind when in flight.
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How many feathers?	Feathers equal one sixth of a bird's weight. Humming birds have fewest, less than 1000. Some swans have more than 25,000. Humming birds have more feathers per square centimetre than swans.
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Largest and smallest nests.	The largest nest recorded was built by the bald eagle in Florida 2.9m = 9.5ft wide and 6m = 20ft deep. Weight two tonnes = 2 army jeeps.
	The smallest nest is by the bee hummingbird, is thimble sized and is half the size of a walnut shell.
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Largest glider	This was the Argentaris magnificini (25ft wing span) It soared like a glider, much as the South American Condors do.
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Largest bird.	The African Ostrich is the largest living bird. Males can be 2.7m (9ft) tall. They weigh 156 kg (345lbs) which is 90,000 times heavier than the smallest hummingbird.
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Longest and shortest birds.	The resplendent quetzel of Central America has magnificent emerald green tail feathers. Over 60cm (24ins) they are more than twice its body length. Also birds such as kiwis and emus look tailless, having no special tail feathers.
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Longest tail	The highly ornamental phoenix fowl has tail coverts which grow for six years without a moult. Longest ever recorded was 10.59m (34.75ft) which is as long as a bus.
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Longest toes	Jacanas have the longest toes of any bird. They are up to 8cm (3ins) long including including the very long toes. The toes spread the bird's weight so it can walk across floating waterweeds and lily pads in search of flood, without sinking.
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Paradise Bird	Cock birds of paradise have beautiful displays of brilliant colours. Some tail feathers are 2ft 4in l(72cm) long The cock hangs from a tree for effect. Sometimes 10 males display from one tree. The Bird of Paradise comes from New Guinea.
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Poles	Not many birds have learned to live near the Poles, and the ones who do face small competition. These are well adapted and abundant. King Eider ducks arrive in North Greenland in May and are the commonest water birds in some parts.
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Record runner	Flightless Ostrich have feet with only two toes. It can easily run at about 48kph (30mph) for 20 minutes and 70kph (43mph) in short bursts.
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Semi desert tropics	Semi-Desert tropics have avifauna comparable with those of temperate savannah. Semi deserts with rainfalls of up to 10 inches often have lots of vegetation of a specialised kind, and offer sufficient variety to sustain a large number of species.
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SIZES - Smallest bird	The smallest living bird is the bee humming bird with healthy adults weighing 1.6g =1 1/8 oz. It is 2 1.4 inches from beak tip to tail tip, and wingspan under 4 inches. They consume half their weight daily. Most small birds live in the tropics where food is abundant.
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Smallest flightless bird	The inaccessible Island Rail, which lives in remote islands in the Atlantic weighs 34.7g (1.2ozs) the size of a newly hatched domestic chick with similar fluffy feathers. It is the smallest flightless bird.
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South American species	The variety of bird life in South America is half as great again as tropical Africa. Colombia has the greatest variety of habitat and this has a bird list of over 1700 species, twice as many as the US and Canada combined.
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Vampire bird	Sharp Beaked ground finch of the Galapagos Islands is a seed-eater, but is known to behave like a vampire. Using its sharp beak, it pecks holes in the wings of nesting masked boobies and drinks their blood. The boobies don't seem to mind, the finches get a nourishing drink.
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Weavers	The birds from the weaver family build some of the most intricate nests of all birds. Starting with a circle of grass, the birds build a hanging woven nest, using grasses and leaves. A covering porch protects the entrance tunnel, which can be up to 2ft long.
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Why are flamingoes pink?	It depends on what they eat - they filter shrimps and algae from water. In captivity they are fed on carrot juice to prevent feathers fading.