Amazing Bird Facts

Birds in general display a wide range of behaviors. All though some of the behaviors may strike humans as being amazing, most behaviors help animals survive in their environments. Take a look at some of the interesting ways birds cope with the world around them.

• The Woodpecker Finch of the Galapagos Islands uses a cactus spine or twig to probe in to tiny holes and cracks for insect grubs. As the grub wriggles out, the finch drops the tool and nabs it. Other Galapagos finches occasionally use this technique.

• Some birds, such as Eurasian Cuckoos, lay their eggs in the nests of other birds. Cuckoos lay eggs that mimic those of the host species in color. After hatching, the young cuckoo shoves the other eggs and young out of the nest. The foster parents devote all their energy to raising the young cuckoo that grows larger than themselves.

• Phalaropes spin rapidly like a top while sitting on the water. This action creates a whirlpool of water which sucks tiny plankton to the surface. The phalarope picks up the food with its long, narrow bill.

• Oxpeckers feed on ticks and blood-sucking flies that live in the hair of oxen, rhinos, and other large African mammals. The oxpecker benefits by having a constant source of food. The mammal benefits because the bird eats insects that carry disease. Oxpecker tails are stiff like those of woodpeckers to help brace them on the sides of their mammal hosts.

• Male bowerbirds of Australia and New Guinea build elaborate bowers to woo females. Depending on the species, bowers may consist of parallel hedges of twigs and grass or be made of twigs leaned up against a sapling, like a thatched hut. These can be nine feet high! Males decorate a dance stage with neat piles of colorful and shiny objects such as shells, flowers, fruits, glass, and coins. Each species of bowerbird has its own color preference for objects and the dullest-colored bowerbirds construct the fanciest bowers. Satin Bowerbirds paint their bower with colored fruit pulp using a bark brush.

• Frigatebirds harass smaller birds, such as boobies, stealing their fish or forcing them to disgorge a fish they just swallowed. These aerial pirates then seize the fish in midair. Frigatebirds also pluck fish from the water's surface. They cannot land on water because their feathers are poorly water-proofed and, with their long, thin wings, frigate birds would not be able to get enough of a down stroke to take off again.

• Shrikes often impale their prey- lizards, mice, small birds, and insects -on a thorn or barbed-wire fence to cache it. Other birds store food, such as seeds, as well. In cold climates, owls may store their prey frozen, then thaw it out to eat by sitting on it like an egg.

• Long-legged birds often stand on one leg during cold weather to conserve heat. By drawing one leg up near the warmth of the body under the belly feathers, the bird cuts in half the amount of body heat lost through its bare legs.

• Green Herons sometimes drop live insects, berries, or other objects onto the water's surface to attract fish. When an inquisitive fish appears, the heron grabs it with a quick thrust of the bill.

• A few cave-dwelling birds use "echolocation" to find their way in the dark, just like bats. Oilbirds and some swiftlets make small clicking sounds and use the echoes to gauge distances in the dark caves where they nest.

• African honeyguides, relatives of the woodpecker, feed on beeswax. They rely on people or honey-badgers to break apart the beehives so they can get to the wax. Honeyguides have evolved special calls and actions to lead these honey-eating mammals to a hive they've spotted.