Am I Blue, So Blue Trivia Quiz

There are several different honeycreeper species native to Central and South America. This picture is of a male red-legged honeycreeper during the breeding season. During the rest of the year, the males are more of a grass green color while the females display an even lighter green color.

As the name implies, the honeycreeper's main food source is nectar. The red-legged honeycreeper also eats insects and seeds. Honeycreepers tend to live on the edge of forests or around fruit plantations.

The hyacinth macaw is the longest parrot, measuring up to a meter (over three feet) from the top of its head to the tip of its tail feathers. These monogamous social birds primarily make their home in the eastern part of South America. The hyacinth macaw has a powerfully built beak to crack open nuts, including coconuts. Like many parrots, the macaw is inquisitive and intelligent, and is able to imitate human speech sounds.

The hyacinth macaw can also use tools, like leaves, to keep nuts from slipping while cracking them.

The rainbow lorikeet is native to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and the Eastern Australian coastal region. Lorikeets spend up to two-thirds of their day looking for flowers and can travel up to 30 miles (nearly 50 km) to satiate their appetite. They have a brush-like tongue perfect for gathering nectar and pollen from flowers. Lorikeets have a long, hooked upper beak that helps them get to hard-to-reach nuts.

Many orchard growers consider the lorikeets pests since their diet is predominantly fruit.

In the wild, lorikeets are very loud and active with several monogamous pairs roosting close together.

The eastern bluebird is a thrush common to the eastern USA. The males have a characteristic blue back and head with a rusty orange chest and white abdomen. The female coloration is similar in pattern to the male except much more muted with the blue parts appearing more gray in color. Bluebirds love insects and other invertebrates. From a high perch, they can see an insect from 50 yards (46 meters) away.

In the springtime, testosterone levels in unpaired males will rise and dramatically increase vocalizations up to 1,000 songs per hour! Maybe the ladies pair up with the bachelor so he will quit yapping!

The common kingfisher makes its home in Europe and Southeast Asia. Both the males and females are striking with the males displaying bright azure blue and the females sporting more of a teal color. Like all kingfishers, they have a large head with a long beak for catching fish.

The common kingfisher has specially adapted eyes with two different retinal focal points that help them spot underwater motion better. In the air, they have monocular vision that allows them to see great distances with acuity. Remarkably the kingfisher needs to eat over 50% of its body weight each day causing this bird to be more solitary and territorial.

At least once a day, the kingfisher will regurgitate a pellet with the bones and other indigestible parts of their meal.

Blue jays have a reputation for being backyard bullies by being territorial and aggressive towards other bird species. Jays are very intelligent and have complex and close family dynamics. They will imitate the shriek of a hawk to scare away food competitors.

In captivity, a blue jay has been seen using a newspaper as a tool to gain access to out-of-reach food. In the wild, the jays can live a very long time; one individual was recorded as just over 26 years of age at death.

The swallow prefers to make its nest in a human structure like a barn. They also prefer open fields where they feed on insects they catch while in mid-flight. Swallows can be found throughout the northern hemisphere and are thought to have followed human migration.

Their nests can take two weeks to build and are constructed of mud and grass. Often the males will secure an already built nest before trying to attract a mate. The swallow pairs will usually bond for life and can be found in groups as large as twenty or more in prime locations.

The rosella is an Australian parrot that loves to eat seeds and fruit. When Europeans first settled in New South Wales in the Rose Hill area, they discovered the birds and named them after the region. The birds soon became known as Rosehillers, and eventually, the name was shortened to rosella. Like many parrots, there is little difference in coloration between males and females. Since they are easy to breed and colorful, rosellas are often kept as pets.

They are very territorial, so they should not be kept in the same cage as other birds.

A rosella can live over 20 years in captivity.

The blue-footed booby is well known for its striking blue feet. The males of the species will wave their feet around to attract a female. The better fed the booby, the brighter blue his feet will be. The blue color comes from carotenoids in their diet of fresh fish.

The booby will dive into the water to catch a fish and for this reason, their nostrils are permanently closed causing the birds to breathe air out of the corners of their mouth. The female booby is usually slightly larger than the male, and the pair will mate for life.

The Spanish were the first Europeans to encounter the birds and named them bobos because the birds seemed foolish when it came to recognizing danger.

The blue tit is a backyard treasure in gardens across Europe. These little guys are quite acrobatic, hanging upside down while harvesting bugs. The mating pair will only have one clutch of eggs a year with the female laying one egg a day for up to two weeks.

While she broods, the male will feed her and protect the nest. Fledglings are born to coincide with the caterpillar season - a favorite of the blue tit. In the wintertime when insects are more scarce, the tit will eat fruits and nuts. Typically a blue tit's life expectancy is only about three years with cats being one of their greatest threats.