Birds in Hand Trivia Quiz

Answer: Baltimore oriole

The Baltimore oriole (Icterus galbula) is a small bird that is native to North America. It measures between 17-22 cm (7-9 in) in length. Only the male Baltimore oriole features the bird's distinctive bright orange and black feather pattern. The female's colors tend to be much duller.

The bird was named after Cecil Calvert (1605-1675), Lord Baltimore, who founded the colony of Maryland in 1632. The unique colors of the Baltimore oriole closely matched those found on Lord Baltimore's coat of arms.

Answer: Treecreeper

The Eurasian, or common, treecreeper (Certhia familiaris) is a small bird species that can be found all over Europe and northern Asia, specifically Russia, northern China, North Korea and Japan. The common treecreeper measures between 12-18 cm (4-7 in) in length.

The Eurasian treecreeper can often be found hopping up the lengths of tree trunks as it searches for insects to feed on. It will fly to the base of another tree if it is unsuccessful. The treecreeper has unique talons and tail feathers that the allow the bird to grip and maintain its balance when its hopping up trees.

Answer: Australia

The budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus), also referred to as a budgie or common parakeet, is a small bird species that is closely related to parrots. They range in size from 13-27 cm (5-11 in) in length and come in a variety of colors. Budgies have been known to mimic human speech much like their larger parrot cousins, but to a lesser degree.

While you may be able to find plenty of these birds for sale at the pet shop, if you wanted to view them in the wild, then you'd have to travel down under to their natural habitat in Australia.

Answer: Lincoln's sparrow

Lincoln's sparrow (Melospiza lincolnii) is a small bird species native to North America. In the summer months, the birds will breed mostly in southern Canada and high elevation areas in the U.S., such as the Rocky Mountain region. In the winter, they will often migrate down as far as southern Mexico.

Lincoln's sparrows range between 13-15 cm (5-6 in) in length. Despite what their name may imply, Lincoln's sparrow was not named after President Abraham Lincoln. It was actually named by French-American naturalist John James Audubon (1785-1851) in 1834 after a friend of his named Thomas Lincoln.

Answer: Cordon-Bleu

The red-cheeked cordon-bleu (Uraeginthus bengalus) is a small bird species that is related to finches. These birds can primarily be found in North and Central Africa between the Sahara Desert and northern Angola, Zambia and Mozambique. The cordon-bleu grows to around 12.5-13 cm (~ 5 in) in length.

While the species' common name is the red-cheeked cordon-bleu, only the adult male bird actually has the spots on its cheeks. The spot is absent on the female and young of the species. Chicken cordon-bleu is a popular French recipe and the name of the dish translates to 'blue ribbon' in English.

Answer: Firecrest

The common firecrest (Regulus ignicapilla) is one of the smallest bird species on the European continent. They have an average length of approximately 9 cm (3.5 in). The bird is aptly named due to the orange/yellow colored streak on the top of its head.

Another small bird species from Europe, known as the goldcrest (Regulus regulus), has a similar look and size to the firecrest and is also one of the smallest bird species on the continent. The goldcrest tends to be slightly smaller than the firecrest and only has yellow streaks on the top of its head (no orange).

Answer: Weebill

Looking at the picture, it seems like this bird has a wee bill. The weebill (Smicrornis brevirostris) is considered to be the smallest bird species in Australia. The birds can grow between 8-9 cm (3-3.5 in) in length.

Weebills were first documented by English ornithologist John Gould (1804-1881) while on an expedition to Australia in 1838. The weebill feasts primarily on insects and arachnids that inhabit eucalyptus trees.

Answer: Elf owl

The elf owl (Micrathene whitneyi) is the smallest owl species in the world. They can be found in North America, ranging from the southwestern United States down to southern Mexico. The elf owl can grow between 12-15 cm (4.5-6 in) in length.

Despite their small size, they are still effective nocturnal predators like their larger owl brethren and are able to feed on creatures as large as kangaroo rats. They also tend to build nests inside cacti such as the Saguaro. Much like opossums, an elf owl can play dead if it feels like its life is in danger from predators.

Answer: Bee

The bee hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae), also known as zunzuncito or Helena hummingbird, is often considered to be the smallest bird in the entire world. These hummingbirds only grow to approximately 6 cm (2.5 in) in length and are primarily found in the nation of Cuba in the Caribbean Sea.

Bee hummingbirds were most likely not named for their color, but more for the bird's behavior. They often buzz around from flower to flower searching for nectar to feed on. As the birds do this, they are able to transfer pollen from one flower to another helping various plant species to reproduce.

Answer: Blue Jay

The blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata) is a small bird species that is native to North America, primarily the eastern half of the continent. These birds can grow between 22-30 cm (9-12 in) in length.

The blue jay is a fairly popular bird in Canada. It was, of course, selected as the mascot for Toronto's Major League Baseball team (Toronto Blue Jays) when the team was founded in 1977. It was also selected as the official provincial bird of Prince Edward Island that same year.