Flock Together Trivia Quiz

Answer: Birds of Prey

Bateleurs (Terathopius ecaudatus) are medium-sized eagles that can be found in Sub-Saharan Africa. They are generally black in colour, with some brown on the mantle and tail, and with some gray in the wings.

"Bateleur" translates from the French as "street performer," a name which was given to the species by French naturalist and explorer François Levaillant (1753-1824). Given the bateleur's tendency to enjoy soaring and to fly with "exaggerated embellishments" (Wikipedia), it seems an appropriate name.

In 2020's IUCN Red List, the bateleur was marked as endangered, primarily due to human encroachment upon its habitat.

Answer: Birds of Prey

The lammergeier (Gypaetus barbatus) is also known as ossifrage and as a bearded vulture. It is a very large bird of prey, with an wingspan that can reach up to 2.8 meters across (over 9 feet)! It lives up in the high elevations ranging from Europe to Tibet, and also down to East Africa.

Unlike most species of vulture, lammergeiers are not bald, and the darker bristles under the chin give them their 'bearded vulture' moniker. One aspect unique to lammergeiers is their diet. They are the only known vertebrate whose diet comprises 70-90% bone (Wikipedia).

Answer: Birds of Prey

The secretarybird (Sagittarius serpentarius) is a large bird of prey that looks like a cross between a stork and an eagle, having long legs like the former, but a body like an eagle. It is quite large, standing as tall as 1.3 m (over 4 feet), with a wingspan reaching 2.1 m (nearly 7 feet) wide.

Secretarybirds are endemic to Africa, and their significance is such that an image of the bird was chosen to be an official symbol of the country of Sudan, and is found on the country's national flag.

There are many theories as to the origin of the name, from looking like British clerks (quills), to mispronouncing the Latin name "Sagittarius," but there is no consensus.

Answer: Shorebirds

The limpkin has a number of other names by which it is known, including carrao, courlan, and crying bird. It is a large wading bird that can be found in the Americas, ranging from as far north as Florida in the U.S., throughout the Caribbean, and down to the northern part of Argentina.

Mainly brown in colour with white speckling, limpkins are medium-to-large shorebirds, and are similar in form to the ibis and spoonbill species. The name 'limpkin' refers to how the birds seem to limp when they walk.

Answer: Shorebirds

There are 12 species of oystercatcher within the family Haematopodidae, and (in nearly all cases) they live in coastal areas around the globe, with the exception of the polar regions. As the name implies, oysters are a favourite food item for many of these small wading birds, although their diet is not restricted to molluscs.

They also enjoy earthworms and insect larvae, and even some fish and crabs.

Answer: Shorebirds

Whimbrels (Numenius phaeopus) are moderately large shorebirds that can be found in coastal regions of North America. They nest in northern tundra regions, and migrate as far south as Bolivia. One of the favourite snacks of whimbrels are fiddler crabs, and these birds are well-suited, with their long, curving bill, to dig them out of their burrows.

The name "whimbrel" is an attempt to capture the sound of its call. And the genus Numenius means "crescent moon," which is appropriate to the shape of its bill.

Answer: Songbirds

The bananaquit (Coereba flaveola) is a songbird (a.k.a. passerine) in the tanager family. There are 41 recognized subspecies of bananaquit, and they can all be found in warmer areas of the Americas, ranging from southern Mexico and the Caribbean down to the Amazon Basin.

As you might have guessed, bananaquits like bananas, amongst other fruits, but are actually considered nectarivores. They greatly enjoy the sugar-rich flower product and as a result have earned the nickname "sugar bird."

Answer: Songbirds

The mistletoebird (Dicaeum hirundinaceum) is a type of flowerpecker, of which there are 50 species. It can be found throughout Australia (except for Tasmania), and in the Maluku Islands of Indonesia. This small bird is considered a frugivore, as its name suggests, primarily subsisting on the berries of mistletoe shrubs.

One interesting fact about these birds is their ability to mimic other birds. They have been recorded mimicking the mulga parrot, in addition to more than 25 other types of songbirds.

Answer: Songbirds

The stitchbird, also called the hihi, was once quite common in New Zealand, but became nearly extinct, with the only known population living on Little Barrier Island. An effort to resuscitate the species began in the 1980s, and in 2021, the IUCN Red Book listed the songbirds as vulnerable.

Stitchbirds are so called due to their most common call - a tzit tzit sound. They are similar to honeyeater birds, and are gray-bodied with dark caps, separated by a yellow band.

Answer: Waterfowl

The Appleyard (Anas platyrhyncos), or more specifically the Silver Appleyard duck, was designed by Reginald Appleyard in the 1930s in an effort to breed a duck species that was good for both meat and for eggs (dual-purpose), as well as to be a beautiful bird (silver and white colouring).

In 2007, it was listed as being critically endangered by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Answer: Waterfowl

The bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) is a sea duck found throughout North America, largely breeding in coastal areas, but also commonly found on open inland waters.

Rivaling the green-wing teal as the smallest North American duck species, it is known for its large head shape, resulting in both the common name "bufflehead" (combining buffalo and head) and the Latin name "Bucephala" (bullheaded).

Answer: Waterfowl

The nene (Branta sandvicensis) is also called the Hawaiian goose, and (as you might surmise) they are endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. At one time, they could be found on all of the islands of Hawaii, but now are limited in range to just Hawaii, Maui, Molokai, and Kauai. The name "nene" is a reference to the soft calls that it makes.

With a population of around 2,500, the nene is the world's rarest species of goose. It is believed that the species descended from the Canada goose, which would have arrived on the islands shortly after they were originally formed.

Answer: Landfowl

The capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) is also called the western capercaillie, Eurasian capercaillie, wood grouse, heather cock, and cock-of-the-woods. It is the largest species of grouse in the world, with the heaviest recorded at 7.2 kg (16 lbs). It can be found in the northern parts of Europe and Asia. The males are twice as large as the females, making it one of the most sexual dimorphic in size of all bird species.

The name "capercaillie" comes from the Scottish Gaelic "capall coille," which means "horse of the jungle."

Answer: Landfowl

The maleo (Macrocephalon maleo) is a critically endangered megapode that is only found on two islands in Indonesia (Sulawesi and Buton). Measuring about 55-60 cm in length (a little less than 2 feet), the hens produce eggs that are about five times those of chickens.

Similar to sea turtles, maleos bury their eggs in the sand to allow the warm sun to incubate them. The large eggs hatch chicks that are large enough to dig themselves out of the sand and survive the many potential predators.

Answer: Landfowl

The malleefowl (Leipoa ocellata) is an Australian landfowl of similar size to domestic chickens. They can be found in areas of mallee scrub (hence the name) in the southern semiarid regions of the continent.

Malleefowl are solitary birds right from hatching, and will ignore each other except for breeding purposes, or in territorial disputes. Once found in large populations, malleefowl are now considered to be vulnerable (IUCN Red List of 2016).