A Wing and a Prayer Trivia Quiz

Answer: Oriole

The main distinction between passerine and non-passerine birds is the arrangement of their toes; passerine birds have three toes pointing forward and one toe pointing back, allowing them to perch. This is called anisodactyly. The term "passerine" derives from the Latin word "passer", meaning "sparrow", but the classification is by no means limited to sparrows! There are over 5000 passerine species.

There are many distinct species of oriole, including the golden oriole of Eurasia, the black-headed oriole of Africa, and the figbird of Oceania, all in the order Passeriformes. The other groups include various species under each, but they are within various orders. For example, "ostrich" generally includes the common ostrich (order Struthioniformes) and the greater rhea (order Rheiformes).

Answer: South America

Manakins are very small birds, the largest about six inches (15 cm) in length and one ounce (30 g) in weight. There are approximately sixty species, found throughout Latin America from southern Mexico to Paraguay and southern Brazil. They are also found on the islands of Trinidad and Tobago. They feed on fruit, which, although small, is large in comparison to the birds' size, and also on insects.

Manakins are arboreal birds, found in forests and woodlands, mainly in tropical lowlands. Species include the pin-tailed manakin, which is endemic to Brazil, the blue manakin, and the orange-collared manakin, found in Central America. Many species are very brightly colored.

Answer: True

Like the well-known cuckoo, the whydah lays its eggs in the nest of other birds; however, unlike the cuckoo, the whydah generally does not destroy the eggs of the other bird. Many species of whydah parasitize the nests of green-winged pytilias, an estrildid finch. The whydah eggs are similarly white-colored to the pytilia's, although a little larger. It is unknown exactly why birds will raise the young of other species who parasitize their nests, but hypotheses include the Mafia hypothesis, meaning that if the host does not raise the invader's nestlings, the invader then destroys the nest.

Whydah species include the pin-tailed whydah, and a group collectively known as the paradise whydah, such as the long-tailed paradise whydah and the Sahel paradise whydah. They are found throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Furthermore, the pin-tailed whydah can be found in California and Puerto Rico, where it was introduced.

Answer: Little penguin (Eudyptula minor)

As suggested by its name, the little penguin is indeed the smallest penguin species, about 13 inches (33 cm) tall. Due to the color of their plumage, they are also sometimes called blue penguins in New Zealand. These penguins breed along the southern coasts of Australia, including Tasmania, and along the entire coasts of New Zealand and the nearby Chatham Islands. Little penguins have been found in Chile and South Africa; it is likely these individuals were vagrants, i.e. penguins who had accidentally gone far out of their normal habitats. They eat a variety of sealife, including small fishes and squid, feeding mostly inshore and diving fewer than two meters, although they are able to dive to about 20 meters.

The mascot of computer operation system Linux, Tux, is a little penguin. Its developer Linus Torvalds was apparently pecked by a little penguin on holiday.

Answer: Eurasian sparrowhawk

The Eurasian (or northern) sparrowhawk, usually just called the sparrowhawk, can be found throughout Europe and Asia, as well as northern parts of Africa. The size difference between the two sexes is very marked, with the female sparrowhawk approximately 25% larger than the male.

This sexual dimorphism is significant when it comes to hunting; being larger, the female tends to hunt larger birds than the male, such as starlings and thrushes, while males attack smaller species, like finches and sparrows.

They usually pluck the larger feathers from their prey, standing upon the bird to eat it.

Answer: Iberian

Otis tarda is the species name of the great bustard, which lives mostly in grassland and steppes. They often come to areas with high levels of insects, as they are omnivorous and feed on various species of insect including beetles and wasps, and avoid humans particularly in the breeding season. Both sexes are generally very quiet, but can make noises such as grunts.

The main habitats of the great bustard are the Iberian peninsula, areas in Turkey, western Russia, and Kazakhstan, and around eastern Mongolia. Those in western Asia tend to migrate southward for the winter, while the European and eastern Asian populations remain resident. On average they live for about ten years. The percentage of great bustards living on the Iberian peninsula is estimated at about 60%.

Answer: Guangzhou oriole

The African paradise flycatcher (Terpsiphone viridis) is a small bird that lives in sub-Saharan Africa, mostly in savannah and open forests. Its body is about six or seven inches (17 cm) in length, but this is dramatically increased by its long tail, which is about this length again. As suggested by its name, it is insectivorous, catching and eating flies. It is a very noisy bird.

The Sao Paulo tyrannulet (Phylloscartes paulista) is found in Argentina and Paraguay as well as Brazil, mainly in tropical and subtropical forests, including montane forests. It is classified as near threatened based on habitat loss, but previously was class as "vulnerable"; thankfully, habitat loss has slowed enough in some areas to justify down-classing the species. It is about four inches (10 cm) in size.

The New Zealand bellbird (Anthornis melanura), known in Maori as "korimako" and "makomako", is the only bird in its genus and is endemic to New Zealand. It gets its name from its song, which has a distinct chime-like sound. It eats honey, insects, and fruit, and is important in the pollination of many flowers and plants in the region.

There are many other bird names that have geographical places in them, such as the Indian pitta and Japanese pygmy woodpecker, but unfortunately the Guangzhou oriole is one I just made up.

Answer: Fish

The bald eagle can be found throughout the North American mainland with the exception of southern Mexico and Central America. In general, the size of the bald eagle is smallest toward the equator and increases toward the north. The largest bald eagles, usually in Alaska, are about 40 inches (100 cm) long, 14 pounds (6 kg), with a wingspan up to 7.5 feet (2.3 m). Females are larger than males, and female Alaskan bald eagles can have a wingspan up to 8 feet (2.4 m)!

Although the bald eagle's diet is diverse, the majority of its food throughout the continent comprises fish. Of course the particular species of fish varies throughout the range, but some examples include trout and salmon in the Pacific Northwest, and catfish even in the arid regions of Mexico. Following fish, the most important prey for bald eagles is other birds, including geese, ducks, herons, and egrets.

Answer: True

The crimson chat is an Australian bird with the species name Ephthianura tricolor. They are small, about four inches (10 cm) long and weighing only about ten grams. They can be found in diverse habitats across Australia, such as deserts, woodlands, and grasslands. It may move from more arid regions when water is particularly scarce. They mainly feed on spiders and insects, as well as seeds.

As well as the crimson-breasted nun, the crimson chat is also known as the tricolor chat and the saltbush canary.

Answer: Verreaux's eagle-owl

Verreaux's eagle-owl is a large species found throughout sub-Saharan Africa in semi-desert and savanna regions. It ranks in size after Blakiston's fish owl and Eurasian eagle-owl only, measuring up to 26 inches (66 cm) with an average wingspan of 55 inches (140 cm). Females are larger than males. Verreaux's eagle-owl has no natural predators and as such is at the top of its food chain, enjoying a diverse diet including monkeys, hares, bats, fish and various invertebrates, such as scorpions and spiders. It is a nocturnal bird that sleeps lightly, so it can react quickly to impending danger.

Jules Verreaux was a French ornithologist and botanist who lived from 1807 to 1873. He did field work across the world, and has various other species of bird named for him as well as Verreaux's eagle-owl, including Verreaux's eagle (Aquila verreauxii) and the golden parrotbill (Suthora verreauxi).