Huffin' and Puffin on Wings of Birds Quiz

Answer: pelican

When feeding from the water, a pelican scoops up its prey (and anything else around it) into its throat pouch, draining the water before swallowing the meal. A pelican will generally toss a fish head first into its gullet so it slides down more easily. Smaller birds have been known to distract a feeding pelican and snatch the catch from its beak.

(Question by Lones78)

Answer: puffin

The puffin is a type of auk that is found in large colonies on cliffsides along the seashore. It is a seabird, with fish being the main part of its diet. The birds have a bright orange beak with the colors enhanced during the mating season. Unlike other seabirds, the puffin is able to hold several fish in its beak, sometimes over ten, allowing it to feed better by carrying food over distances. This ability is attributed to a unique hinging mechanism of the beak which allows the upper and lower tips to meet at a number of angles.

(Question by zorba_scank)

Answer: kookaburra

The common kingfisher, found in North and South America, often lives near the water and eats mostly fish, as its name indicates. Its Australian cousin, the kookaburra, has a shovel-like bill that allows it to forage the ground for insects, small rodents, reptiles and the eggs of other birds.

Strangely enough, it is only the laughing kookaburra that has the distinctive call that most think of when they hear its name. None of the other varieties of kookaburra make that sound.

The other birds mentioned are not related to the kingfisher and/or are not Australian.

(Question by shuehorn and Lones78)

Answer: capuchinbird

The capuchinbird is a strange-looking and -sounding species native to Venezuela, Colombia and the Amazon region. Its head is almost completely bald, but it does not look like an eagle. Its rusty plumage is so thick that it looks like no other bird alive! Its call is the most distinctive thing about it however, and it really does sound like a cow mooing to the rhythm of a chain saw. Its name comes from the fact that the plumage popping out around the bird's unprotected head gives it the look of a hunchbacked monk.

The cowbird gets its name from the fact that it eats insects from the backs of cattle, not from its call. Neither the kiwi nor the cockatoo sounds like cows either.

(Question by shuehorn)

Answer: hyacinth macaw

The hyacinth macaw's bright blue feathers are both a blessing and a curse. It is an endangered species, both because many in the US, Argentina and Brazil want the animals as pets, and also because some indigenous tribes use the breathtaking feathers as part of their ceremonial headdresses. The birds are found in Paraguay and Brazil and they are a protected species.

(Question by shuehorn)

Answer: albatross

Albatrosses are among the largest of the flying birds, and they use their great strength and power to conserve energy by gliding through the air instead of flapping their wings to fly. Using wind drafts and soaring techniques, albatrosses can cover around a thousand kilometers (over 621 miles) a day. The most energy-sapping parts of flight for an albatross are take-off, landing and hunting.

(Question by Lones78)

Answer: grey heron

Herons are found the world over, with the blue heron being more common in North and South America, and other varieties being spread throughout the temperate regions of the world.

The grey heron is native to Europe. It is easy to spot with its long legs that are well-suited for wading. It is a predator, and it helps keep fish numbers to sustainable levels in the rivers, estuaries and other bodies of water where it lives. The grey heron has spread through the moderate areas of Europe into Asia and also migrates as far south as Africa in the cooler months.

The other birds listed are native to Asia.

(Question by shuehorn)

Answer: kori bustard

Most flightless birds are large, with small wings that would not be able to lift their weight and sustain it in flight.

The kori bustard is a large bird that is native to Africa and is the largest bird on earth that can fly. It is a ground-dweller, commonly found in Botswana, Namibia, Angola and Zambia. The male is significantly heavier than the female, with verified weights of almost 50 lbs. Kori bustards nest on the ground and prefer sparsely wooded areas to help camouflage their homes. They spend most of their sleeping and waking hours on the ground, flying only 30% of the time. They take a running start to get off the ground and fly with slow, rhythmic beats of their wings. On landing, they keep their wings spread until they are walking normally, for balance.

The other three birds listed are large flightless birds.

(Question by shuehorn)

Answer: lovebird

Of the birds listed, only the lovebird, a small parrot, is native to Africa and prefers tropical climates. It got its name because it mates for life.

The yellow-billed loon, rock ptarmigan and stellar's eider are all Arctic dwellers well-adapted to the harsh conditions of northern climates. Some Arctic birds, like the ptarmigan, change color to white plumage in the winter to help them hide from predators. Others, like the yellow-billed loon, prefer to migrate slightly south to Alaska to spend the harsh winter months.

(Question by shuehorn)

Answer: common swift

The common swift is an amazing bird, and its nondescript name does not do it justice. These birds really do live on the wind. They have been known to fly for up to ten months at a time. Except when nesting (and swifts often mate with the same partner for long periods), they spend most of their lives in the air. They eat (insects), drink, sleep and even mate while flying and can cover millions of miles in their lifetimes.

Though hummingbirds spend much of their time flying, they need to take a break every 20 hours or so. A hummingbird's legs are weak, and it cannot walk very well, but it does rest more than the common swift.

(Question by shuehorn)