Name That Bird In Three Clues! Quiz

Answer: Eagle

The eagle is a bird found in the Accipitriformes Order in the family Acciptridae. Among its many talents include its extremely keen eyesight due to large pupils which allow minimal scattering of incoming light. This enables eagles to see prey across large distances and has lead to the common expression "eagle-eyed". The eagle is also remembered for its hooked beak (from which the term aquiline is derived) and powerful talons which help with its predatory ways.

Besides being on more world flags than any other bird, the eagle is well represented on many nations coat of arms and historically has been the national symbol of the Roman Empire, Napoleon's French Empire and the Persian Empire. The eagle has also been a sacred bird among cultures in North America and the feathers of the bald and golden eagles (the only two native to this continent) were considered revered objects.

Ben Franklin was never much of a fan of the bald eagle as the National bird of the United States. Besides the above quote he called the bald eagle a "rank Coward" easily scared away by the smaller kingbird and "too lazy to fish for himself" relying on stealing from the osprey. He much preferred the turkey which he said was "a little vain and silly but a bird of courage".

FUN FACT: Eagles build their nests in tall trees or high cliffs in eyries (sometimes referred to as aeries.)

Answer: Hummingbird

The hummingbird flaps its wings up to 80 times per second which creates the hum by which it is named and gives them the ability to hover mid-air. It belongs to the family Trochilidae and are found in the wild in the Americas. One important physical characteristic of the hummingbird is its long, thin bills. It combined with its long, retractable tongue enable it plunge for nectar deep within the tubular throat of flowers. In addition hummingbirds prey on insects and spiders to meet their protein and vitamin requirements.

The speed of the wing flapping helps sustain the hummingbird's high metabolism. The heart rate may reach over 1000 beats per minute and in order to maintain the energy requirement it must typically consume more than its weight in nectar every day. It takes a number of small meals before resting. On average, about 20% of its day is feeding while 80% is spent perching.

While the Calliope is the smallest bird in Canada and the United States, the Bee Hummingbird is the world's smallest bird. It weighs about 1.8 grams and grows to be about 5 centimeters long, approximating the size of a large bee. It's known to take small amounts of bark and lichen to build small nests to lay eggs that are smaller than a coffee bean. Many have compared it to a tiny jewel due to its bluish green iridescent colors found on its feathers.

FUN FACT: The hummingbird is the only species of bird known to fly backwards.

Answer: Gull

Closely related to the tern, the gull, or seagull, is traditionally placed in the Laridae family. The seagull ranges in size from medium (120 grams) to large (1.75 kilograms) and can be up to 30 inches long. Often white or grey in color, these birds as its name suggests are typically coastal species though they have been known to be found inland particularly near lakes. They have a harsh, squawking call for which they are notorious and webbed feet for wading.

Usually a ground nester, the seagull is a carnivore that has no problem with its opportunistic scavenging tendencies. While they prefer crabs and small fish they have made quite a splash in coastal communities as sometimes aggressive scavengers. They nest in large, tightly knit colonies and will lay two to three eggs at a time.

Sometimes referred to as the "Miracle of the Gulls", seagulls were responsible for eating thousands of grasshoppers set out to destroy the crops planted by the Mormons. Shortly after settling in the Salt Lake City region, the Mormons were still on the cusp of self-sufficiency when grasshoppers, often referred to as "Mormon crickets", invaded in hordes to devour their fields. Seagulls who were endemic to the Great Salt Lake swallowed mass quantities of these pests and saved their crops. This allowed the small Mormon sect to flourish over the next 100 years.

Finally, Richard Bach wrote the New York Times best seller "Jonathan Livingston Seagull". It held the top of the Times list for a staggering 38 weeks and in 1972 and 1973 Publishers Weekly named it the bestselling novel in the United States. The story of an outcast seagull who cherishes learning is often thought of as a self-help book brought about by the New Thought movement. The novel was turned into a 1973 film which though nominated for two Academy Awards was critically drubbed and was even disowned by Bach himself.

FUN FACT: Not surprisingly, the California gull is the state bird of Utah.

Answer: Finch

Though considered a passerine bird, the finch belongs to the Fringillidae family which comes from the Latin word "fringilla" which refers to the chaffinch, a finch common in Europe. The finch is a seed-eating breed which is endemic to the northern hemisphere and Africa. While subfamilies of finch include some diverse members, the true or classic finch are usually small birds with stubby beaks.

The bullfinch are examples of thick-billed finches which come in various varieties such as the brown bullfinch and the red-headed bull finch. As true bullfinches they all belong to the genus Pyrrhula. The American goldfinch is also known as the wild canary for the yellow and black plumage possessed by the bird during the summer months. It is the only bird in its subfamily that molts completely with the seasons. The purple finch is a finch in the family of rosefinch. Despite its name it is actually a brown bird with the adult males donning raspberry red plumage on their head.

Darwin's finches played a pivotal role in Charles Darwin's development of natural selection. Not an ornithologist, Darwin collected various birds from different islands in the Galapagos and brought them back to England. With help from John Gould, one of the world's foremost ornithologists, it was there that these various birds that Darwin had labeled as mockingbirds and gross-beaks were actually branded an entirely new group, unknown to previous species.

Peter Finch was an English-born Australian actor who played Howard Beale in the 1976 film "Network". By the time his line "I'm mad as hell and I'm not gonna take this anymore!" became a pop culture catchphase, he suffered a fatal attack at the age of 60. Two months later he was named Best Actor for his stunning performance.

FUN FACT: All true finches have twelve tail feathers.

Answer: Penguin

The penguin is found in the family Spheniscidae. Found almost exclusively in the southern hemisphere, the penguin is a flightless bird whose wings make for efficient flippers in water. Their classic black and white shading is helpful for camoflauge in the sea. While the penguin waddles while walking, in the water they are agile swimmers, very well adapted for aquatic living. Their feathers are thick and tightly bound to insulate them from the cold which is particularly needed for their frigid water excursions. This helps to streamline their bodies and reduce drag.

There are approximately twenty different species of penguin. The two largest species are the king and emperor varieties. The emperor type can weigh over 80 pounds and stand nearly four feet tall, making it the tallest and heaviest of all penguins. This breed is probably best known for its trek to the middle of Antartica during the coldest months of the year to breed as seen in the film "March Of The Penguins". Despite -40F temperatures, the emperor penguin is able to maintain its 102F body temperature through insulation of feathers and blubber and by thermoregulation of its metabolism whereby it shuts down certain organ systems to preserve its core temperature.

While the emperor penguin tends to be found on Antartica, the king penguin habitates several subantarctic islands, Tierra del Fuego and the Falkland Islands. Unlike many penguins that live on krill and small crustaceans the king variety prefers small fish and squid as the mainstay of their diet.

"Chilly Willy" is a cartoon penguin created by Walter Lantz in 1953. The adventures of Chilly Willy lasted close to 20 years in over 50 cartoons. In most episodes, he tried to find food all the while evading his enemy Smedley, the dog.

FUN FACT: Most penguins possess a supraorbital gland which filters salt water into capillaries above their eyes and expels the salt as brine down through their nose. This allows the penguins to live without freshwater.

Answer: Kiwi

The kiwi belongs to the genus Apteryx and are the smallest living members of ratites. Ratites are flightless birds who lack a keel on their sternum which is needed to anchor wing muscles for flight. The kiwi is the national symbol of New Zealand where it is endemic. There are five generally accepted species of kiwi: Great Spotted Kiwi, Little Spotted Kiwi, Rowi, Tokoeka and the North Brown Island Kiwi.

The only mammals on New Zealand one thousand years ago were bats which allowed the defenseless kiwi to flourish. It wasnt's until the introduction of other mammals to the continent that the kiwi has become endangered. Kiwis withdraw from humans and live a mostly nocturnal life.

The unusual feature of nostrils on the tip of its beak give the kiwi an unusually strong sense of smell for a bird. This helps when it forages in the ground for small invertebrates and worms which it doesn't need to see or feel to find.

FUN FACT: The kiwi lays the largest egg in relation to its body size, almost a quarter of the weight of the mother.

Answer: Pelican

The pelican, known for its enormous pouch under its bill, belongs to the Pelecanidae family. There are eight species of pelican including the brown pelican (the state bird of Louisiana) and the Dalmatian pelican which is believed to be the largest pelican. The pelican is equipped with webbed feet suited for its aquatic lifestyle and long wings with over two dozen secondary flight feathers. Through the use of preen glands, pelicans can coat their wings with an oily secretion that make them waterproof.

While pelicans preferentially eat fish, it can eat crustaceans and even small birds. It tends to scoop up fish with its pouched bill and then must wait for the water to drain before swallowing. During this time, other birds have been known to swoop in and take the fish. While some species feed in colonies, the brown pelican is famous for its plunge-dive to get its prey.

Juan Manuel de Ayala is credited for naming Alcatraz "The Island Of Pelicans" when he became the first European to explore San Francisco Bay in 1775. "The Pelican Brief" was a best selling novel by John Grisham and became a movie in 1993 starring Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington.

FUN FACT: The Australian pelican possesses the longest bill of any bird, nearly 20 inches long.

Answer: Goose

The goose belongs to the Anatidae family which includes similar breeds like the swan and the duck and sometimes goose is used synonymously with this family. However, true geese belong to the subfamily Anserinus which led to the "silly goose" moniker as mentioned in the question. Geese are divided into three living genera including Anser (grey goose) , Chen (white goose) and Branta (grey goose).

Swans are notable for S-shaped necks and different species can often be told apart by their varied colored feather patterns. Ten species that make up the grey goose breed include the domesticated goose and the swan goose. One of the most famous Branta species is the Canada goose which in recent years have expanded their population causing some to label them as pests.

The Toulouse goose is a domesticated breed whose origins are in France. It is a large bird which has made it particularly suitable as a Christmas goose and its placid nature makes it easy to keep for breeding. Foie gras is often made from the liver of this species.

FUN FACT: A gaggle is a group of geese on the ground. When geese are flying in formation, they are no a longer a gaggle but are referred to as a skein or wedge.

Answer: Owl

Owls belong to the order Strigiformes which can be subdivided into two families, the barn owls (Tytonidae) and the typical owls (Strigidae). Owls are predatory birds that are usually nocturnal and solitary. They are characterized by a flat face with feathers spread out around each eye which is called a facial disc. Their eyesight is particularly strong in the dark for long distances yet they have difficulty making out things right in front of their face. Their large eyes are fixed which means that they must turn their neck to change their visual field.

Their prey includes small mammals, insects, other birds and, sometimes, fish. Owls tend to surprise prey by swooping from the air and grabbing them with their strong talons. Serrated edges on their leading wing muffle the sound of flight which makes their descent nearly silent. With their eagle-like beak and talons, the prey is killed and usually swallowed whole. Undigestible parts are later regurgitated into an owl pellet.

Owls are part of folklore in many different cultures. In ancient Greece, the owl represented wisdom and was associated with the goddess Athena, hence the genus name Athene. Edward Lear mentions the owl in the title of his 1871 poem "The Owl and the Pussycat".

FUN FACT: The color of an owl's eyes is usually an indicator of the time of day it hunts. Dark eyes are associated with nocturnal feeding while owls with yellow eyes tend to hunt diurnally.

Answer: Mockingbird

The mockingbird belongs to the family Mimidae, a group known for their ability to mimic insect and other bird songs. The northern mockingbird is the only bird found in large numbers in North America. It's this species that came to be named the state bird of Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas. As a small bird, its diet is composed of mainly insects, seeds and berries. A twig nest in a tree or shrub make up its home which it defends aggressively from predators. With their particular screech, mockingbirds call other birds to help fight off those that threaten their home. This aggression sometimes is directed toward people as the mockingbird is quite willing to nest in areas inhabited by humans. In some communities their territoriality and loud, incessant singing have been reported as an annoyance.

As a passerine (perching) bird, the mockingbird prefers high places, often choosing the topmost branch of a tree. In cities, they will sit on telephone poles and streetlights and, while singing, will fly straight up and around in a loop and land back on its perch all in one fluid motion. This is a way for it to mark its territory.

It is believed the mockingbird's mimicry is a mating call, particularly males to females. Their accomplished ability to mimic is usually limited to short units of song. Only those species of birds with short, repetitive songs can be effectively reproduced by the mockingbird. Their loud singing is often constant with the mockingbird singing during the day or night and, most vocally, at dusk and dawn. Their singing turns to a harsh noise when confronted by a predator and this call may be slightly different depending on the predator.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning novel "To Kill A Mockingbird" mentions killing a mockingbird as a sin. In the 1960 book, Atticus says to his son Jem, "Kill all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."

FUN FACT: President Thomas Jefferson kept a mockingbird named Dick as a pet.

I hoped you had fun with this quiz and maybe learned a thing or two. I know I did putting it together. Thanks so much for playing.