Quoth the Raven Trivia Quiz

Answer: raven

Ravens appear in human culture as far back as the flood stories of the Bible and the Epic of Gilgamesh. It is no coincidence that the two ravens that accompany the Norse god Odin are called Hugin (Thought) and Munin (Mind), since corvines - ravens, crows, and magpies - are considered the most intelligent of birds, with brains that are among the largest of all avian species. Known as tricksters and thieves in Native American and other mythologies around the world, ravens have been observed by scientists to engage in problem solving and complex play with each other and with other species. Young ravens have a fascination with shiny objects like foil, jewelry, coins, and even golf balls, and will create collections of them.

In North America it is illegal in the 21st century to keep a raven as a pet, except under special circumstances; however, they were often kept as pets in past times, hence their appearance in mythology and literature such as Edgar Allan Poe's famous poem in which the raven repeats the sinister word "Nevermore!" that fills the speaker with dread.

The photograph accompanying this question was taken in Iceland.

Answer: Africa

More often called the "African grey parrot", this large, highly intelligent bird requires a great deal of stimulation in captivity, but its ability to mimic human speech makes it a popular pet. Because around a fifth of the population of the African grey parrot is captured each year for the pet industry, it has been classified as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of threatened species.

The loss of large nesting trees and other parts of its habitat also threatens this species. In the wild, African grey parrots fly long distances throughout the moist, lowland forests and other regions from Côte d'Ivoire to Kenya, Tanzania, Angola, and the islands of Príncipe and São Tomé.

The parrot in the image was in a zoo in the United States.

Answer: common hill myna

The scientific name of the common hill myna (or "mynah") is Gracula religiosa, and they are passerine birds of the Sturnidae family which includes the common starling. Numerous birds commonly are called mynas or mynahs in India and other parts of south Asia.

The name "myna" is a Hindi word meaning "delightful, joyful" derived from an older word that literally means "it bubbles"; the word suits the playful bird well. Like ravens and crows, they are attracted to shiny things and like to play and interact with humans.

The common hill myna has an unrivaled ability to imitate, equaled only by the African grey parrot. The myna in the photograph was found in Bhutan.

Answer: crest

Cockatiels, which are native to Australia, are among the most popular pet birds in many parts of the world. They are known for creating medleys of whistled tunes picked up from music heard in their environment, adding their own elaborations, and they often can be seen singing to themselves in a mirror or other reflective surface.

The crest on the top of a cockatiel's head gives it an expressive visual way of showing its mood. The crest is held vertically when the bird is excited, obliquely when relaxed, flattened when provoked or threatened, and flattened but sticking out in the back when flirting. Chicks and young birds all look like females of their species until they reach adulthood, when they become sexually dimorphic; that is, males and females begin to look different.

But cockatiel male and female individuals still can be hard to tell apart. All have "powder down" - a soft sort of feather that sheds like fine dust - and some species have "cheddar cheeks" - orange markings on the face that have a brighter hue in males than in females. Cheddar cheeks are not used to show emotions, however; those visual messages are shown by both males and females through the crest.

The image is originally from a Swedish encyclopedia published between 1876 and 1957, the "Nordisk familjebok" ("Nordic Family Book"), and our picture seems to be from an entry on Australian fauna.

Answer: avocado, eggplant, chocolate, alcohol, or caffeine

According to the web site "birdchannel.com" all of the fresh foods listed provide nutrients needed by Amazon parrots, with the exception of avocado, chocolate, alcohol, and caffeine. Other sources add eggplant as a food these birds should not eat. Because Amazon parrots "never say no to your food" you should be careful not to overfeed them, especially with nuts, which should be given only as treats.

While Amazon parrots sometimes mimic human speech, their vocabularies are not as dramatically large or nuanced as those of African grey parrots, and they produce a sound that comes across as a bit squawky - like a parrot. Amazon parrots comprise at least 27 species, and the individual in the picture looks like a red-lored Amazon.

Answer: scarlet macaw

At about 81 centimeters (32 inches) long, the scarlet macaw is said to be the largest of many species of Central and South American Psittaciformes (the order to which parrots belong). It can have a wingspan of almost four feet and can fly 35 miles an hour. The range of the scarlet macaw covers a large territory, but because their rain forest habitats have been influenced by humans, small groups of scarlet macaws are isolated and their range is fragmented. Although sufficient numbers exist, they are threatened because of their beauty and intelligence which lead to the desire of humans to own them as pets. Baby birds often are stolen from their nests and smuggled into the United States for profit, so efforts are being made to protect them. In the wild, scarlet macaws mate for life and they can live 50-75 years, often longer than the humans who own them in captivity. In 2013, it was announced by Texas A&M University that the scarlet macaw genome had been successfully mapped, adding to knowledge about these birds.

The green, lightly barred emerald parakeet (aka the austral parakeet or austral conure) has patches of red, and it lives in South America near the southernmost tip; however, it is only 35 cm (13-14 inches) in length. The scarlet ibis and the scarlet macaw have a similar range, but the scarlet ibis is in a different family of birds from the parrots. The colorfully named azure-rumped parrot (more commonly called the blue-backed parrot) is endemic to the Philippines and Indonesia.

Answer: Quaker parrot or monk parakeet

Listed second only after the African grey, the Quaker parrot appears as one of the "Top 3 Best Talking Parrots" on the website birdchannel.com. Many of these small parrots seem able to mimic anything that catches their interest, but they tend to be a bit stingy with their speech and pet owners are convinced that they speak in appropriate context rather than simply mimicking sounds at random. Usually, they are green with grey markings, but blue varieties also exist.

They live 25 to 30 years in captivity and may live longer in the wild. Because Quaker parrots have escaped and formed feral colonies, it is illegal to keep them as pets in several states of the United States, the reasoning being that some individual birds are good at escaping, and they are adaptable and breed well so might become an invasive species.

Answer: budgerigar

English ornithologist and artist John Gould gave the budgerigar its scientific name on his journey to Australia in 1838-40, around the time he produced the illustration included with this question, and it seems quite apt. Budgerigars' common name in Australia may come from the slang word "budgery" - meaning "good" - and "gar" - a word used to describe the cockatoo.

In the United States, most bird lovers call them parakeets. They are affectionately known as budgies in many parts of the world. The budgerigar has been known as common pet parakeet, shell parakeet, shell parrot, warbling grass parrot, canary parrot, zebra parrot, flight bird, and even lovebird (which is more typically applied to a different species). Budgies have been bred in captivity since the 1850s, have a variety of color mutations, and can learn to speak, whistle, and enjoy the company of humans.

Answer: white cockatoo

The Utrecht painting has been given the title "Still Life: Game, Vegetables, Fruit, Cockatoo" and seen in its entirety may incite questions for modern observers. Why, for example, have humans for so long killed some animals for food and spared others? The only other living creature in the complete painting is a live hen on the far right, seemingly content in the midst of the dead carcasses of hares and less fortunate birds. We, at least in the west, can imagine the hen becoming food, but not the cockatoo, who is posed as a fellow consumer.

The white cockatoo is one of 21 related species in the family Cacatuidae, distantly related to parrots. Cockatoo species come in many colors in addition to white, but they tend to be more pastel than bright. Cockatoos are cute, and while they are not the superstars of the talking bird world, they are very intelligent and skilled at problem solving, even learning how to unlock a complicated series of locks to get at a distant bit of food.

They seem to crave such stimulation and need a lot of attention from their human companions when in captivity.

Answer: varieties with different song patterns

Originating in the Azores, Madiera, and Canary Islands, canaries have been bred as pet birds since the 1600s, and are bred for specific colors, types (shape, size, feather patterns, etc.), and song patterns. The wild finches found on the Canary Islands (named for wild dogs, not the birds) were greenish brown, but have been bred for the bright yellow we recognize, as well as other colors like orange. Canaries are also bred for specific bodily structure and feather texture.

However, song quality and variety are perhaps the most important traits in the world of canary breeders.

The four varieties recognized in the United States in the early 21st century are: the German roller (Hartz Mountain roller), Belgian waterslager (also known as the Malinois), Spanish timbrado, and (the variety that might have been a giveaway if included in my question) American singer.

Some sources include the Russian singer and Persian singer. The American singer has been bred not only for its song but also its color.

While some male canaries mimic sounds in their environment, they are not talking birds.