Two Stones With One Bird Trivia Quiz

Answer: Rainforest

The southern cassowary is truly a bird suited for the tropical rainforest areas of Australia and New Guinea. One source explains how the cassowary in turn is so very beneficial to the rainforest as well, calling it "the gardeners of the rainforest" (http://www.rainforestanimals.net/rainforestanimal/southerncassowary.html). Even with this complimentary moniker the cassowary can be very fractious if approached in the wild; caution and common sense should rule when invading their space.

This is a bird species in which the male and female are very similar in appearance; each can weigh as much as 130 pounds and stand almost six feet tall.

Answer: Emperor penguin

Adult emperor penguins weigh between 50 and 100 pounds and reach a height of 48 inches. The females and the males of this bird species are similar in size and body composition, with a body that is described as adaptable to the extreme harsh weather. The emperor penguin is native to Antarctica.

Answer: Toes

Rheas have only three toes on each foot. Most birds have four toes. Another exception to this four toe characteristic includes the rheas' relatives the ostriches; those birds have only two toes on each foot. The male greater rhea can weigh more than 85 pounds; the lesser rheas (usually) weigh about twenty pounds less.

Historically the rhea has been an important resource in its native areas but due to over-hunting and habitat loss, its numbers are diminishing.

Answer: True

Talk about leftovers at Thanksgiving! Yes, a domestic turkey that was described as "a very obese bird" was recorded as weighing 81 pounds. Considering that weight, the wild turkey is seemingly smaller, yet it is the heaviest bird of the North American gamebirds.

Answer: It is the heaviest flying bird/animal

Given the adult male's weight of between 30 and 40 pounds, it is the heaviest bird (thus, animal) that is able to fly. Most of the bigger birds like ostriches and penguins are flightless. The great bustard is able to run very efficiently too, because it has strong legs and broad feet.

It also has a long neck reaching from its stocky body. The great bustard has been over-hunted (mainly for food), has lost its habitat and faces the dire challenges that go with land development. Conservation groups fear its extinction unless changes can be made to ensure its survival.

Answer: Pink

Softly off-setting the (adult) plumage that is a mix of white and black, its long and large pink colored bill is a striking and identifiable feature of the albatross. The wandering albatross has the longest wingspan of any bird. This wide wingspan allows the bird to "glide" or soar without flapping its wings for long periods of time - even hours.

Although a few of those birds have been recorded as weighing as much as 35 pounds, most (adult males) weigh between 25 and 30 pounds.

Answer: Fifty years

Andean condors mature slowly, taking about eight years to reach breeding age/adulthood. These condors mate for life and do most likely live to be about fifty years old. One condor lived to be 79 years old in captivity. There have been stories of other birds - parrots, for example - living to be older but it is generally accepted that those stories of lengthy ages have not been authenticated.

In the wild, the Andean condor is facing several challenges that threaten its survival. An adult male Andean condor normally weighs between 28 and 33 pounds; the females weigh eight to ten pounds less.

Answer: American white pelican

Young American white pelicans have a light gray plumage but as the bird ages it changes to its adult color of snow white. It does have a small amount of black feathers on the tips of the wings; these black areas are visible as the bird flies. Its ultra-wide wingspan does give it the ability to be an extremely efficient glider. Unlike many pelicans, the American white pelican does NOT dive for fish; instead it will skim the water with it huge bill and catch fish in a scooping motion. Sources vary on the weight of these birds but most agree that adults can weigh close to thirty pounds yet the average given weight of the adults seems to be about five pounds less.

Answer: Finland

The whooper swan is the national bird of Finland and with this honor, it has been featured on the Finnish 1 euro coin. As a species it is very closely related to the North American trumpeter swan. It is a big, solid white bird. Although the birds pair (mate) for life they tend to live as a part of large flocks.

The average weight for male whooper swans is about 20 to 25 pounds but can be as much as 30 pounds; females typically weigh about five pounds less. Given their individual body size and the size of their flocks whooper swans must find large bodies of water to inhabit - even temporarily.

Answer: Golden eagle

The golden eagle and the bald eagle are the only two species of eagles native to North America. The golden eagle is not as agile in flight as the smaller peregrine falcon but it is an amazing flyer - reaching swooping speeds of close to 200 miles per hour.

As with many of the raptor birds it is the female who tends to be bigger than the male. In the wild, female golden eagles weigh up to 15 pounds, the males are about ten percent smaller. Eagles in captivity - many are still used in falconry - tend to weigh more than their relatives in the wild; one female golden eagle weighed more than 25 pounds but this bird was described as "extremely overweight".