To Mock A Killing Bird Trivia Quiz

Answer: Bald eagle

It's the regal eagle with his stern glare and hooked beak and talons, symbol of the U.S.A. The American bald eagle isn't closely related to the Golden eagle; its wings are a bit straighter and it has a distinct white underwing pattern. The "Bald" look doesn't appear until maturity, about the fourth year, when the head feathers turn all white down to the top of the chest.

Its wingspan is about 80 inches, and it weighs around ten pounds. It feeds primarily on fish and waterfowl. Wild turkeys may have been Franklin's choice, but I see flocks of them off and on, scattering mindlessly about in search of the one brain cell they share. Can you picture the turkey giving anyone pause in attacking us? And what would we eat for Thanksgiving?

Answer: Peregrine falcon

The peregrine falcon is among the most feared of predators by mice and other small animals on the ground. Somehow they sense him way up in the skies and hope not to be the target. Though smaller than the gyrfalcon, the peregrine has the sharpest eyesight at long distances than any other raptor and rarely misses his prey. With a wingspan of about 40 inches and weight around 1.5 pounds, he is considered the spirit of both speed and power. His range is all of northern America, and there are several subspecies, coastal, prairie and tundra dwellers.
This is not your average Hobbit.

Answer: It's Superman!

The Northern harrier is a slender and agile raptor with long wings and legs. It winters in the southern U.S., parts of Central America and Mexico. The harrier feeds on birds, rodents and insects. It generally breeds in northern America. The wingspan is about 43 inches and weight around 15 pounds. Adult females are mottled browns, whites and blacks, while the males tend to be light grey with white undercoating and black wingtips and back edges.
A Harrier is also a hunting dog, similar to a foxhound.
A Harrier is also a military aircraft whose first prototype was made in the U.K. by the Rolls-Royce Company and then by McDonald-Douglas, in the U.S. - the first operational V/STOL (Vertical Small Take Off and Landing) fixed wing plane that can achieve speeds up to 730 mph, has a wingspan of appx. 25 feet and requires only one person to operate it. It was designed in the 1950s and 1960s from the Kestrel aircraft. The kestrel is another small raptor.
A harrier is anyone or thing that goes after its prey with absolute determination, and fights, harasses, or wears down its target.

Answer: Albatross

"Albatross!" John really was funny! What you did to "The Ancient Mariner" not so much. Okay, I realize he shot you, but the poor man was just a tad bit unhinged. Everything went wrong after that and they hung you around his neck so he would never forget. Aye, it was a long and perilous journey, and now he has to tell every third person the whole story.

The head, the tail, the whole darned thing! Albatrosses feed on small animals and carrion and spend most of their lives in the air gliding on the thermals over oceans.

They are larger than most other seabirds and have a great wingspan, about 78 to 87 inches, depending on species. Their weight is around 6 to 8 pounds. They come to land for nesting. Often called the "Goony Bird" because of its ungraceful landing and takeoff, the albatross is magnificent on the wing.

Answer: True

Harbinger of death, more like! He's the early bird who catches the worm and the occasional insect. Robin Hood, Robin Williams, Robin Cook, Robin Goodfellow, Christopher Robin - all predators! But the Robin's song is nice to hear, somewhat like tanagers and orioles. Robins roam all over North America; their wingspan is about 15 to 17 inches and weight less than 3 ounces in adulthood in almost all species. They are related to thrushes.

But don't let the deceptive pretty colors and lovely trilling fool you! Under all that plumage beats the heart of a cold-blooded killer. Diurnal and opportunistic, the Robin prefers to eat live creepy crawlers. No earthworm is safe for miles around! You do remember the cold case about "Cock Robin"? Well, the sparrow was the fall guy; he was supposed to confess to the crime of killing "Cock Robin" - but it was Mrs. Robin who bribed him with her 'nest egg' and then she flew the coop with a Mr. Kite, and is now in a traveling circus show as a funambulist! They call her the 'Bird On A Wire'. She replaced the unfortunate 'Goldie Hawk' who had put on a few ounces and, "egretably," plunged to her death after screeching down the tightrope at light speed!

Every word's the truth - I got it all from a stool pigeon who 'sang' under pressure.

Answer: Merlin

The merlin - 'Falco columbarius', no relation to Edie - is a small and very fast raptor. It snatches smaller birds and insects in flight and is related to falcons who live in tundras, prairies, deserts and grasslands. More distantly related is the northern caracara, with a brightly colored face, which is more of a carrion eater, but won't turn down live prey. The Aplomado falcon, prairie falcon, and American kestrel are some of its closer relatives, as well as the larger gyrfalcon and peregrine.
The merlin usually weighs less than seven pounds, and is compact, powerful and aggressive. The wingspan is about 24 inches. Most falcons range in color from greys to browns to bluish with various white markings on head, chest, tail or underwing.
The merlin carries a wand made of birch and can disappear at will...if you believe this, I have some as yet 'unsubmerged' land in the Everglades that has NO predators...except the occasional alligator, python, water moccasin. Won't last! For details go to www.swamplands.com/FL

Answer: Godwit

There are only four kinds of godwits in the Americas, all large with long upturned bills. Their wingspans are all about 30 inches and weight around 13 ounces. All four species have some orange color on them during breeding season. They have long legs and splayed feet for walking on sand and through water.

The bar-tailed godwit is strictly a coastal dweller; the black-tailed prefers marshes and freshwater; the Hudsonian and the marbled godwits prefer grassy marshes for their nests and visit beaches, mudflats and shallow pools foraging for tidbits; you can usually surmise their territory by the masses of snail shells they have discarded.

There are other godwit types in Europe who occasionally visit the U.S. Atlantic coast...on holiday, of course. Females tend to be larger than males and require more baggage.

They are a tad bit fussy if customs wants a peek into their carryons; in fact there's talk of a class action suit for ray-shell profiling. Yes, the stingrays also feel they're being singled out!

Answer: Kite

They're all birds, but the kite is the only one you can fly. The hook-billed kites feed on tree snails in dense forests, but all kites are opportunistic raptors and will kill anything that may be edible. They are very adept hunters and often catch insects in midair.

The species that feed on larger prey often overeat and store the excess in their crop, which then looks like a huge Adam's apple. There are about seven species, mostly coastal and southern U.S. dwellers; the wingspan ranges from 31 to 51 inches and weight from 10 to 15 ounces. Kites come in a variety of colors, mostly mottled, but the white-tailed and swallow-tailed kites tend to be bluish black with large areas of white on the underwings and body.

The latter plucks lizards and insects from treetops.

This is a magnificent looking bird. There was a song about a 'Mr. Kite' by the Beatles - could it be one of them was consumed by a kite?

Answer: True

The bird is the cormorant, and he's an excellent fisher - it's his own primary food. The rope around his neck is adjusted so that he can only swallow very small fish; the larger ones are taken out of his mouth and used by the fishermen for food. The two work well together, as the cormorants do not have a union and have not been heard to protest. Of course the bird gets a nice fish dinner, too, when the day's work is done. How did we wander over here? In the Americas, cormorants and the closely related anhingas, have wingspans of 28 to 63 inches, and weights of 2 1/2 to 7+ pounds.

The largest of these is the great cormorant and the smallest is the neotropic cormorant. They favor rocky coasts and are also found in most of the southern states.

Their wings are not waterproof, so they are often seen sitting on a log with wings spread to dry them in the sun. The dominant colors are mostly black, not so black and all black. There are many types.

Answer: California condor

Your mother was a hamster and...no, I just can't do it!
In the beginning of the 21st century, the California condor was one of the U.S.' largest and rarest birds. Technically a vulture, it is an opportunistic hunter and will kill small prey if necessary. As it has come close to extinction over the years, it has become accustomed to feeding on what it can find. Capture and Release programs have saved some of the birds, but the controversy rages on whether there is a better way. The adult condor has a wingspan of about 11 feet and weighs around 23 pounds. It is primarily black in maturity and by its fifth year has an orange head and black neck ruff. Its habitat is southern California and there is only one species. Despite its turkey vulture look, it is a magnificent bird and well worth preserving. The song was "El Condor Pasa" and the film "Three Days of The Condor" which you probably figured out.
I've covered only some of the raptors, and only the diurnal ones. WHO, you may ask, is the famous nocturnal raptor, O Wise One? Seriously, folks, all raptors, in fact all animals in the wild are at risk for lead poisoning if they eat prey containing a hunter's bullet or get contaminated by the many poisons put out there to kill rodents. Kill off the raptors and we'll be left with rodents. Remember the Black Plague? Absence of cats that kill rats that carry fleas...