Swans, Eagles and Roosters Trivia Quiz

Answer: India

The peacock ("mayura" in Sanskrit) is indigenous to the Indian subcontinent, where it has enjoyed privileged status for thousands of years. Its depictions abound in all art forms, and several Hindu deities (such as the god of war Kartikeya and the goddess Saraswati, the divine consort of Brahma) are associated with it.

The magnificent jeweled seat of the Mughal emperors of India, located in Delhi's Red Fort and unfortunately lost during British rule, was called the Peacock Throne because of the peacock statues that adorned it.

In 1963 the peacock was designated as India's national bird.

Answer: Denmark

One of the heaviest flying birds, the mute swan is thus called because it is not as noisy as other swan species. It has been the national bird of Denmark since 1984, when it replaced the skylark; another species of swan, the whooper swan, is the national bird of Finland.

The most iconic appearance of the swan in Danish culture occurs in Hans Christian Andersen's well-known fairy tale "The Ugly Duckling". The unified kingdom of Denmark can trace its origins to the 10th century, when it was founded by the Viking kings Gorm the Old and Harald Bluetooth; it is therefore the oldest extant monarchy in Europe.

The Danish flag, or Dannebrog, also holds the distinction of being the oldest continuously used national flag in the world.

Answer: Mexico

The beautiful golden eagle is one of the most common heraldic birds, adopted as a national animal by five countries (Albania, Austria, Germany, Kazakhstan and Mexico). On the Mexican coat of arms, which appears in the middle of the national flag, a golden eagle devouring a rattlesnake perches on top of a prickly pear cactus (nopal).

This image, adopted in 1968, relates to the legend of the founding of Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital on whose ruins Mexico City was built, as shown in ancient texts such as the Mexica codices.

Another bird of prey, the crested caracara (which probably was the bird in the original Aztec depictions), is also identified as Mexico's national bird.

Answer: France

The use of the rooster ("coq") as an unofficial symbol of France is based on a pun. The Latin word for rooster, "gallus", is a homonym of "Gallus" (Gaul), denoting a member of one of the Celtic populations living in what is now France. The association of the rooster with France dates from the Middle Ages, when the similarity of those two words was used to emphasize the strong Christian faith of the country - the rooster being a symbol of the triumph of light over darkness.

The popularity of the rooster as a national emblem was revived during the French Revolution, and its image can be found on 20th-century war memorials all over the country. Today the Gallic rooster is used as a national mascot, especially in sports; it is also the symbol of Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium.

Answer: Colombia

One of the largest flying birds in the world, the Andean condor needs no introduction. For thousands of years it has been an icon of the indigenous cultures of the Andes region of South America, where it was often associated with the sun. This huge bird, threatened by habitat loss, is the national bird of four South American countries (Bolivia, Chile, Colombia and Ecuador), representing their connection with the mountain range.

A condor with extended wings - symbolizing freedom - perches on top of Colombia's coat of arms, adopted in 1834; the bird has also appeared on Colombian banknotes in the 20th century.

Answer: Sudan

The long-legged secretary bird, which owes its common name to its distinctive crest of feathers reminiscent of the quills that secretaries used to wear behind their ears, is a bird of prey native of Africa. Much appreciated in Africa as a hunter of snakes and other pests, it appears on the Sudanese coat of arms as a local variant of the Eagle of Saladin, a symbol associated with Arab nationalism.

The emblem was adopted in 1985. The secretary bird also appears on the South African coat of arms. Sudan was the largest country in Africa until South Sudan formally split from it in 2011.

Answer: Kiribati

The frigatebird is a large, predominantly black seabird found in tropical and subtropical oceans. In the Republic of Kiribati, a group of islands in the Central Pacific which used to straddle the International Date Line, the frigatebird has a particular cultural significance, reflected by its prominence in the country's flag and coat of arms.

In Gilbertese, the local language, it is called "te eitei", and symbolizes power and freedom; its feathers are often used to make traditional dancing costumes, and the movements of the dance imitate those of the bird.

The current flag was adopted by Kiribati in 1979, shortly before the country gained its independence from Britain.

Answer: Guatemala

The aptly-named resplendent quetzal is a stunning, green-and-red bird found in the mountain forests of Central America. In Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, the quetzal was associated with the god Quetzalcoatl, the Feathered Serpent, and therefore considered divine.

The male's gorgeous, fan-shaped tail feathers were used to make headdresses for rulers and other high-ranking members of society, or traded as a highly-valued commodity. In Guatemalan culture, the quetzal became a symbol of the fight of the Quiché Maya against the Spanish invaders; its image is found on Guatemala's flag and coat of arms.

The country's currency, the Guatemalan quetzal, was introduced in 1925 - another homage to this lovely bird's role in Guatemala's history and culture.

Answer: Botswana

A native of southern Africa, the Kori bustard has the distinction of being one of the world's heaviest flying animals. Its impressive size and the male birds' spectacular courtship displays have earned the Kori bustard a prominent place in the culture of various African peoples, especially the San of Botswana, who have represented this imposing bird in visual art, dance and song.

It was also said that only royalty could eat the flesh of this bird, and commoners would die if they did. The Kori bustard - whose name derives from the Tswana "kgori" - was adopted as Botswana's national bird in 2014.

Answer: Philippines

Endemic to the Philippine archipelago, the Philippine eagle, or monkey-eating eagle (which translates its scientific name "Pithecophaga"), is one of the largest living eagles. Critically endangered, mainly because of habitat loss, this majestic bird was declared the Philippines' island country's national bird in 1995. On account of its protected status, the killing of a Philippine eagle carries stiff penalties.

The eagle is also used as a mascot in sporting events, and has been depicted on coins and stamps.

The bird represented on the Philippines' coat of arms, however, is the bald eagle of the US.