Physical World/Birds

	Ostrich Struthio camelus It can run at speeds of about 40 mph, the top land speed of any bird. The ostrich is the largest living species of bird and lays the largest egg of any bird species. It has just two toes on each foot (most birds have four), with the nail on the larger, inner toe resembling a hoof
	Emu genus Dromaius The emu is the second largest bird in the world and the largest bird native to Australia Female emus court the males
	Southern cassowary (Casuarius casuarius) The third tallest and second heaviest living bird, smaller only than the ostrich and emu The most dangerous bird in the world. The blade-like claws are capable of killing humans and dogs if the bird is provoked
	Kiwi genus Apteryx Endemic to New Zealand. Kiwi is the only ratite that does not have a reduced number of toes. Kiwis lay the largest egg in relation to their body size of any species of bird in the world. Kiwi is the smallest living ratite
	Kakapo Strigops habroptilus The world’s only flightless parrot, from New Zealand. Also called the owl parrot, it is nocturnal and ground-dwelling The total known population is only 125 living individuals
	Kea Nestor notabilis A parrot found in forested and alpine regions of the South Island of New Zealand. The Kea is one of the few recorded alpine parrots in the world. Destroys rubber parts of cars
	Galah Eolophus roseicapilla Also known as the rose-breasted cockatoo or ‘pink and grey’ They are extremely noisy, often screeching, hanging upside down, dancing and playing Galah is also derogatory Australian slang, synonymous with fool or idiot
	Cockatiel Nymphicus hollandicus A member of the cockatoo family endemic to Australia The cockatiel's distinctive erectile crest expresses the animal's emotional state
	Laughing kookaburra Dacelo novaeguineae A carnivorous bird in the family Halcyonidae. Native to eastern Australia. Known for its laughing call. Previously known as the Laughing Jackass
	Andean condor Vultur gryphus The largest largest flying land bird in South America Heaviest bird of prey. Andean condor has a maximum wingspan of 3.2 m
	Red-crowned crane Grus japonensis Famous for dances during the breeding season. Heaviest species of crane Adult red-crowned cranes are named for a patch of red bare skin on the crown, which becomes brighter in the mating season
	Resplendent quetzal Pharomachrus mocinno Plays an important role in Mesoamerican mythologies. The resplendent quetzal is Guatemala's national bird, and an image of it is on the flag and coat of arms of Guatemala. It is also the name of the local currency
	Lyrebird genus Menura They are most notable for their ability to mimic natural and artificial sounds from their environment. Lyrebirds are notable because of the striking beauty of the male bird's huge tail when it is fanned out in display; and also because of their courtship display
	Bowerbird family Ptilonorhynchidae Bowerbirds are most known for their unique courtship behaviour, where males build a structure and decorate it with sticks and brightly coloured objects in an attempt to attract a mate
	Butcherbird genus Cracticus Similar to magpies. They get their name from their habit of impaling captured prey on a thorn, tree fork, or crevice. This "larder" is used to support the victim while it is being eaten, to store prey for later consumption, or to attract mates
	Drongo family Dicruridae Small, insectivorous Australasian bird The word drongo is used as a mild form of insult meaning "idiot". This usage derives from an Australian racehorse of the same name rather than the bird
	Waxwing genus Bombycilla Waxwings are characterised by their silky plumage. They have unique red tips to some of the wing feathers where the shafts extend beyond the barbs; these tips look like sealing wax, and give the group its common name
	Rhinoceros hornbill Buceros rhinoceros Characterized by a long, down-curved heavy bill. Hornbills are the only birds in which the first two neck vertebrae (the axis and atlas) are fused together. Many hornbill species have ‘casques’, decorative growths on the upper mandible of the bill Mouth of the hornbill nest is a small slit through which the male feeds the female
	Secretary bird Sagittarius serpentarius Looks like it has quill pens tucked behind the ear. It is a bird of prey endemic to Africa and kills snakes It appears on the coats of arms of Sudan and South Africa
	Bee hummingbird Mellisuga helenae With a mass around 1.6–2 g and a length of 5–6 cm, it is the smallest living bird Hummingbirds have the highest metabolism of any homeothermic animal
	Red-billed Quelea Quelea quelea The world's most abundant wild bird species, with an estimated adult breeding population of 1.5 billion pairs. The distribution area of the Red-billed Quelea covers the majority of sub-Saharan Africa
	Booby genus Sula Blue-footed and red-footed species Their name was possibly based on the Spanish slang term bobo, meaning "stupid", as these tame birds had a habit of landing on board sailing ships
	Great northern loon Gavia immer Known as the great northern diver in Eurasia Well known in Canada, appearing on the one-dollar "loonie" coin and the previous series of $20 bills, and is the provincial bird of Ontario
	Pitohui genus Pitohui Poisonous bird. The skin and feathers of some pitohuis, especially the variable and hooded pitohuis, contain powerful neurotoxic alkaloids Endemic to New Guinea
	Common poorwill Phalaenoptilus nuttallii Nocturnal bird in the nightjar family The only bird known to go into torpor for extended periods. Such an extended period of torpor is close to a state of hibernation, not known among other birds
	Baltimore oriole Icterus galbula It received its name from the resemblance of the male's colors to those on the coat-of-arms of Lord Baltimore. It is the inspiration for the Baltimore Orioles baseball team
	Northern cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis Also known as the redbird It is the mascot of the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball's National League and the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League
	Spoonbill family Threskiornithidae Wading birds. All spoonbills have large, flat, spatulate bills and feed by wading through shallow water, sweeping the partly opened bill from side to side
	Eurasian bittern Botaurus stellaris Also known as the great bittern A wading bird in the heron family. The mating call or contact call of the male is a deep, sighing fog-horn or bull-like "boom"
	Roadrunner genus Geococcyx Also known as a chaparral bird. A fast-running (up to 20 mph) ground cuckoo that has a long tail and a crest Wile E. Coyote tries to catch a roadrunner in the Looney Tunes cartoons
	Cormorant family Phalacrocoracidae There is no consistent distinction between "cormorants" and "shags" Humans have used cormorants' fishing skills in China and Japan, where they have been trained by fishermen
	Great egret Ardea alba Also known as the common egret or great white heron Egrets are not a biologically distinct group from the herons, and tend to be named differently because they are mainly white or have decorative plumes
	Goldcrest Regulus regulus Known as the "king of the birds" in European folklore. Member of the kinglet family The goldcrest is the smallest European bird. It has greenish upper-parts, whitish under-parts, and has two white wingbars
	Pied avocet Recurvirostra avosetta The pied avocet was extinct as a breeding species in Great Britain by 1840. Its successful recolonisation at Minsmere, Suffolk, in 1947 led to its adoption as the logo of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
	Northern lapwing Vanellus vanellus Also known as the peewit (from its cry), green plover, or (in the British Isles) just lapwing (which refers to its peculiar, erratic way of flying). It has rounded wings and a crest
	Great bustard Otis tarda Possibly the heaviest living flying animal. It also arguably the most sexual dimorphic extant bird species, in terms of the size difference between males and females It was hunted out of existence in Britain by the 1840s. In 2004, a project overseeing the reintroduction to Salisbury Plain in using eggs taken from Russia was undertaken
	Red kite Milvus milvus By the 20th century, the breeding population was restricted to a handful of pairs in South Wales, but recently the Welsh population has been supplemented by re-introductions in England and Scotland
	Western capercaillie Tetrao urogallus Also known as the wood grouse or heather cock. Largest member of the grouse family The word capercaillie is a corruption of the Scottish Gaelic capull coille, meaning "horse of the woods"
	Rock ptarmigan Lagopus muta A medium-sized gamebird in the grouse family. It is seasonally camouflaged; its feathers moult from white in winter to brown in spring. It is the only British bird to change plumage between winter and summer
	Barn owl Tyto alba The most widely distributed species of owl and the most widespread landbird species in the world, occurring in every continent except Antarctica. The face is characteristically heart-shaped and is white. This owl does not hoot, but utters an eerie shriek
	Tawny owl Strix aluco Also known as the brown owl Mentioned in Love's Labour's Lost "Then nightly sings the staring owl, Tu-whit; Tu-who"
	Great grey owl Strix nebulosa World's largest species of owl by length Adults have a large rounded head with a grey face and yellow eyes
	Eurasian eagle-owl Bubo bubo One of the largest living species of owl It has distinctive ear tufts and orange eyes
	Emperor penguin Aptenodytes forsteri The tallest and heaviest of all living penguin species. Endemic to Antarctica The only penguin species that breeds during the Antarctic winter. The female lays a single egg, which is incubated by the male while the female returns to the sea to feed
	Macaroni penguin Eudyptes chrysolophus One of six species of crested penguin, it is very closely related to the royal penguin English sailors in the Falkland Islands apparently named the species for its conspicuous yellow crest
	Adélie penguin Pygoscelis adeliae They are named after the Antarctic territory of Adélie Land, in turn named for the wife of French explorer Jules Dumont d'Urville who discovered the penguins in 1840
	Galapagos penguin Spheniscus mendiculus Endemic to the Galapagos Islands. It is the only penguin that lives north of the equator in the wild