1. Seven Sisters

Certain bird species live in small groups. The Seven sisters of India and certain parts of Asia consist of 7 females. The male remains elusive visiting the group only for mating. The females construct a nest and lay the eggs. They incubate the eggs in turns and feed the nestlings collectively. A similar bird called the Apostle found in Australia is seen in a group of 12 that comprises a male, some females and a few immature birds.

Male birds of certain species are extravagantly colored. The male bird displays its colored feathers (Eg.Peacock) as a sign of good health. The female bird seeks only a healthy partner for mating rather than the one with ragged and dull feathers that indicate disease.

Plover birds are known for their powerful sense of vision. They descend on shores at nights. They tap the ground with their feet. Small worms under the sand come up to the surface. The Plover picks them up by its bill and completes its dinner. The abundant sensory cells of the retina aid the night vision in Plovers. Other shorebirds like Sandpipers can hunt for food only under good light conditions.

When an animal dies, its carrion emits a foul smell caused by the decomposing bacteria. The carrion emits a gas called Ethyl mercaptan. Turkey vultures soaring high in the sky can smell this gas and locate the carrion. Some Gas companies use Turkey vultures to detect leaks in the Gas plants, by pumping Ethyl mercaptan. Any cracks in the pipelines will release the gas that attracts Turkey vultures.

The age of birds is assessed by chemical examination. A chemical called Pentosidine accumulates in the skin and webs of the feet with the age of the bird. By estimating the concentration of this chemical, Ornithologists have developed a tool to fix the age of a bird.

A Humming bird weighs nine times the weight of its egg; an Ostrich sixty times while the Kiwi weighs only four times its egg. The relative proportions of the body and egg sizes vary in different species.

Nearly 80 percent of the flowers pollinated by birds are red. Birds see red color better than bees. To attract nectar-feeding birds certain species of plants have red color flowers. Birds have a competitive edge over bees in spotting red flowers.

Australian Magpie is a serious defender of its nest. A number of people who stroll under the nesting trees get attacked and injured by the Magpies. Wild life authorities have recommended protective head gear such as hats or helmets while taking walks.

Certain parts of land surface receive more sunlight when there is no cloud cover. As a result the air above these lands gets warmed up. Warm air is light and it rises up as a tunnel of air current. Vultures make use of these air currents to fly high in the sky. Vultures circling in the warm air currents move up and down like bubbles in boiling water. Hence a flock of vultures is called a “Kettle”.

Bewteen Crows and Ravens the difference lies in size and tail. Ravens are larger than Crows. During flight, the Raven’s tail appears wedge shaped. That of Crow is squared or rounded.