Birds of the World
Ivanka Kirova, Teacher at ODZ „Radost“ 12, Kraimorie, Burgas, Bulgaria
Some facts: • There are over 9000 species of birds. • Only birds are covered with feathers. • Birds came from the dinosaurs! Some dinosaurs had feathers!
Летене • Birds fly thanks to their wings. • Migratory birds are called that, because they migrate over great distances every year. • Some birds cannot fly: – penguin; – ostrich; – kiwi.
Penguin
Penguin • Penguins live on the South Pole and have never seen polar bears, because they live on the North Pole! • Penguins incubate their eggs by balancing them on their feet and not moving for months! • The heaviest penguins can reach up to 40 kilograms!
Ostrich
Ostrich • The ostrich lives in Africa and is both the largest and the fastest bird in the world! • The ostrich egg is 20 times heavier than a chicken egg! • No ostrich has ever buried its head in sand – that’s made up!
Kiwi
Kiwi • The kiwi is New Zealand’s national bird and it lives only there! • The bird’s wings are so small that sometimes it’s very difficult to see them! • The kiwifruit was named after the bird, not the other way around!
Sizes • There are many different sizes of birds. • The smallest bird is the hummingbird – it’s smaller than a human thumb! • The largest bird is the ostrich – it’s about two and a half meters tall (taller than a human)! • The longest wings belong to the albatross – about three meters when widespread!
Hummingbird
Hummingbird • The smallest humming bird can be two centimeters long and weigh less than two grams! • Just like bees and butterflies, hummingbirds feed on flower nectar! • The hummingbird can flap its wings 50 times in one second and in some cases – 200 times!
Albatross
Albatross • The albatross is the world’s largest seabird! • Albatrosses only eat at night and rarely dive under water; their food includes small fish, crustaceans and sometimes even squids! • The albatross could live up to 50 years!
The sparrow • One of the most common birds in the world. • Sparrows live in many, many countries, including Bulgaria. • Sparrows belong to the so called „passerine birds“ – over half of all species of birds in the world are passerine!
Sparrow
Sparrow • Male sparrows have more brown and dark feathers, while female sparrows have grayer feathers! • Instead of walking when it’s not flying, the sparrow hops! • Sparrows love eating seeds but can eat any type of food, if they happen to be very hungry!
National birds • Bulgaria doesn’t have its own national bird. • Which bird could be a symbol of Bulgaria? • Many countries have a bird for a national symbol, but the following birds can be found in Bulgaria as well:
Little owl (Greece)
Little owl (Greece) • Aside from being Greece’s national bird, the little owl is the most common type of owl in Bulgaria! • It feeds almost entirely with rodents, which makes it very helpful! • The little owl usually lives up to three years.
Golden eagle (Italy)
Golden eagle (Italy) • The golden eagle builds its nests on the highest cliffs it can find! • The golden eagle can be trained as a hunter (in falconry)! • The golden eagle is the national bird/animal in the following countries: Austria, Albania, Germany, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Mexico and Scotland!
White wagtail (Latvia)
White wagtail (Latvia) • It eats insects, but since it lives both next to water and in the open areas of a city, it can be very difficult to list all the insects on its diet! • If it lives in a country with colder weather. It can be a migratory bird!
White stork (Lithuania)
White stork (Lithuania) • The white stork often lives in the places where people live! • It’s the reason why stork build their nests on top of chimneys and telephone posts! • There can be up to 20 000 birds in a single flock of storks!
Great white pelican (Romania)
Great white pelican (Romania) • The great white pelican is the second largest pelican in the world – it can reach 1,80 meters in length and a weight of 15 kilograms! • Pelicans eat mainly fish, but they can sometimes eat frogs too! • There’s only one place in Bulgaria, where great white pelicans can be seen – the Srebarna Nature Reserve!
Redwing (Turkey)
Redwing (Turkey) • It has tiny white feathers above its eyes that look like eyebrows! • The redwing can eat small fruits like berries, but it mainly eats insects and worms! • The redwing is a migratory bird and can fly over distances of 7 000 kilometers!
The end