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| Sunday, 12 December 2004 |
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Junior Observer |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Avian world : The largest, the smallest and the hardiest Birds are unique because they are the only animals with feathers. The earliest bird existed about 140 million years ago. Today there are around 8600 different species distributed throughout the world, from the North Pole to the South Pole. There are many birds that are famous either for their peculiar habits or their unusual structure. Let's check out some of these feathered friends who seem to be record holders for something or the other in the avian world. Ostrich
The Northern Ostrich of North Africa is the largest among this group of birds. The Emus of Australia and the Rheas of South America are also called the Australian Ostrich and American Ostrich respectively. The Syrian Ostrich became extinct in 1941. The male of this largest living bird reaches a height of about 8-9 feet and weighs around 300 pounds. The female is slightly smaller. The male has black feathers on its body with white on the tail and wings but the female has dull brown feathers.
It adds to this camouflage by lowering her neck until it is stretched flat on the ground. The female lays upto 30 eggs or more in a large saucer-shaped depression in the sand. One egg is around 15 cm (6 inches) long and weighs over 1 kg. (2.2 lbs). The male bird too takes a turn to incubate the eggs. Long legged with large round bodies supported by muscular thighs, the ostrich can run at speeds upto 65 km (40 miles) per hour. Its two-toed feet are well adapted to running. It is the fastest two-legged animal on Earth! At one time they were numerous in grassy regions of Africa and northwards into Arabia and Central Asia, but today there aren't that many because they are hunted for their flesh and feathers. Ancient Greeks used their feathers for personal adornment since Medieval times. The popularity of their feathers in some ways have been helpful as they are farmed in certain parts of Africa just for this purpose. The ostrich is also known as the 'Dustbin of the avian world' because it eats almost anything. Because of its amazingly elastic throat, the ostrich can swallow objects upto the size of small horseshoes. It eats leaves, seeds and fruits and also small stones and pebbles to help digest its food. The Rhea or the American Ostrich lives on the Pampas of South America and is much smaller than the Northern Ostrich. It has three-toed feet and not two-toed feet like the Northern Ostrich. The Emu on the other hand does not have such a long neck as the African Ostrich. It lives in open flat land in Australia. The ostrich is the first running bird known to Europeans. The shell of an ostrich's egg is so thick it that can support the weight of a man. ***** Emperor penguin
To survive in such conditions, the Emperor penguin has two layers of long, dense feathers, and its relatively small bill and flippers also help reduce heat loss. In colonies which number around 500 to 25,000 pairs, both adults and young huddle together to maintain warmth.
Guess who incubates the single egg the female lays? The male of course. In fact this egg is layed on his 'feet' and the male incubates it for about two months! The mama penguin goes back to the sea and does not return until her baby is hatched. Meanwhile, dada penguin has been fasting for 110-115 days, hatching the egg. During this time he lives on the fat reserves he has built up at sea, eating fish, squid and small shell fish before breeding started. The Emperor penguin, like all other penguins is a flightless bird. **** Bee hummingbird
Like all humming birds, it has complete control in flight and can fly backwards as well as forwards. The number of wingbeats per second is about 30 but can sometimes reach as many as 80. Because of its minute size and the audible hum from the wings,the Bee humming bird looks and sounds like a bee in flight. The Bee humming bird feeds on nectar and it does so by hovering in front of flowers. Did you know that this tiny bird's, heart beats at the rate of 1000 beats per minute when it is resting? Imagine how much more it might be when it is active? It is found in Cuba and the Isle of Pines in the Carribean. Bee hummingbird's egg is no bigger than a thimble. The bird weighs less than the sphinx moth. |
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Most of you may be aware that the Ostrich is the largest bird in the
world, in fact, it is the heavyweight champ!
In fact the dull brown feathers of the female bird may have led to the
stories that the ostrich buries its head in the sand to hide from enemies
because, when the female sits on the eggs by day, her plumage makes her
look like a dry desert bush.
The world's largest and hardiest marine bird, lives in the depths of
the Antarctic, stands well over one metre (3.3 ft) tall and weighs upto 43
kg. (95 lbs). It rarely ventures out of the Antarctic Circle and even
breeds in the southern winter - in the harshest winter anywhere in the
world. The mean minimum temperature is about 20 degrees celsius (-4
degrees fahrenheit) with strong winds. There is total darkness day and
night.
An accomplished diver and swimmer, the Emperor penguin is able to spend
upto 18 minutes underwater, reaching depths of over 260m (850 ft.)
At only 6 cm (2.4 inches) in length and weighing no more than 2 g (0.07
oz), this bird is the smallest in the world. The male is a beautiful
glossy crimson, blue and white but the female is duller since it lacks the
glossy crimson.
