Answer to question from April 20: Owls can turn their heads in 135 degrees in either direction or 270 Answer to question from April 19: Cowbirds have no nest and lay their eggs in other species' nests. 220 species are hosts. Answer to question from April 17: Pink conical bill, but turns orange in breeding season. Answer to question from April 16: The 180 degree rotation of a hummingbird's wings, enable the bird to fly forward, backward as well as hover in mid air. Answer to question from April 15: Baltimore orioles love grape jelly, oranges, dark fruit, caterpillars and nectar. male red gular sac helps attract Answer to question from April 14: Cedar waxwings had orange tipped tails in the 1960's due to eating berries of an introduced species of honeysuckle.he Answer to question from April 13: 7 species of woodpeckers can be found in Illinois: downy woodpeckers, hairy woodpeckers, red-bellied woodpeckers, red-headed woodpeckers, Northern flickers, plieated woodpeckers and yellow-bellied sapsuckers. Answer to question from April 11: Owls are unable to move or roll their eyes. They are fixed forward. They must move their head to see. Answer to question from April 10: The male frigatebird's red gular sac helps attract mates. Answer to question from April 9: The syrinx is located at the top of the windpipe. When air passes through the windpipe, it causes thin membranes to vibrate and produce sounds. Answer to question from April 8: The favorite foods of the Ruby-throated Hummingbird include not only the high sugar content from red or orange flowers but also small insects and spiders and of course, nectar. Answer to question from April 7: There are 10,000 species worldwide, 914 in North America and 444 in Illinois. Answer to question from April 6: The owl's serrated wing is designed to break up the flow of air & attack their prey in silence. Answer to question from April 4: Kiwis are related to the ostrich! Answer to question from April 3: Partners take turns incubating the egg(s). Incubation period is different for each species could be as short as one month or as long as two. Answer to question from April 2: The Kakapo is the only flightless and the heaviest parrot. This interesting bird lives in New Zealand. Answer to question from April 1: Blue Jays are part of the Crow family. Answer to question from March 31: Hummingbirds lay the smallest eggs of all birds, approximately the size of a jelly bean, ½”. Answer to question from March 30: YES, many common backyard birds display the genetic mutation for albinism that affect the color of their feathers or the lack of pigment melanin. Answer to question from March 28: Yellow Eyes = Diurnal Black or Brown Eyes = Nocturnal Orange Eyes = Dawn or Dusk
Answer to question from March 27: A Ruby-throated Hummingbird has an average of 940 feathers, which allows an optimal speed of 25 miles per hour, and 40 miles per hour during courtship dives. Answer to question from March 26: Blue Jay feathers are actually brown. It is due to the melanin, which is dark brown to black, that is found in humans, animals and yes birds, Melanin is the pigment that protects us humans from the sun, but not only found in our skin, but hair and eyes In regards to the Blue Jay, the melanin is brown, the melanin is presented as tiny granules of color in the feathers of Blue Jays. The scattering of light and the air pockets in the barbs of the feather reflect to make the feathers look blue. Cool, huh? Answer to question from March 25: Cardinals are named after the Cardinals in Rome! Explorers to the New World saw the bird's plumage and felt it matched the ceremonial robes of the Cardinal in Rome while the crest matched his high pointed hat! A flock of cardinals is called a Vatican! Pretty interesting! Answer to question from March 24: Penguins live in the Southern Hemisphere in these locations:
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