March Bird Facts

Modern-day birds do not have any teeth (ancient birds did have teeth). Birds have a tongue, but unlike our tongue, a bird's tongue has a bone in it.

Birds spend most of their time looking for food. Most birds are insectivores (they eat insects). Some birds, like owls and eagles, are carnivores (meat-eaters). Some birds, like the hummingbird, grouse, and Canada goose, are mostly herbivores (plant-eaters). Other birds, like starlings, are omnivores (plant- and meat-eaters). Some birds (like the toucan) are fructivore (fruit-eaters)

Birds mostly use their keen eyesight to find food. They use their beak and their claws to get bugs, worms, small mammals , fish, fruit , grain, or nectar.

Birds play a very important part in the natural control of insects and in the dispersal of seeds. Some birds, like the tiny, nectar-eating hummingbird are important pollinators of some flowering plants.

Nests and Eggs:

The ostrich lays the largest birds' eggs; their eggs are up to 4.5 x 7 inches (11 x 18 cm) across and weigh 3 pounds (1400 g).

Birds bear their young in hard-shelled eggs which hatch after some time. Some birds, like chickens, lay eggs each day, others (like the maleo) may go for years between laying eggs.

Birds build nests for breeding in trees, on cliffs, or on the ground. Most birds are taken care of by at least one parent until they are able to fly and get their own food.

Bird	Incubation Period
Chicken	20-22 days
Ostrich	42-50 days
Parakeet (budgie)	27-28 days
Pigeon	14-18 days
Swan	30 days
Toucan	18 days

The incubation period of bird eggs varies from species to species. There's also some variability due to the temperature.

There are numerous species of bird found in a wide variety of habitats all around the world. 

Birds are one of the most thriving groups of animals on the planet as they generally have their habitat (the skies) to themselves.

Birds can be easily distinguished from other animals due to their sharp, pointed beaks, thin legs, wings and feathers covering their bodies. 

Although all bird species have wings, some are actually flightless animals that only use their wings for balance and not for flying. Where other birds, such as penguins, use their wings for swimming. 

Birds are often omnivorous animals, generally eating nearly anything that they can find. Most species of bird survive on a diet primarily consisting on insects and plants such as fruits, nuts, berries and seeds. 

Birds are also distinctive in the fact that they lay eggs in a similar way to other animal groups such as fish and reptiles. Birds often make nests in the trees or on the ground in which to lay their eggs.

Birds (class Aves) are bipedal, warm-blooded, oviparous vertebrate animals. 

Most scientists believe that birds evolved from theropod dinosaurs. 

Ranging in size from tiny hummingbirds to the huge Ostrich and Emu, there are between 9,000 and 10,000 known living bird species in the world, making Aves the most diverse class of terrestrial vertebrate. 

A bird is characterized by feathers, a toothless beak, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a light but strong skeleton. 

All birds have forelimbs modified as wings and most can fly. 

Birds are important sources of food, acquired either through farming or hunting. 

Numerous species of birds are also used commercially, and some species, particularly songbirds and parrots, are popular pets. 

Birds figure prominently in all aspects of human culture from religion to poetry and popular music. 

Numerous species of birds are threatened with extinction by human activities and as a result efforts are underway to protect them.