Some Interesting Birds

1. The Beautiful Mind - Clark's nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana)

This is a master matematician of the avian world. An individual caches thousands of pine-cone seeds and, later, remembers the exact location of each buried seed. You can read a little more about it here and check out a lot of interesting scientific papers here, including Geometric rule learning by Clark's nutcrackers. There is even a whole book about it and its relatives Made for Each Other : A Symbiosis of Birds and Pines

2. The Bat Wanna-be: Oil-bird (Steatornis caripensis)


Well, it lives in caves and flies out to eat fruit during the night. How much more weird can it be? The eyes of oilbirds: pushing at the limits of sensitivity and Retinal Morphology and Electrophysiology of Two Caprimulgiformes Birds: The Cave-Living and Nocturnal Oilbird (Steatornis caripensis), and the Crepuscularly and Nocturnally Foraging Common Pauraque (Nyctidromus albicollis).

3. Big Bird: Ostrich (Struthio camelus)


What developmental biologist would not like to study such a huge embryo in such a huge egg? And with current techniques of in-ovo embryo manipulation and avian transgenesis, the price is the only obstacle, and the rise and fall of the ostrich farming industry is not helping on that matter. The ostrich blastoderm and embryo development following storage of eggs at various temperatures.


4. The Snake-Handler: Secretary Bird (Sagittarius Serpentarius)



An amazing bird! Terror birds on the run: a mechanical model to estimate its maximum running speed and Growth and behaviour of secretary bird nestlings.

5. Modern Pteranodon: Hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoazin)


The most odd of the avian oddities. Who else has claws on their wings? Or foregut fermentation? Or such nutty behaviors?


6. Brilliant At Breakfast - Raven (Corvus corax)


The genius of the avian world. While the nutcrackers may be mathematical idiot-savants, ravens actually think! Check out the recent scientific research, e.g., Ravens follow gaze direction of humans around obstacles, or read the wonderful book about them: Mind Of A Raven.

7. Furball - Great Spotted Kiwi (Apteryx haastii)


No comment neccessary: so weird, yet so pretty. And a huge egg, too

8. The Mystery of the Laughing Shadow - Common Mynah (Acridotheres tristis)


If you grew up reading The Three Investigators - the best detective series for kids ever - you will know what a laughing shadow has to do with the mynah bird. The best talker and sound mimic of the whole avian world.

9. To see the world: Arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea)

Why would one migrate from the North Pole to the South Pole and back? Does not make sense, does it? But ask the Arctic tern why and how it does it


10. Baudelaire and the nose: Wandering Albatross (Diomedea exulans)


So impressive. So inspiring. And so interesting to study, especially the way it uses olfactory and magnetic cues to navigate