Birds Facts for Kids
Feathered facts about birds from around the world
Grey herons can stand motionless at the water's edge for hours, then strike at fish with explosive speed — their neck acts like a coiled spring.
The red kite was nearly extinct in Britain but has been successfully reintroduced — there are now thousands living across England, Scotland, and Wales.
Swifts hunt insects at altitudes of up to 10,000 feet — they eat, sleep, and even court partners entirely in the air.
No modern birds have teeth — instead, they have a muscular stomach chamber called a gizzard that grinds up food, sometimes using swallowed stones.
The macaroni penguin is the most numerous penguin species in the world, with an estimated 18 million individuals.
Common loons are superb divers but terrible walkers — their legs are set so far back on their body that they can barely shuffle on land.
The winter wren is one of the loudest birds for its size — its song is up to 10 times louder per unit of body weight than a crowing rooster.
The secretary bird walks up to 20 miles a day on its long legs while hunting on the African savanna — it covers enormous distances on foot.
The toco toucan has the largest bill relative to body size of any bird — its orange beak makes up about one third of its total body length.
Canada geese are famously loyal to their nesting sites — they return to the same spot year after year, sometimes for decades.