I was recently at a non-bird event (yes, there are actually non bird events out there) and a friend of mine announced to a group of school aged children that were present that I have birds. Well, one thing led to another and before I knew it, I was being peppered with some of the strangest bird related questions I’ve ever been asked. Since my children are grown adults, I had forgotten how much delight 12 and 13 year olds take in grilling adults and I quickly fell into an exercise of "Stump the Chump" (that would be me). Not to be outdone, I promised that I would go home, "do my homework" and print the answers to their questions in the next newsletter. So for the sake of the next generation of ornithologists, Brian, Kelsey, Karen and John, here are answers to your questions and others that you may not have thought of:

What is the BIGGEST Bird? The biggest bird is the ostrich. It can grow up to 9 feet tall. The ostrich also lays the largest eggs which are up to 4.5 x 7 inches across and weigh 3 pounds.

What is the SMALLEST Bird? The smallest bird is the bee hummingbird which is 2.5 inches long and weighs only 0.06 oz. Hummingbirds lay the smallest eggs. They always lay 2 at a time, each the size of a person's small fingernail.

What is the FASTEST Bird on land? The fastest-running bird is the ostrich which can run up to 43 mph. The road runner runs about 12 mph.

Which birds are the FASTEST SWIMMERS? Gentoo Penguins are the fastest swimming birds. (Sorry guysdon’t know how fast, but the book says they are FAST!)

Which bird is the HIGHEST FLYER? The highest flyer is Ruppell's griffon vulture. One collided with an airplane off the Ivory Coast in 1973 at 37,000 feet (11,278 m). A migrating Bar-headed Goose was once seen over the Himalayan Mountains in Nepal at roughly 28,000 feet.

Which birds are the FASTEST? The fastest flying birds include:

• The peregrine falcon, clocked at 90 mph. There are even accounts of these raptors diving at speeds up to 200 MPH.
• The spine-tailed swift: 90-100 MPH
• The harpy eagle - 37-50 MPH
• Champion racing pigeons fly up to 53 MPH
• Mallard duck - 65 MPH

Which birds have the LONGEST WING SPANS? The birds with the longest wing spans are the marabou stork with a wing span of 8 -13 feet and the wandering albatross, whose wingspan is up to about 12.5-13 feet.

Which bird has the LONGEST BEAK? The Australian pelican's beak is up to 18.5 inches long.

Which bird has a BEAK LONGER THAN ITS BODY? The sword-billed hummingbird, which lives in the Andes mountains of South America, has a beak that is longer than its body. It uses this long beak to sip nectar from the long, tube-like datura flower.

Which bird is the HEAVIEST FLYER? The heaviest flying bird is the great bustard which weighs up to 46 pounds.

Which bird has the LARGEST TONGUE? The flamingo.

Which birds have the LONGEST LIFE SPANS? Among the longest-lived birds are:

• Macaws live 80+ years in captivity
• Cockatoos can live for over 75 years in captivity
• The bald eagle can live for over 50 years in captivity

Are there any POISONOUS BIRDS? The only two known poisonous birds are the Hooded Pitohui (also called the "garbage bird") and the Ifrita from Papua, New Guinea. The toxin (a steroidal alkaloid) is concentrated in these bird's feathers and skin, and is probably obtained from some plant that they eat.

Leanna Rein, President
The Alaska Bird Club

The Alaska Bird Club • P.O. Box 101825 • Anchorage AK 99510
akbirdclub@yahoo.com