5 Unbelievable Bird Facts

Birds can be thought of as the fish of the land. Sure, they all fall into one major category, but there are so many different types that have wildly varying characteristics that they may as well be living on different planets sometimes. It’s wil to think that bald eagles, hummingbirds and penguins all fall under the same category of just ‘bird.’ With that in mind, there are some unbelievable traits for every species of bird. Some stand out as being the zaniest, most interesting and downright scary or hilarious. Here are five of those bird facts that leave people scratching their heads.

5. Bird Poop is Also Pee

Do you know how in movies and TV shows, characters try to make their cars run faster by shedding unnecessary weight? Birds sort of do the same with their bodies to make them more lightweight and able to fly. Because of this, birds tend to not have bladders, and your car is the target. Bird bodies expel waste in the form of uric acid, and it’s a mixture of both feces and urine. So when you go out to your car on a cold morning and see it covered in that gross white substance, you’re getting the worst of both worlds.

4. Quoth the Raven

Have you ever wondered why ravens, crows and other similar birds are written about so much? It’s because not only do they have a uniquely gothic look, but they’re also among the smartest birds you’ll find. That’s right, ravens and crows can actually remember human faces and other details of their surroundings. This makes it so that they can keep coming back to pester you, and it sort of messes with your mind. If you feel like the same bird keeps bugging you every day, it’s because it might be.

3. Hummingbird Diet

Everyone knows the hummingbird; the cute little animal that never stops flying and gently sips away at the nectar you leave out for it in a feeder. What you might not realize is just how much the hummingbird eats in a day. With its heart racing at over 1,200 beats per minute, the hummingbird needs to constantly feed just to survive. That insanely high metabolism translates into your average sized man needing to eat nearly 300 pounds of meat per day just to not waste away.

2. Elephant Birds Once Ruled

There are some pretty big birds flying around these days, but none were as large as the elephant birds of Madagascar. Having gone extinct around 1,000 years ago, elephant birds were so large that you probably would’ve mistaken them for private airplanes. That’s because they were nearly 10 feet tall and could weigh up to 2,000 pounds. Fossil records confirmed these birds existed, and imagine if they were as common as pigeons.

1. Flamingos are Friends

Let’s end things on a bright note here, quite literally. The most famous pink birds that you know have a very humanistic trait in the fact that they make friends from a young age, get into relationships and keep those friends and family close to them for the rest of their lives. Mates will raise chicks every year and all flamingos have about three to six close friends and all lean on each other to both thrive and survive.