Modern man is increasingly moving away from nature. In addition, there are many amazing and interesting facts about birds.
10. An ostrich’s eye is larger than its brain
This fact is confirmed by scientists. The average weight of his brain is 42.1 grams. The weight of one eye is 47.6 grams, two respectively 95.2. They are large in size and see not only what is in front, but also what is on the sides. They gained this advantage during evolution. To ensure the vitality of the ostrich, it is necessary to hunt, at this time enemies can attack it. A similar structure of the eyes allows him to simultaneously obtain food and monitor his safety. Ostriches live by instinct, their brain has no cortex. To ensure the functioning of the organs and the manifestation of instincts, a small volume of the brain is enough.
9. The body temperature of birds is 8 degrees higher than that of humans
In birds, thermoregulation is well developed, the internal temperature of the body is always about the same. Its value can vary from 40 to 43 degrees. It depends on the type of bird. Explain this feature by rapid metabolism. All processes in them proceed much faster than in humans. The heartbeat is quickened, muscle fibers often contract, do more work per unit of time. This gives them the ability to fly. Also, high body temperature is necessary for hatching eggs. She is shortening this dangerous period. Hatched chicks need heat, thermoregulation has not yet been established. Adult birds are forced to warm them. Body temperature fluctuates under the influence of external and internal factors. So at night it is 5-6 degrees lower than in the daytime.
8. Birds do not sweat
Birds are not able to sweat either at rest or in flight. Nature created their body as light as possible. The skin is thin and dry. They generally have no sweat glands. There is only one coccygeal that produces a secret - feather grease. Body cooling occurs due to a well-developed breathing system. We can say that they sweat from the inside. This is due to air sacs that are outside the lungs. They look like soap bubbles, located in the neck, shoulders, pelvic region and even penetrate into the bones of the limbs. In especially hot weather, wing flaps help to cool.
7. There are 6 species of poisonous birds in the world
Poisonous birds - a rather unusual phenomenon. In total there are 6 species. Their toxicity is “passive”. Harmful substances affect only those who decide to eat this bird. Five species belong to thrush flycatchers. Their habitat is New Guinea. The poison zootoxin accumulates in their feathers and body. They were first discovered in 1989. Sixth species - blue-eyed ifrit also lives only in New Guinea. Contact with poisonous birds causes tingling and numbness. They become poisonous as a result of feeding bugs containing toxic substances. It does not harm the birds, they have developed immunity.
6. Hummingbirds eat 2 times their own weight per day
Hummingbird is the smallest bird, its weight is 1.6 grams. But her flight speed is very high, reaching up to 80 kilometers per hour. During the flight, she needs a lot of energy, per day the amount of food eaten exceeds her weight by 2 times. They feed on plant pollen and nectar. They contain enough carbohydrates. Hummingbird replenish protein reserves by eating small insects. There are more than 350 species of hummingbird. All of them feed on nectar of different plants, therefore their appearance, in particular, the shape of cranberries, is different. Their distinctive feature is that birds feed only on the fly.
5. Seagulls can drink salt water
Scientists did not agree with this observation of the sailors for a long time, they assumed that the birds do not swallow it, but only gargle, then spit it out. But seagulls can actually drink salt water. They have a special infraorbital gland. It is able to remove salt from the blood of gulls, forming a salty liquid. It is excreted through the nostrils. This ability allows gulls to live. Otherwise, the birds would have died out long ago or changed their habitats. Of course, if there is fresh water, seagulls will choose it. In order to process salt, you need a lot of energy.
4. Flamingos could survive to 83 years
The bird lived in the zoo of the city of Adelaide, Australia. It was the only pink flamingo in the country. His name was Greater. He appeared at the zoo in 1933, and in 2014 he had to be put to sleep. Flamingo's health was undermined, he suffered. They tried to treat him, but the veterinarians could no longer help. The deterioration in the state of health of the bird is associated with an attack on him in 2009. It was committed by some young people. Greiter was injured in his head, beak and eyes. In vivo flamingo has a lifespan of 25 years. With a good quality of life, care and safety, birds live much longer.
3. The hawk's vision is 8 times better than humans
Hawks and other birds of prey have excellent eyesight. They can see over very long distances, are able to make out the smallest details. Eyeballs are rounded in shape, so they are farsighted. The hawk retina contains many hypersensitive cells. They have an area of visual acuity - this is a depression, a central fossa. At the hawk there are 2 in each eye. It is concave, because of this the image is enlarged to 30%. Their retina is 5 times more sensitive than in humans. In addition, the cornea of these birds is flat, not convex. Due to this, more images are formed on the retina. Hawk sees clear pictures. With rapid movement, objects do not merge into a blurry spot.
2. To protect themselves, chickens sometimes pretend to be dead
At the sight of danger, chickens play a real performance - pretend to be dead. The purpose of such pretense is clear and understandable. In many animals, the self-preservation instinct is very developed. But even scientists cannot figure out this mechanism. Many people know that chicken can be hypnotized. To do this, lay the bird on its side, hold its paws. She calms down and lowers her head to the surface. At this moment, a chalk is brought to her head and he draws a line from the chicken's beak. She falls into a stupor. Of course, this is not hypnosis. The chicken gets scared and pretends to be dead. The fear is so strong that it freezes. Ornithologists explain this with instincts.
1. Not a single bird will tolerate intrusions into its home by uninvited guests
An exception are North American scoops. They specially plant small snakes in their nests. In appearance, they look like large earthworms. In addition, they are completely blind. Owls feed on mice, bugs. They bring their prey to the nest. Owl food attracts the attention of insects. Therefore, at night, scoops bring snakes to their nests. Those, in turn, eat flies and ants that encroach on food owls. It turns out a bit confusing scheme, but so owls save their food from insects.
These are not all interesting facts about birds. Therefore, it may sometimes be worthwhile to replace your usual vacation in the city with a trip beyond its borders, to take an interest in the natural phenomena that surround the world? There are a lot of curious things about it that a person does not even guess about.