Different beaks are needed, different beaks are important! Someone mother - nature gave a small beak, and someone became the owner of the largest beak. And it is wrong to think that the beak is used by birds only for feeding. He is an indispensable assistant in many areas of bird life. In what? Which birds have the most unusual beaks?
Here are some interesting facts about the most "outstanding" beaks and their "carriers".
Rock Cock
The beak of this bird, which lives in the rocky areas of South America, is rather large, but invisible. More precisely, he, like a veil, covered with feathers. These feathers are a comb, starting at the back of the head and ending almost at the very tip of the beak.
Why is it needed? After all, he rather interferes with food than helps. Maybe so, but it is needed for another - to attract a partner, or rather, a partner. The fact is that the largest and most beautiful crests are in males, in females they are more modest. When the rocky cock begins to search for his partner, he begins, fluffing the crest, to shout loudly. The female chooses the male whose scallop seems to her the prettiest.
Translated from Latin, the name of this bird means “arctic monk”, from English - “fat man”, and the name “dead end” has Russian roots. It is connected with a blunt form of the beak.
Serves so big beak to attract a partner or partner. Before the period of courtship, both in males and females the beaks are yellow, but during courtship they become red.
The beak can be used to distinguish a young bird from an adult: in young animals, the beak is long and thin, and in adults it is “distributed” in width.
Old deadlocks have furrows on their beaks. To deceive the young partner with its red beak, it seems that the oldies have no dead ends!
Such a voluminous beak helps dead ends while fishing. And dead ends are very fond of fish! They dive under the water and quickly swim in search of "dinner", setting the direction of movement with their legs and swinging their wings. If a dead end catches fish for himself, he immediately swallows the prey, not rising to the surface, and if he catches fish for chicks, then he keeps it in its beak. He can grab several fish at once (up to 20 pieces), pressing them to the top of the beak with his tongue.
And the beak helps the deadlock to dig deep holes for hatching chicks.
Translated from English, the name of the bird translates as "shoemaker". Pretty boy! Nature clearly cheated the poor bird when she handed out feathered beauty, but maybe she gave the kitoglava something in return?
In China, the largest beak among all birds (relative to body size, of course). But is it easy for a kitoglav to live with such a beak - a champion? Not really.
In flight, the kitoglav presses the beak to the chest, while resting, too. The fact is that, in addition to the beak of a chitoglaw, the head is very large, which can be understood from the name. Head with beak make up a significant part of the whole body of the bird. Not a single neck can withstand such a mass! It should be noted that the kitoglav is a rather big bird. Its weight can reach 7 kg, wingspan - 2.5 m, and height - 1.5 m.
It is clear that with such a body, the kitoglav cannot boast of dexterity, and he doesn’t need it. He does not run for prey, but waits for her, standing in one place: on the shore or in shallow water. From time to time, with his beak, he “shakes up” the space around him in order to frighten away the “dinner” that has hidden there, and these are frogs, snakes, fish, mollusks, turtles and even small crocodiles. But sometimes the shoehook can still make a small run if it sees a “living delicacy” at a short distance from itself. Kitoglav grabs the prey in his huge beak - the bucket and swallows it whole.
The beak has one more function, in my opinion, very touching. Whalers in heat put in the beak of eggs or already hatched chicks and bathe them in cool water to save from overheating.
Curly pelican
The beak of a male curly pelican can reach 50 cm (this is with a bird growth of 1.8 m and a wingspan of 3.5 m).
In flight, the pelican bends its long neck so that the head with the beak lies on the body, only slightly protruding forward. Resting, the bird also puts his head on his back.
To the lower jaw of the pelican is mounted a skin bag that can hold more buckets of water. On the beak, on the tip of the pelican's upper jaw, there is a hook that makes it easier to keep slippery prey in its beak.
Such a beak helps the pelican to fish. To do this, the bird lowers its head into the water like a net, grabs a fish with its beak, turns it with a slight movement so that it enters its throat with its head and swallows it.
It is clear that capturing the prey, the pelican draws a lot of water into his bag. To get rid of her, he slams his beak and presses the skin bag to his chest to squeeze water out of it, leaving only the prey in it.
Pelicans spend most of their time on the water, so their feathers get wet. Here again, the beak comes to the rescue. Pelican alternately beak grabs a feather at the base and moves it to the edge of the pen, shaking off water.
Pelican beak – bag has one more function, however, it concerns birds living in places with salt water. They collect rainwater in their bags for drinking.
When looking at the toucan, it seems that he put on a black tuxedo, a white shirt and put on a huge bright beak, absolutely not tied to his body. With a body length of 60 cm, the beak reaches 20 cm, and its weight is only 5% of the total weight of the bird.
The beak of the toucan is bright yellow, with a longitudinal red stripe at the top, a black spot on the end and a notch on the edges, like that of a saw. They need a toucan to keep the "food".
The question immediately arises: how can such a bird hold such a weight and why? With the weight of the beak, everything is quite simple - it is very light, since it is hollow inside (it has a porous structure).
But with the size of the situation is worse. According to scientists, a smaller beak would be more convenient when “butchering” food, it would be more convenient to fly with it, and it would be easier to get food. But now the toucan has to clear the food, grab it with the tip of its beak, throw it up and, with its head up, grab it on the fly and swallow it.
Some experts believe that the beak toucans can get food from hard-to-reach places, for example, from thin twigs that would not bear the weight of a bird. Also, with such a beak, toucans very dexterously peel the fruit.
Why do we need bright beak colors? It is also not clear. It does not scare off predators that feed on toucans, as does their huge beak.
However, for a huge number of years, a toucan manages to exist perfectly with such a multi-colored beak, which means that for some reason this is needed, simply, we have not yet understood why.
A surprising fact: the beak of the toucan is permeated with blood vessels, which helps the bird to regulate body temperature.
Helmet beak
Another name for this bird is the helmet-bearing hornbill.
On the upper part of the beak of the hornbill (from the base to the middle of the beak) there is a dense helmet. Head with a beak and a helmet make up more than 10% of the total weight of the bird. They (helmet and beak) are yellow, with a reddish tinge on the sides.
Why do Hala need such “decorations”? Hard to say. One thing is certain that the male kalao are very skillfully fighting with their beaks, hovering in the air. Sometimes they are so addicted that they flop to the ground, but they still do not stop the battle.
Red billed king
This thirty-centimeter bird with a red beak is a relative of the kingfisher. She is a predator that feeds on insects, snails, frogs, fish, and small birds. Such a large beak, obviously, it simplifies the process of obtaining food.
The flamingo is a large bird with a “hunchbacked”, curved down, beak. In the upper part of the beak there are hairs - filters through which the bird releases water, filtering food. She takes water into her mouth, closes her beak, passes it through the filter, and swallows food.
Hummingbird Mecheklyuv
Hummingbird Mecheklyuv has an 11-inch thin beak, bent upwards, with a body length of 17-20 cm! With it, the bird extracts nectar from pendant flowers, and also catches insects, having widely opened it.
There is a beautiful legend about these birds. When Christ was crucified and suffered the most pain, a bird flew up to him and tried to pull nails out of his body. But she failed - she just bent her beak and stained her chest with the red blood of Christ.
At the cross, the upper and lower parts of the beak are crossed with each other. Such a beak helps the bird to climb branches, even upside down. Beak crossbill can deftly peel seeds of cones, tearing off scales.
Brilliant painted painting
In his marriage dress, the male, as a rule, has a bright blue color (sometimes black). Outside the breeding season, the color of the males does not differ from that of the females, being gray-brown. It is worth noting that these birds are polygamous and, moreover, different partners will help the female in raising chicks.
Crowned fly-eater
There are 4 types of crowned fly-eater. At first glance, the bird is ordinary, but if you tease it, then you will notice how it dissolves its chic tuft. The males have fiery-red feathers of the crested with blue tips, and the females have orange or yellow.
Scaly Bird Of Paradise
This bird lives in wet forests in New Guinea. It differs unusual long feathers coming from the head. When it was first brought to Europe, people thought the feathers were not real.
Many consider this bird the most beautiful in the world. This is the national bird of Guatemala, the currency of this country is named after it, and the image of this bird can be seen on the emblem of Guatemala. Kvezal is not able to live in captivity. Some believe that the bird may die from a broken heart. Being freedom-loving, Kvezal was not in vain chosen as a symbol of the struggle for independence.
Lilac breasted roller
First of all, this bird is distinguished by its bright color: the breast is purple, the belly is blue, the head and the back of the head are green, and a white stripe can be found near its eyes. In addition, the face of the bird is of a reddish hue, and its wings have a brown tint with a bright blue color at the bottom.
It is also worth noting that during the mating season, you can see how the males produce incredible acrobatic stunts in the air for the female to notice.
Inca Tern
This bird loves the Pacific coast of South America (Peru, Chile). It differs primarily in its "mustache", which in fact are white twisted beams of feathers, each of which can reach a length of 5 cm. In addition, the bird stands out from the rest with its bright red beak and red legs.
Curly Aracari
This species got its name due to the unusual shape of the feathers of the head - they are twisted like ribbons on a gift box. The name "arasari" is translated from the Latin language as "pen-language" - this indicates the distinctive features of the structure of the language of these particular toucans.
Curly arasari lives in Brazil, Guiana, Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador.
Blue-eyed gorgeous bird of paradise
The habitat of this bird is Indonesia, and more specifically, the islands of Vaigeo and Butta, located to the north-west of the island of New Guinea.
This bird of paradise can be distinguished by curly tail feathers and a unique color. The crown on the male's head is actually part of the skin, not feathers.
Guiana Rock Cock
An almost perfect semicircular light orange comb in males of this species is, in fact, a formation of two rows of feathers. It stretches across the bird’s entire head and even partially covers its beak.
This bird lives in tropical and subtropical forests of Guyana and southern Venezuela. Guiana rocky cockerel loves areas rich in water bodies - it can be found near the basin of the Rio Negro River.
Turaco Livingstone
This bird can be found in tropical Africa. She lives in rain, mountain and light forests. Turako rarely descends to the ground, and only to drink water and take a dust bath. It is worth noting that before these birds were called banana-eaters, which is rather strange, since they do not eat bananas.
Brilliant Real Copping
This bird lives in the upper part of the tropical rain forests of Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia and Bolivia. Her house is usually located at an altitude of 600 m above sea level.
Males have a beautiful color. It is worth noting that the dark purple feathers that adorn the neck of the brilliant coting sparkle beautifully in the sun.
Hologorous ringer
Immediately it is worth noting that the metallic ringing voice of this bird can be compared with a bell, and this sound is the loudest in the world of birds. The bird can be found in the mountain rainforests of Brazil, as well as in Paraguay and in the north of Argentina.
Indian Hornbill
This bird stands out for its yellow beak with a large helmet. Hornbill can be found in the rainforests of southern Asia. She is omnivorous, loves fruit, fish and small mammals.
Indian tribes believe that the hanging skull of a hornbill will help to gain wealth.
Little Sultan
Habitat - the south-east of the United States, Central and northern parts of South America, it happens that flies to western and southern Europe.
This bird cleverly climbs on the stems of tall plants. She can easily swim in water like a duck and walk on floating plants like a chicken, thanks to her long fingers.
This bird is a family of parrots. She lives in New Zealand, and you can meet her in human habitats - at ski lodges, hotels for tourists and at campgrounds. It is worth noting that this is the only parrot in the world that lives and breeds at an altitude above 1,500 meters above sea level.
White Stork: description
Storks belong to the order of stork-like (stork family). This includes ibis and herons. The most famous members of the family are white storks. They have not only beautiful long paws and neck, but also a long red beak.
The stork is a beautiful, elegant bird, although it has considerable body size. Her weight can reach four kilograms, and body length - 120 centimeters. The total wingspan is 205 centimeters.
The stork is a bird with a long red beak of conical shape, with the help of which it quite easily pulls food (fish, frogs, etc.) from the reservoir (marsh). It also feeds on lizards, snakes, earthworms, snails, mice, moles and insects.
Why do storks have a red beak? This remains a mystery.
Adult storks have practically no voice, due to the reduction of their vocal cords. Most often, they emit a simple click with their beak, which means greeting.
The stork females are smaller than the males, and the plumage is the same for both of them, mostly covered with white feathers, only the wings are black. Their lifespan is quite long, its average duration is about 20 years.
Distribution and habitat of storks
The main area of distribution of these beautiful red-beaked birds is the whole of Europe, the Iberian Peninsula, Asia and North Africa. They winter mainly in Africa, in India, and storks from Central Europe fly to Asia for the most part. They fly during the spring flight of about 200 kilometers per day. The main migration routes are through the Mediterranean Sea, the Strait of Gibraltar, the Bosphorus and the Suez Isthmus. During this period in these places in the autumn and spring at a high altitude in the sky one can observe an amazing, impressive picture - a huge number of white storks.
The main places of settlement are various outbuildings, the roofs of houses, a little less - trees and rocks.
It is important to note that the number of white storks decreases every year due to a reduction in their food supply, associated with the intensification and chemicalization of the grown agricultural products.
Food and habits of storks
The main food for white storks is a variety of invertebrates and small vertebrates that live both on land and in water. Their favorite food is reptiles, amphibians, insects and fish. This surprisingly beautiful white bird with a red beak has, oddly enough, a predatory character, which is caused by the fact that it eats even small hares. Unfortunately, it happens that storks eat and inedible objects, naturally mistaken for food. And this leads to the death of birds in connection with the subsequent blockage of their digestive tract.
A feature of these birds is that many of them use more than a hundred years some nests, transmitted to descendants from generation to generation. These are rather brave birds, they boldly protect nests and chicks from other predatory birds and animals.
Nests, which usually contain 4-5 eggs each, can reach relatively large sizes. Eggs are hatched by the male and female alternately, about a month later, chicks appear, which become completely independent after 70 days.
Legends about stork
The name of the bird with a red beak and white plumage appears in many beautiful ancient legends and tales. From time immemorial, the white stork was considered to be a rather revered bird, and it was associated with prosperity, well-being, luck and a happy life. Связано с ним также множество хороших сказаний и легенд как на Востоке, так и в Европе, и везде он выступает в роли защитника от любой нечистой силы и в роли хранителя очага семейного, приносящего счастье.
Считалось, что в семье, к дому которой прилетает аист, обязательно появится долгожданный ребенок, в связи с чем на помощь этой птицы и уповали многие семьи, не имеющие детей.
According to folk lore, God endowed this bird with white plumage and the devil with black wings, which is why it symbolizes the endless struggle between good and bad, between good and evil.
Kulik-magpie: description
This bird belongs to the order Charadriiformes (family sandpiper). This also includes fifi.
A very bright and noticeable bird is the forty-year-old bird (this is the name of the black bird with a red beak). In addition to the bright scarlet beak, it is endowed with white breasts, red paws, back and wings in black. It is similar in color to another well-known bird of all - the magpie, therefore, it received such a double name.
The bird has a predominantly black and white plumage. The neck, head and tail are also black, the lower abdomen, the breast, and partly the lateral side is white.
Amazing bright red color beak is 3 times longer than the head. The red eyelids are bordered with small eyes. Pale pink paws resemble the paws of birds of the order kuroravnyh. The body has a length of 35-48 centimeters, but the wingspan is an average of only 85 centimeters.
Sometimes it is surprising how a bird with a small neck and head carries such a surprisingly long beak. On average, these birds weigh from 350-720 grams, depending on the time of year.
Kulik-magpie's habitat
These birds with large red beaks are both migratory and non-migratory. They settle on the shores of lakes and rivers. In winter, they prefer not very cold places: the coasts of the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. For nesting choose such places that there is a good food for their young. These are mostly pebbly and sandy shores, and sometimes they settle in the rocks.
Sandpiper magpies fly to Russia in early May. They spend the winter in the direction of the northern part of western Europe: to France, to Denmark, Germany and Holland.
Peculiar behavior of the sandpiper
This numerous bird with a red beak can be recognized by its sharp cry. Its long beak with sharp edges makes it easy to pull out sand from the hole or open the mussel flaps easily.
It should be noted that the behavior of waders varies greatly at low tide and low tide hours. In the first case, they are quite active, digging in algae and sand in search of food. At high tide, birds wait out time, standing still on stones protruding from the water.
Such a seemingly large and inconvenient beak plays an important role in the search for food from both water and sand at large distances and in hollows.
Nutrition and nesting sandpiper
From the characteristics of the bird’s habitat, conclusions can be drawn that feed on the black bird with a long red beak. Due to the fact that the kulik-forty settles near the water, then the food is mainly extracted from the water.
The basis of their diet includes small fish, mussels, shellfish and insects, and the latter are mainly large, such as butterflies, dragonflies, beetles, and sometimes butterfly larvae. They can also feed on worms, crustaceans and cadflies. It happens that the eggs of other smaller birds may be in the diet of the sandpiper.
Black birds with a red beak make nests on the mainland and island shores. For this purpose, the female tombs a hole in a swampy place, at its bottom she throws shells and pieces of bark, then lays 2-4 eggs on top.
Couples create sandpip individuals at 3 years of age and older. The bird is considered monogamous and prefers to settle in solitude.
The female and the male take turns incubating the eggs for up to 4 weeks, after which the chicks hatch, which remain in the nest only a day before they are completely dry. Then they, running up in different directions, hide among the stones.
In the very first days of their lives, they move closer to the water, where they roam with their parents in search of food during the low tide. Often the chicks bask under her mother's wings. They do not go far away from their parents for a month, until they learn to fly on their own.
Klushitsa: description, distribution
What is the name of the bird with a red beak, belonging to the order of passerine (Corvidae family)? There is in nature and such.
The bird, which is slightly larger than the alpine daw (40 cm long), is a black bird with a red beak (see photo below), called a klushitsa.
It stands out among other birds with its slightly bent down with its red beak and red paws. Klushitsy feathers shimmer in different colors. Young chicks have paws and beak yellow, and the plumage is dull black.
These birds are distributed mainly in arid, forest-poor areas, on the sea coasts, as well as in the highlands. Rare klushitsa is in the Alps. Most of its habitats are mountains (3,500 m above sea level) of China, South Asia and Western Europe.
The reasons for the steady decline in the population of this bird, especially in northwestern Europe, over the past two centuries has been a strong erosion of the mountain slopes, due to the significant impact of agricultural work.
Characteristics of nesting klushitsy
Klushitsa mostly nests in colonies, and they are preserved in one place for centuries. Branches built from the branches, these birds are usually located in caves or in the crevices of rocks, away from strong winds and eddies.
Hatching eggs only female for about 18 days. In the period of enhanced growth of chicks, parents feed their young every 60 minutes, bringing food in their submandibular sac. From the nest, the young fly out after about 38 days, when they are flying quite confidently. Despite this, the family has not broken up for a long time.
What feeds klushitsa?
These birds are very gullible. They often pick up food on mountain tops, where climbers throw it, and near mountain huts. Usually klushitsy for the winter do not fly away, but in the mountains of their colonies are empty, because the birds descend into the foothills and valleys. The hillocks living in Spain, usually nesting in the walls of houses (both in ruins and in residential areas), are not as timid as in the highlands. And the food they often get near the shelter of people.
Compared to other birds, whose food addictions and methods of obtaining food are quite diverse, the hush is mostly a consumer of small insects, primarily ants. This relatively small bird with a red beak still eats worms, seeds and berries.
Usually klushitsy eat, gathered in small flocks. In this important process they are well helped by long, thin beaks, which are extracted from small grass or sod (remnants of rabbits and sheep).
A bit of black vodoreze
Black water cut has an unusual beak, not only among all the waders, but among the birds of all North America. Its uniqueness is not only that it is very thin and colorful (red and black strokes), but also that its lower part is longer than the top.
This feature is very important for the process of nutrition cutwater. How does this happen? Birds at high speeds fly over the water, while the lower part of the beak cuts through the water surface of the channel and descends into the water. When there is a fish in it, the upper part of the beak snaps. Such an extreme way of obtaining food, of course, is not without risks. Black vodorezov sometimes encounter some underwater objects.
Above all, these birds also use their beaks to kill gulls that have the courage to invade their nesting sites.
Black birds with a red beak cutwaters - the only species of birds in South and North America with similar feeding technique.
Conclusion
This article presents only a tiny fraction of all the birds existing in nature with amazing colors and forms of beaks. In fact, there are so many of them: extraordinary length, extraordinary shapes and colors, etc. Mother Nature endowed every living creature, including birds, with its own characteristics necessary for their normal life activity. Moreover, many have done it with a certain taste, so they look aesthetically and beautifully.
16 Hyacinth Macaw
One of the largest species of parrots, some individuals of which reach a length of 95 cm, with about half falls on the tail, the wing is 36 centimeters and weighs about 1.5 kilograms. Coloring hyacinth macaw cobalt blue. From the sides, the head is closed with plumage, only a thin strip at the base of the mandible and a narrow ring around the eyes without feathers, golden yellow. The tail of this parrot is gray-blue, long and narrow. The beak is black and gray, large and powerful, the male is noticeably larger than the female. Paws are dark gray. The iris is dark brown. The macaw’s voice is very loud and sharp, including a hoarse squeal that can be heard over fairly long distances - from 1 to 1.5 kilometers.
There is a large hyacinth macaw in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Brazil. This amazingly beautiful bird easily becomes tame, often tightly attached to a person, very inquisitive, trusting and has a very good memory. In the wild, hyacinth macaw forms a married couple, there are also small family groups of 6-12 birds.
The macaw nests are built in crevices among the stones, in the hollows of trees or in burrows, which they dig themselves with the help of their beaks and paws in the steep banks of the rivers. Macaws reach sexual maturity at the age of 3 years, after which the hyacinth macaw finds a mate in its usual environment. The mating period usually begins in May, in the clutch most often there are only 2 eggs. In view of the fact that these birds nest in hard-to-reach places, the life of this parrot is not studied well enough.
15 Rainbow Toucan
The rainbow toucan is the largest member of the Ramphoslos group of woodpeckers, which is widespread in Central and South America to northern Argentina. Consists of 36 species. Toucans, rather large, heavy-built birds. The first thing that catches your eye when you look at them is the disproportionately large, hollow, brightly colored beak, up to 17 centimeters in length. Its length is almost equal to the length of the torso of the bird. The length of the bird’s body is about 50 centimeters, and its weight is 400 grams. The plumage on the back, abdomen, and the upper part of the wings is black frosted, on the upper part of the neck - black with a red tint. The chest and cheeks are yellow-lemon hue, the lower part of the tail is bright red.
Rainbow toucans live in small groups of 5-10 individuals. Males are slightly larger than females. They spend the night in hollows, tightly clinging to each other and tucking their bulky beaks under the wing of their neighbors, which saves space because of the small size of the dwelling. Nests are arranged in their own hollowed or hollowed out by other birds. Rainbow toucans are monogamous. The female lays from 2 to 4 eggs, and the offspring hatch 20 days after laying. In a year, a couple can grow up to three broods. Both parents take care of newborns, hatching them one by one. Birds mostly feed on fruits, less often insects or tree frogs, and with a lack of food they can even eat the nestlings of other birds.
14 Hornbill
Hornbills are representatives of the order of the Shrike-like, which consists of 57 species found in Africa and South-East Asia, on the islands of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The size of the hornbill varies from 30 centimeters from the smallest representative to 1.2 m from the largest. Differences in weight from 60 grams to 6 kilograms, respectively. Hornbills got their name because of the large long beaks, sharply bent down and having at their base significant outgrowths of various shapes. The edges of the beak with irregular notches, and inside the hollow, because of what they are quite easy despite the size. The function of outgrowths in hornbills is not clear, but scientists suggest that they may serve to support beaks, increase screams, or attract females.
Rhino birds are mostly large stocky birds. In order to hold the head and the big beak, they have rather strong neck muscles. Head relative to body size is small, tail, neck and wings are rather long, and legs are very short. The plumage of most hornbills is black, white, gray or brown. These birds can fly quite long distances, although the flight is rarely long. During the flight, the air passes through the air spaces between the wing feathers of the wings, resulting in a vibrating sound similar to the sound of an approaching train.
Some species have bare skin on the throat and around the eyes, and thick, long eyelashes on the upper eyelid. Hornbills are rather loud, in almost all species, there is often repeated sharp, deaf, monosyllabic or two-syllable cry. It can be heard from time to time while birds are flying, or when they are alarmed. If the bird is injured or caught, it publishes an incessant horrific screech. This sound can be heard even a mile away.
13 flamingos
The flamingo is the only genus of birds in the family Flamingos and in the detachment Flamingos. Flamingos are common in Africa, the Caucasus, Southeast and Central Asia, as well as in South and Central America. Colonies of pink, or ordinary, flamingos also exist in southern Spain, France, and Sardinia. This species is the largest and most common species in the family. His height reaches 130 centimeters. Flamingos have thin long legs, a flexible neck and plumage, the color of which varies from white to red. Their distinctive feature is a massive, curved down beak, with which they filter food from water or sludge.
Unlike most other birds, the moving part of the beak of a flamingo is not the bottom, but the top. Flamingos live in large colonies along the shores of shallow ponds or lagoons. Flamingo colonies often number hundreds of thousands of individuals. These birds feed mainly on crustaceans, algae, and insect larvae. Pathogenic microorganisms develop in the surrounding water due to bird droppings, and even a slight scratch on the skin can lead to inflammation. From 1 to 3 large eggs are hatched in seals made of silt. Flamingos make high cone-shaped nests made of silt, mud and coquina in shallow water that reach 60 centimeters in height. Nestlings are born well developed, active and leave the nest within a few days.
12 Barn Owl
The common barn owl is a bird of prey of the barn owl family, the most common bird in the world of the barn owl genus. Found on almost all continents, with the exception of Antarctica. Its body length is about 35 centimeters, and its wingspan is 80-95 centimeters. The weight of birds varies from 187 to 700 grams. The plumage is very soft, fluffy. Upper body usually ocher-red with small dark stripes and specks. The tail is short. A distinctive feature of all vultures is a facial corolla, which is heart-shaped, usually white with an ocher rim, with small patches of red feathers under the eyes. Feet completely covered with feathers. Males and females are little different from each other.
Ears are located asymmetrically - one of them is located in the forehead, and the other - at the level of the nostrils. This structure of the hearing aid helps the birds perfectly at different angles to hear the sounds made by a potential victim. Most often, the barn owls make different sounds during the breeding season - at this time they hoarsely or shrillly shout, snort, hoot. Thanks to its special, hoarse and rattling cry “heee”, the bird received its Russian name “barn owl”. Outside the breeding season, birds are usually silent. In addition to voice sounds, barn owls sometimes click with their beak, tongue, or defiantly flapping their wings.
11 Ordinary Rosella
The common Rosella is a bird of the parrot family living in the south-east of Australia and on the island of Tasmania. The length of its body reaches 30 centimeters, and its wings - about 11 centimeters. Bird weight about 50-60 grams. The upper side of the back is black, but each feather is bordered with green-yellow color, the lower back is greenish-yellow. The neck and chest are bright red, the lower part of the chest is bright yellow. Belly, nadhvoste and thighs are light green. Wings lilac-blue with black spots. Nadkhvoste light green. The color of the females is more dull. Their cheeks are greyish-white in color, the green-motley color of the upper neck in the shape of a triangle comes to the back of the head, the beak and head are smaller than those of the males.
Ordinary rosella settle in places of high human activity - savannas, parks. They feed on seeds of wild and cultivated herbs and some fruits. They can harm cultural crops, but they also bring benefits by destroying weeds and eating harmful insects. Roselled flight is wavy, with frequent flaps of wings, rarely fly long distances. Easy to move on the ground. The voice is quite loud, but not unpleasant, in the mating season, the males emit a melodious whistle, almost singing.
10 Parrot Lori
Lori parrots, like some previous participants in our ranking, are representatives of the subfamily of parrots. The subfamily is divided into 12 genera, including 62 species. They live in Australia, New Guinea, eastern Indonesia and the Philippines. Nest in the hollows of trees, and several species even in termites. They feed on lory mainly with pollen and nectar, as well as soft, juicy fruits. Their tongue ends with a brush of horny papillae. С их помощью птицы высасывают сок из плодов и нектар из цветов.
Желтоспинные лори обладают скрипучим и необыкновенно резким голосом, благодаря которому легко учатся повторять речь человека и другие слышимые звуки. В процессе обучения лори желтоспинные запоминают до 50 слов и до 15 небольших предложений. Происхождение названия лори изначально определяется от голландского «клоун». Птицы имеют очень сочный и яркий окрас, больше подходящий в качестве наряда для цирковой арены. But in nature, such a disguise protects the parrot, which can easily feed among the flowers and leaves.
9 bird of paradise
The bird of paradise is a representative of the family of passerine birds. A total of 45 species, 38 of which are found only on New Guinea and small adjacent islands. As a rule, these are forest birds, some species can be found only in high mountain forests. These fantastic birds are the closest relatives of our common crows, and the value can be from jay to lark. Most of them have bright plumage, some dark, with a metallic tinge. Red, blue and yellow colors predominate. Males are usually colored brighter than females, many have feathers on their heads, sides or tail, which are displayed during complex mating games.
Birds feed on seeds, berries, small fruits, mainly eat insects, small tree frogs and lizards. Usually these birds are kept alone. Couples are not as common. Some species are monogamous and create pairs for life. Paradise birds build their nests in most cases on branches. And only the royal bird of paradise suits him in the hollows of trees. The female lays and incubates only 2 eggs.
8 Crowned Crane
Crowned Crane - a large bird from the family of real cranes, leading a sedentary lifestyle in West and East Africa. The bird is about 100 centimeters high, with a wingspan of 183-198 centimeters and a weight of 4-5 kilograms. The plumage of the majority of the body is black or dark gray, the covering feathers of the elytra are white. The main distinguishing feature of this species is the presence of a large tuft on its head, consisting of rigid golden-colored feathers, thanks to which the bird got its name. On the cheeks there are red and white spots on the pair on each side.
There are no visible differences between the male and female, although the males look somewhat larger. In young birds, the plumage is lighter, the feathers of the upper body at the ends are red, and the bottom is of a sandy color. The back of the neck is brown and the face is yellow. Lives in open spaces - both swampy and more arid, but prefers freshwater swamps, flood plains or waterfront shores. Often in the habitat you can see acacias or other trees on which birds settle for the night. The crowned crane is not afraid of a person and often settles close to human habitation. Has the status of a vulnerable species in the International Red Book.
7 South American Harpy
The South American harpy is a large bird of prey, a forest eagle from the family of hawks, nesting and hunting on the plains of the tropical forests of Central and South America, from Mexico to Brazil. The harpy is the strongest of all birds of prey. The body length of this eagle reaches 110 centimeters, its wingspan is about 2 meters, and its weight is about 8 kilograms. The harpy has a dark gray back, a light gray head with large dark eyes and a relatively small but powerful black beak. At the moment of excitement, the harpy lifts the feathers on the head almost vertically like a “horn”.
Paws of the harpies are extremely large and powerful, capable of supporting a very large weight, the fingers are armed with very long black claws. The main food of the harpy are sloths and monkeys, as well as some other animals of South America. In addition, harpies attack macaw parrots, and are the only predators hunting wood porcupines. Harpy villages often carry pigs and small dogs. Harpy nests in the crown of tall trees at a height of 50-75 meters above the ground. The female lays, as a rule, one yellowish egg. Chicks develop very slowly and are under the care of their parents for a long time. At the age of 8-10 months the harpy chicks already fly well, but cannot feed on their own. Can fast up to 10-14 days without harm to themselves.
6 Golden Pheasant
The Golden Pheasant is one of the brightest members of the pheasant family. Golden pheasants live in the mountainous regions of central China at an altitude of up to 2,000 meters above sea level, in the mountain forests of southeastern Tibet and in the north of Assam. In Central Europe, there are semi-wild populations of golden pheasant. Males have a very beautiful plumage and, therefore, as decorative birds are contained in zoos. Golden pheasants avoid forest, swampy and open areas. For most of the year, golden pheasants are kept alone. With the onset of spring, the behavior of birds changes, and they begin to strive for partnership.
In their homeland, golden pheasants feed mainly on leaves and shoots of various shrubs, as well as bamboo. They also eat rhododendron flowers. During the day, they feed on the ground, and at night they sleep, fleeing from predators, high in the trees. Golden pheasant keeps within its own territory. Birds living high in the mountains often descend to lower areas during the day. In search of food, the golden pheasant crawls through even the thickest thickets with ease. The diet of golden pheasants living in Europe has been little studied. Probably, the menu of European golden pheasants does not differ from the menu of their Chinese relatives.
5 Atlantic Puffin
The Atlantic Tupik is an all-bird bird living on the coast of northern Africa and the east coast of the Atlantic Ocean. Body length 30-35 centimeters, weigh 450-500 g. The high, brightly colored beak is strongly compressed from the sides. The back is black, the underparts are white. Paws are orange-red. Dead ends walk well, fly, swim and dive using wings and legs. Despite its relatively small size, the bird's life span is about 25 years. Working in full force with its wings, a dead end can reach speeds of up to 80 km / h during flights.
Nest in groups or colonies on steep seashores. They feed on small fish and marine invertebrates. They spend most of their time at sea, rocking on the waves, sometimes hundreds of kilometers from land. This is a period when dead ends can lead a solitary lifestyle, although some are kept in pairs. In the spring, hundreds of dead ends gather on the shore to breed chicks. Most often, these birds dig burrows with their beak in the steep slopes of the hills, and sometimes among the stones at the foot of the rocks.
4 woody duck
Tree or whistling ducks are a genus of waterfowl from the family of ducks, which are common in the tropical and subtropical zones. Woody ducks have intermediate characteristics between ducks and geese: they resemble ducks in their physique, and long legs and necks, as well as wide, blunt wings of geese. Males and females are not different from each other. Swim well and dive, collecting food in the upper layers of water, like river ducks. On dry land the body is kept upright. Toes are designed so that they easily capture tree branches, on which some species sometimes sit down - hence the name “woody”.
The second name, “whistling ducks”, arose due to a special way of communication between birds - they emit melodic whistles. The plumage is not bright - usually brown, gray or beige tones prevail in it. Active mainly at night. They feed mainly on vegetative parts of aquatic plants and phytoplankton, filtering water in the upper layers of water. Hybrids with other species, unlike many ducks, do not form. In places of overnight stays they gather in large flocks.
3 Red Parrot Ara
Opens the top three list of the most beautiful birds - Red Macaw from the family of parrots. This bird lives in tropical forests from Mexico to Ecuador, Bolivia and the Amazon River, preferring to stay in the crowns of tall trees. Body length 78-90 centimeters, wings from 28 to 40 centimeters, tail from 50 to 62 centimeters. The head, the top of the wings, the neck, the top of the back, the breast and abdomen are bright red, the nadhvoste and the bottom of the wings are bright blue, a yellow stripe runs across the wings. Bare cheeks are bright with rows of white feathers. Nadklyuve white with a brown-black spot at the base of the beak and black tip. The iris is yellow. In the female, the beak is smaller and wider at the base, and its upper half has a steeper bend.
They feed mainly on plant food: fruits, nuts, young shoots of trees and shrubs. During the period of ripening of agricultural crops, they fly to feed on the fields and plantations, which bring considerable damage to the crop. They are very attached to the hollow where they nest, use it during the breeding seasons for many years in a row. The marriage period begins usually in April-May. Sitting side by side on a branch, turning their tails in opposite directions, the parrots gently touch each other's feathers, and they accompany all actions with soft, gurgling sounds. Then the male begins to dance, shake his head, throw it back and nod.
2 Mandarin Duck
In second place is Mandarin Duck - a bird of the duck family, common only in East Asia. In Russia, mandarin nests in the Amur and Sakhalin regions, in the Khabarovsk and Primorsky Territories. Winters in China and Japan. This is a small duck weighing about 600 grams. The male has a crest on the head and is more brightly colored than the female. This duck inhabits mountain streams with tree branches hanging above the water and riverside mountain forests. Mandarin swims well, but rarely dives, only when injured. Its flight is fast and maneuverable, it flies easily, sometimes almost vertically. Unlike most ducks, a mandarin can often be seen sitting on tree branches or on coastal cliffs. This bird is listed in the Red Book of Russia as a rare species.
They feed on seeds, mainly acorns and aquatic plants. Also mandarins eat mollusks, worms and fish caviar. Nests are usually arranged in hollows at different heights, sometimes up to 10 meters, less often they nest on the ground. In laying, there are from 7 to 14 eggs, which the female incubates for about 30 days. The released chicks independently jump out of the nest to the ground. The weather conditions affect the breeding success of the mandarin - the chicks are very sensitive to hypothermia.
The first place in our ranking of the most beautiful birds is, of course, the peacock. This bird is a monotypic species, that is, it is not subdivided into subspecies, but it has a number of color variations. Widely distributed in Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka at an altitude of 2000 meters above sea level, it lives in jungles and woodlands, on cultivated lands and near villages, preferring thickets of bushes, forest clearings and river banks. Oiled by man. A characteristic feature of the male is the strong development of the upper tail feathers, mistaken for the tail.
The body length is 100-125 centimeters, the tail is 40-50 centimeters, the elongated feathers of the tail is 120-160 centimeters. The male weighs about 4 kilograms. The head, neck and part of the chest are blue, the back is green, the underparts are black. The female is smaller, more modestly colored and lacks elongated feathers on the uppertail. Peacock is a polygamous bird: the male lives with a group of 3-5 females. Sexual maturity reaches two to three years. The breeding season is from April to September. Lays 4-10 eggs directly on the ground, makes up to three clutches a year in captivity. The incubation period for eggs is 28 days. A young male from one to 1.5 years old is wearing a dress similar to that of a female, and typical adult feathers are fully developed only at the age of three years. Life expectancy is about 20 years.
