Image: Jim Cumming / 4x6 / Moment Open / DigitalVision Vectors / Getty Images
About This Quiz
You can identify birds, also known as Aves or avian dinosaurs, by their beaked jaws that lack teeth, their ability to lay hard-shelled eggs, their speedy metabolism and a lightweight skeleton. While most fly, many cannot, in part due to their vast size disparity: the smallest bird, the bee hummingbird, measures just two inches long, while the largest, the ostrich, measures up to nine feet.
What if, in addition to wings, though, they had arms? Would you still be able to discern a bluejay from a Florida scrub? A puffin from a penguin? Would they look less like an egg-laying vertebrate and more like your neighbor wearing a disguise?
Some of the birds featured in the following quiz are weird enough as they are, boasting bright turquoise claws, painting their own feathers with clay or sleeping with one eye open. What if we added some arms to the mix?
Since wings originally evolved from forelimbs, a couple of extra limbs wouldn't be a totally random addition. The extinct moa bird, after all, had no wings. Perhaps these arms will let you imagine a different time, when birds belonged to a group of theropod dinosaurs in the Mesozoic Era. Or maybe you'll get distracted by imagining how weird it would be if birds had arms today.
Regardless, let's see how much bird species knowledge you're truly armed with!
Heron
Flamingo
Flamingos are easily recognizable across the globe, though they mostly live in South America, Africa, the Middle East and India, around lakes and lagoons. In recent years, there have been two sightings of ultra-rare black flamingos, which occur due to the genetic condition melanism.
Puffin
Crane
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Auklet
Guillemot
Tufted puffin
The largest of all puffin species, the tufted puffin lives in the colder waters of the North Pacific. During mating season, golden plumage resembling hair sprouts atop both male and female heads. Afterward, the plumage disappears. Another fun fact: the tufted puffin can hold up to 20 fish in its mouth to bring back to its chicks!
Murre
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Auk
Blue-footed booby
The blue-footed booby lives near the Pacific shorelines of Central and South America. Its vibrant blue feet, which almost look spray-painted on, occurred through sexual selection. The "booby" part of its name is derived from the Spanish word "bobo," a rough translation of "clown" or "stupid."
Gannet
Common loon
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Merlin
Peregrine falcon
By flying high in the air and then plunging carefully downward, falcons can fly up to a remarkable 240 miles per hour, which makes them the fastest birds in the world. Naturally, this speed advantage helps them capture smaller birds before they can even see what's coming.
Osprey
Sea eagle
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Snowy egret
Shoebill stork
The shoebill stork's beak kind of resembles a clog and is perhaps the most memorable in all the Aves class. Coupled with a strong jaw, the hardened bill serves to help it quickly dismember prey. This bird mostly gobbles up fish, amphibians, reptiles and some smaller birds.
Great blue heron
Big bird
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Garden warbler
Robin
Jay
There are more than 30 species of jays, which belong to the family Corvidae, alongside the likes of crows, ravens, magpies and nutcrackers. Many jays are known to make a lot of noise and steal eggs from other birds.
Blackcap
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Puffin
Pelican
Parrot
Toucan
There are about 35 species of this vibrant bird, all of which are known for their big bills and awe-inspiring color. Its bill can reach nearly half of its total length and is made from ultra-lightweight material, akin to human fingernail. Even still, the big beak, short wings and long tail make the toucan a poor, clumsy flyer.
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Woodpecker
The woodpecker family includes over 180 species of birds, which appear nearly all over the world. As their name suggests, you can often find them pecking away at trees, in search of insects. In spring, male woodpeckers make raucous noise, both by pecking and calling, as they attempt to hold down their territories.
Robin
Quail
Ibis
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Anna's hummingbird
Bee hummingbird
Ruby-throated hummingbird
The greatest variety of hummingbirds can be found in South America, but about a dozen species live in the U.S. and Canada, including the ruby-throated hummingbird. The bee hummingbird is the world's smallest bird, which barely reaches two inches and weighs about .06 ounces. The largest hummingbird in the world, aptly named the giant hummingbird, measures up to 9 inches. Also, did you know that hummingbirds can fly backward?
Rufous hummingbird
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Volcano junco
Golden pheasant
The golden pheasant exists in a stunning array of colors and patterns, with gold typically being a focal hue. They mostly munch on bamboo, insects, seeds, berries and flowers, and they are relatively small. Since they're poor flyers, they typically stay on the ground.
Leaf warbler
Starling
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English short-faced tumbler
Indian fantail
Victoria crowned pigeon
The Victoria crowned pigeon is clearly no ordinary pigeon. Located in New Guinea, this bird boasts rich sapphire plumage with a lace-like crest. Roughly the size of a chicken, it's also the largest living species of pigeon.
French mondain
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Large conure parrot
African grey parrot
Most parrots can learn perhaps a few dozen words, whereas the super-smart African grey parrot can often learn many more. One African grey at Tennessee's Knoxville Zoo, the 30-year-old Einstein, can produce over 200 words and sounds. We mean, we can barely say 200 words!
Amazon parrot
Hawk-headed parrot
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Bunting
Leaf warbler
Lark
Cardinal
The medium thick-billed cardinal is among the most widespread of North American birds. They're easily identified by their clear whistle and vibrant scarlet hue. One weird thing they do that scientists can't explain, though: they sometimes smear living or dead ants all over their wings. Experts think this may be a form of insect repellent.
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Bohemian waxwing
Bird of paradise
Male birds of paradise exhibit visually striking colors and adornments, like elongated feathers, enormous head plumage, head fans or breast shields. They also perform incredibly elaborate dances to impress potential mates. You definitely have to see it to believe it — one such ritual is captured on "Planet Earth."
Peafowl
Scarlet macaw
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Greater rhea
Emu
Kiwi
These flightless birds possess feathers that feel a lot like hair, as well as dense, marrow-filled bones and nostrils on the nose-tip (rather than at the beak's base, like most birds). With so much in common with warm-blooded mammals, we might as well just welcome them to the club, right?
Condor
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Thrush
Wren
Most wrens live in North America, but the Eurasian wren prefers Europe and parts of Asia. These small, stout birds hunt insects among marshes, rocks and shrubs. While often impeccably camouflaged, they can be spotted through their endless chattering and lively song.
Robin
Scrubfowl
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Alabio
Marbled
Mallard
The mallard duck, native to the Northern Hemisphere, is the ancestor of most types of domestic ducks. If you hear a mallard quack, it's a female: they're the only ones who make that sound. Take a peek while they sleep, if you can, because the "guard" ducks on the perimeter often sleep with one eye open, just in case. Handy trick, right?
Canvasback
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Common cuckoo
Anis
Koel
Roadrunner
Beep beep! It's Roadrunner, from everyone's favorite throwback cartoons, "Looney Tunes." Native to the deserts of Mexico and the southwestern U.S., roadrunners reach about 22 inches long and are notoriously clumsy flyers. As such, they typically prefer to scurry along roads or across flatlands, much in the manner of Wile E. Coyote's pal.
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Brown booby
Magnificent frigatebird
The giant-beaked magnificent frigatebird seems to float in the air, rarely flapping its wings. The male has an immense red gular pouch that covers almost half of its body. Aside from their impressive protrusion, they're mostly known for trying to force other birds to drop or regurgitate their food so they can eat it. Yum!
Common murre
Razorbill
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Lapwing
Crested ibis
Scaly-sided merganser
Blue tit
Although they're small, blue tits are known for their intellect and impressive adaptive behaviors. For instance, in some U.K. towns, blue tits notoriously followed milk delivery people, puncturing the foil lids on bottles and extracting the milk for themselves. European robins have also reportedly attempted the thievery, though with much less success.
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Robin
Swallow
Kinglet
Canary
Thanks to over 400 years of selective breeding on behalf of humans, the canary sings beautifully and typically possesses a lovely yellow color. It can live from 10 to 20 years and sings all the live-long day.
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Greater rhea
Condor
Albatross
Ostrich
The eye of an ostrich is about the size of a billiard ball — larger than its brain. This explains why the ostrich isn't exactly known for its intellect: it tends to run around in circles, aimlessly. The largest, heaviest living bird on Earth, the ostrich can reach speeds of 43 miles per hour, though, so you definitely want to watch out.
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True owl
Horned owl
When you hear "horned owl," most people picture the great horned owl of the Americas, which ranges from South America to the Arctic. With a wingspan of up to 4.6 feet and claws capable of carrying off hens, you don't want to challenge an owl. While they typically tear up larger prey, sometimes they even swallow it whole. Gulp.
Barn owl
Eostrix
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Falcon
Cassowary
Belonging to the Casuariiformes order, alongside the emu, there are three species of cassowary. The largest species inhabits New Guinea, surrounding islands and Australia and can reach five feet tall. They can sprint up to 31 miles per hour and are known to slice and kill humans with their razor-sharp, clawed feet — yikes, right? Unfortunately, in 2019 one of these rare birds killed a Florida man who kept it as a pet. Yeah, you probably shouldn't adopt one, either.
Peacock
Ostrich
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Wood thrush
Hermit thrush
Song thrush
Bassian thrush
The Bassian thrush, native to Australia, looks as brown and average as many birds. What is not ordinary about it, though, is that it uses its flatulence to draw prey from the ground. For instance, if it locates a worm hidden in a mound, it will repeatedly break wind in the general direction until the worm emerges. This feeding technique may be among the most bizarre of all birds.
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Budgerigar or budgie
The adorable budgie, a common parakeet, is the only bird species that scientists know for sure is susceptible to contagious yawning. Alongside the likes of humans, dogs, cats, chimps and rats, the budgie is the first non-mammal known to engage in this behavior, which scientists think might be a way to display empathy.
Sun conure
Turquoise parrot
Green rosella
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Partridge
Thrush
A thrush can be identified by its slender bill and "booted" lower leg, which means it features just one single scale instead of several smaller ones, like most birds. They live nearly everywhere, with the most varieties found in Africa.
Guan
Raven
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Dunnock
Volcano junco
Swainson’s thrush
When Swainson’s thrush birds arrive from North America after wintering in South America, the males quickly claim their territories in the forest. Then, in a bizarre game of "hard-to-get," they aggressively defend their homes from female birds. Eventually, they give in. Afterward, they sometimes stay with the same mate year after year.
Guadalupe thrush
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Bohemian waxwing
Ribbon-tailed Astrapia
The male ribbon tailed Astrapia is about a foot long with a three-foot decorative tail, which is the longest tail-to-body ratio of all birds. Though the males tend to trip on them from time to time, it might be worth it: they're designed to impress the females.
Red-billed streamertail
Hyacinth macaw
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Nightingale
Bluebird
As the name suggests, the bluebird is indeed blue in color. There are three species of this colorful avian creature in North America, all of which sing softly and sweetly. Some boast a vibrant red breast.
Jay
Sparrow
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Raven
There are about 10 known species of ravens in the world. While they're closely related to crows, ravens possess heavier bills and more shaggy plumage; their feathers also tend to have a slight purple or blue hue. Scientists think ravens are among the smartest animals in the world. They can remember faces for up to a few years and, in captivity, can imitate human speech even better than some parrots. They can also mimic a variety of noises, including car engines and other animal sounds.
Crow
Rook
Magpie
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Northern goshawk
Common buzzard
Lammergeier vulture
Nicknamed the "beautiful vulture," the lammergeier feeds on marrow from shattered bones after it drops them from steep heights. Most remarkably, though, this bird frequently dyes its feathers, using natural substances. They primarily use mineralized clay to color their feathers, creating highlights even your hairstylist would approve of.
Red kite
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Buzzard
Gyrfalcon
Hawk
Condor
With a wingspan up to 10.5 feet and weight up to 33 pounds, the fact that these fairly large creatures can take flight is pretty impressive. There are two varieties: the black Andean condor and the slightly smaller California condor. Unfortunately, the latter is critically endangered.
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Circinae
Osprey
Arctic skua or jaeger
Arctic skuas, also known as parasitic jaegers, typically nest on the ground in Arctic and temperate regions. If they see another seabird grab a fish, the skua often will harass it in flight until they drop their meal. Then, the skua will catch the snack in midair and fly away. Rude!
Peregrine falcon
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Kinglet
Dunnock
Robin
Wren
About 80 species of wren live across North and South America. One breed, the canyon wren, is notable for its tendency to move several stones to form a pathway in front of its nesting site. Its prolific landscaping skills have earned it the nickname "the patio decorator."
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Common kestrel
Northern goshawk
Eurasian sparrowhawk
Osprey
You can find the osprey near water throughout the Americas. The bird deftly plunges into the water, seizing (typically large) fish with its talons before flying off. Unlike other birds, they carry fish perfectly parallel to their bodies to improve flight handling, which makes them look a bit like an airplane with a fuel tank.
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Leaf warbler
Satin bowerbird
The male bowerbird can be seen arranging an intricate array of found bright objects in hopes of impressing his prospective mate. This structure is called the "bower," which he then sings and dances loudly above. These birds live in New Guinea and Australia.
Swallow
Starling
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Crested ibis
Hoatzin
The Amazon Basin's hoatzin bird typically smells strongly of cow manure and hay. It munches solely on leaves, which it digests very, very slowly with help from its gullet and crop that serve as fermentation houses (yeah, hence the smell). Strangely, the baby hoatzin possesses claws on each wing — almost like arms — which it uses for climbing. After three months, the claws disappear.
Kakapo
Frigatebird
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Chuck-will's-widow
Nighthawk
Frogmouth
Common poorwill
While most people typically think of bears when they hear the word "hibernation," some birds, like hummingbirds and swifts, can slow their metabolism on cold nights. The common poorwill, though, is the only bird we know of that can enter a full hibernation state. When the desert landscape in which it dwells cools and the insects it feeds on vanish, the common poorwill burrows into a rock crevice until spring comes knocking.
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Frogmouth
Related to nightjars and owls, the silly-looking frogmouth spends much of its time patiently awaiting insects, much like a frog. Not much of an aerodynamicist, though, it tends to be a bit clumsy and lazy in its hunt.
Eostrix
Nighthawk
Caprimulgus
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You Got:
/40
Image: Jim Cumming / 4x6 / Moment Open / DigitalVision Vectors / Getty Images
About This Quiz
You can identify birds, also known as Aves or avian dinosaurs, by their beaked jaws that lack teeth, their ability to lay hard-shelled eggs, their speedy metabolism and a lightweight skeleton. While most fly, many cannot, in part due to their vast size disparity: the smallest bird, the bee hummingbird, measures just two inches long, while the largest, the ostrich, measures up to nine feet.
What if, in addition to wings, though, they had arms? Would you still be able to discern a bluejay from a Florida scrub? A puffin from a penguin? Would they look less like an egg-laying vertebrate and more like your neighbor wearing a disguise?
Some of the birds featured in the following quiz are weird enough as they are, boasting bright turquoise claws, painting their own feathers with clay or sleeping with one eye open. What if we added some arms to the mix?
Since wings originally evolved from forelimbs, a couple of extra limbs wouldn't be a totally random addition. The extinct moa bird, after all, had no wings. Perhaps these arms will let you imagine a different time, when birds belonged to a group of theropod dinosaurs in the Mesozoic Era. Or maybe you'll get distracted by imagining how weird it would be if birds had arms today.
Regardless, let's see how much bird species knowledge you're truly armed with!
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