birds sometimes hatch and grow up with both male and female characteristics. this is called bilateral gynandromorphism.

only 3% of bird species have penises.

only 3% of male bird species have penises.

kea parrots warble when they're happy - the first non-mammal species known to laugh.

in 1932 the australian army tried to eradicate emus using machine guns.

they lost.

 in real life, the average coyote runs 23 miles per hour faster than a roadrunner.

captive ravens are better than parrots at mimicking human speech.

just for the record, a coyote can run 23 mph faster than a roadrunner.

3 different australian bird species help spread wildfires to make it easier to spot prey.

a hummingbird weighs less than a penny.

ravens in captivity can learn, mimic, and understand more human words than parrots (more than 1,000). in the wild, ravens imitate other animal sounds to attract them and use them to tear open carcasses that the ravens otherwise would be unable to eat. they also use tools and even play dead to trick other ravens into staying away from their food supplies.

a hummingbird licks 10 to 15 times per second when feeding.

president andrew jackson's parrot was kicked out of his funeral for swearing.

birds will not reject their young if humans touch them. birds can't even smell humans.

more than 500 wild parrots live in new york city. they and their ancestors were accidentally released at jfk airport in the 1960's.

40 million years ago, penguins stood 6 feet tall and weighed 250 pounds.

magpies are one of the most intelligent creatures on earth, and the only non-mammal species able to recognize themselves in a mirror.

birds don't urinate.

a new and growing trend among sea lions is to chase down and rape penguins. we don't know why yet.

a species of fly named philornis downsi lays its eggs in birds' nests. the larvae attack and eat the chicks during the night.