Bird Facts

• Birds are warm blooded.
• There are around 10000 different species of birds worldwide.
  
• The Ostrich is the largest bird in the world. It also lays the largest eggs and has the fastest maximum running speed (97 kph).
  
• Scientists believe that birds evolved from theropod dinosaurs.
  
• Birds have hollow bones which help them fly.
  
• Some bird species are intelligent enough to create and use tools.
  
• The chicken is the most common species of bird found in the world.
  
• Kiwis are endangered, flightless birds that live in New Zealand. They lay the largest eggs relative to their body size of any bird in the world.
  
• Hummingbirds can fly backwards.
  
• The Bee Hummingbird is the smallest living bird in the world, with a length of just 5 cm (2 in).
  
• Around 20% of bird species migrate long distances every year.
  
• Homing pigeons are bred to find their way home from long distances away and have been used for thousands of years to carry messages.