Birds Archives:
Albatrosses are truly birds of the sea; only when they nest do they come to land. Gliding on long, pointed wings, albatrosses ride the winds for hours and may travel several hundred miles a day. At night they rest on the surface of the sea, often feeding on squid and other small ocean animals during [...]
It is not really known exactly why boobies were given that name by sailors who first saw them and may have visited their nesting colonies on tropical islands. The sailors may have thought that the birds were “boobies” because they were so trusting. Since boobies nest, for the most part, on small uninhabited islands, they [...]
The mewling cries of gulls soaring high in the air is a familiar sound in many coastal towns. Yet it still seems strange to see these long-winged birds circling in the air above tall buildings. The raucous gulls are a welcome addition to harbour towns, for they are valuable scavengers. They keep the waters clean [...]
Parrots have been popular as pets since the days of the ancient Greeks and Rornans. Old prints show Christopher Columbus presenting a parrot at the court of Ferdinand and Isabella. Robinson Crusoe had a parrot on his desert island, which he brought back with him to England. There are always parrots in pirate and sailing [...]
The birds of the order Strigiformes are owls of all kinds: barn owls, screech owls, horned owls. Owls have been used as symbols of wisdom; they have been considered also as birds of ill omen. This superstitious fear is probably due to their silent flight, to the disconcerting stare of their big round eyes, to [...]