bird

Table of Contents

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images, Videos & Interactives

zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata)

basic body feather tracts on a generalized songbird

black woodpecker (Dryocopus martius)

pigeon skeleton

The origins of birds.

North American bird migration

red jungle fowl

California quail

For Students

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sea turtle (reptile). Green turtle (Chelonia mydas) (C. mydas) off the Hawaii Islands, Pacific Islands. Green sea turtle, chelonian. Homepage blog 2011, science and technology, animal

5 Vertebrate Groups

Shoebill. A Shoebill Stork (Balaeniceps rex), aka 'Whalehead' standing in shallow marsh. Resides in tropical East Africa. A very large bird related to the storks. It derives its name from its massive shoe-shaped bill.

Funky Feathers: 10 Bizarre Birds

Common, or southern, cassowary (Casuarius casuarius).

8 Birds That Can’t Fly

animal. Amphibian. Frog. Anura. Ranidae. Frog in grass.

Abundant Animals: The Most Numerous Organisms in the World

Magpie (Pica pica), perched on a log, bird

Eurasian Magpie: A True Bird Brain

Discover

July, 2006, Launch of Space Shuttle Discovery STS-121. See attached for full caption information.

Will Light-Speed Space Travel Ever Be Possible?

Figure 13: A Maxim machine gun, belt-fed and water-cooled, operated by German infantrymen, World War I.

7 Deadliest Weapons in History

Agnes with a lamb near her feet. St. Agnes (Saint Agnes) design drawing for stained glass window by J&R Lamb Studios, ink, mount size 10.5 x 14.5 in.

Roman Catholic Saints

Mona Lisa, oil on wood panel by Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1503-06; in the Louvre, Paris, France. 77 x 53 cm.

Why Is the Mona Lisa So Famous?

Submerged sperm whale off east Sri Lanka coast, mammal

How Did the Sperm Whale Get Its Name?

All Saints Day. All Souls Day. Candles in cemetery in Poland on All Saints Day, November 1. All Souls Day, November 2. Christian church, All Hallows, Solemnity of All Saints, Feast of All Saints, purgatory, Roman Catholic church

7 Unique Burial Rituals Across the World

Artist interpretation of a Space meteoroid impact. Meteor impact. Asteroid, End of the world, danger, destruction, dinosaur extinct, Judgement Day, Planet Earth, Doomsday Predictions, comet

10 Failed Doomsday Predictions

bird: Facts & Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

News •

Norfolk bird surveyors find Britain’s oldest known oystercatchers • Apr. 25, 2025, 3:38 AM ET (The Guardian)

Facts

Also Known As	Aves • fowl

Photos and Videos

zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata)

basic body feather tracts on a generalized songbird

black woodpecker (Dryocopus martius)

pigeon skeleton

North American bird migration

red jungle fowl

California quail

European, or common, starling

View a flock of red-billed queleas at the Etosha National Park

Evolution and diversity in Galapagos finches

Learn how a hummingbird can fly in any direction and about its iridescent plumage

Observe flightless cormorants in their natural habitat on coasts of Fernandina and Isabela islands

See the black skimmer water bird skim the calm surface with its longer lower mandible in search of prey

See All Videos, Images and Interactives →

Topics

list of U.S. state birds Origins of Birds pigeon songbird flightless bird ornithology bird-watching Confuciusornis wren aviary reptile fish insect mammal chondrichthyan crustacean amphibian mollusk arachnid agnathan

Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Key People

Jean Theodore Delacour

French aviculturist

Newton, Alfred

Alfred Newton

British zoologist

John James Audubon

John James Audubon

American artist

Hudson, W.H.

W.H. Hudson

British author, naturalist, and ornithologist

Mayr, Ernst

Ernst Mayr

American biologist

Magellanic penguin, left (Spheniscus magellanicus), and king shag (Phalacrocorax albiventer), watercolour and pencil by Roger Tory Peterson, from his book Penguins (1979); Houghton Mifflin

Roger Tory Peterson

American ornithologist

Maria Martin

American artist

Baird, Spencer Fullerton

Spencer Fullerton Baird

American naturalist

Alexander Wilson, detail of an engraving by W.H. Lizars

Alexander Wilson

Scottish ornithologist

John Gould

British ornithologist

Belon, detail from an engraving

Pierre Belon

French naturalist

Frank M. Chapman

Frank M. Chapman

American ornithologist

David Lambert Lack

British author and ornithologist

Alexander Wetmore

American ornithologist

Jack Miner

Canadian naturalist

Elliott Coues

American ornithologist

Charles-Lucien Bonaparte, prince di Canino e di Musignano

French scientist

John Bachman

American naturalist and minister

Quiz

Sea otter (Enhydra lutris), also called great sea otter, rare, completely marine otter of the northern Pacific, usually found in kelp beds. Floats on back. Looks like sea otter laughing. saltwater otters

Animal Group Names

Mute swan with cygnet. (birds)

Match the Baby Animal to Its Mama Quiz

A male cardinal perched in a tree (birds, redbirds).

U.S. State Bird Quiz

turkey vulture. vulture. Close-up of a head and beak of a Turkey vulture (Cathartes aura).

A Little Bird Told Me

Nine-Banded Armadillo.

A Is for Animal Quiz

Macaw. bird. Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao) in Quantana Roo, Mexico. A large colorful parrot native to tropical North and South America.

Know Your Birds Quiz: Part One

Prairie falcon (Falco mexicanus) in mid-flight.

Know Your Birds Quiz: Part Two

Young chimpanzee dressed in a shirt and sweater vest, scratching his head thinking. (primates)

Wild Words from the Animal Kingdom Vocabulary Quiz

Lion (panthera leo)

Deadliest Animals Quiz

Dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius). Animals, mammals.

Ultimate Animals Quiz

vulture. An adult bearded vulture at a raptor recovery center. The Gypaetus barbatus also known as the Lammergeier or Lammergeyer, is a bird of prey and considered an Old World vulture.

Animal Factoids

Birds, Birds, Birds Quiz

Dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius). Animals, mammals.

Ultimate Animals Quiz

pigeon. pigeon and dove. member of the order Columbiformes, family Columbidae

Ultimate Bird Trivia Quiz

Great Grey Owl or Great Gray Owl (Strix nebulosa), Alaska. Wood owls, birds.

All About Birds Quiz

turkey vulture. vulture. Close-up of a head and beak of a Turkey vulture (Cathartes aura).

A Little Bird Told Me

List

Common, or southern, cassowary (Casuarius casuarius).

8 Birds That Can’t Fly

Sergeant Stubby or also known as Mascot Stubby. Unofficial mascot dog of the 102nd Infantry Regiment of the United States with the 26th (Yankee) Division in World War I. War dog. Possibly a Boston terrier - also sometimes described as a Boston bull terrier

8 Famous Animals

Prairie falcon (Falco mexicanus) in mid-flight.

11 Questions About Birds Answered

Shoebill. A Shoebill Stork (Balaeniceps rex), aka 'Whalehead' standing in shallow marsh. Resides in tropical East Africa. A very large bird related to the storks. It derives its name from its massive shoe-shaped bill.

Funky Feathers: 10 Bizarre Birds

sea turtle (reptile). Green turtle (Chelonia mydas) (C. mydas) off the Hawaii Islands, Pacific Islands. Green sea turtle, chelonian. Homepage blog 2011, science and technology, animal

5 Vertebrate Groups

Close-up of ostriches (Struthio camelus) necks and heads; location unknown.

6 of the World's Most Dangerous Birds

White-throated sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) at Shenandoah National Park, Virginia. (birds)

15 of the Best Birdsongs (According to Britannica)

Collage of different cats. Made for the cat quiz on Mendel

16 Questions About Pets Answered

Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) standing on rock, side view, Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

The Fastest Animals on Earth

animal. Amphibian. Frog. Anura. Ranidae. Frog in grass.

Abundant Animals: The Most Numerous Organisms in the World

Demystified

The fierce snake (also known as the inland taipan, western taipan and Oxyuranus microlepidotus) is the most venomous snake in the world.

How Deadly Are Australia’s Animals?

Black-headed gulls perching on a roof with bird droppings, often seen in flocks around London, England, in winter time. The "black head" develops during the breeding season. (black headed, birds, guano, bird poop)

Do Birds Pee?

High Angle View Of Bird Dropping On Footpath

Why Is Bird Poop White?