Birds come in all sizes and shapes. There are the huge Andean Condors of South America and the tiny Hummingbirds that one finds in their garden. An Andean Condor has a wing span of over 3 meters and can weigh over 12 kg which is over 26 pounds. These birds can live a long time, in captivity it has been known for an Andean Condor to live over 75 years. The Andean Condor has been accused of stealing children and flying off with them, but this is believed to be an old wives tale. A Hummingbird, on the other hand, is only 3.5 inches from the tip of its tail to the tip of its beak. One of its feathers is only slightly longer than the diameter of a U.S. Penny. It's wings beat at the incredible rate of 60 to 200 times per second. The longest recorded life of one of these birds is nine years but most die within one year. A Hummingbird egg is about the size of a jelly bean.

Andean Condor
Photo Source: NOAA

There are also birds that don't fly. The Ostrich is the biggest bird in the world. The adult Ostrich has one of the most advanced immune systems of any animal. The average Ostrich is between 8 and 9 feet tall and weighs 350 to 400 pounds. This is not a bird to tease. This bird lives 50 years on average and has been know to live as long as 100 years. The bird can reach 45 mph at full gallop and is the fastest thing on two legs. But the Ostrich is not the only large non flying bird, only the largest. The Emperor Penguin is the largest of the sea birds. It can weigh up to 88 pounds. Its bones are not hollow like other birds. The Emperor lives on the ice floats of Antarctica. It is an amazing bird that can dive to depths of 870 feet and stay down for over 18 minutes. During mating season it can go for as long as 115 days without food. The Emu is another large non flying bird that is native to Australia. It is the second largest bird, being smaller only than an Ostrich. It grows to about 6 feet tall and weighs from 65 to 100 pounds. Emus will eat or drink anything they come across. One Emu came across a can of paint, drank the paint, then ate the can. There is also a much smaller bird, but not tiny, called the Kiwi. It comes from New Zealand and it has no wings, just stubby legs. Its brown feathers look like fur.

Emperor Penguins
Photo Source: NASA

One of the most dangerous bird in the world to hunt is the Sandhill Crane. This bird is considered dangerous because it sometimes will strike back at the hunter. The Sandhill Crane is about as tall as a human and has a wing span of almost 7 feet. When these birds are wounded they become fierce and have fooled many a hunter into thinking they were dead when they were just waiting to jump up and attack. Even relatively small birds can be fierce, just watch a Blue jay defending it's nest. The Blue jay will attack any human or animal, no matter how large, if it thinks it's nest is in danger. Sometimes this can look quite humorous to an outsider who is watching someone with a rolled up newspaper trying to fend off an angry bird. Believe me, when a Blue jay pecks you on the head it is no joke.

Sandhill Cranes
Photo Source: USGS, photographer D. A. Rintoul

Some parts of the country seem to be inundated with ducks and geese. Long Island, New York, is one of those areas. One doesn't have to travel far to see hundreds of geese and ducks milling around, just to to the nearest park. The geese and ducks are always looking for a free handout and in some cases will walk right up to you. You can't help but like them, and children especially get a thrill from seeing them. The problem is that there are too many of them and no one wants to see dozens of starving birds laying around helplessly. Amazingly, I have never seen this, all the birds seem well fed, even though there are signs everywhere telling you not to feed them. In the Long Island area there are also vast numbers of sea birds, some of which think nothing of swooping down and stealing food right out of your hand, before it can get to your mouth. I have friends who went to the shore and ordered a couple of slices of pizza. One of them picked up a slice and was about to insert it into his mouth when a large white gull performed a dive bombing maneuver and ripped the pizza out of his hand and flew away with it. The couple were startled and couldn't believe that a bird would have the nerve to do this. The story has a happy ending, the pizza shop owner gave them a free slice after he stopped laughing.

Gulls
Photo Source: Public Domain Photo CD