bird
a bird
a living creature with warm blood, inner skeleton with a backbone, body covered, partially or completely, with feathers; with a pair of legs and a pair of wings; with a beak (bill), (a hard bone-like part) without teeth, in place of mouth; found in different shapes and sizes – the smallest being the bee humming bird, 2 inches (5 cm), and weight: 2 grams, and the largest being the ostrich, 9 feet (2.7 m) tall and weight: 45 Kg.; the life span (how many years they live) depends on the species (kind) and the surroundings a particular bird lives – it may be one year for one kind of bird but 50 years for another kind;
a bird in flight
most of them fly in the air and live in trees, or in or near water; some cannot fly, so live on ground; feeds on fruit and flowers of plants, insects, fish, other animals, including other birds and carrion (dead bodies of other animals); lays eggs; about 10,000 species found throughout the world
male ~~ cock
female ~~ hen
baby ~~ chick/ hatchling/nestling
but the male, female and baby of some species (kinds) are called by the names of their own, e.g. a goose — female: goose; male: gander and baby: gosling
group ~~ flock, flight, colony (during breeding season), fleet, parcel, pod, volvery, dissimulation (very small birds)
voice (call) ~~ chirp, tweet, twitter, sing, warble, call, cheep (chicks)
home ~~ nest (natural – it builds a nest only to lay eggs and raise its chicks, not lives in it); cage and aviary (man-made, lives, rather kept, in it)
Birds are a very important source of food not only for people but also for many other animals. Birds are hunted for their meat, feather and talons, and some are raised on farms, which is now a very profitable business. They help people in keeping the insect numbers (population) under control. And some species (kinds) which live on the dead bodies of other animals keep the surrounding clean. Though they are called scavengers or carrion birds, they are very important for people and other animals. Some of them are very beautiful with their colourful feathers, and some sing very melodiously. Birds have the best colour vision in the whole animal world!! Birds are kept as pets throughout the world. BC Kumar, an English Language Teacher, taught in numerous countries including Ethiopia, Oman and India, shares his knowledge and passion for the English Language.
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a headdress made with bird feathers
About the Author:BC Kumar
