birding-aus

low tech bird quiz - answers

To: "Birding-aus \(E-mail\)" <>, <>
Subject: low tech bird quiz - answers
From: "Philip Veerman" <>
Date: Wed, 21 Feb 2007 11:25:13 +1100
Greetings All,
 
Thanks for all the pleasant replies to my little whimsy. If you don't wish to know my answers yet, close the message now.
 
Some of the answers are tricky and possibly have double meanings. I did not really want to make it too definitional, it needed to have some fun to it. Scores were quite consistent, everyone got from 19 to 23 correct. Odd numbers correct confused me at first however that confusion is a little dumb of me. An answer can have 3 or 5 transposed, rather than just pairs transposed.
 
Everyone got correct the answers to bird: 4,5,6,9,10,16,18,19,20,22,25. The only ones that several of you got transposed from what I had, were between the two penguins and between the Goshawk and the Peregrine Falcon. Both are very subtle points. The other wrong answers showed no particular pattern, except it is curious that nobody got 24 correct. As far as I know Storks (maybe not all of them, characteristically excrete onto their legs (maybe not every time), the New World Vultures also do this. This is one of the several features recently used to create a taxonomic connection between these two groups and go against the idea that the New World Vultures are related to the raptors. Probably they are not, they have a convergent likestyle and so a similar appearance. As in New World Vultures are storks on short legs and with hooked beaks.
 
Both Penguins use their feet for toboganning but the Adelie Penguins usually have nests of stones, so using their feet to incubate eggs on ice is a less strong answer than it is for the Emperor Penguin, that sets the choice between the two. Most raptors kill prey with their feet but the distinction is that the Peregrine Falcon commonly kills with its beak, rather than with its feet. Hence both choices are correct but one is better. As for the Magpie-lark, that is an obscure one. Mostly passerines don't do anything interesting with their feet except stand, perch, climb, walk & hop on them. This stirring up puddles is a little tricky, inserted because it is a curious behaviour that they do and few other birds do. I don't think the Magpie-lark is associated with doing any of the other listed things.
 
I sure hope this inserted table comes through formatted correctly (it is rather wide on my screen).
 
Philip
 

Answers

Bird

Feet

Comment

1

Y

Adelie Penguin

Toboganning

Emperor Penguin also does this but 8J is a stronger fit

2

I

Blue Bird of Paradise

Hanging

Males in courtship display hang upside down by their feet

3

U

Blue-footed Booby

Social signalling

Exaggerated waving display of their blue feet

4

D

Brolga

Dancing

All or most Cranes dance with bowing and jumping

5

R

Brush Turkey

Raking leaves

Mound building with rotting leaves

6

B

Button-quail

Clearing circles

Clear plate sized circles

7

L

Cassowary

Kicking

Kick for defence and have sharp nails

8

J

Emperor Penguin

Holding egg off the ice

Characteristic behaviour of them, Adelie Penguins have nests

9

Z

Flamingo

Withstand alkaline lakes

Well known feature

10

P

Flightless Cormorant

Only form of transport on water & land

It can't fly, it swims and walks using its feet

11

M

Goshawk

Killing prey

As distinct from 17A, kills prey with clutching feet

12

S

Harrier Hawk (African)

Reach into cavities for prey

Has double jointed legs to extract prey from within hollows

13

Q

Hummingbird

Only perching

Does not climb or move its feet, they only move by flying

14

X

Magpie-lark

Stirring up puddles

Sometimes do this, no doubt other, not listed, birds do too

15

E

Mousebird

Direct 2, 3 or 4 toes forward

A unique feature of this African order of birds

16

F

Palm Cockatoo

Drumming

Drums on perches with a stick held in its foot

17

A

Peregrine Falcon

Catching prey

Generally kills prey with its beak, feet used for capture

18

V

Phalarope

Spinning

They swim in little circles when feeding

19

T

Ptarmigan

Snowshoe

In winter grows feathers on toes like snow shoes

20

G

Roadrunner

Escaping from Coyote

From the cartoon and probably true also

21

C

Rosella

Climbing branches

Are adept at climbing, 2 I, 15 E & 16 F are stronger matches

22

W

Secretary-bird

Stamping on snakes

Unique hunting style, its way of subdueing prey

23

O

Sparrow

Name for large group of birds

Sparrow > Passer > Passerine = perching, named for use of feet

24

H

Stork

Excreting on

They squirt onto their own legs, possibly for assisting cooling

25

K

Swamphen

Holding water plants

They hold bulbs etc in feet whilst biting off soft bits

26

N

Woodcock

Moving its babies

They can fly whilst holding little chicks between legs

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