Interesting Facts About Some of the Visually Stunning Birds

By Eman Abdallah Kamel

Eman is a writer and an engineer. She is interested in writing about birds and their facts.

Here are some of the world’s most visually stunning birds! When we learn the facts, we can say, so blessed is God, the Best of Creators.

Image source: Getty Images. ae

Beautiful Birds

The world is filled with countless beautiful creatures. Here are 10 of the most beautiful birds in the world. These birds are:

1. The Keel-Billed Toucan
2. Wood Duck
3. Bohemian Waxwing
4. Blue Jay
5. Flamingos
6. Hyacinth Macaw
7. Peacock
8. Mandarin Duck
9. The Resplendent Quetzal
10. The Golden Pheasant

Keel-billed toucan. Image source: istockphotos.com

1. The Keel-Billed Toucan

The billed toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus), also known as the rainbow-billed toucan, is a brightly colored Latin American member of the toucan family. This species is found in the tropical rainforests of several countries, including Guyana, Brazil, and Argentina. In the wild, toucans feed on small fruits, bird eggs, and insects. Zoo birds are fed fruit and vitamin mixtures.

In the keel-billed toucan, the toes are arranged in a zygodactyl pattern, which means they are oriented differently (two faces forward, two faces back). Toucans spend much of their time in trees, so these toes help them stay on branches and jump between them.

The toucan has a body length of approximately 64 cm and weighs more than 4 kg. Males are slightly larger than females, but their color is similar. Toucans’ heavy wings do not help them fly well.

Toucans have large but lightweight beaks with beautiful, bright colors such as red, yellow, blue, and orange. The body may be predominantly black, interspersed with two other colors, often red and orange. The bird uses these bright colors to attract females.

They may mate once a year and build nests in tree hollows. In the nest, the female lays 2–4 eggs. After the eggs hatch, parents care for the young for about eight weeks.

Did You Know?

The toucan’s beak, which makes up a third of the bird’s length and yet only about 1/20 of its mass, has remarkable rigidity. The toucan’s beak consists of keratin and a fibrous network of closed cells made of calcium-rich proteins. The keratin layer consists of superimposed hexagonal scales (50 μm in diameter and 1 μm thick) glued together. The inner part of the beak is a highly organized matrix of hard, spongy bone fibers.

Wood Duck. Image source: istockphotos.com

2. Wood Duck

The wood duck (Aix sponsa) is one of the most beautifully colored waterfowl in the world. The male bird has a purple-green head. Its abdomen is white, its chest is dark red, and attractive white stripes are drawn along its neck. Its wings are patterned in blue and black.

Wood duck females are not nicer than males. They have a gray-brown head, white abdomen, and white-spotted chest. Males use their colored plumage to attract females during the mating season.

Wood ducks live in swamps and streams in North America. Unlike most waterfowl, the wood duck roosts and nests in trees and is comfortable flying through the woods. Its broad tail and short, broad wings enable it to maneuver through these wooded conditions. When swimming, the head vibrates back and forth, as does a walking pigeon.

A wood duck forms small groups (under 20), away from other waterfowl. It is one of the few duck species with strong claws that can catch bark and perch on branches.

Did You Know?

Female wood ducks often lay their eggs in the cavity of another wood duck’s nest and leave the offspring to be raised by another wood duck.

Bohemian Waxwing. Image source: fineartamerica.com

3. Bohemian Waxwing

The Bohemian Waxbird (Bombycilla garrulus) is a medium-sized songbird. Overall, it is grayish-brown with a fluffy peach blush around its black visor. The wings have two distinct white elongated spots and red wax-like tips on the secondaries. The tail is tipped yellow. Young birds are generally grayer with marbled bellies.

These birds live in boreal forests across North America and Eurasia, mostly in Canada and Alaska. In the winter, they migrate in large flocks to the northwestern parts of the United States. They nest on the branches of trees and feed mainly on insects and berries.

Did You Know?

The waxwing’s unusual coloring is related to its diet. Yellow and red spots, the latter looking like waxy spots on the tips of secondary feathers, are made from carotenoid pigments in the fruit. Older birds have more colors than younger ones, and males have more than females.

Blue Jay. Image source: medium.com

4. Blue Jay

The blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata) lives along the eastern half of Canada and the United States and up to the Gulf of Mexico. There are about 35 species of it. It has a loud and sharp voice, heard in the fall and winter seasons as it moves between the treetops.

The blue jay is approximately 30 cm long, including its tail. The color of its chin and belly is light gray. There is a black-feathered collar on its neck and on both sides of its head. The wings’ feathers are a bright blue color, with white rings and black transverse stripes.

Blue jays’ food primarily consists of nuts, seeds, and many insects. It also eats bird eggs and invertebrate animals, including spiders and worms. The female blue jay lays 3–6 blue, green, or yellow eggs with gray or brown spots. The life expectancy of this bird is 4–6 years.

Did You Know?

Thousands of blue jays migrate in herds along the Great Lakes and coasts of the Atlantic Ocean. Some are present throughout the winter. Young birds may be more likely to migrate than adults, but many adults also migrate. Some jays migrate south for one year, stay north for the following winter, and then migrate south again the following year. No one has figured out why they migrate when they do.

5. Flamingo

The astonishing feathers with a purple-red color make the flamingo very special among birds. There are six types of flamingos in the world, according to the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS):

larger flamingo,
lesser flamingo,
Chilean flamingo,
Andean flamingo,
Puna flamingo,
and Caribbean flamingos.

All continents except Antarctica are home to these species. Newborn flamingos have smooth plumage, a straight beak, and white plumage. As the flamingo matures, its beak gradually curves downward. Both parents look after the newborn flamingo, feeding it with a liquid produced by their digestive systems.

After about five days, the little ones leave the nest to join the other small flamingos in small groups and return to the parents for food. Parents recognize their chick through its voice. After about three weeks, the young flamingos begin to forage for food independently.

An adult flamingo reaches 4 to 5 feet in length and 3.6 kilograms in weight. The neck is long and slender, with a distinct downward beak. Flamingos also have very long legs, ranging from 30 to 50 inches.

Flamingos live in large colonies containing thousands of members. Their stunning purple-red color is due to the food they eat. Their diet consists mainly of shrimp, plankton, and blue-green algae.

Most species of flamingo are not threatened with extinction, although the Andean flamingo is listed as vulnerable, and the Chilean, Puna, and lesser flamingos are nearly threatened.

Did You Know?

Flamingos build nests that look like mud heaps along waterways. In a shallow pit, the female lays one egg at the top of a mound. To keep the egg warm, the parents sit on it alternately. After 30 days, the egg hatches.

Hyacinth Macaws. Image Source: istockphoto.com

6. Hyacinth Macaw

The Hyacinth Parrot (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus) is native to central and eastern South America. Its length from its head to the end of its tail is about 100 cm. So it is the tallest species of parrot. In terms of size, it is the largest flying parrot. It weighs from 1.2 to 1.7 kilograms. However, the Kakapo, a New Zealand flightless parrot, is superior to the hyacinth macaw in weight, as it may reach 3.5 kg.

Its plumage is entirely blue, darker on top, and lighter on the wings. The hyacinth macaw has a large curved black beak, and there is yellow skin on its face that is not covered with feathers. This yellow skin is also found at the left and right ends of its beak and in a ring around its eyes.

The male and female hyacinth macaws are identical on the outside. The adults are similar to juveniles, but the juveniles have shorter tails, and the yellow color on their faces is lighter.

The hyacinth macaw’s main food is palm tree nuts. This bird has a very strong beak that enables it to break down coconut fruits. In addition, it eats fruits and vegetables.

The hyacinth macaw has been greatly affected by hunting, trade in birds, and the destruction of its natural habitats, which led to a decrease in the number of its members in the wild; thus, it is classified as an endangered animal.

Did You Know?

The U.S. Wild Bird Act prohibits the commercial import of any CITES-listed endangered bird, including most parrots.

7. Peacock

A peacock is the name of a male bird from the peafowl family. Indian peafowl, Congo peafowl, and green peafowl are the three types of peafowl in the world. The Indian peacock is the most common species of peacock found worldwide. The peacock is famous for the rainbow-like beauty of its tail feathers.

Peacocks can reach five feet in length, making them one of the largest flying birds in the world. A peacock’s long tail makes up 60% of its total length. Perhaps the most beautiful display of courtship among birds is the display of the colorful tail feathers of a peacock.

The peacock spreads its massive tail feathers during courtship displays to display colorful patterns. Some peacocks have long tails and more beautiful colors than others. The female chooses the most beautiful peacock.

Did You Know?

Technically, only males are peacocks. Females are peahens. Together, they are called peafowl.

Males may collect a harem of several females, each of which will lay 3–5 eggs. Wild peafowls often roost in forest trees and congregate in groups called limbs.

The Indian peacock (Pavo cristatus), also known as the blue peacock, has been kept as a pet by humans for thousands of years. Selective breeding has formed some unusual color groups, but the wild birds themselves are bursting with lifelike colors. They can be irritable and do not mix well with other poultry birds.

Mandarin Duck. Image source: fineartamerica.com

8. Mandarin Duck

Mandarin ducks (Aix galericulata) are native to China, Japan, and Korea. In the 18th century, mandarin ducks were hunted and imported to Europe to be kept as pet birds in private waterfowl collections, zoos, and parks. Currently, mandarin ducks can be found in various regions of the world, including England, the USA, Africa, and parts of Russia.

The male mandarins have elaborate plumage with orange plumes on their cheeks, orange sails on their back, and pale orange sides. Females have gray heads, brown backs, and a white eye stripe. They usually form small flocks.

Did You Know?

Mandarin ducks belong to the genus Aix, along with the American wood duck (Aix sponsa). Both are hole-nesting ducks with brightly colored males, and they have claws, too. They usually form small flocks.

In the wild, mandarin ducks breed near shallow lakes, marshes, or ponds in densely wooded areas. They nest in hollows in the trees near the water, and during spring, the females lay eggs in the tree cavity after mating.

After the eggs hatch, the mother flies to the ground to convince the ducklings to jump out of the nest. After all the ducklings emerge from the tree, they follow their mother to an area near the water. They feed on insects, vegetation, snails, and seeds.

The biggest threat to mandarin ducks is habitat loss due to logging. Hunters also pose a threat to Mandarin ducks, as they are often unable to recognize Mandarin during flight, and as a result, many of them are shot by accident.

The Resplendent Quetzal. Image source: pinterest.com

9. The Resplendent Quetzal

The resplendent quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno) is a wonderful bird in the Trogon family. Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Panama are among the countries that are home to the resplendent quetzal.

During mating season, male quetzals grow double-tailed feathers that form a stunning train up to three feet (one meter) long. Females don’t have long trains, but they do share their bright green, blue, and red mates’ colors.

The resplendent quetzal pairs use their sturdy beaks to make hollow holes in tree trunks. Inside the hole, they take turns incubating two or three eggs. Young quetzals can fly at three weeks of age, but males do not begin to grow their long tail plumes for three years. Quetzals eat fruit, insects, snails, frogs, and lizards.

Did You Know?

The resplendent quetzal mostly feeds on the fruiting members of the Lauraceae family. Not only do they migrate to lower elevations for reproduction, but their migratory behavior is also consistent with the availability of the Lauraceae fruit. The resplendent quetzal mainly feeds on small, avocado-like fruits from the laurel family.

According to the IUCN Red List, the present status of the resplendent quetzal in Central America is close to threatened, and the current population trend is showing decreasing numbers. The resplendent quetzal faces a dangerous population decline due to the destruction of its mountainous habitats over the past several decades.

Recently, interest has increased in creating artificial nest boxes to improve the availability of suitable nest sites. The Cloud Forest Reserve in Monteverde has already started a project to place artificial nest boxes in its mountain forest and has had success breeding pairs using artificial sites.

Golden Pheasant. Image source: flickr.com

10. The Golden Pheasant

The golden pheasant (Chrysolophus pictus) is a bird endemic to China and widespread in the central provinces. The number has decreased, mainly due to rampant hunting for its beautiful plumage. Wild populations are established in:

the United Kingdom,
the United States,
Canada,
Mexico,
Colombia,
Peru,
Bolivia,
Chile,
Argentina,
Uruguay,
the Falkland Islands,
Germany,
Belgium,
the Netherlands,
Ireland,
New Zealand,
and Australia.

The adult male is 90–105 cm in length. Its tail accounts for two-thirds of the total length. The bird is characterized by its golden crest and bright red body. The face, chin, throat, and sides of the neck are rusty brown. The skin of the orbital and wattles is yellow, and the head is light orange.

The central tail feathers are black and speckled with cinnamon, and the tip of the tail is cinnamon orange. The female is not prettier than the male, but both have yellow legs and yellow bills.

The golden pheasant feeds on grains, leaves, and invertebrates. During the winter, flocks tend to forage near human settlements at the edge of the forest and mainly take leaves and seeds of the wheat.

Did You Know?

Pheasants can run at speeds of 8–10 miles per hour and fly at speeds of 35–45 miles per hour. Pheasants can swim, too.

The female golden pheasant lays 8–12 eggs at one time and then incubates them for 22–23 days.

35% of pheasant chicks die before they reach the age of 6–10 weeks. 2–3% of these birds survive to three years or older.

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