1. Last year’s Big Schools’ Birdwatch found the blackbird to be the most frequently seen, followed by starlings and wood pigeons.
2. There are over 10,000 species of birds worldwide.
3. The smallest is the bee hummingbird which is only 5cm (2 inches) long. The fastest is the peregrine falcon which can reach over 200mph.
4. Hummingbirds are the only birds known to be able to fly backwards.
5. The largest living bird is the ostrich, which may be six feet tall but it cannot fly.
6. Birds are thought to have evolved from theropod dinosaurs, which include tyrannosaurus and velociraptor.
7. The elephant bird of Madagascar was up to ten feet tall but became extinct in the 17th century.
8. A elephant bird egg a foot high was sold at auction in London in 2013 for £66,675.
9. Researchers in 2016 confirmed that birds can sleep while flying, but it is still not understood properly how they avoid bumping into each other.
10. You can find out about Big Schools’ Birdwatch and Big Garden Birdwatch from www.rspb.org.uk.
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