Question 1 of 20Bird recordsEasy
Bird quiz
How well do you know our feathered friends? This bird quiz flies from record-breaking flyers and marathon migrations to clever backyard visitors, odd nesting habits and the national birds of faraway countries. Work through all 20 bird trivia questions and see whether you earn top marks in the flock.
A free quiz from Megan Moran.
Question 2 of 20BehaviorEasy
Which birds can turn their heads as much as 270 degrees in either direction?
Question 3 of 20Backyard birdsMedium
Which backyard songbird is the official state bird of seven US states, more than any other species?
Question 4 of 20Eggs and nestsMedium
Which New Zealand bird lays an egg that can weigh about a fifth of the mother's body weight?
Question 5 of 20Bird recordsEasy
Which bird is the fastest animal on Earth when diving after prey?
Question 6 of 20MigrationHard
In 2022, a young bird flew about 8,435 miles nonstop from Alaska to Tasmania in 11 days, setting a world record. What kind of bird was it?
Question 7 of 20Backyard birdsMedium
Despite its name, the American robin isn't closely related to the European robin. Which bird family does it belong to?
Question 8 of 20Eggs and nestsEasy
Which bird is famous for laying its eggs in other birds' nests and leaving them to raise its chicks?
Question 9 of 20Bird recordsMedium
Which seabird has the longest wingspan of any living bird, with the biggest measured at about 12 feet?
Question 10 of 20Extinct birdsHard
Martha, who died at the Cincinnati Zoo on September 1, 1914, was the last known member of which bird species?
Question 11 of 20National birdsMedium
Which bird is the national bird of India?
Question 12 of 20Extinct birdsEasy
The dodo, a flightless bird that had died out by about 1700, lived only on which island?
Question 13 of 20Backyard birdsMedium
Which small North American backyard bird is named after its call, and adds extra notes to that call when it spots a dangerous predator?
Question 14 of 20MigrationHard
A 2016 study found that some birds of which species can stay airborne for up to 10 months without landing?
Question 15 of 20National birdsMedium
Guatemala's currency shares its name with which bird, which also appears on the country's flag?
Question 16 of 20BehaviorEasy
What is a group of crows traditionally called?
Question 17 of 20Birds of the worldHard
New Zealand's flightless, nocturnal kakapo is the world's heaviest what?
Question 18 of 20Backyard birdsMedium
In 2023, which bird was the most commonly counted species in the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch, a huge UK survey, for the 20th year in a row?
Question 19 of 20Birds of the worldHard
Swan Upping, a ceremony held on the River Thames each July, rounds up, checks and counts which birds?
Question 20 of 20Birds of the worldMedium
Which is the only penguin found in the wild north of the equator?
Answer all 20 to see your score.
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Show all the answers, with the facts behind them
- What is the largest living bird in the world? OstrichIts eyes, about 2 inches across, are the largest of any land vertebrate.
- Which birds can turn their heads as much as 270 degrees in either direction? OwlsJohns Hopkins researchers found blood reservoirs in their necks that keep blood flowing to the brain and eyes while they twist.
- Which backyard songbird is the official state bird of seven US states, more than any other species? Northern cardinalBoth males and females sing, and a male may fight his own reflection in a window, mistaking it for a rival.
- Which New Zealand bird lays an egg that can weigh about a fifth of the mother's body weight? KiwiThe San Diego Zoo compares it to a 120-pound woman giving birth to a 24-pound baby.
- Which bird is the fastest animal on Earth when diving after prey? Peregrine falconGuinness World Records estimates it can reach about 200 mph in a steep hunting dive called a stoop.
- In 2022, a young bird flew about 8,435 miles nonstop from Alaska to Tasmania in 11 days, setting a world record. What kind of bird was it? Bar-tailed godwitThe record-breaker was a juvenile only about five months old, on its very first migration.
- Despite its name, the American robin isn't closely related to the European robin. Which bird family does it belong to? ThrushesThe color 'robin egg blue' is named after its eggs. It is the state bird of Connecticut, Michigan and Wisconsin.
- Which bird is famous for laying its eggs in other birds' nests and leaving them to raise its chicks? Common cuckooSoon after hatching, the chick pushes the host's eggs over the edge of the nest with its back.
- Which seabird has the longest wingspan of any living bird, with the biggest measured at about 12 feet? Wandering albatrossPairs mate for life and usually breed only every other year. These seabirds can live for more than 50 years.
- Martha, who died at the Cincinnati Zoo on September 1, 1914, was the last known member of which bird species? Passenger pigeonShe was named after Martha Washington, and her preserved body is kept at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.
- Which bird is the national bird of India? Indian peafowlThe peacock's dazzling 'tail' is really a train of long feathers growing above its true tail, which is short and brown.
- The dodo, a flightless bird that had died out by about 1700, lived only on which island? MauritiusIts closest living relative is thought to be the Nicobar pigeon, a shimmering bird named after India's Nicobar Islands.
- Which small North American backyard bird is named after its call, and adds extra notes to that call when it spots a dangerous predator? Black-capped chickadeeIt hides seeds in bark and other nooks, and in tests it still remembered its hiding spots four weeks later.
- A 2016 study found that some birds of which species can stay airborne for up to 10 months without landing? Common swiftThese birds catch insects on the wing and are thought to sleep in the air too, possibly while gliding high up.
- Guatemala's currency shares its name with which bird, which also appears on the country's flag? Resplendent quetzalMaya and Aztec law forbade killing these birds, so hunters plucked their long green tail feathers and set them free.
- What is a group of crows traditionally called? A murderIn a University of Washington study, crows remembered the face of a person who had trapped them for at least five years.
- New Zealand's flightless, nocturnal kakapo is the world's heaviest what? ParrotMales attract mates with deep booming calls that can carry more than half a mile on a still night.
- In 2023, which bird was the most commonly counted species in the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch, a huge UK survey, for the 20th year in a row? House sparrowThe survey began in 1979, and more than half a million people took part in 2023.
- Swan Upping, a ceremony held on the River Thames each July, rounds up, checks and counts which birds? Mute swansThe Crown shares ownership of the Thames swans with two City of London livery companies, the Vintners and the Dyers.
- Which is the only penguin found in the wild north of the equator? Galápagos penguinIt is the second-smallest penguin species, standing only about 19 to 20 inches tall.
