Name the 21 countries that have the most species of birds. Each correct answer will complete a portion of three bird images. Identify the three birds to complete the quiz.
Please accept the American names for two of these species. Ring-necked Pheasant for Common Pheasant and European Starling for Common Starling. The "Common" names are Old World.
The quiz accepted just plain: pheasant, starling, kiwi, etc. Why do you even need to use the exact name of the species shown or which hemisphere that name originated in? Keep it simple folks.
It's a red-winged blackbird, one of the most common birds in the US. They often group with starlings and other blackbirds in the late winter and empty my bird feeders, but they are a bane to the rice farmers in this area who use noise cannons to try to scare them away from the fields just before harvest time. There are sometimes thousands of birds in the flocks and can decimate crops.
Red wing blackbirds are the worst. If you come anywhere near them, (which you often do as they like to build nests in the prairie grasses and weeds, like those right next to public walkways and sidewalks) they attack and dive bomb you like crazy.
Redwing blackbirds are fabulous. In Vancouver I once saw one mob a bald eagle in flight, for ten impressive minutes. If you want to see one picking on politicians, a jogger, a reporter, and a police officer, check out this footage from Parliament Hill in Ottawa. Cathartic!
Closely related (same genus) but a different species, native to Australia. "Ibis" works anyway. Though it's true the sacred ibis was also a bin chicken, as reported by the ancient Greek writer Strabo.
My sibling once asked me how to tell the difference between a dunnock and a sparrow. I said: "the hint's in the name, dunnocks are dun". Apparently that did not help.
Thanks for accepting Junglefowl for Chicken. I really really overthought that one and i'm glad it was accepted. Felt like a dummy when "chicken" popped up.
As a birder I was being so careful to give these species their full and correct name, would have done it so much quicker if I'd gone for generics. But reading people wanting Dunnock for House Sparrow and Great Auk for Dodo made me despair! No wonder wildlife is in such trouble!
But, yes, the shorter names would have worked.