Hummingbirds – Origins, Species and Range Experts believe that early species of hummingbird began to diverge from their “swift” ancestors more than 40 million years ago. Originating in Europe and Asia, they gradually migrated west to the Americas as they followed a food trail across the globe. The lineage of all modern-day species of hummingbird…
Most of us know that the ostrich is the world’s largest and heaviest extant bird species. The long-necked bird can grow up to 9 ft (2.7 m) tall and weigh up to 320 lb (145 kg). Native to Africa, the ostrich lives in wide open arid and semi-arid habitats. Their range stretches from the southern…
From Barcelona to Bangkok, Dublin to Delhi, Stockholm to Sydney and beyond, the pigeon is a common sight in many towns and cities around the world. Experts reckon that the worldwide feral pigeon population could be as many as 400 million. These canny birds have managed to proliferate on all continents of the world, except…
Pidgeon or Dove? The first thing to know about doves and pigeons is scientifically speaking, they are the same living species. For example, the rock dove (Columba livia) is equally known as the rock pigeon. The word “dove” originates from the Nordic languages, whereas “pigeon” is a word borrowed from French. All doves and pigeons…
Monotremes? I guess not many of us are too familiar with the egg-laying mammals of the world. There are only five, which are the renowned duck-billed platypus and the four extant species of echidna. Also known as spiny anteaters, echidnas are solitary medium-sized mammals covered with coarse hair and spines. They could easily be mistaken…
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