Birds for Kids

  NATURAL WORLD : BIRDS FLAMINGO Pink flames bursting across the sky and floating like clouds!  You've just spotted a flock of flamingos in their pale blue serene habitat. These tall long legged birds wade gracefully in shallow waters. Once it stirs up the muddy bottom, it twists its long snake like neck and dips underwater holding its head upside down while it eats shrimps, plants and mollusks. The large strong black tipped beak has comb like structures on its sides to filter out waste materials and water. All flamingos are born white or grey but Greater flamingos like the one in the picture above are brilliantly coloured. They fly over long distances from icy regions in winter to warmer places around the tropics in search of food. Why are the feathers such a rich orange and pink? The colour comes from beta-carotene, which is a pigment found in the food they eat  : algae, larvae and brine shrimp. As the chicks grow, the colour of their wings changes according to the food...

  NATURAL WORLD : BIRDS FOR KIDS COCKATOO A golden crown on a cocky head! You've just met a Cockatoo, a kind of parrot. Cockatoos twist their heads cockily with that flaming crest bobbing on their heads. In fact, they arrange their feathers to communicate. Raised feathers tell you that a cockatoo is excited while the feathers may lie flat when the bird is eating or relaxing. The rest of the body is white or grey while the crest has brilliant feathers.  They are intelligent, friendly and learn things fast, which is why many people like to keep them as pets. Pet owners feel they are living with a 2 year old child with temper tantrums and plain silliness. A cockatoo makes funny noises and hangs upside down just for fun. In the wild, they live in large noisy flocks which helps them to watch out for predators. If they are warned, a loud call erupts with a lot of squawking and screaming. 'Cachinnating Cockatoo' is a term that is used today for noisy disturbing laughter. Some cock...

  NATURAL WORLD : BIRDS FOR KIDS IBIS Who's that poking around the pond? Ibis is a medium sized wading bird that lives in shallow bays, marshes, lakes and lagoons looking around for food in the muddy water. It's long down curving beak is a great help in poking around. Red Ibises have brilliant scarlet feathers tipped with black. Ibises are found in different colours, the most common one being white with a long reddish beak. Some have glossy brown, grey or black feathers with long spindly feet and webbed toes. There are 28 species of this bird. They live in flocks around all the warm regions of the world nesting around water bodies. Food like earthworms, small fish, insects, frogs  and mollusks are plentiful in such areas.  What do the nests look like? They look like a pile of sticks on tree branches, bushes, shrubs or banks. The male ibis is very protective of the nest. They guard it from other ibises stealing the sticks or making advances at the female ibis. A female lay...