1. Salim Ali was born on November 12, 1896. He was among the first Indians to conduct systematic bird surveys across India and wrote several bird books that popularised ornithology in India. Every year, birdwatchers around the country celebrate his birthday by spotting as many birds as they can. When India was choosing its National Bird, Ali favoured a lovely bird that is one of the heaviest flying birds in the world. Unfortunately, it lost out to the Peacock because its name could too easily be mispronounced as a term of slander. What endangered bird is this?
2. This wingless bird has heavy bones filled with marrow, and a nostril on the tip of the nose (rather than on the base of the beak like most birds). It builds burrows like a badger, and sleeps standing up. This has earned it the title of ‘honorary mammals’. It is native to a certain country whose rugby team is named after the bird. Which bird is this that lays the largest egg in relation to its body size?
3. The hooded Pitohui found in New Guinea is a medium-sized songbird with rich chestnut-and-black plumage. It eats certain beetles which give it a unique characteristic. Till this was observed in the Pitohui, only some very colourful frogs were known to have the same feature. This was discovered when scientists preparing skins for museums lost the sense of feeling in their hands. What is it that the hooded Pitohui has in its skin and organs that sets it apart from all other birds?
4. Ethyl mercaptan (CH3CH2SH) has a distinctive odour, which is why it is added to LPG and methane to help locate leaks. In the U.S., pipes carry methane for hundreds of miles through deserts and any leak of this greenhouse gas is very dangerous. A certain bird with an extraordinary sense of smell helps engineers find these leaks by congregating at the source of this smell, mistaking it for a similar smell that comes from decaying meat. What scavenger bird assists the engineers in this vital task?
5. While these birds might stand out on land, in their natural environment their strange colouring helps them stay hidden from predators and prey. Their black backs blend in with the darker colours below them so that they’re difficult to spot from above. Their white chests help them blend in with the lighter, brighter surface colour as seen from below, pretty much rendering them near-invisible. In this species, the fattest and pudgiest males are the most desirable by the opposite sex as after the egg is laid it is the male who has to incubate the eggs. What interesting birds are these, found exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere?
6. These birds live in the deserts of the American southwest. They can fly, but prefer the ground and can zip along through the desert at a blistering 20 miles per hour. (Usain Bolt peaked at 27.8 mph during the final 100-metre sprint at the World Championships in Berlin on August 16, 2009). The birds rarely run in a straight line and are so quick that they frequently catch rattlesnakes. They make a distinct long ‘coo-coo’ call, yet most people when asked would say these birds go ‘beep beep’. What interesting bird is this?
7. Long sea voyages usually lasted months, and they were mostly incredibly boring and uncomfortable. A companion animal could help ease the way. So sailors visited exotic lands and sometimes picked up certain colourful birds which they could show off when back home. Compared to a dog or a monkey, these birds were easy to maintain on board. Though there is no documented evidence of this ever happening, what is this famous bird you associate with a type of sailor, both starting with the letter ‘P’?
8. Migrating ducks and geese often use this aerodynamic principle to enable them to travel long distances without getting tired. Each bird flies in the upwash of its neighbour’s beating wings and this extra bit of supporting wind increases lift, thereby saving energy. This is the explanation for what formation we have associated with birds since we were kids?
9. The flutter you hear when a bird flies by is because of turbulence that is created when air rushes over the surface of their wings. One bird has been able to overcome this problem — it has wings with serrated edges which enables it to fly in complete silence. This unique ability helps it hunt at night and adds to an already mystical reputation. What bird is this whose largest species has the very endearing scientific name Bubo bubo?
10. In the 16th century, a ‘stoale’ was the base of a tree, what we would now call a stump. To entice hawks, hunters used to place a decoy of its main prey bird on the stoale. This led to a phrase which meant someone was an informant to the police. This is also the name of an acoustic band in Bengaluru who derived their name because they couldn’t sit on chairs that had handles on them (the handles made playing the guitars cumbersome). What is this two-word phrase?
Answers
1. Great Indian Bustard
2. Kiwi
3. Poison or toxins
4. Vultures
5. Penguins
6. Roadrunner
7. Pirates and Parrots
8. Flying in ‘V’ formation
9. Owl
10. Stool Pigeons
A molecular biologist from Madurai, our quizmaster enjoys trivia and music, and is working on a rock ballad called ‘Coffee is a Drink, Kaapi is an Emotion’. @bertyashley