Test your knowledge....

1. Who knows the difference, in baby birds, between altricial and precocial nestlings?


2. Which of the following flightless birds is NOT a ratite? (only one answer is correct):

Ostrich, Rhea, Penguin, Emu, Cassowary, Kiwi


3. Which species of native north American parakeet became extinct in the 1930s?


4. What woodpecker species closely resembles the pileated and is now extremely scarce, if not extinct?

Just for the fun of it, see how many of these you can answer correctly without having to look up the information. Then, look up the information and learn something ....

4-Ivory -billed Woodpecker

3- Carolina Parakeet (?)

Number 1: I think one is born with eyes, ears etc., open and working, the other is not and requires paternal assistance for the first few days.

Number 2: Penguin

This message was edited Jun 11, 2008 9:46 AM

oops! misread the quiz. I'll try again! LOL

This message was edited Jun 11, 2008 3:21 PM

I think all you, together, have given the correct answers. I had never heard of ratite, altricial and precocial but I've learned something today!
Thanks for the brain exercise, flowermaiden

You're right to a degree, 2dcousindave, but you haven't told us specifically which one is the altricial and which is the precocial -- the naked, undeveloped nestlings at hatching that need constant parental care for several days, or the ones that hatch with bodies covered with down and able to walk, eat and, in the case of waterfowl, swim almost immediately. Which is the altrical and which is the precocial?

Who can tell us this?

The answers penguin, Ivory-billed woodpecker and Carolina Parakeet are correct.

If you enjoy these little quizzes, I can post more from time to time.

3. Ivory billed (in Brinkley, Arkansas)
4. Carolina Parakeet?
Please Do post these quizzes from time to time. I'm having to stretch my brain to find the answers (except for #3, That's in the duck capital of America, a million or so acres of rice fields and swamps, lakes, rivers and bayous.

I'm going to guess that an example of precocial is the bluebird that is born naked, closed eyes and completely reliant upon the adults, and altricial is like a duckling that is up and about and able to forage soon after hatching.

Is OPbirder correct? Who on this forum knows for certain? (I know, but I don't wish to spill the beans right now. Want you folks to look it up and learn something, if you don't already know.)

Nope, it's the other way round ;-)

Extreme example of a precocial bird:

The Orange-footed Scrubfowl in Australia can fly within minutes of hatching and receives no parental care at all.

Extreme example of an altricial mammal:

Some of these receive parental care for 20+ years.

What a hideous crowd!!

4a. What woodpecker species closely resembles the Pileated, and is even more numerous and widespread?

5. What birds have no tail feathers?

6. What is the most abundant trans-Atlantic migrant?

Resin

4a. Lineated Woodpecker (?)

5 Kiwi (?)

6. (?)...Still thinking on that one

6. One of Mother Carey's Chickens (?) Leach's (?)

4a. Nope!
5. That's one, can you name the others?
6. Nope!

4a. Red-necked Woodpecker (?)

5 There's 4 or 5 Kiwi species but I'll bet there are other non-Kiwi tail-featherless sp. (?)

6. Mmmm...

5. Emu?

5. Puffins, murres?

Nope!

About half of the Common Grackles that were in my yard this morning had no tails, lol.

That must've looked wierd!

Answers, as no-one seems to be getting there . . .
4a. Black Woodpecker. Same genus as Pileated, found across much of Europe and Asia.
5. Grebes, and Cassowaries.
6. Red Knot.

Resin