[steve_nova]

Hopefully these questions will not be too hard for most of you. Try not to submit answers straight away to give everyone a chance!

1. Hume's Ground-Jay has been recently re-classified and placed into which bird family?

2. The Northern Gannet (formerly Sula) now shares it's generic name with a genus of which fruiting trees?

3. The Lammergeier has become something of a specialist feeder, mostly on what, and how?

4. Medieval Londoners would be very familiar with two large refuse/scavenging birds, name them both.

5. How do the Australian Mallee fowl (and indeed other megapodes) incubate their eggs?

6. What is the literal translation of the word megapode?

7. What is the name of the effect of light on Hummingbird feathers to create colours called?

8. What family (Read order instead of family) of birds do the three species of Screamer belong to?

9. What is the only member of the genus Corvus to have reached Tasmania?

10. If Pigeons and Parrots don't have an oil gland, what do they use for feather maintenance instead?

11. Common on the Argentine Pampass, this very specialised raptor also occours as far north as Florida.

12. A massive forest Eagle of Central America and South America with a claw larger than a Grizzly Bears.

13. Which bird is the only one to (naturally) have a bill that curves to one side?

14. Birds are not generally thought of as able to hibernate. Name a North American bird that does.

15. Which species of bird had feathers that were prized above all others by the Aztec and Mayan civilisations
and were seen as a sign of status.

16. What type of bird is a Cahow?

17. How many vertebrae are found in the neck of Flamingoes?
A. 12
B. 17
c. 19
D. 21

18. The Elephant Bird or Vauron Patra came from where?

19. The Nicobar pigeon Caloenas nicobarica has been found recently to be genetically very close to which
two famous, now extict birds?

20. Who invented the Pink Plastic Flamingo?

[Gerry Hooper]

I've got answers for all of them.Probably only 11 or 12 right.
Good selection of questions Steve.
I'll look back later to see if I'm right.

[steve_nova]

Answers at 23:00!!!

[Michael Frankis]

Had to look up #9 & #17 (very cleverly placed in the quiz, that one!), and no idea for #20, but got the rest (including one where I strongly suspect the 'official' answer is incorrect . . .)

When does posting of answers commence? Or do you want them by PM?

Michael

[steve_nova]

18:00 hours on will be fine. Just to let a few more people have a go that's all. Don't worry, I won't turn up on anyones doorstep suddenly if they post before this though!

The 23:00 hours answers may well be brought forward depending upon response or lack of.

[Brian Stone]

Originally posted by Michael Frankis
(including one where I strongly suspect the 'official' answer is incorrect . . .)

Michael

Would that be Q8 Michael?

[steve_nova]

Well done Brian. I have just Pm'd Michael and shall adjust the question accordingly.

[Joern Lehmhus]

Dont know answers to Questions 1, 8, 9, 11, 17, 20, have to look them up; and for some of the others iam lacking the english words

and did I miss something ? nobody gives answers, so we do have to wait ? Thats for more people having a go at this, Steve?

Joern

[steve_nova]

Hi Joern, that is correct. I just wanted a few more people have a go before answers come in. 18:00 hours OK?

[Michael Frankis]

Here goes then!

1. Hume's Ground-Jay has been recently re-classified and placed into which bird family?
Paridae (Tits)

2. The Northern Gannet (formerly Sula) now shares it's generic name with a genus of which fruiting trees?
Morus (Mulberries)

3. The Lammergeier has become something of a specialist feeder, mostly on what, and how?
Bone marrow, smashing bones by dropping them from high up

4. Medieval Londoners would be very familiar with two large refuse/scavenging birds, name them both.
Red Kite, Raven

5. How do the Australian Mallee fowl (and indeed other megapodes) incubate their eggs?
In compost heaps made by heaping vegetation together. They monitor the temperature and remove/add stuff as necessary

6. What is the literal translation of the word megapode?
Bigfoot

7. What is the name of the effect of light on Hummingbird feathers to create colours called?
Refraction / Tyndall scattering

8. What family of birds do the three species of Screamer belong to?
Anhimidae (Screamer family!) in the order Anseriformes (geese etc)

9. What is the only member of the genus Corvus to have reached Tasmania?
Forest Raven (Corvus tasmanicus)

10. If Pigeons and Parrots don't have an oil gland, what do they use for feather maintenance instead?
'Dandruff' - powder down

11. Common on the Argentine Pampas, this very specialised raptor also occurs as far north as Florida.
Crested Caracara (and Snail Kite, tho' this not common on Pampas)

12. A massive forest Eagle of Central America and South America with a claw larger than a Grizzly Bears.
Harpy Eagle

13. Which bird is the only one to (naturally) have a bill that curves to one side?
Wrybill

14. Birds are not generally thought of as able to hibernate. Name a North American bird that does.
Common Poorwill

15. Which species of bird had feathers that were prized above all others by the Aztec and Mayan civilisations and were seen as a sign of status.
Resplendant Quetzal

16. What type of bird is a Cahow?
Pterodroma cahow (Bermuda Petrel)

17. How many vertebrae are found in the neck of Flamingoes?
B. 17 same as the question!

18. The Elephant Bird or Vauron Patra came from where?
Madagascar

19. The Nicobar pigeon Caloenas nicobarica has been found recently to be genetically very close to which two famous, now extict birds?
Dodo & Solitaire

20. Who invented the Pink Plastic Flamingo?
NO IDEA!!! - and think I'd rather not know, either.
Hang on - how about Sir Peter Scott, to encourage captive flamingos to breed at Slimbridge? (they need the stimulation of seeing other pink flamingos to get themselved into breeding fervour)

Michael

[steve_nova]

Answers about 22:15 (after Robert Winston's programe about the human mind).

[Andrew Whitehouse]

On question 2, is anyone else bothered by this change in the scientific name. I can understand the need to make a change in nomenclature but why not keep the Gannets as sula and change the Boobies instead. Sula is, I think, derived from the Gaelic so it would seem appropriate for the species found in Gaelic speaking areas to retain the name of that derivation.

[Tero]

Pink Flamingos, plastic. You had to ask. Here goes:
"In 1957, Don Featherstone sculptured the first three-dimensional pink plastic flamingo, thereby making affordable bad taste accessible to the American public"--from Pink Flamingos. This is the tale of a wonderful bird, named by his creator phoenicopteris ruber plasticus; a new avian species, now known to all as "Pink Plastic Flamingo." The more than one hundred pictures and the text in this volume are the result of Featherstone's request that adoring owners of the pink birds send original photographs that demonstrate their affection for phoenicopteris on its 40th birthday in 1997.

there is a book on it!
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...728655-2551163

[birdman]

Many guesses...here's my answers (without peeking!)

1. Hume's Ground-Jay has been recently re-classified and placed into which bird family?

Cuckoos?

2. The Northern Gannet (formerly Sula) now shares it's generic name with a genus of which fruiting trees?

Cherry?

3. The Lammergeier has become something of a specialist feeder, mostly on what, and how?

Bones, dropped onto rocks from a great height.

4. Medieval Londoners would be very familiar with two large refuse/scavenging birds, name them both.

Raven, Red Kite.

5. How do the Australian Mallee fowl (and indeed other megapodes) incubate their eggs?

In a large mound of earth.

6. What is the literal translation of the word megapode?

Bigfoot.

7. What is the name of the effect of light on Hummingbird feathers to create colours called?

Irridescence.

8. What family (Read order instead of family) of birds do the three species of Screamer belong to?

Parrots?

9. What is the only member of the genus Corvus to have reached Tasmania?

Carrion Crow?

10. If Pigeons and Parrots don't have an oil gland, what do they use for feather maintenance instead?

Saliva?

11. Common on the Argentine Pampass, this very specialised raptor also occours as far north as Florida.

Caracara?

12. A massive forest Eagle of Central America and South America with a claw larger than a Grizzly Bears.

Goliath Eagle?

13. Which bird is the only one to (naturally) have a bill that curves to one side?

Wrybill.

14. Birds are not generally thought of as able to hibernate. Name a North American bird that does.

American Wren?

15. Which species of bird had feathers that were prized above all others by the Aztec and Mayan civilisations
and were seen as a sign of status.

Quetzal?

16. What type of bird is a Cahow?

Game-bird?

17. How many vertebrae are found in the neck of Flamingoes?
A. 12
B. 17
c. 19
D. 21

17.

18. The Elephant Bird or Vauron Patra came from where?

Madagascar.

19. The Nicobar pigeon Caloenas nicobarica has been found recently to be genetically very close to which
two famous, now extict birds?

Mauritius Pigeon and Dodo?

20. Who invented the Pink Plastic Flamingo?

Absolutely no idea!!!

[Michael Frankis]

Originally posted by Fifebirder
On question 2, is anyone else bothered by this change in the scientific name. I can understand the need to make a change in nomenclature but why not keep the Gannets as sula and change the Boobies instead. Sula is, I think, derived from the Gaelic so it would seem appropriate for the species found in Gaelic speaking areas to retain the name of that derivation.

Hi Fifey,

Agreed it is incorrect - the type species of Sula, by derivation of its name (and therefore implicit in the mind of the ornithologist who named the genus {Brisson in 1760}) should really be Sula bassana ('Sula' is Old Norse for a gannet), and not S. leucogaster as normally cited (a much later choice of type).

Conversely, the type species of Morus, again by derivation of the name (Morus, Latin for a fool, a booby) should really be one of the Boobies.

Definitely a major cock-up there in the nomenclature department, though sadly probably too late to change it now. Rather better though is the fact pointed out in Lynx HBW (which keeps them all in Sula:
"recent studies indicate that the differences between the gannets and the boobies are no greater than the differences within the booby group itself, so that there is at present no reason strong enough to justify seperate genera"
So with any luck, the BOURC will put them all back into Sula before long.

Michael

[steve_nova]

Well, here they are

1. Hume's Ground-Jay has been recently re-classified and placed into which bird family? Paridae (Titmice).

2. The Northern Gannet (formerly Sula) now shares it's generic name with a genus of which fruiting trees? Morus (Mulberries). There is still some argument over this naming and some authorities would like to see the three Gannets (Morus) and five Boobies (Sula) merged into one genus.

3. The Lammergeier has become something of a specialist feeder, mostly on what, and how? Large bones full of marrow which it carries aloft and drops onto rocks to smash open.

4. Medieval Londoners would be very familiar with two large refuse/scavenging birds, name them both. Raven (Corvus corax) & Red Kite (Milvus milvus).

5. How do the Australian Mallee fowl (and indeed other megapodes) incubate their eggs? By piling up huge mounds of vegetation over their eggs creating a type of compost heap.

6. What is the literal translation of the word megapode? Mega = Big ~ Pod(e) = Foot, Bigfoot!

7. What is the name of the effect of light on Hummingbird feathers to create colours called? Refraction.

8. What family of birds (Read order instead of family) do the three species of Screamer belong to? Duck's, Geese & Swan's.

9. What is the only member of the genus Corvus to have reached Tasmania? Forest Raven (Corvus tasmanicus).

10. If Pigeons and Parrots don't have an oil gland, what do they use for feather maintenance instead? Special feathers that crumble into a sort of talc-like powder.

11. Common on the Argentine Pampass, this very specialised raptor also occours as far north as Florida. Snail Kite also called Everglades Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis).

12. A massive forest Eagle of Central America and South America with a claw larger than a Grizzly Bears. Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja).

13. Which bird is the only one to (naturally) have a bill that curves to one side? Wrybill or Ngutu-parore (Anarhynchus frontalis) a New Zealand Plover. Interesting article about it here http://www.nzbirds.com/Wrybill.html

14. Birds are not generally thought of as able to hibernate. Name a North American bird that does. Common Poorwill (Phanaloptilus nuttali)

15. Which species of bird had feathers that were prized above all others by the Aztec and Mayan civilisations
and were seen as a sign of status. Resplendent Quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno)

16. What type of bird is a Cahow? A type of Petrel, or Bermuda Petrel (Pterodroma cahow).

17. How many vertebrae are found in the neck of Flamingoes?
A. 12
B. 17
c. 19
D. 21

18. The Elephant Bird or Vauron Patra came from where? Madagascar.

19. The Nicobar pigeon Caloenas nicobarica has been found recently to be genetically very close to which
two famous, now extict birds? Dodo & Solitaire.

20. Who invented the Pink Plastic Flamingo? Don Featherstone. And for anyone vaguely interested… <http://www.ospsitecrafters.com/intvwdon.html>

[steve_nova]

Michael, in my book Animal, The Definitive Visual Guide To The World's Wildlife (2001), the reference definately states that the Snail Kite is common in the Pampass. It is also a very specialised feeder, whereas the Caracara is the opposite being an opportunist.

Bluffed you with #17

[Michael Frankis]

Originally posted by steve_nova
17. How many vertebrae are found in the neck of Flamingoes?
A. 12
B. 17
c. 19
D. 21

Hi Steve,
Lynx HBW gives 17 ! :

There are 17 cervical vertebrae, not a particularly high number compared with 25 in swans, or 15-16 in geese. However, flamingos have elongated vertebrae which give the neck a stepped appearance, when it is bent

I wonder which book is right!!

Michael

[steve_nova]

Hmmm, fancy going along to Washington wildlife reserve and pinning one down to count the lumps in it's neck?

[Gerry Hooper]

I only got 8 answers correct.

Now I know 12 things Ididn't know before.

Thanks Steve, good quiz.

[steve_nova]

Thanks Gerry

Another in a day or two!

[steve_nova]

......by the way is everyone happy for me to do these?

[Charlie M]

I am...

[christineredgate]

They are great Steve ,even though I would not stand a chance of any of the answers,I still go through everyone elses an occasionally pick up a useful piece of info.
Anyway,I had my own special quiz tonight by courtesy of Pete.
christine.

[Joern Lehmhus]

I agree, just great.

Realized that I also could have ansererd Q8 correctly, if I had only looked up screamers ; so now I know Wehrvögel (Anhimidae) is screamers in English

Jörn