Birds are a diverse group of animals that are found all over the world. From the smallest hummingbirds to the largest ostriches, there is a wide range of bird species, each with its own unique characteristics and behaviors. Whether you're a bird enthusiast or just looking to test your knowledge, these bird trivia questions are sure to be both informative and entertaining.
Here are some examples of bird trivia questions you might come across: What is the largest bird in the world? What is the smallest bird in the world? What is the fastest bird in the world? What is the most widespread bird species in the world? These questions cover various aspects of birds, including their size, speed, and distribution.
In addition to the scientific aspects of birds, there are also many fun and interesting facts to learn about. For example, did you know that the bird with the longest wingspan is the Wandering Albatross? Or that the bird with the longest migration is the Arctic Tern? These trivia questions will not only test your knowledge, but also give you a glimpse into the many fascinating aspects of the world of birds and their natural behaviors.
224 Bird Trivia Questions Ranked From Easiest to Hardest (Updated for 2024)
- What type of bird, usually found in Antarctica, are the major characters in the series of movies known as ‘Happy Feet’?
Answer: Penguin
- Mammals and birds experience a unique phase of sleep characterized by random quick motion in the eyes accompanied by low muscle tone throughout the body and the propensity of the sleeper to dream vividly. What’s the common three-letter abbreviation for this phase?
Answer: REM
- With the exception of the title character's sidekick, a chicken named Heihei, what 2016 Disney film cast its speaking roles with voice actors of Polynesian descent?
Answer: Moana
- Pro-war politicos, swooping Eli Moscowitz on "Cobra Kai," and Atlanta's NBA team share the distinction of being referred to by what four-letter bird of prey?
Answer: Hawk
- A Costa Rican toucan named Grecia became famous in 2016 for having what damaged part of its body replaced by a 3D-printed prosthesis?
Answer: Its beak
- A chicken from Fruita, Colorado named Mike became a national celebrity in the 1940s when he lived for 18 months without what usually essential body part?
Answer: Head
- In a famous Tchaikovsky ballet, every morning Odette, a beautiful young woman, transforms into what majestic white bird?
Answer: Swan
- First seen in the "Peanuts" comic strip in 1967, what yellow bird friend of Snoopy was later named after a famous summer music festival of 1969?
Answer: Woodstock
- La Paz Waterfall Gardens in Costa Rica is a popular choice for tourists to admire the flora and fauna. This park attracts half of all of the 52 native species of what small hovering bird?
Answer: Hummingbird
- Launched in April 2020, what streaming service from NBCUniversal shares its name with the national bird of India?
Answer: Peacock
- Louisiana’s state flag has an image of what big-beaked mamma bird feeding its babies?
Answer: Pelican
- The "bee" species of what type of bird is the smallest in the world, weighing less than a tenth of an ounce?
Answer: Hummingbird
- The Little Owl, sometimes called the Owl of Athena, is the national bird of which Mediterranean country?
Answer: Greece
- A player can throw another player’s knife murder investigation into chaos with one black bird card in an Atlas Games thriller called, “A Murder of…” what birds?
Answer: Crows
- The flightless cormorant, the only known member of this bird species that has lost the ability to fly, fishes in the waters off of what isolated islands known for unusual animals?
Answer: Galapagos Islands
- Its scientific name is Struthio camelus, but what is the common name for the bird that can’t fly but does lay the largest egg of any living bird species?
Answer: Ostrich
- The silly-sounding portmanteau "swoose" refers to the hybrid offspring of a goose and what other bird?
Answer: Swan
- The puteketeke was named Bird of the Century by New Zealand conservation organization Forest and Bird, after a massive international campaign by what British-American television show host?
Answer: John Oliver
- If they were allowed to compete at the Olympics they would win the 100m in under 7 seconds – what bird is the fastest running animal on two legs?
Answer: Ostrich
- What’s the fruity name of a flightless bird that lives in New Zealand?
Answer: Kiwi
- Like many other birds, the feathers on an owl’s body replace themselves about once a year. What’s the name of the process?
Answer: Molting
- Arguably the most famous section of Camille Saint-Saëns's suite "The Carnival of the Animals" is its thirteenth section, a piece with a prominent cello solo named for what graceful bird?
Answer: Swan
- What’s the common name for birds in the Cuculidae family, which includes the red-chested, shining bronze, Asian emerald, and black-eared species? (Hint: The name will probably make you think of either “The Sound of Music” kids saying goodbye or Coco Puffs)
Answer: Cuckoo
- In the 2014 Disney film “Maleficent,” Sam Riley’s character Diaval is portrayed as a human who is able to transform into what dark-feathered bird?
Answer: Raven
- And you thought they were just annoying little birds that pooped in public parks! But no, one of Queen Elizabeth’s favorite hobbies was racing what type of bird that lends its name to a famous forge in East Tennessee?
Answer: Pigeons
- The eyes of owls are fixed in their sockets, forcing them to turn their heads around. This is what “B” type of two-lensed vision, the singular of a optical enhancer used by birdwatchers, or maybe people at the baseball game?
Answer: Binocular
- What species of penguin, the heaviest in the world, can weigh twice as much as its relative the King Penguin?
Answer: Emperor Penguin
- Like other birds, owls can carry diseases that can make humans sick. One fairly common example is which bacteria that you might associate with food poisoning from runny eggs or occasionally peanut butter?
Answer: Salmonella
- Which species of bird, found in Australia, is the second-largest living bird by height after the ostrich?
Answer: Emu
- Remove the first letter from a six-letter breed of hunting dog, and you'll get a five-letter predatory bird. What are the two words?
Answer: Beagle, eagle
- In what islands off the coast of Ecuador would you find the only species of penguin that lives north of the equator? These birds are endangered, with a population of less than 2000.
Answer: Galapagos
- The five thousand colones note is often referred to by what nickname? This nickname derives from a type of colorful bird with a large bill whose image used to feature on the note.
Answer: Toucan
- Despite going extinct in the 17th century, what species of bird appears on the coat of arms of the island nation of Mauritius?
Answer: Dodo
- The last widely-accepted sighting of a certain bird species was in 1662 on the island nation of Mauritius. Intriguingly, due to the bird's remote home, the creature was considered mythological for a period of time. What is this bird?
Answer: Dodo
- Bogoslof Island in the Aleutian Islands is home of thousands of nesting birds, including the "tufted" species of what kind of bird that makes its home in Arctic climates?
Answer: Puffin
- John James Audubon, an American artist and naturalist active in the early 1800s, lends his name to a “society” of environmentalists dedicated to the conservation of what type of animal?
Answer: Birds
- The smallest of Africa's waterfowl species, the African pygmy goose is native to what country that also has many lemur species?
Answer: Madagascar
- A companion of headmaster Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter novels, Fawkes was what type of legendary bird?
Answer: Phoenix
- In the 1996 film "Fly Away Home," Anna Paquin stars as a young glider pilot leading an abandoned group of geese south from Canada. The film was based on a real "Operation" that went by what guessable M-word?
Answer: Migration
- Maybe they just don't know the words! At 2.4 inches long and weighing about 2g, zunzuncitos are the smallest birds on the planet - they are a member of which family of birds, the only ones who are able to fly backwards?
Answer: Hummingbirds
- Not needing to fly south for the winter, ‘Macaroni’ is a breed of which flightless bird? Robin Williams voiced on of these in a famous animated movie.
Answer: Penguin
- A group of which black birds are kept captive at the Tower of London? According to superstition, the disappearance of these birds from the Tower will result in the fall of the Crown.
Answer: Ravens
- In 2009, the City Council of Madison, Wisconsin declared what to be the official city bird? (It might be unique among official birds around the world by being the only one made of plastic.)
Answer: Plastic Flamingo
- The 'i'iwi, also known as the scarlet honeycreeper, is a recognizable symbol of what U.S. state?
Answer: Hawaii
- According to Japanese legends, folding one thousand origami versions of what bird will grant an individual a wish from the gods?
Answer: Crane
- In Greek myth, the watchman and many-eyed giant Argus was transformed by Hera into what bird species, famous for its many beautiful "eyespots?"
Answer: Peacock
- A number of birds of prey in the genuses Milvinae, Elaninae, and Pernina share a name with what other object you might find in the sky, perhaps attached to a string?
Answer: Kite
- Which state’s official bird is Branta sandvicensis, which is also known simply as the nene?
Answer: Hawaii
- A Chicago bird lover's society has recently changed its name to the Chicago Bird Alliance, dropping the name of what famous American naturalist due to his support of slavery?
Answer: Audubon
- After a TV campaign by comedian John Oliver, which country's vote to name its Bird of the Century was won in a landslide by the great crested grebe, known locally as puteketeke?
Answer: New Zealand
- In some bird species, their feathers can show which kind of light that can’t be seen by humans?
Answer: Ultraviolet
- "I'm Like a Bird" was a top-ten hit from the 2000 album "Whoa, Nelly," the debut by what Canadian singer-songwriter?
Answer: Nelly Furtado
- The great horned owl is the official bird of what landlocked Canadian province at the top of the Rockies?
Answer: Alberta
- What is the branch of zoology dedicated to the study of birds? This branch attracted public attention following the 2018 Netflix true-crime docu-series "The Staircase" in which a suspected murderer could have been exonerated for the death of his wife through a speculated "Owl Theory."
Answer: Ornithology
- Locals often refer to what NFC East football team affectionately as "the birds?"
Answer: Eagles
- Which goose in northern Australia is the only living member of the Anseranatidae family and shares a name with a shiny-things-loving bird in the Corvidae family?
Answer: Magpie
- Like ducks, swans, and some other birds, geese can see what form of radiation with wavelengths shorter than that of visible light?
Answer: Ultraviolet light
- Representing seven states, including Illinois, North Carolina, and West Virginia, what bird is the most popular choice for official state bird in the U.S.?
Answer: Northern Cardinal
- A female Swedish singer born in 1979 had two U.S. Top 10 singles on her debut album: "Do You Know (What It Takes)" and "Show Me Love." Her first name is also a homophone for red-breasted songbirds of the family Petroicidae. Who is this singer?
Answer: Robyn
- Although he is covered in green fluff instead of feathers and has a snout instead of a beak, what National League East mascot is a bird, according to MLB.com?
Answer: Phillie Phanatic
- The preserved body of Athena the owl is on display at a London museum to what bird-named founder of modern nursing?
Answer: Florence Nightingale
- What "small" Disney animated film of 2005, with Zach Braff as the voice of the title farm bird, features a noisy antagonist named Goosey Loosey?
Answer: Chicken Little
- The Burrowing Owl is the National bird of which cCaribbean country, which start and end with same letter and is technically part of the Netherlands?
Answer: Aruba
- The official state bird of Ohio is also the state bird of six other states. What is this commonly-chosen flyer?
Answer: Cardinal
- What type of bird is the subject of a discussion between King Arthur and the bridge-keeper in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail?" Both African and European varieties of the bird were mentioned repeatedly. The bird shares its name with a physical act performed in part by the medulla oblongata in humans.
Answer: Swallow
- The rare Norwegian Lundehund was bred to hunt what colorful and charismatic birds, often found off the coasts of northern locales like Norway and Iceland? This bird is the namesake of the childrens' book line published by Penguin.
Answer: Puffins
- Since it looks a bit like a billed bird, what’s the term used for the curve on a graph that shows how the relationship between available solar power and demand changes throughout the day?
Answer: Duck
- What European relative of the crow, distinguished by the white featherless area on its face, sounds like it might be found on a chess board?
Answer: Rook
- Which group of typically colorful tropical fish species is named for their bird-like beak formed by the fused teeth of the jaws? Their feeding activity is important for the production of sand.
Answer: Parrotfish
- What bird, that is also the patron animal of the Greek god Zeus, is depicted as a double-headed creature on the official national flag of Albania?
Answer: Eagle
- The Ameraucana and Araucana breeds of which barnyard bird lay blue eggs?
Answer: Chickens
- The stage in a young owl's life between hatching and leaving the nest goes by what totally acceptable F-word?
Answer: Fledging
- A scissor-tailed flycatcher and the year 1907, the year in which it became a state, appear on the quarter coin that commemorates what panhandled U.S. state?
Answer: Oklahoma
- What Australian kingfisher bird, known for having a call that sounds like laughter, "sits in the old gum tree" and is the "merry, merry king of the bush" in an Australian nursery rhyme that dates to the 1930s?
Answer: Kookaburra
- Not related to Gandalf, the tallest North American owl is a "Great" owl named for what color of its plumage?
Answer: Grey
- Hoots the Owl is a jazzy saxophone-playing bird on what alliteratively named kids' TV show?
Answer: Sesame Street
- Blu is a brilliantly colored Spix's Macaw who doesn't know how to fly because he's been raised in a cage in Minnesota, in what 2011 animated movie?
Answer: Rio
- What is the common name for the avian species Haliaeetus leucocephalus? Though the common name contains a misnomer, this bird remains one of the most famous in the world's largest economy.
Answer: Bald Eagle
- Three types of poultry are featured in what bird-ceptiony dish that anagrams to CRUNK DUET?
Answer: Turducken
- What double-Z word means the muscular enlargement in a bird's digestive tract that grinds food, often with the help of stones the bird has swallowed?
Answer: Gizzard
- "Flight Stop," a sculpture in Cadillac Fairview's Toronto Eaton Centre, depicts 60 of what birds in flight?
Answer: Canada goose
- Which brand of whiskey, named after the heaviest member of the bird order Galliformes, is manufactured in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky?
Answer: Wild Turkey
- What Disney princess sings the song "Oh, Sing Sweet Nightingale" while she's scrubbing floors for her stepmother and stepsisters?
Answer: Cinderella
- In 1987, what white bird was chosen as Quebec's official avian emblem, representing the province's winters and northern climate?
Answer: Snowy Owl
- The Kidzone in Universal Studios, Orlando, features a Nuthouse Coaster named after what Walter Lantz cartoon creation, a mischievous red bird with a distinctive laugh?
Answer: Woody Woodpecker
- The Chehalis tribe is the owner of what bird-named casino that offers slots, table games, and the Crafthouse restaurant in Rochester, Washington?
Answer: Lucky Eagle
- Sesame Place, a children’s theme park and water park in the outskirts of Philadelphia, PA, features what two-word puppet character in its logo? The character was controlled and portrayed by Caroll Spinney in a full body costume from 1969 to 2018.
Answer: Big Bird
- First from Greek mythology, which metaphorical owl "flies only at dusk" according to G.W.F. Hegel? The phrase was symbolic of Hegel's belief that conversations of wisdom and philosophy were best held at night after the day was through. In the bird world, this is the nickname of the Little Owl.
Answer: Owl of Minerva
- What white bird, associated with bringing peace and even new babies to a household, is the national animal of Lithuania?
Answer: Stork
- What five-letter word follows “hyacinth” in the name of the world’s heaviest species of flying parrot? The kakapo is the heaviest parrot species but is flightless.
Answer: Macaw
- What “E” astronomical event, during which the moon blocks Earth’s sunlight, can also affect the flight patterns of certain birds?
Answer: Eclipse
- The Selvatura Adventure Park, located in Monteverde, Costa Rica, has specialized gardens for butterflies and what "H" birds that are small, eat nectar, and fly incredibly fast?
Answer: Hummingbirds
- Which bright-red bird is the mascot for the University of Lousiville's’ NCAA sports teams?
Answer: Cardinal
- Birds have been found to use discarded “butts” of which type of nicotine product in their nests as a deterrent to predators?
Answer: Cigarettes
- What letter in the English alphabet is used to refer to the energy conserving formation in which geese and other large birds fly?
Answer: V
- The "Northern" species of what kind of woodpecker is separated into "yellow-shafted" Eastern species and "red-shafted" Western species?
Answer: Flicker
- What Australasian ratite is considered by most experts to be the bird most likely to attack a human, with an estimated 200 attacks per year?
Answer: Cassowary
- New Zealand’s dollar is commonly referred to as which bird that’s featured on the coin form of the currency?
Answer: Kiwi
- Lincoln, Maine's "Town of Lakes," is home to a 13-foot fiberglass sculpture of what "common" bird, which breeds on Maine's lakes in the spring?
Answer: Loon
- Which bacterial lung infection is sometimes called “parrot fever” because it can spread to humans from pet birds?
Answer: Psittacosis
- A traditional Irish celebration on St. Stephen's Day, December 26, involves hunting what kind of bird on a pole?
Answer: Wren
- Which urinary tract organ do birds lack (their bodies get rid of waste like nitrogen through feces instead)?
Answer: Bladder
- Beach Comber, Gustav, and White Vision are the names of individual birds who won UK's Dickin Medal, called the "Victoria Cross" for animal. All three of these are what type of bird?
Answer: Pigeon
- A research paper in 2007 showed that the Tyrannosaurus Rex’s closest known relative today was what type of bird?
Answer: Chicken
- Henicopernis infuscatus is a buzzard in New Britain that’s also known by which dark yet slightly sweet common name?
Answer: Black Honey
- What is the only fish known to be endothermic? Like birds and mammals, they are able to keep their internal organs warmer than their surroundings.
Answer: Opah
- Believe it or not, five states have named the mockingbird their official state bird: Texas, Arkansas, Florida, Tennessee, and what fifth U.S. state that’s situated between Louisiana and Alabama?
Answer: Mississippi
- What flightless, emu-like South American bird species made the news in 2020 for biting the hand of Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro?
Answer: Rhea
- What family of birds is often known as "butcherbirds" for their discomforting habit of saving half-eaten prey, including small mammals, impaled on branches and barbed wire to be eaten later?
Answer: Shrikes
- "Although a Gander does not strut before his beloved with the pomposity of a Turkey, or the grace of a Dove, his ways are quite as agreeable to the female of his choice." What French-American naturalist wrote this about the Canada Goose in his monumental Birds of America?
Answer: John James Audubon
- What wide-winged bird, more commonly found in California or the Andes, gave its name to Pittsburgh's short-lived American Basketball Association team, which folded in 1972?
Answer: Condor
- What bird became associated with the figure of Jesus Christ during the Middle Ages thanks to a folk belief that it nurtured its young with blood drawn from its own breast?
Answer: Pelican
- Some Southern Hemisphere birds called geese, like the Orinoco Goose and Egyptian Goose, are actually members of what duck family, whose name comes from a word meaning "pied" and not any similarity to turtles?
Answer: Shelduck
- Which species of seabird that mainly lives along the Atlantic and eastern coasts of North America is formally known as Cepphus grille and sometimes called tystie? (Hint: The first part of the name refers to its color, while the second probably comes from a French version of the name William)
Answer: Black guillemot
- The Eastern Brown variety of which big-billed bird is an official symbol of Louisiana, appearing on the state flag and seal?
Answer: Pelican
- Noted for his multicolored beak and blue plumage, Toucan Sam is the mascot of what equally colorful Kellogg's cereal brand?
Answer: Froot Loops
- Argus Panoptes was a hundred-eyed servant to Hera who, accoding to some myths, was transformed into what bird? In other versions, Hera merely "commemorated" Argus by placing his eyes in the bird's tail.
Answer: Peacock
- In 1931, the "American" species of what colorful bird was chosen as Washington's state bird over the Dark-eyed Junco and Pileated Woodpecker?
Answer: Goldfinch
- What French film, released in the U.S. in 2003, follows the extensive seasonal journey of several bird species, including Canada and snow geese?
Answer: Winged Migration
- What bird, which can reach speeds of up to 240 miles per hour in its characteristic hunting dives, is the fastest-moving animal on earth?
Answer: Peregrine Falcon
- The bar-headed goose is one of the highest-flying species of bird in the world, regularly reaching altitudes of over 20,000 feet in order to migrate over what mountain range?
Answer: Himalayas
- Once voiced by comedian Gilbert Gottfriend, a talking duck is the mascot of what American insurance company?
Answer: Aflac
- A mythical bird that resembles a cormorant is a symbol of what city in North West England?
Answer: Liverpool
- Magpies are considered one of the most intelligent species in the world, and are one of the few non-mammals to pass an "MSR" test, which tests an animal's capacity for self-recognition using what tool?
Answer: Mirror
- What vibrant bird, scientific name Pavo cristatus, is the national bird of India, having been designated as such in 1963?
Answer: Peacock
- When you think about the seasonal symptoms associated with viruses under its umbrella, it makes sense that Orthomyxoviridae would come from the Greek word for “mucus.” Among the genera are A, B, C, and D viruses that infect birds and humans?
Answer: Influenza
- The unofficial national bird of the country, which bird appears on the Australian national coat of arms?
Answer: Emu
- Also called a furcula, what forked bone that's found in most birds (including turkeys) shares its name with a '90s PBS television series starring a namesake literature-loving Russell Terrier?
Answer: Wishbone
- "What an Owl Knows: The New Science of the World’s Most Enigmatic Birds," a book filled with photographs and facts about, well, owls, that came out in June 2023, was authored by what science writer?
Answer: Jennifer Ackerman
- Weighing up to 15 kg/33 lbs, the world's largest living bird of prey is a species of South American condor named after which mountain range?
Answer: The Andes (Andean Condor)
- Ducks are typically categorized as "diving ducks," like redheads and canvasbacks, and what other "D" type, like mallards, also known as "puddle ducks?"
Answer: Dabbling Ducks
- What bird, species Passerina ciris, is often called the most beautiful bird in North America thanks to its bright red, yellow, green, and blue coloring?
Answer: Painted Bunting
- With a population of just 500-600 birds, all of which come from a group captively bred in Los Angeles and San Diego, what species is far more rare than a FLORIDIAN RACCOON?
Answer: CALIFORNIA CONDOR
- When speaking in English, the name of this animal shares its name with a country. In French and Russian, the animal has a name meaning "from India" or "bird of India." And in Portuguese the animal is named "peru" deriving from the eponymous country. What is this confusingly named animal?
Answer: Turkey
- Killing what type of bird, some species of which have wingspans over 10 feet wide, is very bad luck in maritime tradition, as they are said to carry the souls of dead sailors?
Answer: Albatross
- 71-year old Wisdom, the oldest banded bird in the world, is a member of the "Laysan" species of what kind of bird? Other species of this seabird have the longest wingspans of any birds in the world.
Answer: Albatross
- Dick, a member of what literary bird species (Mimus polyglottos), became the first presidential pet to live in the White House when he was acquired by Thomas Jefferson?
Answer: Northern Mockingbird
- The elephant bird, which became extinct in the second millennium AD, was a very large flightless bird native to which island in the Indian Ocean?
Answer: Madagascar
- The screechy, predatory Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter jet is nicknamed for what screechy, predatory bird?
Answer: Falcon
- A synonym for a whip used by a horse rider, what body part on a goose is a muscular pouch located on the front of the bird's neck?
Answer: Crop
- Kathryn Lasky’s "Guardians of Ga’Hoole" book series is over 30 deep chronicling the adventures of what type of birds?
Answer: Owls
- Alfred Hitchcock used gulls captured at a San Francisco garbage dump to film what 1963 movie, set in the coastal town of Bodega Bay, California?
Answer: The Birds
- Since they don't have lips to blow on them, Bassian thrushes draw worms out via moving leaves with what kind of expulsion?
Answer: Farts
- Pandion haliaetus is the scientific name of which bird of prey that’s the only living member of its species, mostly eats fish, and stands out for being found everywhere in the world except Antarctica? (Hint: Another name is the “sea hawk”)
Answer: Osprey
- According to official 'Sesame Street' canon, what kind of bird is Big Bird?
Answer: Canary
- In 2019, pair of rare Piping Plovers named Monty and Rose (after their nesting site of Montrose Beach) became famous as the first nesting pair to appear in what U.S. city in decades?
Answer: Chicago
- Since mimus polyglottos is excellent at sounding like a human talking, what common name does it go by? (Hint: The name makes it sound like the bird is making fun of us…and maybe it is, who knows!)
Answer: Mockingbird
- The skin and feathers of some pitohuis, a bird native to New Guinea, are noted for containing what substances? You certainly wouldn't want to eat them for dinner.
Answer: Poison
- Topping out at speeds near 186 miles per hour, which bird isn’t just the fastest bird on Earth but the speediest animal?
Answer: Peregrine falcon
- In 2014, the longest recorded flight for a particular bird was recorded when one flew for 13 seconds and covered 301.5 feet. What was the type of bird?
Answer: Chicken
- Technically North America's most common species in the Columbidae family, this bird was named for the sad cooing notes it makes. What is the name of this bird that sounds like it should be attending a funeral 24/7?
Answer: Mourning dove
- Sports logos like those of the University of Louisville Cardinals and the Arizona Cardinals of the NFL spread the misinformation that cardinals have yellow beaks. In the real world, the common species of bird known as the Northern Cardinal has a beak of what color?
Answer: Red
- By traditional right, the British Crown (and King Charles III) owns all of the unmarked members of what bird species living in open waters of the British Isles?
Answer: Mute Swans
- The state flag of Western Australia contains a yellow circle in which appears a black version of what majestic, long-necked bird that is native to the area?
Answer: swan
- Remiges and rectrices are both names for what body part of an owl?
Answer: Feathers
- In 1984, the mute variety of what water fowl became the national bird of Denmark?
Answer: Swan
- What brand of Irish whiskey was named after a bird in 1912, since the chairman at the time of Gilbey's, the manufacturer, was a bird-fancier?
Answer: Redbreast
- Almost the entire nesting population of the tiny and endangered Kirtland's warbler can be found in the jack pine forests of what Midwestern state?
Answer: Michigan
- Group names for animals are a common trivia fact since they can be so...peculiar. There's a cackle of hyenas, a pandemonium of parrots, and a conspiracy of lemurs. What is the legislative name for a group of owls?
Answer: Parliament
- British publisher Penguin Books chose what name, which also references a seabird, for its children's paperback imprint?
Answer: Puffin Books
- The Cornell Lab's bird ID app, likely the most popular among amateur birders, is named for what small, streaky falcon and not a famous wizard?
Answer: Merlin
- Although sharing a name with a river in South America, the Imperial Amazon (also known as a Sisserou) is the national bird of what island nation in the Caribbean?
Answer: Dominica
- Getting its name from a bird appearing on its currency, in forex circles, what is the nickname for the Canadian dollar?
Answer: Loonie
- They’re commonly called “chickadees,” but which naughty-sounding term is another name for the bird species?
Answer: Titmice
- What colorful chicken variety is both the state bird of Delaware and the name of the University of Delaware's sports teams?
Answer: Blue Hen
- What “C” is genus of large flightless bird, the largest species of which is only smaller than the ostrich and the emu, that is found in the tropical forests of Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Australia? These birds are considered dangerous due to being able to kick powerfully with their sharp claws.
Answer: Cassowary
- The African grey variety of what tropical bird will selflessly help each other find food?
Answer: Parrot
- San Juan Capistrano in Orange County, California is famous for the annual return of large groups of what birds from their migration to Argentina?
Answer: Swallows
- Altamira, Bullock's, Scott's, Audubon's, and the Spot-breasted are all specific species of what type of bird, the official state bird of Maryland?
Answer: Oriole
- Toolka is the indigenous Wemba Wemba name of the Cape Barren goose in the southern portion of what very southern island nation?
Answer: Australia
- In the biblical story of the great flood, Noah sent out two birds of different types from the Ark post-flood. Which two types of birds were they?
Answer: Dove and Raven
- The official state bird of Georgia was the mascot for what Atlanta NHL hockey team that played from 1999 until 2011?
Answer: Thrashers
- In 2022, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recommended what woodpecker species, the largest in the United States, be declared extinct, despite some (dubious) reports that it still exists in the southeast?
Answer: Ivory-billed Woodpecker
- Native to Australia, emu eggs are a deep shade of which color?
Answer: Green
- Used as the title of a fictionalized 1962 biopic of him, what was the nickname of ornithologist Robert Stroud, who, from 1942 to 1959, resided in the notorious San Fransisco location that led to his nickname?
Answer: Birdman of Alcatraz
- Give a hoot—don't pollute! What's the name of the U.S. Forest Service's owl mascot, created by the same publishing company as Smokey Bear?
Answer: Woodsy Owl
- What tube-like organ (generally more ball shaped on a human) makes up one to five percent of an owl's bodyweight, depending on species?
Answer: The eye
- Which bird species has the scientific name pica pica? The eating disorder pica - consisting of the consumption of inedible objects - also gets its name from this bird's large and indiscriminate appetite.
Answer: Magpie
- A Dutch painting of the titular bird is saved from an art museum bombing by a 13-year-old boy in what 2013 Donna Tartt novel, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction?
Answer: The Goldfinch
- Sialia sialis is one of the most often spotted birds in North America, particularly in the east. What’s its common name, which references its “royal” colored feathers along with a rust-red chest?
Answer: Eastern bluebird
- New Zealand's ground-dwelling Kakapo is the only species of what type of bird to lack the power of flight?
Answer: Parrot
- Owned by Accor, what economy hotel brand with a red-and-white logo shares its name with a wading bird commonly found in wetlands and swamps?
Answer: Ibis
- Canceled before development was complete, a Skunkworks concept for a submarine-launched unmanned air vehicle was named for what "C"-bird known for its long neck and dark plumage?
Answer: Cormorant
- According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, what "P" word means relating to, or living or occurring in the open sea, oceanic? The term is used, among other things, to refer to birds such as albatrosses that spend much of their time (when not nesting) out on the open ocean.
Answer: Pelagic
- The terms wake, kettle, and committee all refer to a group of what type of bird?
Answer: Vultures
- A common myth says that a certain type of bird has a name in Mandarin that means "business goose." What bird--still quite appropriately--actually has a Mandarin name that means "standing goose?"
Answer: Penguin
- Which flightless bird, native to South America, is named after a Greek Titan? The second largest moon of Saturn is also named after this Titan.
Answer: Rhea
- Scolopax minor and scolopax rusticola are the slowest flying birds alive today, moving at just 5 miles per hour. The birds are the American and European species of which kind of bird?
Answer: Woodcock
- The capercaillie and the ptarmigan are members of which group of birds commonly hunted as game?
Answer: Grouse
- What nine-letter P-word is an adjective that describes birds whose feet can be used to perch on a branch, such as sparrows and crows?
Answer: Passerine
- The Loriini arboreal parrots branch out into two different groups, the Lories and what other bird species that can come in rainbow colors?
Answer: Lorikeet
- The inaccessible island rail, the world’s smallest flightless species of bird, is endemic to an island in which ocean?
Answer: Atlantic
- Have you heard Bambi's first word was a 4-letter word? When Thumper teaches Bambi to talk, what animal does Bambi utter first?
Answer: Bird
- A Scottish Gaelic term for what non-goose seabird is the "solan goose?" In the 2023 live-action remake of The Little Mermaid, the character of sea gull Scuttle was changed to be a member of this species.
Answer: Northern Gannet
- "Beat Faster, Fly Further" is the apt slogan of what avian-named venture cap firm with a portfolio including Deliveroo, Kraken, and Peak Games?
Answer: Hummingbird
- What bird, species Grus americana, is the tallest bird in North America, sometimes towering a full foot over its relative the Sandhill Crane?
Answer: Whooping Crane
- Being one the 12 predominant species of eagle in the world, the wedge-tailed eagle is mostly found in which country?
Answer: Australia
- What floral term refers to the protective coating around an egg that’s just been laid by a hen?
Answer: Bloom
- The titular bird tries to learn everything he can about flying and gets kicked out of his flock for being too different in what 1970 novella by Richard Bach?
Answer: Jonathan Livingston Seagull
- The Rhode Island Red Chicken is the state bird of Rhode Island, and the Carolina Wren is the state bird of South Carolina. What is the only other state bird which has the state as part of its name?
Answer: California Quail
- Despite his ducklike appearance, Sebastian, the mascot of the University of Miami, is a member of the "white" species of what kind of wading bird with a curved bill?
Answer: Ibis
- Released in 2019, what board game by Elizabeth Hargraves, whose goal is to populate a wildlife refuge with a flourishing array of birds, exploded in popularity during the lockdowns of 2020?
Answer: Wingspan
- What strikingly colored diving duck native to North America gets its name from a clownish figure in Italian commedia dell'arte?
Answer: Harlequin Duck
- What type of military aircraft, known for its vertical takeoff and landing capability, is named for a bird-of-prey with a hawk-like body and an owl-like facial disc?
Answer: Harrier Jump Jet
- "The Treetops Tattler" was a newspaper staffed by birds in what long-running newspaper comic by Jeff MacNelly?
Answer: Shoe
- Although humans and owls typically live in relatively close quarters harmoniously, there are instances of owls attacking humans such as photographer Eric Hosking losing an eye. Hosking later titled his 1970 autobiography "An Eye for a Bird." What type of orange-brown owl attacked him?
Answer: Tawny owl
- What “J” is a large stork native to the Americas with mainly white plumage and a broad, red band at the base of the neck?
Answer: Jabiru
- Whereas humans have an XY sex-determination system, birds have a sex-determination system denoted by which two letters? The first of these letters begins the name of a species of dove characterized by black and white markings. The second of these letters begins the name of a group of birds characterized by tail pumping behavior.
Answer: ZW
- An emblem of the island nation to which it is endemic, which non-flying bird is unique in having external nostrils at the tip of its beak?
Answer: Kiwi
- What owl is named for the mask around its eyes, which is dark on light plumage in young birds and light on dark plumage in adults? These owls can be found in Mexico and Central America and throughout the northern two-thirds of South America.
Answer: Spectacled
- Although owls aren't the only zygodactyl birds, they are the only ones that can pivot the body part that zygodactyl describes. What is this body part?
Answer: Toes
- Chickens, parrots, and most raptors—but not owls—have what special expanded portion of the alimentary track used to store food prior to digestion?
Answer: Crop
- “Screaming,” “giant,” “shiny,” and “bronze” are species of which bird that’s known for laying its eggs in other birds’ nests, and has a name that sounds like it belongs in a barnyard?
Answer: Cowbird
- Although it's famous for its ability to imitate other birds, marsupials, human speech, and even camera shutter clicks, the "Superb" species of what Australian bird is named for the musical instrument its long tail resembles?
Answer: Lyrebird
- As with other birds, an owl’s feathers are nourished as they grow by a blood supply to the feather sheaths. What term is used to describe feathers that are still developing inside the sheaths?
Answer: Pin feathers
- In the 2023 live action remake of the Little Mermaid, filmmakers transformed the character of Scuttle from a gull into the "Northern" species of what seabird?
Answer: Gannet
- What seabird species (Alca torda) also known as the "lesser auk" gets its common name from its flat, sharp bill used to feed on schools of fish?
Answer: Razorbill
- With its unique black-and-white coloring, dolichonyx oryzivorus looks like it’s wearing a backward tuxedo. While it has a formal look, which common name that sounds a little silly is the bird better known by? (Hint: The name actually was inspired by what the bird’s call sounds like)
Answer: Bobolink
- While most Eurasian birds of the genus "Turdus" are known as "true thrushes," some in the Americas--including the "clay-colored" and the ubiquitous "American"--are known by what name?
Answer: Robins
- Timberdoodle, bogsucker, night partridge, brush snipe, and hokumpoke are all nicknames for what American bird with a prehensile beak?
Answer: American Woodcock
- What family of tropical seabirds is easily identified by their bright red vocal pouch?
Answer: Frigatebirds
- Which species of bird, including the green-tailed and white-chinned, is often spotted in South America and southern Mexico?
Answer: Jacamar
- Although they're not associated with water, Australia's kookaburras are a member of what larger group of birds, notable for their short legs and long, sharp beaks?
Answer: Kingfishers
- What cubist's work, featuring outlines of birds, was the first piece by a living artist to adorn the Louvre? It covered the ceiling of what was once King Henri II's antechamber and caused an uproar in Paris.
Answer: Georges Braque
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About the Author
Eli Robinson is the Chief Trivia Officer at Water Cooler Trivia. He was once in a Bruce Springsteen cover band called F Street Band.
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