There are about 9,703 species of birds divided up into 23 orders, 141 families and 2,057 genera (Sibley and Monroe 1992).


Birds can be found on all major land masses from the poles to the tropics as well as in or over all our seas and oceans and their accompaning island.

The total number of birds on the planet is very difficult to estimate because their populations fluctuate seasonally, but scientists have have suggested that there may be between 100,000 and 200,000 million adult or near adult birds on the planet any one time.

The rarest bird in the world is much harder to estimate because though a large number of birds are, in most cases the exact number of birds left living for any given species is impossible to ascertain. Some species have been rare for a long time. These include the Sudanese Red Sea Cliff Swallow(Hrundo Perdita)seen once in 1984 and the Orange-necked Patridge(Arborophila davidi)seen once in 1927. Other birds are known or believed to be extint in the wild but still have some representatives in captivity. A good example of this is Spix's Macaw(Cyanopsitta spiscii)hunted to the brink of extinction to satisfy the foolish demands of the pet trade.

Since 1600s at least 115 species of bird are known to have gone extinct, mostly as a result of human interferenceof one sort or another

The most common bird in the world is the Red Junglefowl(Gallus gallus) most regularly seen as the common domestic chicken.

The most widespread commonly seen wild bird in the world is probably the European House Sparrow(Passer domesticus) which has been transported all over the world by European settlers and can now be found on 2/3 of the land masses of the world including New Zealand, Australia,N.America,India and of course Europe.

There are 3 (three) possible ways of measuring largest in birds; heaviest,tallest and or longest wingspan,however, whatever way you choose, the records are all held by extinct species. The heaviest bird ever was probably the extinct Dromornis stirtoni from Australia. This flightless giant live between 1 and 15 million years ago and probably stood nearly 3m/10ft tall and weighed in at a massive 500kg/1100lb.

The tallest bird ever was, as far as we know, Dinornus Maximus, a Giant Moa from New Zealand and stood an incredible 3.7m/12.1ft tall.

The largest fying bird and longest wingspan comes from South America, The Giant Teratorn(Argentavis magnificens) had a wingspand of at least 6M/19.5ft and could possibly have been as large as 7.5m/25ft.

The largest living bird is without doubt the Ostrich(Sruthio camelus). This ever popular bird stands a magnificent 2.74 (9ft) high and can weigh as much as 160kg (353lb)

The heaviest fying bird is the Kori Bustard of Africa (Ardeotis kori) a number of specimens have been scientifically recorded weighing 19kg(42lb)and heavier specimens have been reported but not confirmed. Close runner-up are the Eurasian Bustard(otis tarda) and the Mute Swan(Cynus olor) both of which have been recorded at 18kg or(40lb).

The smallest bird in the world is generally agreed to be the Bee Hummingbird (Mellisuga henenae)from Cuba which weighs a mere 1.6g or 0.056oz.

Another major contender for smallest bird is the Little Woodstar (Acestrura bombus)from South America.

The smallest flightless bird is the Inaccessible Island Rail(Atlnatisia rogersi). Reaching a mere 12.5cm/5inches in lenght and weighing 35g/1.45oz. This little bird can be only found in the southern Tristan da Cunha Island.

Largest Egg-living=Ostrich
Largest Egg-ever=Elephant bird Aepyornis maximus from Madagascar 39cm/15.4in long=12 litres/2.6 gallons,220 chicken eggs
Smallest Egg-living=Vervain Humming bird Mellisuga minima=the size of pea
largest individual nest=Mallee Fowl Australia Leipoa Ocellata builds a mound 5m (16.5ft) high and 11 metres (36ft) wide.
Smallest nest- many seabird do not make a nest at all, nest on ground or in case of fairy tern on a branch of a tree. Hummingbirds have a nest of thimble sized (1cm squared) nests which mean their have the smallest among all other nests.

Etymologically, dodo is said to come from Portuquese doudo, literally "a fool", "simpleton", or "stupid"; and is applied to people as an adjective meaning "foolish", "silly", or "stupid".



Dodo became extinct in Mauritius during the 1680s, only 80 years after man discovered the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius. Although sailors may have eaten many bird of the birds, which have been described as having been somewhat larger than a turkey and with a large hooked bill, they are believed to have become extinct because of introduced predators (pigs, for example) and habitat destruction by people. Now we have the expression "dead as a dodo".

Many people apparently know about the death of the dodo, but no one knows much about its life. The origins of the dodo are mysterious. Studies of its DNA indicate that it descended from pigeons.

Once on the island of Mauritius, dodos followed the same evolutionary path that other birds have taken on other islands; such as, Madagascar and Hawaii. They become stocky and flightless as they adapted to feeding on plants.

December 1, 2000, Brasilia - The Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Natural Renewable Resources (IBAMA) has informed the conservation community that the last known wild Spix's Macaw (Cyanopsitta spixii) has disappeared. The Spix's Macaw (also known as the Little Blue Macaw) is considered one of the world's most endangered species. Until its disappearance, only one remaining male was known to exist in the wild - only in one small arid region of savanna scrubland in Northeastern Brazil known as the "caatinga". It is estimated that the last Spix's Macaw is approximately 19 years of age, so there is great fear that he might have succumbed to a predator or died of an age related illness. He had been observed avoiding hawks in the past year. It is not known how long this species lives in the wild. But, if its disappearance is confirmed, the Spix's Macaw will once again be considered extinct in the wild.



This individual specimen has contributed much to what is known about this species in nature. The re-discovery of this last bird in 1990 gave researchers a second chance to study this species, as until then, little was known about the Spix's Macaw in the wild. Also at that time, the Brazilian wildlife authorities of IBAMA formed the Permanent Committee for the Recovery of the Spix's Macaw. The Committee is a diverse group comprised of government officials, ornithologists, zoo specialists, as well as national and international holders of birds in captivity. The mission of this Committee was to save this species from extinction and co-ordinating the field and the captive breeding program.



The Ararinha Azul Project (Little Blue Macaw Project) was established by this Committee to develop the field conservation effort. Researchers of the project have been monitoring this bird for the last ten years, studying its natural history and working with the local community in conservation. They last reported seeing the bird (which is a male) 56 days ago. On a positive note, it appears that there might have been a sighting of this magnificent blue bird less than a month ago by a local farmer. As this is the dry season, there is a possibility that he might have moved to another area in search of food. Therefore, IBAMA and researchers of the project are mounting an intensive search of the region. Three teams made up of researchers and local woodsmen known as "mateiros" will search the area for information and sightings of this last bird.

The last Spix's macaw had come to symbolize the region and the people of this area. The conservation program has developed into a model of community conservation in this economically distressed region, incorporating local needs with the conservation effort. Projects supported by the Committee have included the building of rural schoolhouses, a management extension courses, and even the restoration of a century old theater. Because of this positive community support, it is believed that if the last wild bird disappeared, it is due to natural biological causes and not to trappers.

With only a single bird in the wild, the recovery of the Spix's Macaw has always depended on the success or failure of the captive breeding program. Through collaboration between the participants throughout the world, the population has steadily increased to sixty birds (fifty-four are captive-hatched). The program is administered as a single global population with five breeding facilities throughout the world.

The information that the field researchers gathered by studying the last wild bird will be critical to eventually reintroducing captive-bred birds to the area. Therefore, even if the last wild bird is lost, he will have provided much information and insight into how this species survives. This knowledge should help researchers eventually establish a new wild population. With the support from the captive-breeding program, a re-introduction effort is planned for the near future. There is still hope that the bird known as the Spix's (Little Blue) macaw will once again fly in the wild "caatinga" habitat of Brazil.

Website news item - Last Spix's Macaw in the wild disappears

Sadly it appears that the last known Spix's macaw in the wild has disappeared. The field team has been trying to track him down for nearly eight weeks, but as there have been severe drought conditions in the area it was believed he might have migrated further afield - he has disappeared before in similar weather conditions, but has usually turned up sooner than on the present occasion. It is now feared that he may have suffered a calamity. The team will continue to search until just before Christmas when the situation will be re-assessed. I shall publish more news soon. The following report translated by the website editor appears in the latest issue (November 2000) of Papageien.

Captive-bred Spix's Macaws to be released into the wild

There are some new developments in the conservation programme for the seriously endangered Spix's Macaw (Cyanopsitta spixii), which has been sponsored by Loro Parque in Tenerife with well over DM 1 million ($600,000). After the first attempt to release a wild-caught Spix's macaw failed after a few weeks several years ago, a new attempt will be made to release Spix's macaws into the wild. Antonio de Dios, the macaw breeder from the Philippines has announced that five young bred by him will be made available for release purposes. These young macaws will be held initially in the large flight erected in the habitat area for the first attempt to enable them to acclimatise, become used to natural food and get fit for sustained flight. It is not known at present how long this period will last. It is to be hoped that the last known remaining macaw in the wild will make contact with the young birds during this acclimatisation period. It will have to take over a "mentor" role for the captive-bred young to pass on "behavior traditions" developed over many generations.

Kakapo are the world's heaviest parrots (topping out about 4 kilos... a big macaw averages around 1-1.5 kg), they are nocturnal, flightless and ground-dwelling. Endemic to New Zealand, they are also one of the most endangered birds on Earth. There were only 50 left when they were trapped and moved to predator-controlled off-shore islands for the breeding program. Their population has increased to 86.

Ornithologists have discovered a previously unknown blue-and-green-throated hummingbird species in a cloud forest in Colombia, reports BirdLife International, a conservation group. The bird, called the gorgeted puffleg, measures up to 4 inches (10 cm) in length.

Ornithologists Alexander Cortés-Diago and Luis Alfonso Ortega first sighted the bird in the mountain cloud forest in the Serrania del Pinche in southwest Colombia during 2005. The rest of the stories you can read here
@Photo By Alex Cortes