FUN FACT SUNDAY Trumpeter swans are native to Ontario while mute swans are not.The name mute for this swan species was due to their hoarse, muffled trumpet or bugle call given during territorial defense. It doesn't carry like the calls of other swan species. Mute swans also make an explosive snorting or hissing sound when threatened or disturbed. Their aggressive behavior and voracious appetites can disturb local ecosystems, displace native species, and even pose a hazard to humans. The black knob at the base of the male mute swan's bill swells during the breeding season and becomes noticeably larger than the female's. The rest of the year the difference between the sexes is not obvious. The mute swan is reported...
That’s Interesting… Did You Know? 1. A bird’s lungs are much more complicated and efficient and take up more space than those of mammals, such as humans. A human’s lungs compose about 1/20 of its body. A bird’s takes up 1/5. 2. Owls cannot swivel their eyes. Instead they move their heads completely around to see straight behind them. They live on every continent except Australia. Soft fringes on their wings make flight essentially silent. 3. Many birds such as starlings, sing notes too high for humans to hear. 4. The type of diet a bird eats in the wild is directly related to the shape of the bird’s beak. 5. The fastest flying bird in a dive is the...
There are 501 species of birds in Ontario as determined by the Ontario Bird Records Committee (OBRC), as of July 2020 there were 501 species on this list, 291 of which are known to breed in the province. The biggest bird in Ontario is the Bald Eagle, with a wingspan of up to 8 feet (2.5 m) for females, this white-headed bird of prey is the largest bird in Ontario. The smallest bird in Ontario the Calliope Hummingbird which is only about 3 in long, but they can travel long distances from Canada to southern Mexico. The most common bird in Ontario is the Black-capped Chickadee, which is seen in 45% of recorded checklists. Ontario has 6 National Parks, 10 National Wildlife...
