Species of Bird Coloring Pages
There are more than 10,000 kinds of birds in the world, from hummingbirds that weigh less than a nickel to ostriches that are taller than most grown-ups. They're the only animals alive today with feathers, and scientists say they're the closest living relatives of the dinosaurs. So the next time a robin hops across your lawn, you're looking at a tiny cousin of T. rex!
View coloring pages by type of bird
Albatross
An albatross has the longest wings of any bird alive, and it can glide over the ocean for hours without flapping once. They live a long time too. The oldest wild bird anyone has ever tracked is an albatross named Wisdom, who was still raising chicks in her seventies.
Birds of Prey
Most birds grab their food with their beaks, but birds of prey hunt with their feet. An osprey can even swing one of its outer toes backwards, so it holds a slippery fish with two toes in front and two behind.
Crows
An old fable tells of a thirsty crow that drops pebbles into a pitcher until the water rises high enough to drink. Scientists tried the same puzzle with real crows and their cousins the rooks, and guess what? They figured it out too.
Doves
Here's a surprise: doves make milk! Both parents make a thick, milky food in their throats called crop milk, and it's what their babies eat for the first few days.
Ducks
Ever heard someone say "like water off a duck's back"? Ducks have a special oil gland near their tail, and they spread that oil over every feather with their beaks. Water just beads up and rolls right off, so a duck can paddle around all day and still be dry underneath.
Eagles
Bald eagles come back to the same nest year after year and add more sticks every time. Some nests get so big that a grown-up could curl up inside, and one famous nest in Florida weighed more than a car.
Jays
Blue jays aren't really blue! There's no blue color in their feathers at all. The blue comes from the way light bounces off tiny bumps inside each feather, which is why a crushed feather looks plain brown.
Owls
Owls swallow their dinner whole. Later they cough up the bits they can't digest, like fur and tiny bones, in a neat little bundle called a pellet. Scientists pull pellets apart to see exactly what an owl has been eating.
Ravens
Ravens are sneaky about hiding food. If a raven thinks another raven is watching, it sometimes pretends to bury its snack in one spot, then slips away and hides it somewhere else.
