Fun Facts. Ostriches and emus are speedy creatures. An emu can run 25 mph and sprint at 30 mph. Ostriches can run up to 42 miles per hour.

31 mphMaximum, Sprint

Emus flap their wings when running, perhaps as a means of stabilising themselves when moving fast. They have long necks and legs, and can run at speeds of 48 km/h (30 mph) due to their highly specialised pelvic limb musculature.

Facts about emu

• Emus are the second largest bird in the world. What’s first? Why the ostrich of course!
• They can grow up to 2m tall.
• They can live between ten and twenty years in the wild.
• They are covered in soft fluffy feathers.
• They have two sets of eyelids, one for blinking and the other for keeping the dust out!

Emus can dash away at nearly 50 km (30 miles) per hour; if cornered, they kick with their big three-toed feet. Like cassowaries and ostriches, the toe claws of emus are capable of eviscerating animals under the right conditions; however, human fatalities are extremely rare.

Although parrots are generally a very intelligent bird, the Kakapo is one of the dumbest animals. Making it on the list as the dumbest bird, the Kakapo, out of New Zealand, is a parrot owl.

killdeer

Many Mainers dislike grackles at the feeder because they aggressively shoulder aside other birds, and they can devour lots of seeds at an alarming rate. Fortunately, grackles prefer to forage on the ground, and not many can crowd around a hanging feeder. Their boisterous bullying mostly happens on platform feeders.

Those grackles are engaged in a courting behavior, most frequently called “bill tilt.” It’s also been called “head up” or “head up threat.” While establishing pairs for mating, males vie for the attention of the females.

Although it’s only natural, grackles are often scorned because they’re known to raid other birds nests, stealing eggs or young. Like an accipiter, the grackle snatched the smaller birds with its claws or bill, then plucked the feathers to get to the breast meat.

It’s illegal to kill grackles: According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, all wild birds that migrate through or are indigenous to Texas are protected from harm. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website, the common grackle is one of the birds protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

Common Grackles eat other birds’ eggs and nestlings, and sometimes kill and eat other adult birds. They commonly eat adult house sparrows.