Why do some male blackbirds have yellow beaks, and others have orange ones?
492652
it is all genetic orriented , the genes for orange beaks and yellow ones are present but may be reccessive in certain cases. i think it is the yellow gene that is reccessive in the Black birds.
301303
It sounds like it may be a red-winged or tri-color-winged blackbird. Those are fairly identifiable though, so perhaps it was a towhee or tanager of some sort? \n\nHave you looked at any birding sites or books to try and ID the bird? Try www.whatbird.com.
268841
ok\n Hoatzin chicks have archyopterix-style claws on their wings\n\nPuffin`s beaks are not as colourful out of the breeding season\n\nThe Goatsucker (no, not el Chuppacabra, the bird!) of the USA is called a Nightjar in the UK\n\nAmerican Robins are not related to european Robins, they are in fact a type of thrush\n\ncormorants have to open their wings to "dry" them as they`re not as waterproof as other waterbirds.
272274
let's see...\nAccording to Darwin, natural selections is when species born with a trait that's slightly different from what they are supposed to be turn out to have a bigger advantage in life. Because it's successful, it breeds, and the trait is passed on to the next generation. Eventually, that trait dominates the species in a way that we identiy them as a new or different species. \nIn the case of hummingbirds, the flowers they feed on also evolve with the birds. As we all know, hummingbirds have prett long beaks. To 'protect' their nector (or something), flowers start to grow more in a 'tube' shape, which prevents species like bees to get the nector. In response, hummingbirds evolve by growing longer beaks so they can still get their food (drink?)
255420
Could be bullfinches, except that bullfinches have red breasts as well. Not sure if they have duller winter plumage, but that could explain the difference.\n\nDo they look anything like this?\nhttp://www.birdsofbritain.co.uk/bird-guide/bullfinch.htm
1185738
Nobody really knows, but the most convincing explanation I have seen is that parrots evolved as desert species. That might seem strange to people who are used to viewing parrots as animals of tropical rainforests but even today by far the greatest diversity of parrots is found in arid and semi-arid regions of Australia. Certainly the parrot beak and claw arrangements seem ideally suited to hard, dry seeds more common to arid regions than to he soft fruits of tropical forests.\n\nMany desert animals have anomalously long lifespans. That is because reproduction in desert regions is unpredictable. Rainfall varies so much that animals may only be able successfully reproduce every 5 years, or even less.  That is the situation today for many parrot species in Australia.\n\nThe first point to appreciate is that mating competition in male birds is incredibly stressful and shortens their lifespans markedly. In predictable environments that doesn’t matter because it doesn’t really matter how young a male bird dies. If every clutch survives it is more profitable for a male to mate with 20 females every year and die in 5 years than to mate with just one female every year and live for 20 years. \n\nHowever in unpredictable arid environments it is entirely possible that every single female mated with will fail to raise a clutch over an entire five year period. In such an environment a male that stresses himself by trying to be polygamous could easily die without leaving any offspring at all. With that sort of failure rate it become more advantageous for the males to become monogamous and survive for long periods than to be polygamous and survive for short periods. Although monogamous mate with fewer females they still produce far more young.\n\nWith reproductive opportunities so uncertain it becomes beneficial for a species to have longer lifespans. Birds of more benevolent climates can afford to gamble everything on a five years of reproductive success before dying but when  there is no certainty of raising even one successful clutch in that five year period such a strategy is suicidal.\n\nI guess the main to point to bear in mind is that reproductive potential is not the same as reproductive success, in fact the two are only tangentially related. While budgerigars may have a reproductive potentially of 2 young every year they never manage that in the wild.\n\n\nIt has been suggested that the same ancestral environmental uncertainty is the reason why so many waterfowl are monogamous and long-lived. Many waterfowl can only breed when rivers or wetlands flood and such floods may be many years apart. As with desert animals that makes breeding opportunities extremely sporadic and puts pressure on males to evolve long term commitments and long lifespans.
1073256
There are several.\nhttp://birding.about.com/library/weekly/aa060797.htm
2584
Cool question. They are gregarious (like groups) wading birds related to other large wading birds such as \nBoatbills, Shoebills, Hammerkops, storks, ibises and spoonbills.\n\nYou can find the scientific classification and their spot in the bird family tree at the link below!
808019
you can pluck a feather and have genetic testing done, which is the only way to know for absolutely sure, but adult plumage is a very good indicator. so just be patient and youll be suprised
862311
I think ornery ornithologists probably give each other the bird quite frequently.  After all, they egg each other on.  If they don't know what they are doing, they just wing it.  Why?  Just beak-claws.  Nest question?
275364
Some Dude is correct.  Red coloration is attractive to birds.  Red fruit get's eaten by the birds and the fruid seed passes through the birds digestive tract to hopefully grow up in it's new location.\n\nThe flowers that are normally pollinated by birds instead of insects are usually red, to attract their pollinators.
2205
A COCKATOO BIRD,WAIT IT SOUNDS LIKE HE HAS TWO?
983726
They must have escaped from someone - they are not native to America.  They may have been adopted by the starlings, so they will probably survive. They don't usually live in such cold climates though. Help them by feeding them through your bird feeder.  Just out of curiosity what colour are they???
470672
Assuming that you're in the U.S. and you're talking about the Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos), the answer is yes. Both sexes sing. Males are more vocal and louder, but females sing and imitate too. Females are at their most vocal in the fall and sing rarely in spring and summer.
1103147
Bee= Male (the stinger)\n"gets friendly" with\nBird= Female
433650
Birds fly south because it is instinct. I hope that answers your question.
242478
I believe your are referring to the black billed magpies. They have a black head and breast and a white belly and shoulder. Their wings are actually tinted with blue green but if you are not looking for the color you may not see it.