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At 150 million years old, Archaeopteryx is the earliest bird species known to scientists. Birds probably started evolving earlier than that – but we haven’t found the fossils yet! Archaeopteryx lived during the Jurassic period with other famous dinosaurs like Allosaurus, Apatosaurus and Stegosaurus.

The Aussie Bird Count is a nation-wide citizen science project where Australians can record the birds they spot. For 10 years in a row, the rainbow lorikeet topped the list as the most commonly spotted bird. (Magpies are a close runner-up). Scientists say that the most common birds tend to be bold and have broad diets.

True! In 2019, scientists discovered two very well-preserved fossil pterosaurs that were covered in feather-shaped fibres. These feathers did not assist in flying but probably did keep the pterosaurs warm. Scientists aren’t sure whether birds and pterosaurs inherited feathers from the same ancestor.

Ostriches are the largest living bird and they lay eggs that regularly weigh 1,500 grams – about 30 times a standard chicken egg! The kiwi is much smaller, but it lays eggs that weigh 370 grams. That’s nearly 15% of its body weight! In comparison, the ostrich egg is only 2% of an ostrich’s body weight.

Corvids (crows and relatives) are particularly sharp birds. They can use and modify tools to solve puzzles. Recently, crows have shown the ability to count to four out loud. Finally, crows can recognise human faces and remember if you were dangerous or not – holding this “grudge” for at least 3 years!