Hummingbirds are some of the smallest bird species.  With most species of hummingbird measuring 7.5–13 cm in length. Indeed, the smallest extant bird species is a hummingbird, the 5 cm bee hummingbird weighing less than 2.0 g. Hummingbirds lifespan is approximately 3-5 years.  But don't take these little flying beauties lightly as the top speeds of 79km/h diving. They are the only birds in the world that are able to fly backwards. Because of these characteristics, hummingbirds are among the most sought-after creatures of bird watchers everywhere.

In order to spend hours watching this delightful little bird, you would have to be able to make it stay in the same place for a long time. You can do this by creating a hummingbird house in your own backyard. This is a bird house specifically designed for the unusual hummingbird species.
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You do not need to spend a lot to put up hummingbird houses. You can even make them yourself. Hummingbird houses are small, so you can use small boxes or even tin cans for this. When building hummingbird houses, just remember that if your open hand can fit in the box, then it is big enough for the hummingbird.

How To Attract HummingBirds
The best way to attract hummingbirds, though, is to place your hummingbird houses near flowering plants. Hummingbirds like hovering near flowers because they feed on the nectar of the flower. These birds are most attracted to colorful flowers like the trumpet vine and honeysuckle.
Your hummingbird house will also be more attractive to the tiny critters if you put hummingbird nectar inside. Make sure you do not offer them sugar water because this might cause fungus on their beaks, and could even be potentially lethal to the little birds.

Humming Bird Food
Hummingbirds primarily eat flower nectar, tree sap, insects and pollen. The hummingbird's fast breathing rate, fast heartbeat and high body temperature require that they eat often. They also require an enormous amount of food each day.

Humming Bird Heart Beat
Their hearts can beat as fast as 1,260 beats per minute, which is the rate measured in a Blue- throated Hummingbird, or as slow as 50-180 beats per minute on a cold night when they experience torpor, a hibernation-like state. The Giant Hummingbird beats its wings 10-15 times per second.

Hummingbirds as Pet
Hummingbirds do not make the best of pets. Especially since there are no hummingbird breeders in the US offering birds to anyone but zoos. And it is illegal to own a native North American hummingbird as a pet. It is quite difficult for anyone to have a hummingbird as a pet because of it's sophisticated requirements. 

​Hummingbirds need an exotic mix of sugar, protein and various other things—easy for them to get in the wild, but very hard to reproduce in captivity. The nectar they get from flowers is much more complicated than just sugar and water, and they also must eat small live insects like gnats and fruit flies. If you could actually find a supplier of the nectar that zoos feed their hummingbirds, you would discover that it spoils quickly because of the protein content, and you have to re-make it several times a day. Would you be home to be able to do that? They need to eat about every 15 minutes.
If you aren’t planning to let it fly free in a greenhouse or large aviary, they also need a huge cage, as big as most macaws: 4 feet long, 8 feet wide, 8 feet tall. You can’t keep them in a small cage. They are also incredibly fragile. It is unbelievably easy to hurt or kill them.​

What Eats Humming birds
​Predators that can feast on young hummingbirds and hummingbird eggs include:

• Snakes and lizards of all sizes.
• Bats, especially in tropical regions or bats that roost in trees.
• Corvids such as jays, crows, and ravens.
• Tropical omnivorous birds, such as toucans.

Which came first chicken or the egg is a question which has been asked countless times.  Many people become mind boggled answering this question as their reasoning is that the egg has to hatch a chicken and a chicken is needed to lay an egg. But if you take a simple look at life which is in plain sight. You can easily see that the chicken must have come before the egg. Why?

1. Well it is the same principle with an adult and a baby. When a baby is born, it is basically helpless and simply cannot survive on its own. It needs its mother’s protection, love and nutriment to grow and become a strong adult. This is same for a chicken. When a chicken egg is hatched, the baby chick is hungry and helpless and needs its mothers help for food and protection until that baby chick is able to fend for itself. So you see, the chicken must have come before the egg. 

2. If you look at it also from a Biblical perspective. God created animals, lion, tiger, deer, monkeys, fishes, etc. It never said God created eggs, tadpoles, cubs etc. 

3. The Egg Needed a Rooster and a Hen To Create It. The chicken egg on its own could not have populated the world with so many chickens. The egg is created when the male chicken called a rooster copulates with a female chicken called a hen.  So even if two eggs came first, there is no guarantee that those two eggs would have hatched a rooster and a hen which are needed to make other chickens.

If you think that this little bird is a push over you better think again! The king bird has known to be very aggressive when defending its turf. These kings’ birds will defend their territory no matter who may come. They are small but fearless. They have warded off predators such as Red tail hawks, Blue herons and other menacing birds.  The birds know that these large birds will invade and destroy their nest, killing and eat their young ones. They are prepared to strike at these predators without any delay or intimidation. ​Eastern Kingbirds often perch on wires in open areas and either sally out for flying insects or flutter slowly over the tops of grasses. They spend winters in South American forests, where they eat mainly fruit

Diet
The eastern king bird diet is mainly insects and fruits.
 
Colour Pattern:
Black and white.  Black from beak to tail with white tail tips and white under the neck and belly.
 
Size:
Large head, medium sized bird. Short straight study bill with a square tipped tail.
 
Habitat
Eastern Kingbirds can be found in many places. They are nested in grasslands, yards, fields, pastures, just about any place abundant in open fields along forest edges of water. It is a migratory species, the eastern kingbird flies south in the autumn to its wintering grounds in South America
 
Eastern King Birds are classified under the Tyrannus bird group. Tyrannus bird group is a genus of small birds of the Tyrant flycatcher family. Most are named king-birds.

Eastern king-birds form mated pairs that stay together for a each breeding season. Males attract females by flying in short zig-zags while also calling. it's kind of like doing  mate calling dance in the air.
astern king-birds breed from April to June. Females build nests of twigs, bark, and roots lined with softer material. Nests are built high in trees in open habitats. Females lay 2 to 5 cream colored eggs with reddish spots. Incubation is for 14 to 17 days and young can fly 16 to 17 days after hatching. Eastern king-birds can breed in their first year after hatching.

Breeding Season: April to June
Breeding Occurrence: Once Per Year
Total Eggs Laid: 2-5

 Earth has a lot of bird species. Many of which can be easily seen and some can only be seen if you actually visit some exotic places. But one bird which is rarely seen if even at all is the Legendary Phoenix Bird. This bird falls in the category of mythical creatures like dragons, Bigfoot, werewolves etc. It has been the talk in the bird realm for quite some time where individuals have sought to prove if the Phoenix bird is real or just the pigment of some bird lover’s imagination. Well, we can never know for sure until we get concrete proof that the mythical Phoenix bird exist, even though people have claimed to see the bird, none have come forward with any concrete proof. But with that said, I like to give the benefit over the doubt so I myself as an animal lover will conclude that the Phoenix Bird is real but just likes to stay hidden away from us meddling humans.

What Is Special about the Phoenix Bird
Well, if we take a tiny look at Greek mythology, the phoenix bird basically cannot die. When the phoenix bird reaches a certain mature age, instead of dying and rotting away like the rest of us. It simply burst into flames and then a new bird arises from the ashes of the old bird. It is believed that a Phoenix bird can live for over 1300 years before rebirth. So in other words, don't go looking for a phoenix bird's egg anytime soon as these birds don't believe in offspring. Then this begs to ask the question. How many phoenix's are there and what purpose does a bird like this serves? That is a question many men have tried to answer, but as mythical as the bird is, it is not easy to find and study. The little knowledge known about this bird was passed down from generations of Magicians, witches and warlocks.  They have documented basic tit bits of the Phoenix Bird lifestyle and now I will present them to you.

What The Phoenix Stands For
The bird lives for 1400 years, then burst into flames and then reborn from the ashes. This symbolizes renewal, knowledge, wisdom and rebirth. Any animal, whether man or beast that lives for thousands of yeas will accumulate vast knowledge.

Due to the  of death and resurrection of this special bird, it was adopted as a symbol in early Christianity, as an analogy of Christ’s death and three days later his resurrection. The image became a popular symbol on early Christian tombstones. It is also symbolic of a cosmic fire some believe created the world and which will consume it.

Have you ever seen one of those movies where the king or some other guy ties a note the the foot of a messenger pigeon and then releases the bird and the bird soars into the sky and finds the intended recipient of the message and you say "Wow, now that's a smart bird?" Have you ever wonder how pigeons are able to carry messages so accurately and not just divert and go stop to eat some corn and end up being the dinner of an hawk? Well, the truth is that not all messenger pigeons actually make it to the recipient. But let's first take a look at this humble messenger bird and learn how they are able to deliver messages.

How Homing Pigeons Deliver Messages
There is no GPS Navigation system built into homing pigeons why they are able to deliver messages. Messenger pigeons are often called homing pigeons. The reason why they are called homing pigeon is because they will almost always return home. So let's say you are the king of Castle A and you you send your Knights to raid and plunder the King in Castle B. You want to get message of the victory or defeat quickly to plan your next move. So you send one of your knight with a homing pigeon which was grown, cared for and bred at your castle. In battle when King's army A defeats King army B. The knight simply attaches a note to the foot of the messenger pigeon which will simply fly home because it just wants to return to the place it knows. Then viola! you got mail.

How Long Can Pigeons Fly To Deliver a Message?
Don't take these little birds for granted. They are capable flyers and can cover much ground at good speeds. Pigeons can fly anywhere between 600 to 700 miles in a day and can reach flight speeds of 93Mph. The longest recorded flight of a messenger pigeon was in the 19th century, taking 55 days between Africa and England and covering 7000 miles.

Not All Mails Are Delivered by Homing Pigeons
You would think that this is a full proof way to deliver messages, but just like using a computer today, not all messages will get delivered. For the case of computers, there is line breakage, hacking, viruses and all that which may disrupt mail delivery. For the pigeon it is much worst. Many homing pigeons end up becoming a tasty treat for predators. especially the hawk and of course men.  Back in the medevil times, hawks were also trained to intercept mails being sent by homing pigeons.  A messenger pigeon had to be fast, as back then army's knew what pigeons meant and many times would get arrowed down to see if the pigeon had a message.

Where To Get Messenger Pigeons?
It all takes training, training and more training. To train your pigeon to be a homing or messenger pigeon will take some time and money. It will take money because you may have to purchase items to begin the training. You will also be using your transportation of which ever means, whether it be bus or car.

Now with that out of the way, let's take a look at:

Items you will need to train your pigeon to be a messenger bird.

1. Small Cage
   
2. Marker (To be placed round bird's leg to verify that the pigeon returned is yours)
   

Process To Train Your Pigeon

1. Mark the leg of the bird
   
2. Remove the Bird from Coop and place in small cage
3. Carry the bird about a mile and half away
4. Release the bird
5. Verify that the bird has returned to the coop
   
6. Repeat the process but you must increase the distance as you go along. (2 miles, 5 miles, 8 miles, 10 miles etc.
7. Repeat process until you have a full fledged messenger pigeon.
   

Now that you have made a messenger out of your pigeon, you can pull the trick of taking the bird out and tell your friend or spouse that you will be going on a trip and will be sending him/her a message but by pigeon! Assuming the person  lives in that pigeon coop!

OK, don't get all excited by the title of this article and thinking that as soon as you have finished reading this you can run to your chickens and have a conversation with them, the most you will get from that is a cluck , cackle and maybe an egg. In order for you to train your pet bird to talk, it must be of several species of birds that have the capability to mimic human speech. So go put back the Eagle in the forest and go grab your parrot and lets get the ball rolling.

The first thing you will need in order to train your pet bird to talk is actually a bird. You must have any one of the following birds:

List of Intelligent Talking Birds

1. Blue-Fronted Amazon
2. Yellow-crowned Amazon
3. Cockatoo
4. Hill Myna
5. Monk Parakeet
6. Indian Ring Parakeet
7. Eclectus Parrot
8. Yellow-naped Amazon
9. Budgerigar
10. African Grey Parrot
    
    

Well, know that you have just checked your bird to see what kind of species is it we can move on to our small bird training to talk guide.

Step 1.
Make sure the bird is comfortable. You can't have the bird locked up in a match box and feeding it beer and wine and expect to have a healthy and happy bird. Remember you already took this animal out of it's natural habitat and jailed it. The next best you can o is to ensure that the birds cell is most comfortable.

Step 2.
Talk To The Bird. I don't intend for you to grab the bird's cage and begin to vent out a thousand words per second as to why your boss rejected your raise request and why you got that seat belt ticket and 100 other reasons as to why the printer malfunctioned at work today. If you want to teach your pet bird to talk, begin with slow clear speech to the bird. Things like; "What's Up, How Are You, Feed Time, etc." Don't try to pull off high level rocket science sentences as though you expect your pet bird to understand what Brobdingnagian means. Use these words repeatedly and slowly until you pet bird is able to manage them well. Then move on to few more words.

Step 3.
Let the bird watch TV. If you leave your bird indoors, you can leave the TV on any good rated stations you know won't surprise you with expletives. You will be surprised at the increase in your pet birds vocabulary just by watching TV.

Step 4.
Hire a Bird Whisperer. If you have no time to train the bird and you refuse to leave your TV on so the bird can capture repeated words. You can hire a bird talking expert to get the job done  for you.

It doesn’t matter what species of bird you have as a pet. If the bird is not comfortable, you will definitely have a angry bird on your hands and guess what? There may not be any pigs there for your bird to smash. OK, put aside that corny joke and lets move on to the meat of the matter. How would you determine if your pet bird is angry? All you have to do is simply observe the bird to tell. If you see your bird building large slingshots to bust out of the cage that’s a sure giveaway. The other sure hit to tell if your pet is angry is the bird being agitated all the time and unsettled. The second sign of you having a angry bird is that it extremely vocal and loud. The bird in it's own language is just shouting out that it needs help. Lets look at some simple reasons you may have a angry bird at home.

1. Bird Feels Clustered
What kind of bird is it determines the style and cage which is suitable for the bird. But the truth is really that there is no cage made suitable for any birds as birds are beautiful wondering creatures that fly and flutters around wherever they like.  So if you want to make a bird really happy, you probably have to build a cage like small forest with beautiful exotic flowers and insects and bugs crawling and walking all over. Then just maybe your angry bird will become a happy bird. So if your bird seems to be agitated, try getting a larger cage and design the cage in a way that it is as close to nature living as possible.

2. You May Not Be Feeding The Bird Right
How often do you feed your pet bird and what kind of food do you get for your bird. Remember, you can't just go get a beautiful bird, stuff it in a cage and then feed it Chinese food.  You must consult with your bird care specialist on the type of grains which makes up your pet birds natural diet. You need to know how much feed the bird consumes in it's natural environment daily and supply the same.

3. The Place Stinks
You bird has a right to be angry if all it smells all day is its own poo. How often do you clean your birds cage? Or you didn't know that birds poo too. You must provide a clean and healthy bird environment so therefore you must clean your birds cage at least once a week.  By cleaning you get rid of bird waste, old feathers and food particles.

4. Something Maybe Bothering the bird
Check the bird for any small injuries, bruises etc. Ensure that there are no parasites on your bird. Make sure that no animal or person  gets any chance in tormenting or teasing the bird. This will always make the bird become unsettled around people. You should also take the bird to your vet if you are unsure.

5. The Bird Is suffering From Freedom
It is sad but it is the truth. Most pet birds after taken from their natural environment will spend almost the remainder of their bird years in cage, under locked down like a prison. Some birds will miss the beautiful sky and long for freedom and may revolt and plan their cage break.  If you have done everything possible to make your bird happy and the bird is just hell bent angry; Let it go.

Conclusion
Birds makes nice pets, they are beautiful to look at and some make some pretty interesting sounds. Some birds are pretty good entertainers too. But if you do own a bird, don't own an angry bird. Give your pet bird the best to make it a happy one.

There are some pet owners who like having birds as pets, especially exotic birds. As a once upon a time bird owner myself, i honestly do not believe birds actually make the best of pets. One reason i say this is because most pet birds have to be caged for their entire life living in homes, while other pets such as cats and dogs gets to roam free many times in owners backyards or clear open land. And the thing about this is that cats and dogs are devoted, even if they do stray, they will find their way back home. Birds will simply just fly away once that cage is open and go make life the way nature intended them to do. Now with that off my chest, lets look at some tips in having exotic birds as pets.

Why People Like Exotic Birds
Well, just the name alone intrigues people, having something exotic really makes a statement. Other than that, birds are beautiful creatures and exotic ones come's in many beautiful eye captivating colors.  The thing about exotic birds are that every different bird can have its own unique pattern and colors based upon that species, this is similar to humans and finger print.

Does Size Matter When Choosing An Exotic Bird?
Well that depends on you doesn't it? What kind of bird do you like? These birds come in various sizes pleasing to anyone. Exotic  birds are large, medium and some are very small. So if you choose a large exotic bird like the Bird of Paradise, you would need a very large cage for this bird to feel comfortable in to fly around and pitch on branches in the cage and so forth. Remember, having large exotic birds will require you to setup very large cages.

Nutrition For Exotic Birds
Just like any other pet or animal, the nutrition should be as close as possible to what it would eat in its natural environment. Birds do not just feed on seeds, they do like to indulge in many tasty insects such as works, crickets, roaches, grasshoppers etc. There are many pet stores which do offer close to environment feed for your exotic bird.

All Birds Are Different
Not because all birds have feathers means that they are the same. The saying that say's "bird brain" is totally wrong as many birds have exhibited magnificent intelligence, birds such as the common crow.  You should at least do your research upon the temperament of the type of exotic bird you which to keep. Know the birds intelligence level, it's eating and nesting habits, health factors, lifespan and of course, sound and agility factors. Some birds are agility freaks and constantly move and seek things to keep them active. You can introduce bird toys to your exotic bird to see if it likes it and if it will use it any at all.

Some Exotic Birds Can Be Quite Fun
I must confess that parrots make great pets and are actually fun to be around. One of the reason most people like parrots as pets is because many species of parrots just love to talk. There are some species of parrots that try to discover how to speak by themselves. You can discover your parrot trying to mimic the sounds it is hearing through the course of the day. This would be a good sign which means you could attempt training it to speak much more. If you are really looking for exotic birds which are lively and fun and active all day then you must consider getting a macaw and other parrots. These birds are extremely playful and will provide hours of entertainment. 

People love birds, and they are pleasurous to just sit watch and admire. They are some of the most lovable pets in the world due to their natural beauty and many times playful nature. But remember, bird care exist. Many owners believe that once you get a get, stuff it in a cage and feed it seeds and water that's it. No, your bird needs much more than that and you should care for your bird the same way you would care for any other pet. Being a bird owner means being responsible.

Birds are one of the more subtle pets, but just like the cat or dog, you can consider having a insurance for your bird. So you might be wondering, who insures a bird and what does a bird insurance cover? Well, a pet insurance and coverage will certainly most depends on the kind of pet. But there are standard coverage which all pet insurance will cover and that includes insurance for birds.

An affordable pet insurance plan may cover anything from accidents and illnesses as well as examinations, lab fees, prescriptions, X-rays, hospitalization and more. And of course birds are not excluded from this coverage. Even though it is rarely that you may take your bird into an examination room, but at some point in time you may just have to. Insurance for birds is not only for single bird pet owners, but for licensed breeders and distributors as well.

Remember that when you decided on getting a bird as a pet, ensure you already know about the bird and all pre-existing or hereditary conditions as these may not be covered under the bird insurance plan.

Bird Insurance writers will normally cover most birds from love birds to exotic to even the Legendary Phoenix Bird!

When I mention Insurance for Birds to bird owners they normally chuckle and ask why they would spend money on getting bird insurance when the animal is safe in a cage and never gets ill. Well, I can’t argue with that but when I ask about the “what ifs”, they seldom have any good comment. What if your beautiful exotic bird breaks a wing? What if your bird becomes ill with one of the many diseases which may even affect you? Yes, birds may become infected with diseases which may spread over to us humans.

Germs from birds can cause a variety of illnesses in people, ranging from minor skin infections to serious illnesses. These illnesses are rare in the United States, but it's better to be safe and take steps to keep yourself and your birds healthy.

Common Bird illness Includes

1. Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC, Avian Tuberculosis)

• MAC is a bacterial disease spread to people from birds and other animals through the environment. Affected birds can become depressed, thin, and weak, and might have diarrhea. Birds carrying this disease shed large amounts of the bacteria into the environment.

 

• Experts believe that people get MAC through exposure to the bacteria in the environment, though it is not clear exactly how the bacteria are transmitted. This disease primarily affects people with a weak immune system. Affected people might lose weight, have abdominal pain or diarrhea, and be anemic or feel tired.

2. Parrot Fever (Psittacosis; Chlamydiophila psittaci)

• Parrot fever is a bacterial disease that people can get after accidentally breathing in secretions of infected psittacine birds, including parrots and parakeets, or poultry and wild birds. Birds might or might not show signs of illness from parrot fever.
• People who become sick with parrot fever might have fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, difficulty breathing, and a dry cough. Symptoms usually begin 5–14 days after exposure but can take years to appear. Infants, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems are more susceptible to parrot fever and might develop more serious illness.

At any given time you bird can become quite ill and you just may not have the money available at the time to pay for any type of treatment. But if you had an affordable insurance for your bird, it would have greatly diminished the financial burden of that initial pet care.

Just like having a cat or a dog, take in your pet bird for checkups and ensure that your bird is doing well. Don't just cage it, feed it and pour it water. It is an animal which requires the right nutrition, the same amount of love and of course good health care which can be easily achieved with an insurance plan for your bird.

Chickens make great pets, they also will supply you with eggs which makes great breakfast. Chickens like any other farm pet animal needs somewhere to lay its feathery head at nights, they need what is called a chicken coop. So who says that chicken don't like fashion and style when building a nice chicken coop? Chickens have surpassed just the regular shed and tar paper insulation with shackled up doors and windows. If you want to give your chickens a wonderful little place to call home and a design and color which even matches your home itself, you can do so and build or even have one built that is Solid and well function-able.

Tips For Building a Solid and Vermin Safe Chicken Coop

Ensure that the coop has a solid foundation

• You don't want to create a coop that has a foundation made of simply ground and the coop is able to rock to and forth with the slightest movement or predator digging their way in through holes in the ground. It is best to use blocks with concrete slabs or even bricks. Also ensure that the coop is at least 6 inches off the ground to avoid any form of flooding if you live in a rainy area. Many people also use thick treated wood to create a good and sturdy foundation.

Ensure that the lumber to be used is treated lumber to avoid termites and other insects eating away at the coop

• This is not an option, if you want a strong and long lasting coop, you have to do this simple investment. Don't just go out and buy their grade scrap wood to build your coop. This will draw termites and pretty soon holes all over your chicken coop. Those holes then become easy access for predators. Treated lumber prevents termites from eating away your chicken coop.

Ensure that the coop is built with good lighting

• If you are in the business of raising good quality chickens, then good light and heating is a must. The light serves many purposes in a chicken coop, one of which is to clearly see what is going on in the coop and the other is to provide warmth for the animal. Lighting in a coop does not necessarily mean electrical. Your must provide adequate natural lighting without compromising the chickens safety from predators.

Proper Ventilation

• Who wants to get up in the morning and have to be burying chickens. That is what you may have to do if your chickens have improper ventilation. Just like you, your chicken needs to breath too. It also needs air to keep it cool especially if the coop is not large and houses many chickens.

Large Space

• Which animal doesn't like large spaces to roam. Well the chicken does. Large space allows the chicken to be more relaxed and not feeling cramped and with good design, allows you to have proper coop ventilation.

Weather Tight Construction
What you need to do is analyze your environment's weather condition and make you coop according to your weather environment. The worst thing you can do is build a coop that as the rain falls your chicken begins to soak or freeze to death. Ensure that the coop as enough accessories to even block even rain blowing in.

See Also: 10 Reasons to Check Your Chicken Yard + Checklist