Collection
To celebrate National Bird Day on Jan. 5, we gathered some of our favorite avian tales.
by Liz Donaldson, Nov. 22, 2021
A flock of barn swallows (Hirundo rustica) on a power line, Seefelden near Unteruhldingen, Lake Constance, Germany
The COVID-19 pandemic may have forced you to work (and play and entertain) at home to stay safe. It may have also given you a new appreciation for our free-flying feathery friends who seem to know no bounds, oblivious to the virus. In honor of National Bird Day on Jan. 5, 2022, we give you a special collection of bird-focused fact checks over the years, with a healthy dose of science and nerd research. Enjoy. And keep looking up!
Liz is an Editorial Assistant who has labored in Snopes' folklore mines since 2005.
May 14, 2000
An old rumor warns that discarded rice eaten by birds can expand in their tiny birdy stomachs an ...
Feb. 11, 2001
Responding to your college professor with a one-liner might not get you an A on an exam, but it ...
June 30, 2001
Bird watchers call to each other, thinking they're attracting a rare bird.
April 11, 2021
Some things may be of divine origin, but others are purely digital creations.
April 25, 2021
The bedazzled birds are notoriously territorial.
June 17, 2021
The fiery throated hummingbird beats its wings close to 100 times per second.
Dec. 17, 2019
The world's smallest bird weighs less than a dime.
Aug. 30, 2016
A photograph seemingly captured three birds flying in a 'smile' formation in the sky with a 'smi ...
April 8, 2019
Internet advertisers claimed the "haiku bird to be one of "20 Animals That Are Real and Dangerous."
Aug. 27, 2001
This widespread caution against handling young birds may have sprung from a desire to protect them.
July 3, 2021
Scientists in the 1970s literally walked pigeons on treadmills to find out.
Feb. 26, 2021
In theory, such a bird would also be able to both lay and fertilize eggs.
March 26, 2012
Nature offers many colorful surprises. Is this one of them?
Jan. 13, 2001
Did a mother bird sacrifice herself to protect her chicks from a forest fire?
Nov. 2, 2015
A photograph purportedly showing a rare red owl with blue eyes is just the latest in digital owl ...
Nov. 22, 2021
The movement's spokesman insists it's not satire.
