Category: Birds
The rakish Java sparrow (or Java finch) is endemic to Java, Bali and Bawean in Indonesia. There numbers have fallen in the wild due to habitat destruction and hunting in their native range. Even though they have been popular as domesticated pets for centuries, owning them in some places is illegal since they are considered an agricultural pest.
A Truly Amazing Race…
Many species of birds migrate when the weather changes, but some species take their journeys to extremes. The Arctic tern tops this list: it flies from the Arctic to Antarctic and back again every year of its life! In 2013, scientists tracked Arctic terns nesting in the Netherlands and discovered that they flew 56,000 miles per year! With a lifespan of approximately 30 years, this means these birds fly over 1.5 million miles over the course of their lives! Because the distance they migrate is so enormous, they don’t just get better weather and more abundant food each year, they get more daylight than any other animal on the planet!
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Discover Animals is a web-based educational resource offered by the NAIA
