Feathers, toothless beaked jaws, and hard-shelled eggs are some of the features that distinguish birds as a group of warm-blooded vertebrates. They also have a light and sturdy skeleton and wings that enable them to soar in the sky. Birds are the sole survivors of the dinosaur lineage and share a close ancestry with reptiles. The world is home to more than 11,000 bird species, from the diminutive hummingbirds to the colossal ostriches.

“Use the talents you possess, for the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except the best.”

–Henry Van Dyke