The History And Evolution Of Birds
The story of the bird dates as far back as 150-200 million years ago during the Jurassic or dinosaur age. In fact, they did come from certain bipedal dinosaurs which were carnivorous in nature. They have come as far as having over 10,000 breeds of birds and have been part of mankind’s life for over 5,000 years. They are also one of the first animals to be domesticated and kept as either a pet, as a collector’s item and also as food.
The first documented situation where domestic chickens were involved dates back 5000 years ago in the land of India. Since then, the bird has been a great part of society. To begin with, falcons were used long ago as messengers and also as great hunting companions for man.
It was an expensive hobby because it cost a lot of funds to retrieve them. It was seen as a sign of prosperity. The Greek empire also towed the line and began to collect or use them as gifts and it also showed a sign of wealth and riches.
The greatest explorer, Christopher Columbus, went on a voyage to the Caribbean and saw that the native kept a vast variety of Cuba Amazon parrots as pets in their homes. He brought a number of these birds to Queen Isabella and presented them as gifts. The ancient Inca kingdom had a large number of exotic parrots that would roam freely in their kingdom. Sometimes their feathers were used by leaders as a sign of respect when offered by communities they have dominated.
Birds are warm-blooded animals that walk, swim or fly. Walking species include ostrich, chicken and other domesticated birds. Ducks and swans are examples of those that swim and many other breeds are known for flying. Flying birds are known to have excellent sight, like in the case of the eagle, to hunt for food from the ground. Wings are modified limbs on birds and these enable them to fly. The have toothless beaks and they also have webbed or clawed feet which are used to either wade in water or to hold on to tree branches or other surfaces depending on their habitat of choice. They feed on insect larvae, which is the cocooned state that caterpillars usually are in before they turn into butterflies. They reproduce by laying eggs which will hatch into chicks.
Want to find out more about Bird Breeds, then visit Joan Warnocks’s site on how to choose the best Birds for your needs.
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