Are you a nature fan? And a quizzer? We have news for you.

Starting this month, and hopefully every month to come adjusting for inflation and force majeure, we will publish a fun quiz for you to while away your time fruitfully. It’s a simple, low-tech quiz, but you’ll have fun racking your brains and exploring new vistas of knowledge.

This is serious quizzing. Most questions will take a bit of thinking, although we’ll include some devastatingly easy sitters. For answers, you can also search our extensive archive of posts and stories! And then some.

Our first one, for November 2023, is for bird nerds. The good thing is that quizzes don’t expire, and you can take them as long as you want and as often as you want. If you want your answers to be mailed to you, drop in your email.

Enjoy these latest quizzes. And don’t forget to subscribe if you enjoy nature trivia!

There are over 10,000 species of birds in the world today, but there used to be many more. In the last three centuries alone, many species have become extinct. Take this quiz to find how much you know about the birds that have become extinct owing to human activity, environmental threats, and climate change.

1. 

Which of these birds is believed to have become extinct in India in the 20th century?

Dodo

Great Auk

Pink-headed Duck

Passenger Pigeon

Hint

2. 

Which among these groups of birds does not have any extant (currently surviving) species in India? Select up to 3 answers.

Hummingbirds Parrots Penguins Ostriches

Hint

3. 

This bird species, named after a region in North America associated with a popular breed of dog, has been presumed extinct since the late 1800s. It holds the unfortunate distinction of being the first endemic species to go extinct following the Columbian Exchange. What is the name of this bird?

Alsatian Albatross

Pomeranian Petrel

Labrador Duck

Newfoundland Albatross

Hint

4. 

Discovered during Charles Darwin's exploration of the Galapagos, this small bird earned the unfortunate distinction of being the first bird to go extinct in the archipelago. Its demise was attributed to the decline of its primary food source — insects.

Galapagos Flycatcher

Least Vermilion Flycatcher

Galapagos Chat

Black-headed Flycatcher

Hint

5. 

Three species native to the northern Hawaiian island of Laysan have become extinct over the past three centuries. Following the introduction of animals such as cats, rats, and rabbits by humans, which wreaked havoc on their island habitat, a severe cyclonic storm in the 1920s further devastated what remained of their ecosystem. Which of these Laysan bird species is not extinct?

Laysan Rail

Laysan Albatross

Laysan Honeycreeper

Laysan Millerbird

Hint

6. 

Although not extinct in the wild, this migratory species was last officially recorded in India in 2002. However, it continues to be one of the most commonly misreported and misidentified bird species in the country, with many unverified sighting claims. Its well-known winter habitat in India was the Keoladeo Bird Sanctuary in Bharatpur, Rajasthan, where a plaque now stands in commemoration. Which bird are we talking about?

Pink-headed Duck

Sarus Crane

Siberian Crane

Bar-headed Goose

Hint

7. 

Ustad Mansur, the court painter of the Mughal Emperor Jehangir, a bird from the imperial menagerie in one of his paintings. This artwork is considered the most precise representation created from live specimens of this bird species, which has been extinct in the wild since the 1660's. Which bird are we talking about?

Dodo

Elephant Bird

Moa

Passenger Pigeon

Hint

Name

Email

Time's up

Think you know all about birds in mythology and folklore? Take your brain for a test flight!

1. 

Which of these birds, not naturally found in India, is often depicted as the vehicle of a Hindu deity?

Snowy Owl

Mute Swan

Bald Eagle

Alexandrine Parakeet

Hint

2. 

Valmiki's Ramayana is said to have been inspired when he witnessed a hunter killing the male of a pair of birds believed to mate for life. Which bird is it thought to be?

Brahminy Duck

Great Indian Bustard

Sarus Crane

Bar-headed Goose

Hint

3. 

Which bird was deemed a symbol of the Egyptian god Thoth?

Somali Ostrich

Congo Peacock

Egyptian Vulture

African Sacred Ibis

Hint

4. 

Which of these is NOT a mythical bird?

Ganda Berunda

Roc

Archaeopteryx

Phoenix

Hint

5. 

This bird is named after a mythical female monster. Pick the right one.

Medusa

Harpy

Siren

Sphinx

Hint

6. 

The common name of this bird of prey sounds like the name of a fierce mythical creature. Which?

Jatayu

Sphinx

Griffin

Chimera

Hint

7. 

Which bird in the folklore of North American indigenous people lends its name to a car, an aircraft, a university, and an email application?

Mustang

Thunderbird

Firebird

Columbia

Hint

Name

Email

Time's up

Think you’re a bird nerd? Test your knowledge with Are you a Bird Nerd?, a fun bird quiz by The Green Ogre.

1. 

What kind of feathers give shape and form to a bird’s body?

Flight feathers

Contour feathers

Down feathers

Hint

2. 

Which grassland bird inspired the English Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley?

Bushlark

Robin

Skylark

Hint

3. 

Which word describes birds that are generally black and white?

Mottled

Pied

Fulvous

Hint

4. 

Which birds were known as goatsuckers?

Owls

Ducks

Nightjars

Hint

5. 

According to mitochondrial DNA studies, falcons are closely related to which group of birds?

Parrots

Vultures

Owls

Hint

6. 

What is the term for a reversal of sexual roles in which a female bird courts and maintains a harem of males?

Polygamy

Polyamory

Polyandry

Hint

7. 

The veterinary drug Diclofenac is blamed for the decimation of which group of birds?

Penguins

Sparrows

Vultures

Hint

8. 

Which of these birds lays eggs that have oily and waterproof shells?

Ostriches

Penguins

Ducks

Hint

9. 

Which of these words is NOT a collective noun for a group of finches?

Charm

Trembling

Armada

Hint

10. 

A fruit and a brand of shoe polish are named after this bird. Which one?

Hint

Good luck!

Name

Email

Time's up

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