A Variety of Birds

There are more than 8,800 known species of birds. The smallest is the Bee Hummingbird Mellisuga Helenae, which weighs only 0.05 ounces (1.5 grams). The largest bird is the Ostrich Struthio Camelus, which can weigh up to 340 pounds (154 kilograms). The bird with the most feathers is the whistling Swan Cygnus Columbianus, which has more than 25,000 feathers. The bird that flies the fastest is the White-throated Spine-tail swift Hirundapus Caudacutus, at 110 miles per hour (177 kilometers per hour), and the bird that lives the longest is the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Cacatua Galerita, which has been recorded to live more than 80 years.

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