Here are some miscellaneous tidbits of trivia about birds.
Songs & Calls
Most songs sung per unit time: a Red-eyed Vireo, which sang 22,197 songs in the space of 10 hours.
Most talkative bird: an African Gray Parrot, who had a vocabulary of 800 words.
Greatest bird mimic: the Marsh Warbler, with up to 84 different songs
The Gray Catbird mimics the songs of at least 44 other species of birds, as well as the calls of gray tree frogs and a variety of mechanical sounds.
There is some evidence which indicates that the Chestnut-sided Warbler (a songbird) may learn or copy the songs of other species.
European Starlings have been known to imitate the calls of other birds.
Most intelligent birds: several species are quite intelligent, including African Gray Parrots, Crows, Green Herons and Striated Herons.
Parenthood
Largest average clutch size: the Gray Partridge, which lays 15 to 19 eggs per clutch.
Smallest clutch size: the Albatrosses, who lay only 1 egg every two years.
Fastest species to reach breeding maturity: the Common Quail, at 5 weeks of age.
Slowest species to reach breeding maturity: the Royal Albatross and Wandering Albatross, at 6 to10 years of age.
Status of Birds
Country with the most endangered birds: Indonesia, with 126 (Brazil is second at 121).
Country with the highest percentage of its bird species endangered: New Zealand, at 30%.
Country with the most introduced bird species: United States (Hawaii), with 68.
Most recent species of bird to be declared extinct: the flightless Atitlan grebe of Guatemala (declared in 1984).
Most recent North American bird to be declared extinct: the Dusky Seaside Sparrow (which was actually a race of the Seaside Sparrow and not a distinct species), in 1987.
Miscellaneous trivia
Highest daily frequency of pecking: the Black Woodpecker, at a head-smacking 12,000 times per day.
Most abundant bird on Earth: Red-Billed Quelea, whose population is estimated to be about 10 billion.
The Green-winged Teal is the only species of duck known to scratch in flight.
Source of these facts: The Bird Almanac, by Dr. David M. Bird