Q. How much does a bird eat? I've heard 30% of its body weight and I've also heard they eat their own weight in food each day.
A. This completely varies depending on what species you're talking about. As with mammals, the amount of food a bird eats depends on the caloric value of the food, the size of the bird (the smaller the bird, the more it needs relative to its body weight), the bird's activity levels, and the temperature of its environment. A chickadee may eat 35 percent of its weight in food each day while a Blue Jay may eat only 10 percent of its weight and a Common Raven only 4 percent—but they all need more calories on colder days than warmer ones. Hummingbirds can consume 100 percent of their body's weight in sugar water or nectar every day, in addition to as many as 2,000 tiny insects. Before migration, it's not unusual for a hummingbird to double its weight, adding a huge amount of fat to power the long journey. Canada Geese eat lots of grass each day, partly because grass doesn't have a lot of usable calories per pound. A 5-pound Canada Goose eats about a half-pound of grass per day (about 10
percent of its body weight). See much more information and send your questions about birds to The Cornell Lab of Ornithology at: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/faq

Scientists have determined that the V-shaped formation that geese use when migrating serves two important purposes: First, it conserves their energy. Each bird flies slightly above the bird in front of him, resulting in a reduction of wind resistance. The birds take turns being in the front, falling back when they get tired. In this way, the geese can fly for a long time before they must stop for rest. The second benefit to the V formation is that it is easy to keep track of every bird in the group. Flying in formation may assist with communication and coordination within the group. http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/geese.html

Google is expanding its Street View service into some of the world's most remote places. It will photograph the Amazon and Rio Negro Rivers of northwest Brazil in partnership with charity Foundation for a Sustainable Amazon (FAS). Google will train local people to collect images, and will leave behind equipment so work continues long-term. Pictures will be stitched together so users can explore 360-degree panoramics of the area. FAS approached Google two years ago with the plan to digitize high-quality images from the Amazon basin to demonstrate the effects of poor global sustainability efforts and widespread deforestation on the landscape. FAS project leader Gabriel Ribenboim said: "It is very important to show the world not only the environment and the way of life of the traditional population, but to sensitize the world to the challenges of climate change, deforestation and combating poverty." For Google, the project represents the biggest challenge for their Street View equipment, which was first designed to work over well-maintained, modern roads. Google's engineers will use the Street View "trike", originally developed to reach off road areas - such as Stone Henge and Kew Gardens. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-14592184

Brazil's government on August 22 auctioned rights to the first major airport to be operated by a private company as the country moves to pick up the pace of investment in its air travel infrastructure ahead of the 2014 World Cup soccer tournament. A consortium called Infra-America competed against three other groups to win the concession to build and operate new airport terminals near the northeastern Brazilian city of Natal. The consortium has three years to build the São Gonçalo do Amarante airport. It will then hold rights to operate the airport for 25 years. The license can be extended once, for five additional years. Infra-America beat out three other consortiums by offering a bid of 170 million Brazilian reais ($105.8 million). The bid was more than three times higher than the reserve price set by the government of 51.7 million reais.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903327904576524530595225432.html

The garden strawberry was first bred in Brittany, France, about 1740 via a cross of Fragaria virginiana from eastern North America, which was noted for its flavor, and Fragaria chiloensis from Chile and Argentina brought by Amédée-François Frézier, which was noted for its large size. Eggplant is so called because the first varieties known to English-speaking people bore colorful egg-shaped fruits. But the most common sort known in North America is a bit larger, weighs about one pound and is deep purple in color. The eggplant is a member of the potato* family, and it is known worldwide as aubergine, brinjal, melanzana, garden egg, and patlican. It is available year-round though its peak season is early fall. There are many varieties of eggplant and they range in color from the familiar dark purple to pale mauve to yellow to white and is one of the most popular vegetables in the world. http://www.fiestamart.com/html/cooking101/secret-ingredient-archive.shtml
* Other sources say that eggplant is a member of the thistle family.

Website of the Day Word Games www.wordgames.com For fans of word games (“Scrabble,” “Boggle” and the like), there are word searches, typing challenges, crossword puzzles and more.

Number to Know 5: Number of NBA championships that Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant has won.

This Day in History Aug. 23, 1784: Western North Carolina (now eastern Tennessee) declares itself an independent state under the name of Franklin; it wasn’t accepted into the United States, and only lasted for four years.

Today’s Featured Birthday Basketball star Kobe Bryant (33)

Daily Quote “Somehow our devils are never quite what we expect when we meet them face to face.” – Author Nelson DeMille, who was born on this date in 1943. http://www.thekansan.com/newsnow/x1837740635/Morning-Minutes-Aug-23