Novembers Paul said:
I think the official state bird for Missouri should be changed from the Bluebird to something more interesting. For instance:
Spheniscus demersus
Jackass (Or Black-Footed) Penguin
Geographic Range
Ethiopian: The Jackass Penguin is found only off the coast of South Africa. They breed on twenty-four islands offshore between Namibia and Port Elizabeth, South Africa. On the mainland, there are colonies of penguins at Betty's Bay and Simonstown, South Africa, and in Namibia.
Behavior
When parents stop taking care of the young, they must learn to fend for themselves. Upon reaching maturity ( of which only 40% ever do) they find a mate and remain with them for the rest of their lives. The adults, when hunting in the sea, live in groups of fifty to one hundred. While nurturing the young, however, the adults may live a more secluded life. These penguins live and hunt together and may look for food 50 km from their nesting grounds. Jackass Penguins are able to get this far from shore because they can swim up to 7 km per hour.
Individuals communicate to one another by squawking. The Jackass Penguin gets its name from its loud braying call.
An interesting behavior of this penguin is its manner of cooling off in the heat. The Jackass Penguin spends most of the day in the water and spends the cool night on land. If they are unable to reach the water, as is the case when watching over the eggs, the Jackass Penguin can dissipate heat through its flippers, feet, and open beak.
Kindly disregard the fact that it's not indigenous to the Missouri area.