A belief that many people share, I'm sure - if you find a baby bird on the ground, out of its nest..."Don't pick it up!" they tell you. The mother bird will smell your scent on the baby and will refuse to care for it.

I learned in college this is not true: most birds don't have a sense of smell at all, so no mother bird will reject her baby because it smells like a human. "Officials" just don't want people picking up baby birds!

Anon

when I was a kid. I used to believe hens had teeth.

lév michot

Half my life I used to believe that humming birds didn't have feet. I felt really sorry for them, because I thought they were doomed to spend their entire lives hovering. Then one time I saw a humming bird by our feeder I started crying because I had seen birds LAND on it. My mom came in saw me crying and told me the truth.

Stormy age 13

When I was little, I thought that birds feathers were made out of twigs and cat hairs.

Lily

One night we were at my grandparent's second house (out in the woods) and the adults decided to show how to catch a bird whose name I can't recall. Well, we had to hold the bags and the adults would "chase the birds" and we caught them. We put them in the outside shower and we found holes in the bags thinking they got away. For a few years me, my brother, and cousins believed we had actually caught real birds when they were really rocks.

Anon

When I was little, I used to think that when burrs came in contact with birds that the birds would stick to them.

The birds, not able to escape, I thought that they would eventually morph into burrs.

Jordan

I thought that sparrows were young pigeons.

Daniel

I used to think that there was a kind of four-legged, flesh-eating bird that looked something like a vulture mixed with a crow. I even thought that I had seen one once at the San Diego Zoo.

Anonymous

I used to believe that ducks grew up to be swans. I think this has to do with the fact that there is a pond near-by with ducks and swans on it. And also the tale of the "Ugly Duckling" where the duckling did actually become a swan.

Rob

I used to think that "mourning doves" were called afternoon doves starting at noon!

Megaroo

I used to believe that if I took the eggs from the egg carton that my mother would purchase from the market and drew faces on them, a little chick would appear and look exactly like what I drew on its shell.

I put four eggs underneath the sofa a few hours before we were going for vacation. We came back two weeks later and my mother found the four eggs underneath the sofa while cleaning. I scolded her and screamed that she killed them, because they were broken (I put them underneath a book on top of the heater so that they'd be warm). I told her that it was her fault that she'd never have grandchildren and that I was going to call 911 and report her for murder. I never forgave her since.

Oh, and I did call 911. They came to my house and my brother made up some lie so that they'd leave. It didn't really work out quite well.

Fool :)

When I was about 5 my grandmother told me that when night came it was time to sleep, because all the night owls were out looking for eyes to pick. Now at 51 I'm still afraid of owls!

Belen

Up to reading these pages I never gave a thought about cockrals and hens mating. Just thought the one doing the laying, did everthing by herself and some eggs hatch and some don't.

OOPS

Pam

My aunts use to tell me that when I pouted the crows would come and bite my lips.

Anon

I was told & believed for years that when you heard "cuckoo" it was 2 birds - one saying "cuck" + one saying "coo"!

C

when i was 21 i used to think that birds were rabbits with wings..im 45 now and realise i have learning difficulties...

simple simon

I had always called "hummingbirds" "honeybirds", because they ate the nectar (which I thought was honey) from the flowers. I called them that, despite my mother correcting me every time, for years and years, until I learned how to read and finally saw it spelled out.

Leksi

I used to think that birds were deaf - as you can't see their ears (because they're concealed by feathers).

Also, somebody once told me that if you feed a pigeon lemonade, it will explode!!!

Anon

when i was 6-7, i used to believe that if i do something bad, the crows will tell it to my parents!!

isabel

My mom always used to tell me that brown eggs came from brown chickens.

Taylor