Health Editor’s Note: Here are some answers to varying questions. You might learn something new…..Carol
What Bird Lays the Biggest Eggs Compared to Its Body Size? Where Does ‘Lame Duck’ Come From? And More Questions From Our Readers
by Anna Diamond/Smithsonian Magazine 2020
I’ve read that ostriches lay the biggest eggs. But what land bird lays the biggest egg for its body size?
— Matthew Chase | Washington, D.C.
That would be the North Island brown kiwi, says Kathy Brader, senior bird keeper at the National Zoo, which in 1975 bred the first kiwi outside its native New Zealand. A female kiwi lays an egg that is 15 to 22 percent of her weight. A male then incubates the egg for 68 to 91 days. When the chick hatches, it is soon self-sufficient and won’t imprint on its parents. Unlike most birds, female brown kiwis have two functioning ovaries and, unlike other kiwi species, they will lay multiple eggs per season.
Q: Where does the phrase “lame duck” come from?
— Anonymous | Boston
A British economics term from the 18th century, it referred to someone going bankrupt. The term was first applied to the presidency in the winter of 1928-9, as Calvin Coolidge waited out the end of his term. In 1933, the states ratified the 20th Amendment, or the “Lame Duck” Amendment, ….
Carol graduated from Riverside White Cross School of Nursing in Columbus, Ohio and received her diploma as a registered nurse. She attended Bowling Green State University where she received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History and Literature. She attended the University of Toledo, College of Nursing, and received a Master’s of Nursing Science Degree as an Educator.
She has traveled extensively, is a photographer, and writes on medical issues. Carol has three children RJ, Katherine, and Stephen – one daughter-in-law; Katie – two granddaughters; Isabella Marianna and Zoe Olivia – and one grandson, Alexander Paul. She also shares her life with her husband Gordon Duff, many cats, and two rescues.
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