This season of playoff games and bowl competitions has lead me to the following research paper. We are all familiar with sports teams being named after fierce animals.  The Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears come to mind.  But did you realize there are quite a few major league teams that are named after birds?  The teams we are talking about are included in the National Football League (NFL), National Basketball Association (NBA), National Hockey League (NHL) and Major League Baseball (MLB).

This is a test.  If you want to take the test, get a pencil and paper and see if you can list 16 teams with bird names from the major leagues listed above.  Come back after you have finished and check the answers below...........
First, there is Baltimore with the Orioles (MLB) and the Ravens (NFL).  Then in the (NHL) there are the Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Atlanta Thrashers, Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks and the Anaheim Mighty Ducks.  All right, I cheated a little with the Flyers since there are flying squirrels and bats.  Don't get
mad. Then from Canada there are the Toronto Raptors (NBA) and the Toronto Blue Jays (MLB). And also from the NBA there are the Atlanta Hawks.  Cardinals are found in St. Louis (MLB) and Arizona (NFL).  Also in the NFL are the Seattle Sea Hawks, the Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons.  And I did not include the Nashville Predators (NHL), since not all predators are birds.

How many did you get?  Zero-4: ostrich, with head in sand; 5-8: dove; 9-12: wren, with a lot of curiosity about your environment; 13-16: either a couch potato or a birder who is a sports nut.

Have a great 2001!  Tom Teeples, President Northern Neck Audubon Creek's
End 116 Creek's End Lane,  Kilmarnock, VA 22482 Phone: 804-435-0636-Fax:
804-435-8714 Email address: [email protected]

Home