The hatchery bird is a bird that resembles a close relative of penguins, although they are not genetically related. These birds can be found in eastern Canada, the northern United States, and western parts of Europe. Sixty percent of all hatchery birds live near Iceland. They spend most of their lives at sea, with brief interruptions (during the breeding season) on the coast. The world population of hatchets is quite large and consists of almost 6 million birds. They are not considered endangered. However, global warming, overfishing, oil spills, and hunting are reducing the number of hatchet birds in the wild. In addition, humans often hunt these birds for their eggs and meat, which cannot have a positive effect on increasing populations of these birds.

Interesting facts about hatchet birds:

The hatchet bird is a rather small bird. It weighs 17.5 ounces and can reach 10 inches in length. The males are slightly larger than the females.

The body of the hatchet bird is covered with mottled black and white plumage. In the past, hatchet bird feathers were used to decorate women’s hats.

Hatchet birds have very large and colorful beaks (a combination of red, yellow, and blue). Because of their beaks, they are also known as “sea parrots” or “sea clowns.

The color of the beak changes seasonally. It is pale during the winter and brighter in the spring when mating begins. Birds become more attractive to the opposite sex when their beaks are brightly colored.

The upper part of the beak has a layer of spines designed to hold fish. Because of this feature, parents can deliver more than one fish to their chicks in the nest.

The hatchery bird feeds almost exclusively on fish. It hunts sand eels and herring.

This feathered bird is an excellent swimmer. Its webbed legs and strong wings allow it to move quickly and accurately through the water. It can dive to a depth of 200 feet and stay submerged for up to one minute.

The hatchet bird also flies very fast. It can reach speeds of 55 miles per hour, flapping its wings 400 times per minute.

The axe-winged birds’ main predators are gulls and gulls that eat their eggs.

Axe-winged birds spend most of their lives at sea. They come ashore only once a year to breed.

The mating season is from April through August. During this period, large colonies of hatchet birds congregate in their homeland.

As a rule, these birds are monogamous, but there are some that form one pair for life. They build a nest in rocky cliffs or on hard soil between rocks. The nest is located three feet underground.

The female lays one egg. The incubation period lasts 42 days. Both parents care for the chick. The chick’s body is covered with thin and long down. Only after it has fledged completely will the chick leave its parent’s nest.

Young hatchets learn to fly 45 days after birth. They will go to the open sea and stay there until they are sexually mature, between 3 and 5 years of age.