NENE…This is a big favorite with all of the puzzle makers.  Usually it’s clued as a "Hawaiian goose," but in some puzzles it’s been called "Hawaiian state bird," "Maui goose," and a number of variations of the same.  Nearly extinct by the end of the 1940s, and not designated as Hawaii's State Bird until May, 1957, it is still listed on the Federal List of Endangered Species.  Due to continued aggressive preservation efforts in Hawaii, however, the NENE population increases yearly and the outlook for success is promising.    An informative article about the NENE can be reached by clicking on Arleone Dibben's photograph (©1995) of the nene gander shown here.
 

Here are a number of other birds popular with crossword composers.
 

ERN, ERNE and TERN…These three turn up again and again in puzzles, especially the ERN, which is a large, coastal sea eagle. Usual clue designations for the ERN are "sea bird," "sea eagle," "coastal bird," and "fish-eating bird." The ERNE is the European white-tailed "sea eagle" (also sometimes clued as "shorebird" or "flyer by the sea"). The TERN (pictured here) is smaller, even smaller than a gull. It most often turns up in clues as a "seabird."  Bird watchers and all other interested parties can read all about Roseate Terns as well as where to locate them by consulting the Roseate Tern Fact Sheet by Jeffrey A. Spendelow of the U.S. National Biological Service.  Just click on the small picture of the TERN.  Additional information will be found at the Canadian Wildlife Service's excellent site by clicking on the high-lighted word TERN here or above.

DODO…If a crossword asks for an "extinct bird" it is probably looking for the DODO, a large flightless bird once found on the island of Mauritius, east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean.  Isolated for centuries from humans or other predators by its island location, it had evolved to a state of trustful fearlessness by the time of the arrival of Portuguese sailors in 1598.  These sailors dubbed the bird "dodo," a Portuguese word meaning simpleton, since they interpreted the dodo's trust and innocence as stupidity.  In addition to the sailors killing them for food, the flightless dodo also became easy prey to wild dogs and pigs which had been introduced to the island by the sailors.  By the year 1681, the last dodo had died and we are left with only their skeletons to attest to their existence.  A click on George Edwards' 1759 painting of the Dodo will take you to some other pictures of the DODO.  Click here to see the famous illustration by Tenniel from Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland." Then if you click on the high-lighted word DODO (either here or above), you will find extensive information relating to the history, background and anatomy of the bird.
 

EMU… The most popular "flightless bird" in puzzles is the EMU. It is a large, non-flying Australian bird similar to, but somewhat smaller than, an ostrich. In crosswords it is also referred to as an "ostrich-like bird" or, if the cluemeister is feeling really clever, it might turn up as "outback denizen."  A native of Australia, the EMU can weigh well over 100 pounds, and it is farmed (much like turkeys in the United States) for its low fat meat for fillets and steaks, its leather for wallets, bags and boots, and its oil for cosmetics and medicine.  Read all about it at the Oakland, California Zoo site by clicking on the picture.  A click on the high-lighted word EMU (here or above) will take you to Andy Readman's Unique Australian Animals site which contains more information on this bird.
 
 

Talk about your clever clue writers, recently I’ve seen the EMU clued as "Cassowary’s kin." The Cassowary is still another ostrich-like bird with a brightly colored neck and head. Click on the picture to read about the Cassowary which is currently residing with the spotted cuscus, the wombat, the pygmy possum and the kowari on Andy's Unique Australian Animals page.
 
 

RHEA...Of course, while we're on the subject (of flightless birds, that is) we're also going to want to include the "South American flightless bird" or "South American ostrich-like bird" as it has been referenced by a cluemeister or two.  I suppose that a somewhat recent development regarding the RHEA might lead to different clues in the future.  There now seems to be a worldwide market for everything from rhea meat to rhea healing ointments and oil so that rhea farming has advanced to the point of the establishment of NARA..the North American Rhea Association.  This "South American ostrich-like bird" is now almost equally identifiable as a "North American ostrich-like bird" and a "European ostrich-like bird".  Click on the photo to get some more facts about the Rhea.
 

KIWI . ..This "New Zealand flightless bird" resembles the ostrich-like birds only in regard to the fact that it, too, does not fly.  It has attained such identification with its locale, however, that we might also see such clues as "New Zealand emblem" or just plain "New Zealander" for the word.  Additionally, there is the furry-skinned fruit which tastes like a strawberry  and has given rise to "New Zealand fruit" as a clue.   Find out more about the "New Zealand emblem" bird by clicking on the high-lighted word KIWI at the beginning of this paragraph.  If you are interested in the kiwi fruit, click on the logo above to take you to a website with a vast amount of information on the fruit.
 

 ROC…Our final "flightless bird" is the ROC, but it is more likely to be referred to in a puzzle as "mythological bird".  It traces its roots to Persian mythological literature (remember the stories about Sinbad the sailor?), and is described as a fabulous bird of prey large enough to carry off an elephant (which doesn't exactly suggest that it is a flightless bird).  As a matter of fact, if you ever see "elephant bird" as the clue, they’re talking about the ROC.  The illustration is taken from a page relating Sinbad's adventures with this giant bird.  It is a part of the Mythology series contained in the K-8 Aeronautics Internet Textbook site (click on picture of Sinbad and the ROC shown here).
 

Finally, three more favorite crossword puzzle birds.

IBIS…This is a large wading bird related to the heron and found chiefly in tropical regions such as the Nile valley. In Egypt it has always been known as "the sacred IBIS of the Nile." Among the more popular clues for IBIS are "wading bird of Africa" and "Nile bird."  Our picture and information about the ibis comes from The IBIS Bird page of IBIS UvA, which is short for, of all things, the Institute for Business and Industrial Statistics (IBIS) at the University of Amsterdam (UvA).  Click the picture for a direct connection to the University of Amsterdam.  Did you ever think you would be buzzing all over the world in this way?  Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand,  Amsterdam...what next?

MACAW…This is another big winner in crosswords.  It's a large, harsh-voiced and brightly colored parrot found in Central and South America. Whenever you see "parrot" as the clue you can be almost certain they are waiting for you to fill in those five spaces with MACAW.  In the meantime you can find out everything you've ever wanted to know about this colorful bird by clicking on either the high-lighted word or its picture.  You'll find yourself at the site of The Large Macaw FAQ by Jodi Giannini and you might just find yourself ending up with a bird worth anywhere from $800 to $12,000
 

KEA...Like the Kiwi, the Kea is from New Zealand and clued as the "New Zealand green parrot" and also as just "green parrot".  It doesn't look all that lethal, but in this picture it is in the process of demolishing a windshield wiper.  Local stories from New Zealand tell us the bird is capable of attacking and killing sheep.  Just click on Dawn Stewart's picture to the right or on the high-lighted word KEA to read all about this little rascal.
 
 

You can find  hundreds of links to websites featuring puzzles on

With all the crossword puzzles on the internet, I've included a link to an interactive design that is relatively "user friendly" (Java-powered browser required).  It's Timothy Parker's Universal Crossword which is syndicated in many of the major newspapers in the U.S.  Just click on the logo below for the puzzle of the day.

copyright 1999 C. Schnebel, Revised copyright 2002
all rights reserved

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