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The National Geographic channel is on TV as I type this and a few moments ago I heard it again...a guy distinguishing between birds and animals while he talks about kiwis (the avian variety ). What the heck gives here? Since when are birds NOT animals? I have heard this odd--what seems to me--unneccessary distinction made more and more over the years. Makes me wonder what the heck is being taught in school these days. Can anyone explain why anyone would say such a thing? I just find it very puzzling, especially when I hear it on a 'science' show...

You will need to provide a link if you want an intelligent discussion. Your vague references to what some guy said is unacceptable.

Perhaps he meant "birds and other animals."

I think it's a biblical thing.
People just like to divide the world into 3 realms - the aquatic (fish); the terrestrial (beasts) and the aerial (birds). It's totally non-scientific and idiotic, but it happens a lot.

The only link I can provide is on TV right now...the GEO channel, a show called 'Living Wild', about nocturnal animals in New Zealand. A talking head guy giving some background on kiwis distinctly said "...(the kiwi) was neither bird nor animal..." While I admire his grammatical accuracy, the distinction he makes does baffle me. I noted it because it's an oddity I come across in books and hear several times a year and always mentally correct. Sometimes I think what's being meant is 'mammal' not 'animal'.

Which is crap of course, because the Kiwi is a bird.

The very first system of biological taxonomy in the Western world was reated by one of the ancient Greek philosophers-don't remeber which one, but I want to say Socrates. Don't take my word for it, though.

Anyway, this system classifed animals by the way they moved-either walking, swimming, or flying. It's been superceded by many other systems since then, but it's influence is still so great that many divide the animal kingdom into three groups-beasts, fish, and birds.

I admit I'm grasping with the mammal bit. Thought it might apply here because, let's face it, a kiwi is such an odd-looking bird with hairy-appearing plumage...I've had a person think one of my white Silky chickens was a rabbit, so I can sort of see the confusion...a little...tiny bit...maybe... (Okay, that person was rock-stupid, I admit it!)

On the other hand, your biblical reference may well have something to it. The other similar, next most common distinction I've heard is 'animals and fish'.

Well, 'beast' usualyl refers to mammal - the classical (sorry, can't tell Greek from Latin from anything else) word Therian literally means beast but in science means mammal.