The Brown bear (Ursus arctos) is a large bear species found across Eurasia and North America. In North America, the populations of Brown bears are called Grizzly bears, while the subspecies that inhabits the Kodiak Islands of Alaska is known as the...
The shoebill (Balaeniceps rex) is a very large stork-like bird. It derives its name from its enormous shoe-shaped bill. It has a somewhat stork-like overall form and has previously been classified with the storks in the order Ciconiiformes based on...
The American robin (Turdus migratorius) is a migratory songbird that belongs to the thrush family. It is named after the European robin because of its reddish-orange breast, though the two species are not closely related. According to the Partners...
The Mourning dove (Zenaida macroura) is one of the most abundant and widespread of all North American birds. It is also one of the most popular gamebird, with more than 20 million birds (up to 70 million in some years) shot annually in the U.S.,...
The Emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) is the tallest and heaviest of all living penguin species and is endemic to Antarctica. Like all penguins, it is flightless, with a streamlined body, and wings stiffened and flattened into flippers for a...
The Northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) is a very populalr songbird in the genus Cardinalis found in North and Central Americas. Seven eastern states have it as their official state bird. The Northern cardinal was once prized as a pet, but its...
The nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos ) is a small passerine bird best known for its powerful and beautiful song. The song of this secretive bird has been described as one of the most beautiful sounds in nature, inspiring songs, fairy tales, opera,...
The Great blue heron (Ardea herodias) is a tall and statuesque bird when wading in the water seeking its prey, and it is graceful and swift when flying with its slow deep wing beats. It is one of the most majestic wild birds in North America. This...
The American goldfinch (Spinus tristis) is a small migratory bird in the finch family. It is the only finch in its subfamily to undergo a complete molt. The American goldfinch is a granivore and adapted for the consumption of seedheads, with a...
The Rose-ringed parakeet (Psittacula krameri) is one of the few parrot species that have successfully adapted to living in disturbed habitats. As a popular pet species, escaped birds have colonized a number of cities around the world, including...
The Common grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) is a large New World blackbird found in large numbers through much of North America. It was first described in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus. Thee birds have a unique adaptation in the keel within their bill and along...
The Mute swan (Cygnus olor) is known as an integral feature of urban parks as well as most of the waterways in our regions. But originally this beautiful white bird was a wild animal, not always with compatible behavior and habits for life in city...
The Great spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) is a medium-sized woodpecker found across the Palearctic including parts of North Africa. These birds chisel into trees to find food or excavate nest holes, and also drum for contact and territorial...
The Rose-breasted grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus) is a large, seed-eating bird in the cardinal family (Cardinalidae). It is colloquially called "cut-throat" due to its coloration. It is primarily a foliage gleaner and can live up to 24 years in...
The Great egret (Ardea alba) is a large, widely distributed wading bird. Like all egrets, it is a member of the heron family, Ardeidae, and its close relatieves are pelicans. The Great egret is sometimes confused with the Great white heron of the...
The Cedar waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) is a member of the family Bombycillidae or waxwing family of passerine birds. The genus name Bombycilla comes from the Ancient Greek bombux, "silk" and the Modern Latin cilla, "tail"; this is a direct...
The Purple martin (Progne subis) is the largest swallow in North America. These birds are known for their speed, agility, and their characteristic mix of rapid flapping and gliding flight pattern. When approaching their nesting site, they dive from...
The merlin (Falco columbarius) is a small but fierce falcon from the Northern Hemisphere. It is a swift flier and skilled hunter and has for centuries been well regarded as a falconry bird.
The Scarlet tanager (Piranga olivacea) is a medium-sized American songbird. Its plumage and vocalizations are similar to other members of the cardinal family, although it lacks the thick conical bill (well suited to seed and insect eating) that many...
The Greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) is the most widespread and largest species of the flamingo family. It was described by Peter Simon Pallas in 1811. The Greater flamingo was previously thought to be the same species as the American...
The Common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) is a small kingfisher widely distributed across Eurasia and North Africa. It is amongst the most colorful birds but despite its extraordinary colors, sometimes the Common kingfisher is difficult to see when it...
The King penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) is the second largest species of penguin. This species was exploited commercially in the past for its blubber, oil, meat, and feathers but today, it is fully protected.
The margay (Leopardus wiedii) is a small wild cat native to Central and South America. Until the 1990s, margays were hunted illegally for the wildlife trade, which resulted in a large population decrease.
The Cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis) is a cosmopolitan species of heron named for its association with cattle. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Bubulcus, although some authorities regard its two subspecies as full species, the Western cattle...
The Star-nosed mole (Condylura cristata) is a small mole found in moist, low areas in the northern parts of North America. It is the only member of the tribe having a touch organ with more than 25,000-minute sensory receptors, known as Eimer's...
The Belted kingfisher( Megaceryle alcyon) is often apparent from its wild rattling call while it flies over lakes or rivers. It can be seen perched high on a snag, or hovering while it beats its wings rapidly, before plunging headfirst into the...
The Common merganser is a large seaduck that lives in forested areas of Europe, Asia, and North America. These birds eat mainly fish and nest in holes in trees.
The Wood stork (Mycteria americana) is a large American wading bird that breeds in North America. It was formerly called the "wood ibis", though it is not an ibis. Originally described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758, this stork likely evolved in tropical...
The Brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) has been described as a comically elegant bird. Groups of these seabirds glide above surf along western and southern coasts, gracefully echoing the waves with their rise and fall. They plunge-dive from high...
The California quail (Callipepla californica) is a small ground-dwelling bird in the New World quail family. Their closest relative is Gambel's quail which has a more southerly distribution and a longer crest, a brighter head and lacks the scaly...
The Northern saw-whet owl (Aegolius acadicus) is a small owl native to North America. Saw-whet owls are one of the smallest owl species in North America. These adorable owls can be found in dense thickets, often at eye level, and are often in danger...
The Roseate spoonbill (Platalea ajaja) is a gregarious wading bird of the ibis and spoonbill family, Threskiornithidae. It is a resident breeder in both South and North America. Plume hunting in the 18th and 19th centuries almost drove these...
The American white pelican Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) is one of the largest North American birds and is a majestic sight when soaring with remarkable steadiness on wide wings. The large head and huge, heavy bill give this bird a prehistoric look. On...
The Eurasian hoopoe (Upupa epops ) is the most widespread species of the genus Upupa. It is a distinctive cinnamon coloured bird with black and white wings, a tall erectile crest, a broad white band across a black tail, and a long narrow downcurved...
The Green heron (Butorides virescens) is a small secretive heron that lives along shaded riverbanks or quiet streams in areas of dense vegetation. It is often somewhat secretive but is sometimes to be seen crying "kyow" while flying up a creek. When...
The Scarlet ibis (Eudocimus ruber) is a species of ibis found in tropical South America and part of the Caribbean. In form, it resembles most of the other twenty-seven extant species of ibis, but its remarkably brilliant scarlet coloration makes it...
The White-throated sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) is a member of the New World sparrow family Passerellidae.
The Red avadavat (Amandava amandava) is a seed-eating bird found in the open fields and grasslands of tropical Asia. It is popular as a cage bird due to the colorful plumage of the males in their breeding season. The species name of amandava and the...
The Great black-backed gull (Larus marinus ) is the largest member of the gull family. Described by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology as "the king of the Atlantic waterfront", it is a very aggressive hunter, pirate, and scavenger.
The fieldfare (Turdus pilaris ) is a member of the thrush family Turdidae. These birds often nest in small colonies, and during migration often form large flocks, often in the company of Redwings.
The Dalmatian pelican (Pelecanus crispus) is the largest member of the pelican family, and perhaps the world's largest freshwater bird, although rivaled in weight and length by the largest swans. They are elegant soaring birds, with wingspans that...
The Scissor-tailed flycatcher (Tyrannus forficatus) is a long-tailed bird of the genus Tyrannus, whose members are collectively referred to as kingbirds. The kingbirds are a group of large insect-eating birds which prefer to live in semi-open or...
