The Honey badger (Mellivora capensis) is a mammal widely distributed in Africa, Southwest Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. Despite its name, the Honey badger does not closely resemble other badger species; instead, it bears more anatomical...
The Common buzzard (Buteo buteo) is a medium-to-large bird of prey which has a large range. It is an opportunistic predator that can take a wide variety of prey, but it feeds mostly on small mammals. The Common buzzard appears to be the most common...
The White stork (Ciconia ciconia) is a large bird in the stork family, Ciconiidae. It eats a wide range of animal prey and takes most of its food from the ground. It does not pair for life but both members of the pair build a large stick nest, which...
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 Greylag goose (Anser anser) is a large goose in the waterfowl family Anatidae. Its distribution is widespread, with birds from the north of its range in Europe and Asia migrating southwards to spend the winter in warmer places. It is the...
The Little owl (Athene noctua) is a small cryptically colored bird that inhabits much of the temperate and warmer parts of Europe, the Palearctic east to Korea, and North Africa. This owl is a member of the typical or true owl family Strigidae,...
The Eastern imperial eagle (Aquila heliaca) is a large graceful bird of prey that breeds in Eurasia. Like all eagles, the Eastern imperial eagle is a member of the family Accipitridae. Furthermore, its well-feathered legs mark it as a member of the...
The Steppe eagle (Aquila nipalensis) is a large and impressive raptor. Its well-feathered legs illustrate it to be a member of the subfamily Aquilinae, also known as the "booted eagles". The Steppe eagle is in many ways a peculiar species of eagle....
The Greater white-fronted goose (Anser albifrons) is a species of goose named for the patch of white feathers bordering the base of its bill. In fact the word albifrons in its scientific name comes from the Latin albus "white" and frons "...
The Great grey shrike (Lanius excubitor) is a large songbird that breeds in northern Europe and Asia. The scientific name of the Great grey shrike literally means "sentinel butcher". This refers to the birds' two most conspicuous behaviours -...
The Eurasian skylark (Alauda arvensis) is a passerine bird widespread across Europe and the Palearctic. It is a bird of open farmland and heath, known for the song of the male, which is delivered in hovering flight from heights of 50 to 100 meters...
The Common crane (Grus grus) is the only crane commonly found in Europe besides the Demoiselle crane. Along with the Sandhill and Demoiselle cranes and the brolga, it is one of only four crane species not currently classified as threatened with...
The European turtle dove (Streptopelia turtur) is a member of the bird family Columbidae, the doves and pigeons. It breeds over a wide area of the south western Palearctic including north Africa but migrates to northern sub-Saharan Africa to winter.
The False cobra (Malpolon moilensis) is a venomous species of snake from Africa and the Middle East. The name "false cobra" comes from the fact that while it is not a cobra, it imitates a cobra's stance by spreading its neck into a hood and hissing...
