The Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) is a large cosmopolitan raptor in the family Falconidae. It is renowned for its speed during its characteristic hunting stoop (high-speed dive), making it the fastest bird in the world, as well as the fastest...
The Harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja) is a neotropical species of eagle. It is the largest and most powerful raptor found throughout its range, and among the largest extant species of eagles in the world. In Brazil, the Harpy eagle is also known as...
The osprey (Pandion haliaetus) is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. The osprey tolerates a wide variety of habitats, nesting in any location near a body of water providing an adequate food supply. It is found on all...
The Great horned owl (Bubo virginianus) is a large owl native to the Americas. It is an extremely adaptable bird with a vast range and is the most widely distributed true owl in the Americas. The Great horned owl is one of the earliest nesting birds...
The Turkey vulture (Cathartes aura) is the most widespread of the New World vultures. Like all New World vultures, it is not closely related to the Old World vultures of Europe, Africa, and Asia. The Turkey vulture has very few natural predators and...
The Barn owl (Tyto alba) is the most widely distributed species of owl in the world and one of the most widespread of all species of birds. It is found almost everywhere in the world except for the polar and desert regions, Asia north of the...
The Muscovy duck (Cairina moschata) is a large duck native to the Americas. Although it is a tropical bird, it adapts well to cooler climates, thriving in weather as cold as −12 °C (10 °F) and able to survive even colder conditions.
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 Andean condor (Vultur gryphus) is a South American bird in the New World vulture family Cathartidae and is the only member of the genus Vultur. It is the largest flying bird in the world by combined measurement of weight and wingspan. It is...
The Barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) is the most widespread species of swallow in the world. In fact, it has the largest natural distribution of any of the world's passerines, ranging over 251 million square kilometers globally. In Anglophone Europe...
The Blue-footed booby (Sula nebouxii) is a marine bird native to subtropical and tropical regions of the eastern Pacific Ocean. It is one of six species of the genus Sula - known as boobies. It is easily recognizable by its distinctive bright blue...
The Baltimore oriole (Icterus galbula) is a small colorful bird that received its name from the resemblance of the male's colors to those on the coat-of-arms of Lord Baltimore. It is the state bird of Maryland. It is also the namesake and mascot for...
The killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) is a large plover found in the Americas. It was described and given its current scientific name in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of his Systema Naturae. The common name of this species comes from its...
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 Scarlet macaw (Ara macao) is a large Central and South American parrot, a member of a large group of Neotropical parrots called macaws. It is native to humid evergreen forests of the Neotropics. In some areas, it has suffered local extinction,...
The Black vulture (Coragyps atratus) is amongst the most abundant vultures of the New World, and out of all the members in the Cathartidae family, has the most varied diet. These are highly social birds that demonstrate fierce family loyalty. They...
The American kestrel (Falco sparverius) is the smallest and most common falcon in North America. It is a common bird used in falconry, especially by beginners. Though not as strong a flyer as many other, larger falcons, proper training and weight...
The Burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia) is a small, long-legged owl found throughout open landscapes of North and South America. Unlike most owls, these owls are often active during the day, but like many other kinds of owls, though, they do most of...
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 House wren (Troglodytes aedon) is a very small most widely distributed native bird in the Americas. It occurs in most suburban areas in its range and it is the single most common wren. The name troglodytes means "hole dweller", and is a...
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 Blue-and-gold macaw (Ara ararauna) is a large South American parrot. It is a member of the large group of neotropical parrots known as macaws. These birds are popular in aviculture because of their striking color, ability to talk, ready...
The Arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea) is a tern in the family Laridae. These amazing birds perform the longest migrations known in the animal world. They have a circumpolar breeding distribution and see two summers each year. Arctic terns nest once...
The anhinga (Anhinga anhinga) is a water bird related to cormorants and pelicans. The word anhinga comes from the Brazilian Tupi language and means "devil bird" or "snake bird". Anhingas are skillful swimmers with unique characteristics that help...
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 Sharp-shinned hawk (Accipiter striatus) is a small bird of prey native to Americas. The males of this species are the smallest hawks in the United States and Canada.
The hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoazin) is a tropical bird found in the Amazon and the Orinoco basins in South America. It is notable for having chicks that have claws on two of their wing digits.
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 American flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) is a large species of flamingo native to the Neotropics. It is the only flamingo that naturally inhabits North America.
The Harris's hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus) is a medium-large bird of prey found in the Americas. This bird is notable for its behavior of hunting cooperatively in packs consisting of tolerant groups, while other raptors often hunt alone. Harris hawks'...
The American coot (Fulica americana) is a bird commonly mistaken for ducks. It is only distantly related to ducks and belongs to a separate order. Unlike the webbed feet of ducks, coots have broad, lobed scales on their lower legs and toes that fold...
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 Chimney swift (Chaetura pelagica) is a highly aerial bird belonging to the swift family Apodidae. A member of the genus Chaetura, it is closely related to both the Vaux's swift and the Chapman's swift; in the past, the three were sometimes...
The Black-crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) is a medium-sized heron found throughout a large part of the world. These birds have a stocky appearance as if hunched over, the head tucked down into the shoulders, and they are usually seen...
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 Swallow-tailed kite (Elanoides forficatus) is a raptor of warmer climates that breeds in the Americas. The Swallow-tailed kite was first described as the "swallow-tail hawk" and "accipiter cauda furcata" (forked-tail hawk) by the English...
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 Broad-winged hawk (Buteo platypterus) is a medium-sized bird of prey found in the Americas. It has six recognised subspecies and each is named for its distribution. Some Broad-winged hawks have acclimatized themselves to living near humans,...
