Soaring birds

Bald Eagle

Haliaeetus leucocephalus

The Bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is a magnificent bird of prey found in North America. It is found near large bodies of open water with an abundant food supply and old-growth trees for nesting. It builds the largest nest of any North...

Peregrine Falcon

Falco peregrinus

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...

Harpy Eagle

Harpia harpyja

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...

Golden Eagle

Aquila chrysaetos

The Golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known birds of prey in the...

Osprey

Pandion haliaetus

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...

Shoebill

Balaeniceps rex

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...

Common Raven

Corvus corax

The Common raven (Corvus corax) is a large all-black passerine bird. Found across the Northern Hemisphere, it is the most widely distributed of all corvids. It is one of the two largest corvids, alongside the Thick-billed raven, and is possibly the...

Red-Tailed Hawk

Buteo jamaicensis

The Red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) is a bird of prey that breeds throughout most of North America. It is one of the most common members within the genus of Buteo in North America or worldwide. The Red-tailed hawk is one of three species...

Turkey Vulture

Cathartes aura

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...

Sandhill Crane

Grus canadensis

The Sandhill crane (Antigone canadensis) is a species of large crane of North America and extreme northeastern Siberia. The common name of this bird refers to a habitat like that at the Platte River, on the edge of Nebraska's Sandhills on the...

California Condor

Gymnogyps californianus

The California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) is a New World vulture and the largest North American land bird. It became extinct in the wild in 1987 when all remaining wild individuals were captured; it has since been reintroduced to northern...

Great Blue Heron

Ardea herodias

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...

Andean Condor

Vultur gryphus

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...

Snowy Owl

Bubo scandiacus

The Snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus) is a large, white owl of the true owl family. It has a number of unique adaptations to its habitat and lifestyle, which are quite distinct from other extant owls. Most owls sleep during the day and hunt at night, but...

Philippine Eagle

Pithecophaga jefferyi

The Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi) is a critically endangered species of eagle. It is considered the largest of the extant eagles in the world in terms of length and wing surface area. It has been declared the national bird of the...

Common Buzzard

Buteo buteo

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...

Bearded Vulture

Gypaetus barbatus

The Bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) is a very large bird of prey and the only member of the genus Gypaetus. This bird is also identified as Huma bird or Homa bird in Iran and north west Asia. The Bearded vulture is the only known vertebrate...

Eurasian Eagle-Owl

Bubo bubo

The Eurasian eagle-owl (Bubo bubo) is also called the Uhu and it is occasionally abbreviated to just the eagle-owl in Europe. These birds are found in many habitats where they hunt a majority of their prey. Eurasian eagle-owls are one of the most...

Cooper's Hawk

Accipiter cooperii

Cooper's hawk (Accipiter cooperii) is a medium-sized hawk native to the North American continent. This species is sometimes referred to as true hawks, which are famously agile, relatively small hawks common to wooded habitats around the world and...

Wandering Albatross

Diomedea exulans

Described as "The bird which made the breeze to blow" the wingspan of a Wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) is the longest of any bird. It lives up to its name when it takes fishing trips that last 10-20 days and can cover 10,000 km while using...

White-Tailed Eagle

Haliaeetus albicilla

The White-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla ) is one of the largest living birds of prey. It is sometimes considered the fourth largest eagle in the world and is on average the fourth heaviest eagle in the world. White-tailed eagles are considered...

Red Kite

Milvus milvus

The Red kite (Milvus milvus) is a medium-large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards, and harriers.

Great Egret

Ardea alba

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...

Steller's Sea Eagle

Haliaeetus pelagicus

Steller's sea eagle (Haliaeetus pelagicus) is a large diurnal bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It was described first by Peter Simon Pallas in 1811. Typically, it is the heaviest eagle in the world.

Eurasian Sparrowhawk

Accipiter nisus

The Eurasian sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) is a small bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. Though it is a predator which specializes in catching woodland birds, the Eurasian sparrowhawk can be found in any habitat and often hunts garden birds in...

White Stork

Ciconia ciconia

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...

Gyrfalcon

Falco rusticolus

The gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus) is the largest of the falcon species. It is the official bird of Canada's Northwest Territories. For centuries, it has been valued as a hunting bird, and in the medieval era, the gyrfalcon was considered a royal bird.

Grey Heron

Ardea cinerea

The Grey heron (Ardea cinerea) is a large long-legged wading bird of the heron native to Europe and Asia and also parts of Africa. It lives in wetland areas and feeds on various aquatic creatures which it catches after standing stationary beside or...

Wedge-Tailed Eagle

Aquila audax

The Wedge-tailed eagle (Aquila audax) is the largest bird of prey in the continent of Australia. It is one of 12 species of large, predominantly dark-colored booted eagles in the genus Aquila found worldwide. The Wedge-tailed eagle is highly...

Common Kestrel

Falco tinnunculus

The Common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) is a bird of prey species that belongs to the falcon family Falconidae. This species occurs over a large range and in Britain, where no other kestrel species commonly occurs, it is generally just called...

Black Vulture

Coragyps atratus

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...

Red-Shouldered Hawk

Buteo lineatus

The Red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus) is a medium-sized buteo found in North America. This species was formally described in 1788 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin and its scientific name is roughly translated as "marked with lines...

Whooping Crane

Grus americana

Named for its whooping sound, the Whooping crane (Grus americana) is the tallest North American bird. The elegant Whooping crane represents one of the most well-known conservation stories in the United States and thus has captured the public...

Greater Flamingo

Phoenicopterus roseus

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...

Black Kite

Milvus migrans

The Black kite (Milvus migrans) is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors. It is thought to be the world's most abundant species of Accipitridae. Unlike others in the group, Black kites...

Arctic Tern

Sterna paradisaea

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...

Anhinga

Anhinga anhinga

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...

Sharp-Shinned Hawk

Accipiter striatus

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.

Hoatzin

Opisthocomus hoazin

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.

Marabou Stork

Leptoptilos crumenifer

The Marabou stork (Leptoptilos crumenifer) is a large wading bird that breeds in Africa often near human habitation, especially landfill sites. It is sometimes called the "undertaker bird" due to its shape from behind: cloak-like wings and back,...

Red-Crowned Crane

Grus japonensis

The Red-crowned crane (Grus japonensis) is a large graceful East Asian crane. It is among the rarest cranes in the world. In some parts of its range, this bird is known as a symbol of luck, longevity, and fidelity.

American Flamingo

Phoenicopterus ruber

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.