Animals
Blue Grosbeak
Its brilliant blue feathers are a trick of physics, not pigment, and its nest may hide a secret weapon borrowed…
Animals
Animals
Red-winged blackbird
The red-winged blackbird is found almost everywhere across North America except for deserts and mountains. The male is easily identified…
Animals
Mallard
The world's most familiar duck hides a surprisingly dark side, threatening rarer species through hybridization while its evolutionary biology turns…
Animals
Senegal Parrot
The Senegal parrot is a gregarious and playful bird of surprising intelligence that resides in West Africa. Its docile personality…
Animals
Thrush
From bashing open snail shells on a favorite stone to singing defiantly through storms, these songbirds lead far stranger and…
Animals
Ruby-Throated Hummingbird
In many parts of the Eastern United States, the arrival of ruby-throated hummingbirds signifies that spring has finally arrived. These…
Animals
Marabou Stork
Called the undertaker bird because from the back it looks like an elderly, black-suited undertaker going about his work, the…
Animals
Eastern Phoebe
This small flycatcher sings its own name, mates for life, and raises eggs that aren't its own without hesitation. Discover…
Animals
Ivory-billed woodpecker
Possibly extinct, this iconic species has inspired people to comb the forests and swamps of the south in search of…
Animals
Zebra Finch
This tiny songbird holds an outsized place in scientific research, with its quirky mating habits and self-composed songs offering surprising…
Animals
Lorikeet
Bold plumage and acrobatic talents are just the beginning for this brush-tongued parrot that gets drunk on fermented fruit and…
Animals
Myna Bird
Myna birds are passerines or songbirds. They don’t all belong to one species or even one genus. All of them,…
Animals
Carolina Parakeet
Once so numerous that entire flocks could be heard from miles away, this vivid native parrot vanished from American skies…
Animals
Common Raven
Ravens alert wolves to carcasses, drop rocks on predators that get too close, and guard a kingdom whose survival depends…
Animals
Chickadee
That cheerful chick-a-dee-dee-dee call in your backyard is actually a coded alarm message, and other bird species are listening closely.…
Animals
Tree swallow
Easily identified by the iridescent hue of the plumage, the tree swallow is among the most common songbirds of North…
Animals
Ferruginous Hawk
Named after rusted iron and built like a creature that blurs the line between hawk and eagle, this bird carries…
Animals
Mountain Bluebird
The mountain bluebird makes its home in the pristine landscapes of the western Americas. Sporting an elegant, bright blue plumage,…
Animals
Shoebill Stork
With a bill shaped like a wooden clog and a gaze cold enough to freeze prey in place, this ancient…
Animals
Scarlet Macaw
Few birds command attention quite like this rainforest giant, whose dazzling plumage, bone-crushing beak, and surprisingly complex social life have…
Animals
Barred Owl
Few birds of prey combine such haunting, blood-curdling calls with an almost tame curiosity toward the humans who stumble upon…
Animals
Eastern Bluebird
Few birds have bounced back from near-collapse the way this beloved harbinger of spring has, and the surprising reason involves…
Animals
Whooping Crane
Once nearly wiped off the planet by hunting and habitat loss, this towering five-foot bird became the center of one…
Pet Birds
People looking for pet companionship who are allergic to more common pets like cats or dogs may want to consider…
Animals
Mourning Dove
With hunters harvesting millions every year and cats posing a constant threat, how does one of North America's most beloved…
Animals
Pigeon
Pigeons are very widely distributed, with over 300 species worldwide. They are part of the family Columbidae, and scientifically they…
Animals
Purple Finch
Despite its name, this common North American finch sports almost no purple at all, and the real story behind its…
Birds: Different Types, Definition, Photos, and More
Birds Facts Birds, members of the class Aves, include more than 10,400 living bird species – more than half being…
Animals
Pileated Woodpecker
With a bill like a chisel and a hunger for carpenter ants, North America's largest common woodpecker tears through old-growth…
Animals
House Finch
Your backyard feeder may be quietly sculpting the vivid colors of one of North America's most social songbirds, and the…
Animals
Gouldian Finch
Australia's most brilliantly colored bird once filled the northern skies by the millions, yet something pushed it to the very…
Critically Endangered Species
Critically endangered species are at a very high risk of becoming extinct in the wild or extinct. For an animal…
Animals
Red Finch
Red finches are birds that live throughout the United States and down into Mexico. These tiny birds have a beautiful…
Animals
Cooper’s Hawk
Cooper’s hawk is a bird known by many different names throughout North America, including the chicken hawk, striker, and flying…
Animals
Peregrine Falcon
Peregrine falcons, also historically known as the duck hawk in North America, are one of the most prolific and powerful…
Animals
Wandering Albatross
The wandering albatross lives mostly on the wing above the world’s southern seas. As one of the largest living birds,…
Animals
Hornbill
You might say that the hornbill is a bird of charismatic excess and extremes. Its colors, appearance, vocalizations, and social…
Animals
Albatross
The sight of this familiar seabird and its massive wingspan flying high above the waters has seized the human imagination…
Animals
Golden Masked Owl
“Golden masked owls have long legs and strong talons allowing them to scoop up rodents from the ground” The golden…
Animals
Blue Jay
Mark Twain called this bird just as much a human as you and me, and once you learn how it…
Animals
Hoopoe
The hoopoe is a genus of ground-foraging birds with a massive head crest and unusual color scheme. The hoopoe bird…
Animals
Harpy Eagle
The harpy eagle is a fearsome predator, a loyal partner, and a nurturing parent. Residing deep within the rainforests of…
Animals
Quail
Quails are known for their plumes and distinctive calls. Quail are plump, short-necked game birds whose natural habitat includes large…
Animals
Cockatoo
The cockatoo is a smart and talkative bird with a brilliant crest of plumage on its head. Loyal, caring, and…
Animals
Ibis
The Ibis was venerated by Ancient Egyptians as sacred, but no species of the bird currently inhabits modern Egypt. With…
Animals
Macaroni Penguin
Its flashy orange crest got it named after an 18th-century fashion trend, but the story behind this Antarctic bird goes…
Animals
Penguin
Few animals spark as much universal delight as these tuxedoed birds, yet almost everything most people believe about them turns…
Animals
Hawaiian Crow
The raucous cries of the Hawaiian crow once filled the forests of Hawaii. Now the imperiled species is extinct in…
Animals
Crane
They survived 20 million years of evolution, conquered five continents, and mastered a dance so elaborate it can secure a…
Animals
Grouse
A bird species with feathers on nostrils, legs, and feet! Grouse are medium-sized, stocky birds that live in the Northern…