Crested Caracara

The Crested Caracara looks like a hawk, behaves like a vulture but is technically a falcon. The Crested Caracara has characteristic of a hawk with its sharp beak and talons but it is technically a large tropical falcon. While it is classified as a falcon, its behavior is different as it often feeds on dead…

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Roseate Spoonbill – Texas

The Roseate Spoonbill is a beautiful bird but it looks more like something from a cartoon than a creature that can be seen along the shore line of a marsh. They have bright pink feathers, red eyes, a partly bald head and a giant spoon shaped bill. Roseate Spoonbills get their pink coloration from the…

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Birds, birds, birds

Birds, birds, birds! Everywhere we look there are birds. Birds live in practically every environment. Birds live in the forest, in swamps, in the desert, in the fields, on the water, at the beach and around the lake. We see birds in the parks, we see them in the parking lots, we see them when…

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Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – Texas

Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are similar to other woodpeckers, they drill holes into trees for food but they are not searching insects like most woodpecker, their food source is the tree sap. They spend most of their time at their sapwells either drilling new holes or licking sap from existing wells. Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are mostly black and…

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Java Sparrow – Hawaii

Java Sparrows are native birds to the islands of Java and Bali in Indonesia. While their official name is Java Sparrow they are actually a Finch and they are also known as a Java Finch and Java Rice Bird. They are often seen in grasslands, open woodlands with grass, maize fields, cane fields and of…

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Spotted Dove – S. E. Asia

Spotted Doves are common throughout Asia and are often seen in parks and gardens. Most doves including the Spotted Doves are easily approachable in major cities but they will only let people get within a few feet before they fly away to a safer distance. Their body is mostly brown with a grey head but…

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Common Myna – Asia/Pacific

The Common Myna is a large black and brown bird with accents of yellow on its bill, legs and behind their eyes. They are often seen in groups and it is obvious when they are around because they are noisy birds. They are one of the most common birds in southern Asia but they have…

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Indian Peafowl

As the name suggests, the Indian Peafowl is primarily found in the wild in India and is the national bird of India. Indian Peafowl have been raised in captivity for centuries as historical documents mention them in Egypt, Greece and Rome. They are currently kept all over the world in zoos, aviaries and by individuals….

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Scissor-Tailed Flycatcher – Texas

The scissor-tailed flycatcher, also known as the Texas bird-of-paradise or swallow-tailed flycatcher. They derive their name from their mid-air aerobatics were they flare out their tail feathers to look like the blades of a pair of scissors. I have watched these bird perched on barbed wire fences and telephone lines all of my life. What…

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Red Crested Cardinal – Hawaii

Red-crested cardinals are common in the lowlands of the Hawaiian Islands but they are not native to the islands, they were introduced to Hawaii in the 1930s. They are also known as Brazilian Cardinals. Red-crested cardinals live in semi open areas around shrubs and trees. They are normally seen in parks and lawns and are…

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Northern Pintail Duck – Japan

The Northern Pintail Duck are common throughout the northern hemisphere. They spend the summer months in the northern regions and migrate south in the colder months. I really felt the coloration of these birds were very unique. I think it is interesting how their white chest streaks up their neck to the back of their…

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Northern Shoveler Ducks – Texas

The Northern Shoveler Ducks are also known as Shoveler or Spoonbill Ducks. These ducks are common throughout the northern hemisphere. They spend the summer months in the northern regions and migrate south in the colder months. The male and female are strikingly different in their color pattern but their distinctive bill identifies then as the…

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