bird

A bird's eye view of a life in flight.

American Avocet
The American avocet (Recurvirostra americana) is a largewader of Recurvirostridae, a family of avocets and stilts.In shallow water or mud flats, this avocet spends much of his time forging, sometimes sweepinghis bill through water from side to side while chasing his prey to crustaceans and insects.The American avocet is a genus within the Charadriiformes Order of shorebirds, gulls, alcids, plovers, oyster-catchers, and auks.The Family Recurvirostridae consists of stelts and avocets. The American avocet is one of four species of avocet; the Andean avocet, the Pied avocet and the Red-necked avocet are the three remaining varieties in the genus.The American avocet is 40–51 cm tall, has a wingspan of 68–76 cm and weights 275–420 g.The bill is black, long and sectional, pointing up to the top.High, the avocet's shorter, rounded head goes twice the length.
By MB6 years ago in Petlife
Parakeet Auklet
The parakeet auklet (Aethia psittacula) is a Small Seabird in the North Pacific. Parakeet Auklets used to be placed alone in the Cyclorrhynchus group, but recent morphological and genetic evidence suggest it should be grouped into the Aethia tribe, rendering it closely related to crested auklets and less auklets. It is correlated with the Boreal waters of Alaska, Kamchatka, and Siberia. This breeds offshore islands, usually going south in winter, on cliffs, hills, and boulder fields. The parakeet auklet is a tiny auk with a brief orange bill upturned to give the bird a strange fixed voice.
By MB6 years ago in Petlife
Least Auklet
A seabird (Aethia pusilla) is the least auklet, and the smallest auk species. This is North America's most prolific seabird, with a population of about nine million birds, and one of the world's most prolific. They live on the islands of Alaska and Siberia, which sit on the edge of the ice sheet the winter. Their primary settlements are on the Aleutian Islands, St. Lawrence Island and Little Diomede Island. The tiniest member of the auk tribe is even larger than a sparrow. Abundant around the islands of the Bering Sea, where hundreds can be seen poised over the sea on rock stacks, chirping and chirring at a time. Sometimes winging low over the ocean in large flocks on very rapid beats of the tiny wings, or circling in the air over the breeding colonies. Least Auklets in their underparts pattern are oddly variable, and can be anywhere from white to spotted to dark-gray solids.
By MB6 years ago in Petlife
Short-tailed Albatross
The short-tailed albatros (Phoebastria albatrus), is an exceptionally endangered seabird in the North Pacific. This also displays behavioural and morphological differences of albatrosses in the Southern Ocean, but similar to other albatrosses in the north Pacific. The German naturalist Peter Simon Pallas described it from skins obtained by Georg Wilhelm Steller (after which the other common name derives). Trafficking of feathers was formerly normal to the verge of extinction but health has been improving lately. The short-tailed albatross is a medium-height albatross, with a wingspan of 215 to 230 cm 91, a length of 84 to 94 cm and a body weight of 4.3 to 8.5 kilogrammes. In normal measurements the bill averages 12.7–15.2 cm in height; the tail averages 14–15.2 cm in width; the tarsus is around 10 cm thick; and the wing chord is 51 cm long.
By MB6 years ago in Petlife
Rhinoceros Auklet
The rhinoceros auklet (Cerorhinca monocerata), is a seabird and a very close relative of the birds that we know as puffins. She is the only living member of the genus Cerorhinca. Due of its close connexion with the puffins the common name rhinoceros puffin has been proposed for the species. It occupies large parts of the North Pacific, feeding on small fish and breeding in colonies. Its name derives from a horn-like extension of the beak (the rhamphotheca for this extension is anatomical term). This horn is only found in breeding adults, and is shed on the bill of puffins each year like the delicate sheath. The rhinoceros auklet (also known as the rhino auklet, horn-billed puffin, or unicorn puffin) is a medium-sized auk with a broad, sturdy, orange / brown bill (with the ' tail ' sticking out of it). The plumage is black on top and light below; both male and female breeding adults have white feathers behind their eyes and behind their ears. Males are significantly heavier than females (about 10 per cent weight). The rhinoceros auklet is a North Pacific auk that occurs from California to the Alaskan Aleutian Islands in North America; and Hokkaidō and Honshū, Japan, as well as the Korean Peninsula and Sakhalin Islands in Asia.
By MB6 years ago in Petlife
Black-footed Albatross
The Black-footed Albatross (Phoebastria nigripes) is a large seabird of the Diomedeidae family North Pacific albatross. Everything except 2.5 per cent of the population are within the Northwest Hawaiian Islands. It is one of three breeding albatross populations that occurs on isolated tropical Islands in the northern hemisphere. Compared to other albatrosses the plumage is brown. Black-footed albatrosses are a species of albatrosses that belong to the tribe Diomedeidae of the order Procellariiformes, together with shearwaters, fulmars, storm petrels and diving petrels. They hold other identifying characteristics. First, they have nasal passages which connect naricorns to their top head.
By MB6 years ago in Petlife
Anhinga
The anhinga sometimes called snakebird, darter, American darter or water turkey is a water bird of the warmer areas of the Americas. The word anhinga derives from Tupi's Brazilian language and means Devil's or Serpent's Creature. The origin of the word snakebird becomes evident when swimming: just the neck emerges above the surface, so that the bird looks like a snake about to attack. They have no visible nares (nostrils), and breathe only through their epiglottis. Anhinga populations are found all over the world in warm, shallow waters. Also birds that live in the far north and south of their range migrate, based on the available weather and sunshine.
By MB6 years ago in Petlife
Cassin's finch
Cassin's finch (Haemorhous cassinii) is a member of the Finch family, Fringillidae. Along with the other "American rosefinches," this species is placed in the genus Haemorhous. Adults have white tail with narrow forked with brown eyes. They've got one bill longer than the lilac finch. Adult males are red with raspberry on the head, breast, back and rump; their back and undertail are streaked. The adult females have light brown upper parts and black underparts with white streaks running through; their facial markings are less distinct than those of the female purple finch. Cassin's finch may be among the most widespread and popular breeding birds in the coniferous belts of North America's western inland mountains. John Cassin of the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences called this species the "greatest bird in the group" in a collection made by the Pacific Railroad Survey in the southwestern mountains in the early 1850's. At Cassin's behest, Spencer Baird pointed out the strikingly fresh finch to his friend and colleague. In appearance, plumage, and voice, in its limited western range, and in his preference for higher elevations when breeding, Cassin's namesake differs distinctly from his closest relative, the Purple Finch.
By MB6 years ago in Petlife
The Laysan Albatross
The Laysan albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis) is a large seabird that ranges across the North Pacific. The northwestern Hawaiian islands are home to a 99.8 per cent population. With an estimated population of 2.5 million birds, this small gull-like albatross is the second most common seabird in the Hawaiian Islands and is increasingly expanding its range to other islands.
By MB6 years ago in Petlife
The Underbirds
Maggies are one of my favourite birds despite their bad rap. I have always had a thing for the “Underdog”, or in this case, the “Underbird”, the birds that people don’t like or, in some cases, hate.
By Lisa Ikin6 years ago in Petlife
The Pelican.
The pelican in this story was spending the day floating on the water . I think it was looking for and hoping for some fish to come around it.
By John Burt6 years ago in Petlife
The Coyote and the Jay
I find that I am being taught wisdom by a Stellar's Jay. Twice in my life I have had an unusual interaction with a coyote.
By Desiree Abell6 years ago in Petlife