Birds

Birds

Birds are characterized by their feathers, lightweight skeletons, toothless beaks, and the hard-shelled eggs that they lay. All living birds have wings which evolved from forelimbs. While most birds are able to use their wings in order to fly, some have evolved in a way which led to them losing their ability to fly. Many birds are highly social. They communicate through various sounds and signals and are even able to form cultures within their flocks by passing down information through different generations.

Chinstrap penguin

The chinstrap penguin gets its name from the narrow stripe that runs across the bottom of its head. It’s generally considered to be the most aggressive species of penguin. The chinstrap penguin is so noisy that it’s been nicknamed “the stonebreaker penguin” because...

Cockatoo

Cockatoos are very loyal, caring, and playful. They’re very social animals that live in large flocks and form close bonds with their mates. Cockatoos are extremely intelligent and have shown to be able to create tools out of sticks and solve...

Common Crane

Small write up of each animal: Cranes are extremely strong flyers and are able to reach heights of 16,000-26,000 ft (4,900-8,000 meters). They’re fairly social and travel in flocks of up to 400 during migration. Common cranes have lifelong monogamous partnerships...

Common Loon

The common loon's name was based on its clumsy awkward walk on land. Common loons have one mate that they stay with for their entire lives. They make a variety of strange noises from wails to yodels and are especially vocal during mating season when they’re...

Emperor Penguins

Emperor penguins are the largest species of penguin. In order to keep warm during the harsh antarctic winter emperor penguins huddle together. They take turns on the inside and outside of the huddles so they all are shielded from the cold wind. They get very close...

Emu

The emu is the tallest and fastest land bird in Australia with a top speed of 31 miles per hour (50 km/h). Their speed is in part due to the fact that emus, unlike any other bird, have calf muscles. Emus’ legs allow them to have strides of up to 9.84 feet (3...

Gentoo Penguin

Gentoo penguins can be recognized by the thick white stripe that goes across the top of their head from one eye to the other. Its tail, which is longer and more prominent than that of other penguins, sweeps side to side when it waddles around on land. Gentoo...

Great Horned Owl

Great horned owls are named for the horned shaped tufts of feathers, which are called plumicorns, on top of their heads. No one knows the exact reason for these feathers but scientists have a few ideas of what they could be for. It's possible that they’re used as...

Greater Flamingo

Flamingos are known for their bright pink feathers but they’re actually born white. A flamingo’s coloring is determined by the pigments in the food it eats and they can be found in colors other than pink including red, orange, and white. Flamingos have 19 vertebrae...

Hornbill

Hornbills are known for being very noisy and having a wide range of cackles, calls, and bellows. They’re very social and gather in flocks of up to 100 birds. They typically forage for food in small groups or pairs and preen each other...