Pictures of Birds
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Bald Eagle
Designated as the national bird of the United States in 1782, the bald eagle is the second-largest bird of prey in North America, after the California condor. The bald eagle population has shrunk due to exposure to insecticides such as DDT and other toxins, but is now recovering in some areas.
Barred Plymouth Rock Hen
The barred Plymouth Rock hen is an American class chicken, categorized with other medium-sized, yellow-skinned fowl developed in the United States. Selectively bred from Asian, English, and Mediterranean stock, this species is valued for the quality of its meat.
Black Duck
The black duck, Anas rubripes, is a close relative of the mallard. It lives near bodies of freshwater throughout eastern North America. Black ducks are best adapted for life in wooded areas and have been hurt by the widespread clearing of forests within their range.
Black Turnstone
This plump sandpiper lives along the rocky coastlines of North America’s Pacific coast. The black turnstone, Arenaria melanocephala, feeds mostly on shellfish such as limpets and barnacles, and also on insects and seeds. It has a white belly that contrasts with its black head and back. During the winter its plumage changes from black to dark gray.
Burrowing Owl
The burrowing owl, Speotyto cunicularia, lives in the open grasslands and farmlands of eastern Canada and the United States. This brown and white owl hunts for small mammals, birds, and reptiles for most of the year, but switches to insects during the summer. Burrowing owls typically nest in burrows that have been abandoned by prairie dogs and other animals.
California Condor
The California condor, considered for years to be the most endangered species of bird in the United States, was removed from the wild in 1988 in an attempt to increase its numbers through captive breeding programs directed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Canada Goose
The Canada goose, Branta canadensis, is North America’s most common goose. Naturally migrating as far north as arctic Canada and as far south as central Mexico, it is gradually becoming a year-round resident in grassy suburbs throughout much of Canada and the United States. It grazes on the stems and shoots of grasses and can reach weights of 11 kg (24 lb).
Clapper Rail
The clapper rail, Rallus longirostris, found in salt marshes along the Atlantic Coast, grows to an adult size of 40 cm (16 in). It lays 6 to 15 white or buff-colored, spotted eggs in nests constructed out of grasses and reeds on the ground in meadows.
Common European Crane
The common European crane, a member of one of the oldest orders of birds, has evolved a number of complicated behaviors, called dances, which include the nestling’s excited bobbing on the return of its parents, the social dancing of adolescent birds, and the precopulatory dances of new mating pairs. Cranes will also dance spontaneously within a group or when agitated. The dances help curb aggression and form or strengthen relationships.
Common Rhea
The common rhea is the largest flightless bird in the western hemisphere. Ranging throughout the grasslands of South America south of the Amazon, the gregarious rheas feed on insects when young, but soon switch to an adult diet of vegetation. Rheas have long been hunted for their feathers, eggs, and meat.
Bald EagleDesignated as the national bird of the United States in 1782, the bald eagle is the second-largest bird of prey in North America, after the California condor. The bald eagle population has shrunk due to exposure to insecticides such as DDT and other toxins, but is now recovering in some areas.
Barred Plymouth Rock HenThe barred Plymouth Rock hen is an American class chicken, categorized with other medium-sized, yellow-skinned fowl developed in the United States. Selectively bred from Asian, English, and Mediterranean stock, this species is valued for the quality of its meat.
Black DuckThe black duck, Anas rubripes, is a close relative of the mallard. It lives near bodies of freshwater throughout eastern North America. Black ducks are best adapted for life in wooded areas and have been hurt by the widespread clearing of forests within their range.
Black TurnstoneThis plump sandpiper lives along the rocky coastlines of North America’s Pacific coast. The black turnstone, Arenaria melanocephala, feeds mostly on shellfish such as limpets and barnacles, and also on insects and seeds. It has a white belly that contrasts with its black head and back. During the winter its plumage changes from black to dark gray.
Burrowing OwlThe burrowing owl, Speotyto cunicularia, lives in the open grasslands and farmlands of eastern Canada and the United States. This brown and white owl hunts for small mammals, birds, and reptiles for most of the year, but switches to insects during the summer. Burrowing owls typically nest in burrows that have been abandoned by prairie dogs and other animals.
California CondorThe California condor, considered for years to be the most endangered species of bird in the United States, was removed from the wild in 1988 in an attempt to increase its numbers through captive breeding programs directed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Canada GooseThe Canada goose, Branta canadensis, is North America’s most common goose. Naturally migrating as far north as arctic Canada and as far south as central Mexico, it is gradually becoming a year-round resident in grassy suburbs throughout much of Canada and the United States. It grazes on the stems and shoots of grasses and can reach weights of 11 kg (24 lb).
Clapper RailThe clapper rail, Rallus longirostris, found in salt marshes along the Atlantic Coast, grows to an adult size of 40 cm (16 in). It lays 6 to 15 white or buff-colored, spotted eggs in nests constructed out of grasses and reeds on the ground in meadows.
Common European CraneThe common European crane, a member of one of the oldest orders of birds, has evolved a number of complicated behaviors, called dances, which include the nestling’s excited bobbing on the return of its parents, the social dancing of adolescent birds, and the precopulatory dances of new mating pairs. Cranes will also dance spontaneously within a group or when agitated. The dances help curb aggression and form or strengthen relationships.
Common RheaThe common rhea is the largest flightless bird in the western hemisphere. Ranging throughout the grasslands of South America south of the Amazon, the gregarious rheas feed on insects when young, but soon switch to an adult diet of vegetation. Rheas have long been hunted for their feathers, eggs, and meat.
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