accipitriform to trogoniform

✦ about ✦ a blog dedicated to sharing quality art and photography of the world's feathered creatures

[biomedicalephemera]

African Harrier Hawk (Polyboroides typus)

The African harrier hawk is one of only two birds of prey that has double-jointed knees. It uses these joints to hunt animals in cracks and holes in cliffsides and trees. One of its favored foods is the sociable weaver (Geranospiza caerulescen), which creates massive nests with other members of its species. Nom nom nom.

Album of Abyssinian Birds and Mammals. Louis Agassiz Fuertes, 1928.

[stephaniedolen]

mykines, faroe islands

[irakalan]

[theantidote-deactivated20141122]

FIREFLIES

Photos of fireflies by Tsuneaki Hiramatsu

On hot, hazy summer nights, fireflies take centre stage as they fly through the night air, punctuating the darkness with flecks of yellow light.

But Japanese photographer Tsuneaki Hiramatsu captured their beauty in a whole new light, using time-lapse photography. (2012/7/12)

(via devidsketchbook:)

[sunquail]

I’ve wanted to do a gold dog for a while and spaniels are nice shapes :>

[fieldnotesfarmer]

The next batch of birds to go on the backyard hawk poster are not hawks at all, but falcons! The top two species (merlin on the left, then female and male American kestrel) are tinier falcons that you might catch preying on small songbirds. The larger and more recognizable peregrine falcon (juvenile and adult on bottom) snatches birds out of the air in spectacular high speed dives. I imagine it’s less common to see a peregrine hunting at your feeder. Have any of you seen one in your backyard? ⠀⠀ These bird illustrations are for a poster put out by Project Feederwatch of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

[ornithrallogy]

Seeking ID on a (pensile?) bird’s nest I found knocked down in a nearby yard.

Was hanging from an evergreen tree, and still has six, puny solid white eggs inside of it. I reattached the nest as close to where I assume it was and hope that its owners may return! Would love to know the species that built this lovely home, in the meantime.

[draconym]

Me: trying to silently opening a candy bar

My parrot: watching me intently as he raises his foot to his beak to pantomime the act of eating a candy bar while making distressingly realistic chewing noises and not breaking eye contact

[draconym]

I genuinely think this is an attempt on his part to participate in a social activity with me, but it always comes off exactly as judgmental as it would feel if a human roommate were doing it.

[michaelnordeman]

Blue tit/blåmes.

[ornithrallogy]

the Crested Caracara ( Caracara cheriway )

A bold scavenger and close relative of the falcon, the Crested Caracara is a bold, low-flying bird of prey whom makes full use of roadkill and carcasses that scatter prairies and roadways, even if it means displacing the competing vultures that got there first. As they feed, their bright yellow crop is distended from their gullet to indicate that the bird has recently eaten. They’re common sights throughout the southern USA and many parts of Mexico.

These birds may be spotted alone, in pairs, or with a family unit of three to five members, and unlike their falcon cousins, who lay their clutches of eggs in simple scrapes or modified nests of other species, a mated Caracara pair will construct a nest of their own.

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Don’t feed ducks bread

It’s bad for them

Bread can cause their crops to become impacted. This is only fixable with surgery which almost all ducks, being on a farm or in the wild, don’t get.

It’s also just junk food, fills them up with no nutritional value. This leads to malnutrition, which can cause a disorder called angel wing

This goose’s flight feathers are destroyed, leaving it open to predators, and preventing them from migrating.

Please don’t feed ducks bread.

Instead feed them something yummy and good for them! Like watermelon, peas, or halved grapes.

It’s fun to feed the ducks that will let you, but please don’t do it at the cost of their health!

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Spring is coming, don’t give water fowl bread!

[ornithrallogy]

In addition, check your local wildlife laws and regulations to ensure feeding wild waterfowl is legal where you live! Feeding ducks and geese can be a fun activity, but not when you end up receiving a fine.

And keep in mind; even if you do offer them healthy snacks, being fed by people increases a population’s dependency on humans and can sometimes lead to problematic behavior such as hissing and biting. Even if your intentions are pure, their impact on waterfowl can sometimes be the opposite.

Don't Feed the Geese | Center for Earth and Environmental Science

[wapiti3]

The warblers of North America 

By Chapman, Frank M. (Frank Michler), 1864-1945  Fuertes, Louis Agassiz, 1874-1927

Publication info New York,D. Appleton & Company,1907. Contributing Library: Cornell University Library BioDiv. Library

[ridiculousbirdfaces]

Darwin’s Pigeons book series by Richard Bailey

Domesticated Rock Pigeon (Columba livia)

[end0skeletal]

by Dalia Kvedaraite

[ornithrallogy]

the Hawaiian Hawk ( Buteo solitarius )

Known also as the ‘Io, the Hawaiian Hawk is the sole native hawk species found on the Hawaiian islands. Its range is limited to the island of Hawai’i, where it takes on the role of an opportunistic predator by preying upon local and invasive birds, rodents, and even insects.

Historically, the ‘Io has been a symbol of cultural significance to Hawaiian royalty, so the hunting or otherwise harming of this bird was forbidden, but it is now under constant pressure due to the disappearance of native forests- their natural habitat and preferred territory.

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[ornithrallogy]

the Blood Pheasant ( ithaginis cruentus )

A small, gregarious pheasant that makes its home along the snowline of the Himalayan mountain range and its surrounding countries.

Male specimens and their subspecies are easily identified by the rich crimson feathers that adorn the facial region, breast, and tail, and both sexes possess a red ring of skin around the eyes.

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[ornithrallogy]

'talk birdy to me' ok bro. CAW CAW

You speakin’ my language!

[nature-and-biodiversity-blog]

Red Warbler Cardellina rubra Source: Here