Birds and the bees and even butterflies … all with fanciful wings… are featured in these two photo galleries. Their gorgeous colors are a joy to look at and then learn more about them in the descriptions.
Birds and the bees and even butterflies … all with fanciful wings… are featured in these two photo galleries. Their gorgeous colors are a joy to look at and then learn more about them in the descriptions.
There is no question why the impressive bald eagle is the national bird and symbol of the United States. Once considered endangered, it now lives in all 48 lower states. However, those from Alaska are the largest with a wing-span up to eight feet. Unfortunately for this bird, named Adonis, his left wing was amputated after a gunshot wound. But he has been well cared for at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center since 1995. The AWCC specializes in caring for wounded and orphaned Alaskan wildlife.
Seward Highway & Portage Glacier Rd, Portage, AK 99587
Imagine being surrounded by countless butterflies dancing through the air on paper-thin wings in a rainbow of colors. This wonderful experience has been offered by The Butterfly Farm since 1999. A guide will walk you through their plush garden for 15-20 minutes while pointing out some of their countless species from around the world. Then stay as long as you wish to savor these delicate beauties like this tree nymph from Southeast Asia. You will soon see why it is nicknamed the paper kite.
J.E. Irausquin Blvd, Oranjestad, Aruba
At first it is surprising to find an ostrich farm in Arbua. However, this native of Africa is perfectly at home in the hot, semi-arid climate of the Noord District where the average temperature is in the high 80° Fahrenheit. The world’s largest (9 feet tall) and fastest (up to 40 mph) birds will delight you during the guided tour. You will get the chance to feed these curious and always hungry creatures. You will also enjoy the emus and the ostrich hatchery.
Aruba Ostrich Farm, Matividiri 57, Paradera, Aruba
What an unexpected delight to see this gang-gang cockatoo feeding in the Blue Mountains forest. The distinguishable marking of this small cockatoo is the scalloped grey plumage. The male sports the bright red head and crest. Females are predominately grey. The range for this handsome parrot is limited to a narrow sliver in the southeast corner of New South Wales. Because they are so rare, your best chance of seeing a gang-gang is as the bird emblem for the Australian Capital Territory.
Anvil Rock Road & Perrys Lookdown Road, Blackheath NSW 2787, Australia
It is exciting to see a sulphur-crested cockatoo for the first time. Their plumage is a bright white with a distinctive yellow crest. Where there is one, there are several. Soon you begin to take them for granted unless you are trying to sleep in at the Euroka Clearing campground. Their loud squawking is guaranteed to wake you at dawn
Euroka Campground, Fern Glen Walking Track, Glenbrook NSW 2787, Australia
This strutting Indian peacock seems to be the greeter as you enter the visitor center at Churchill Island Heritage Farm. After crossing the threshold, you enter a time capsule of the lives of the earliest European settlers. The 140 acres are filled with 19th century residences and a working farm reflective of the Victorian era.
246 Samuel Amess Drive, Churchill Island 3925, Australia
Another resident of Philip Island Nature Park on Summerland Peninsula is the cape barren goose. Typically seen in pairs while grazing in pastures and grasslands, this bird has mostly grey plumage with brown feathered eyelets accented with red eyes and a green cere covering its short beak. As you approach one of the world’s rarest geese with your camera, you will be surprised by their large size. Males can weigh up to 15 pounds with a 75 inch wingspan.
The Boulevard, Summerlands VIC 3922, Australia
This Australian pelican is a common sight on the coasts of Australia and New Guinea. It has an impressive wingspan of up to 8.5 feet but its most distinctive feature is the huge pink bill which can measure 20 inches and is the longest of any bird. The Taronga Zoo has thousands of animals on a beautiful location of 52 acres overlooking the Sydney Harbour in Australia. It is best reached by ferry.
The female snowy owl can sit in this position for long periods while those yellow eyes watch for a potential meal of a rodent, waterfowl, fish or small mammal. When she takes off, her wingspan of up to five feet is impressive just before dive bombing for dinner. Typically found in an Arctic prairie, the snowy owl has migrated as far as the southern United States during the last two years. This snowy owl lives at the Antwerp Zoo in Belgium.
I had never seen Caribbean flamingos living in the wild. So it was a real treat to watch Bonaire’s national bird and symbol in their natural habitat at Lake Gotomeer. It is located in the northwest section of the island. Thousands of these crimson birds have also been known to gather at the Pekelmeer Sanctuary on the south end of the island.
Kaminda Goto Rincon, Caribbean Netherlands
The Amazon Basin is filled with parrots including 17 species of macaws. The biggest of all these wonderful birds is the hyacinth macaw. Also called the blue macaw, its body measures 3.3 feet long with a wingspan up to four feet. It weighs almost four pounds. They can live 50 to 60 years in the wild. This vulnerable bird’s favorite foods are seeds and nuts, especially the acrocomia aculeata nut, commonly called the macaw palm. This shell is hard to open with a hammer. Yet the hyacinth macaw’s strong beak shatters it with ease.
A fascinating and colorful bird in the Amazon Rainforest is the toucan. There are over 40 species living in a range from southern Mexico to northern Argentina. The common genus is ramphastos. The most recognizable of the eight Brazilian species is the toco toucan. It is also called the giant toucan because it can exceed two feet long with a seven inch tail. The prominent feature is the stunning, nine inch yellow-orange bill. This cartoon-like appendage helps the bird dispel body heat during the very hot summers.
Across the street from Iguaçu National Park is Parque das Aves. This is Latin America’s largest bird park. Inside is a meandering, one-mile footpath where you will see over 1,400 birds representing 150 species. The 40 acre grounds are set in a subtropical rainforest replicating the bird’s natural habitat. One of the best and largest sections is Viveiro das Araras (Portuguese for macaw nursery). Walk inside this enclosure and be encircled by beautiful macaws. The birds perched here are blue-and-yellow and red-and-green macaws. Both are Brazilian natives.
Parque das Aves, Av. das Cataratas, 12450 - Foz do Iguaçu - PR, 85855-750, Brazil
Another popular section of Parque das Aves features toco toucans. This common toucan lives in abundance in a large section of eastern and southern Brazil including the region around Foz do Iguaçu. The fascinating feature of this cartoon-like bird is their enormous bill. This yellow-orange bill ranges from six to nine inches long. That is 30% to 50% of the bird’s body. So why is this colorful appendage so big? The primary purposes are mate selection, peeling fruit, regulating body heat and a visual warning to predators.
Parque das Aves, Av. das Cataratas, 12450 - Foz do Iguaçu - PR, 85855-750, Brazil
With such an abundance of wildlife in the Amazon Basin, it is not surprising to find a large assortment of predators. There are several species of eagles and kites plus about a dozen types of hawks. This is an adult black-collared hawk. These birds are typically perched above freshwater in the heart of South America. When a passing fish is spotted, this hawk will dive off the tree before swooping up the unsuspecting prey with its long talons. Then the bird will return to a branch to enjoy its meal.
The Amazon Basin is a utopia for birdwatchers. This is home to more than 1,500 species. Over 250 of them are endemic to Brazil. Most tourists hope to catch a glimpse of macaws, parrots and toucans. One year-round resident you will easily recognize stalking along the riverbed is the great white egret. This elegant hunter stands about 3.3 feet with a wingspan up to five feet. It is also called the common egret because of its wide distribution across the Southern Hemisphere plus parts of North America and Asia.
The long legs and oversized claws and toes of the wattled jacana are designed so it can effortlessly navigate through aquatic vegetation in search of insects. The nest of this wetland bird is capable of floating to accommodate changing water levels. Distinguishing markings are a chestnut-colored back, yellow bill and red forehead. They display yellow wings in flight. The wattled jacana is widely distributed across freshwater wetlands in the South American tropics.
This flock of white-winged swallows are taking a break from foraging over the water in search of flying insects. Their iridescent blue head and shoulders plus white belly make them easy to identify. They are small, measuring about 5.5 inches long, and weigh about half an ounce. The birds live near freshwater throughout the upper half of South America. In Brazil, you will only see them from mid-September through mid-April.
This black-crowned night heron is a juvenile evidenced by its grey-brown plumage, orange eyes and yellowish-green legs. As he ages, his eyes will become redder, his wings black and his underbelly white. They stand hunched and almost frozen, like this one on Lake Merritt in Oakland, California, waiting for a meal to swim nearby.
Lakeshore Ave & Boden Way, Oakland, CA 94610
Lake Merritt is a delightful lagoon and wildlife refuge with islands, jogging paths and terrific views of downtown Oakland, California. Taking in this vista is a ring of black-crowned night herons that are standing perfectly aligned on a drainage pipe as if they are in the bleachers of a stadium. These migratory birds are socializing while pruning themselves and waiting for something to ambush.
Lakeshore Ave & Boden Way, Oakland, CA 94610
The blue-and-yellow Macaw, which hail from the northern countries of South America, are frequently sold as pets because they talk, are smart, learn tricks, are very colorful and can develop a close bond with their owners. But they are also big at over 2 ½ feet and noisy, so I prefer to admire them at places like the Oakland Zoo in California.
The Abdim’s Stork, also called the white-bellied stork, can easily be found dining on locusts, caterpillars and other insects across both central and southern Africa. Although the smallest of the stork species, it’s large among most birds at 29 inches. The blue coloring near the bill indicates that this bird from Safari West in Santa Rosa, California, is getting ready for mating season.
Except for its hooked black beak which is designed to catch food while the bird’s head is submerged and then drain the water before swallowing, the rest of the American Flamingo is predominately pink or rose. The heritage of this four-foot bird has been traced back to fossils that are 50 million years old. This one, along with about a dozen neighbors, can be seen at Safari West in Santa Rosa, California.
The Cattle Egret’s name is derived from its habit of following livestock and other large grazing mammals so they can catch insects that the animals kick up. This form of heron also rides on the animals back while eating ticks. Its yellow bill is ideally suited for these tasks. Most of its plumage is white except during mating season when streaks of orange appear. It is mostly a silent neighbor to the other birds at Safari West in Santa Rosa, California.
This Demoiselle Crane will greet you when entering the aviary at Safari West in Santa Rosa, California and then will walk along, tilt its head as if curious and stare at you with those intense red eyes. If you don’t pay attention, it lets out a loud trumpet sound. In India, they call this bird “koonj” and it is a metaphor for a young bride far from home.
The beauty of this saddle-billed stork is a thrill to watch as it gracefully yet deliberately moves its five-foot frame and then thrusts its 14 inch, red-and-black striped bill towards a fish or other small sea life. They are fairly populous in the wetlands of sub-Saharan Africa. The family name is Ciconiidae. This stork can be seen at Safari West in Santa Rosa, California.
The scarlet ibis from the northern coast of South America is very well named because virtually everything – its plumage, legs and beak – are a rich, red color. Apparently, a steady diet of red crustaceans is responsible for the coloring, vindicating the 1826 quote by Anthelme Brillat-Savarin and the 1942 book title by nutritionist Victor Lindlahr “You are What You Eat.” This Eudocimus ruber is from Safari West in Santa Rosa, California.
The Spotted Thick-knee bird is one of nine species in the Burhinidae family and gets its name from the prominent knee joint in his long, yellow legs. Also called the Cape Thick-knee, it lives in the savannas of sub-Saharan Africa, but this one lives in the walk-through aviary at Safari West in Santa Rosa, California.
Bustards are among the heaviest flying birds yet the white-bellied bustard is the runt of the species ranging in height from 19 inches to two feet. Their cream-colored plumage resembles a hen pheasant without the long tail. They are found in the grassy areas throughout Africa and also the aviary at Safari West in Santa Rosa, California.
A single White-faced Whistling Duck is gorgeous with its black and white face and crimson chest, so imagine how exciting it must be to see a thousand or more of them flying and calling together across a fresh-water lake in the South Americas or the sub-Saharan part of Africa. The scientific name for this magnificent bird is Dendrocygna viduata and it resides at Safari West in Santa Rosa, California.
Also flocking to Pier 4 at the Hamilton Waterfront are seagulls. These sneaky bandits will steal any unattended food on the picnic tables. They especially relish Timbits which are bite-size donuts from Tim Hortons. The Toronto-based company is Canada’s largest coffee and quick-serve bakery chain.
Pier 4 Park, 64 Leander Dr, Hamilton, ON L8L 1N6, Canada
The Island of Montreal marks the confluence of the Ottawa and Saint Lawrence Rivers and in addition to being home to the French Canadians of Quebec providence, another of its residents is the whimbrel. This member of the curlew family (often mistaken for a sandpiper) breeds in the subarctic regions and winters in South America, Africa and parts of Asia. Its curved, long bill is perfect for digging out a meal as it scurries along the costal rocks between incoming waves.
Birdwatchers, grab your binoculars. You will want to witness the autumn migration of greater snow geese at Ha! Ha! Bay in La Baie, a borough of Saguenay. These magnificent birds breed in the Canadian High Artic. In September, approximately 700,000 begin their 2,500 mile journey along the Atlantic flyway to their wintering grounds in the United States. During early October, huge concentrations begin arriving here to rest and feed. Thousands more appear throughout the month. Their white plumage glistens against the sky and along the mudflats. The chorus of bird calls is intense. Then, toward the end of the month, they will all disappear overnight.
3346 Boulevard de la Grande-Baie-Sud, La Baie, QC G7B 1G2, Canada
Bees have an amazing social infrastructure and each insect has a specific role in building, growing, maintaining, defending and feeding the hive. This female worker bee is just one of 60,000 to 80,000 per hive that lives only six weeks during the summer to gather pollen for food while also cross pollinating the plants and flowers we enjoy.
This juvenile American Herring Gull, also called the Smithsonian Gull, has learned early in life that you can work for food along the coastal waters or, better yet, you can stand around Victoria Harbour in British Columbia looking cute and expect the tourists to feed you. It takes these gulls four years to develop the predominately white and gray plumage of an adult bird.
One look at the spotty green head of this drake mallard would make you think it is self-conscious about its appearance. Quite the contrary. This duck walking along the sidewalk of Victoria Harbour in British Columbia, Canada was a pushy and aggressive extrovert. He stands in your way until he gets a free handout, quickly determines when your inventory of goodies is depleted and then waddles over to another easy and accommodating tourist.
Imagine being surrounded by over 4,000 fluttering butterflies. How about also encountering countless tropical birds, fish, insects and tortoises in a simulated rainforest. Sound like fun? This describes your visit to the Victoria Butterfly Gardens in Brentwood Bay, about a half hour drive from central Victoria. The attraction appeals to the entire family. This is a male Morpho butterfly. His open wings display a metallic blue color on the dorsal side. The closed wings expose a dull brown coloring for camouflage. The ocelli resemble an owl’s eyes. They effectively scare off predators. There are nearly 150 subspecies of this butterfly. Most live in South and Central America as well as parts of Mexico. Go to Victoria Butterfly Gardens so you can learn similar facts about their other 70 species of butterflies and moths.
1461 Benvenuto Ave, Brentwood Bay, BC V8M 1J5, Canada
In many zoos around the world, peafowl are allowed to roam the grounds while delighting visitors with their iridescent colors and showy displays of tail feathers. The peacock’s upper wings make it easy to see they are a relative to pheasants. The male Indian blue peafowl is well named: it has a blue crown and metallic blue and green feathers that sparkle in the sun. These birds, originally from India and Sri Lanka, can weigh up to 13 pounds.
Assiniboine Park Zoo, 2595 Roblin Blvd, Winnipeg, MB R3R 2N7, Canada
If you like penguins, you will love seeing over 63,000 breeding pairs on Magdalena Island in southern Chile. In this family portrait, the two birds with grey-blue coloring are chicks. An average of 1.4 chicks per nest survives each year. The adults can live up to 20-25 years and mate for life.
Magdalena Island, Magallanes y la Antártica, Chilena Region, Chile
It is easy to understand how this butterfly, whose scientific name is Caligo eurilochus, gets its common name of Forest Giant Owl Butterfly. The ocelli or eyespots on its wings looks like a menacing owl, they live in the rainforests of South America, and they can have a wingspan of almost eight inches. I spotted this one in northern Chile darting among the leaves.
This handsome blue-and-yellow macaw is native and abundant to the forests in the northern half of South America including Colombia. He is among 30 other macaws delighting cruise ship passengers as they disembark at the Manga Terminal Maritimo. The colorful parrots loudly greet all who walk through the port’s enjoyable aviary.
SPRC Terminal Cl. 28 Cartagena, Bolívar, Colombia
As the bird’s name suggests, the Indian peafowl originated across India but has been introduced into the wild of numerous countries including Colombia. The male’s head crest, iridescent feathers and long, eye-spotted train have also made the peacock a popular resident at zoos across the world. This impressive male is among several strutting freely near the cruise ship piers at Manga Terminal Maritimo.
SPRC Terminal Cl. 28 Cartagena, Bolívar, Colombia
This keel-billed toucan is another Colombian native on display at the aviary in Cartagena’s cruise port terminal. Perhaps the alternative name – rainbow-billed toucan – best describes its most prominent feature. The red, green, orange and blue bill can extend up to six inches. Equally colorful are their yellow chest and blue feet. Their natural habitat is forests extending through Central America and northern South America.
SPRC Terminal Cl. 28 Cartagena, Bolívar, Colombia
Perhaps I am a victim of effective advertising, but whenever I see a toucan I think of Toucan Sam, the mascot for Fruit Loops cereal by Kellogg’s since 1962. These toucans were at an animal rescue center in Costa Rica. Their stated mission is to protect native reptiles, amphibians and birds, and they heavily recruit for volunteers who pay for the experience of working there. But after visiting several of these centers, I could not tell if their mission was true, if they pretend to be a zoo, or if it is a scheme to attract kind-hearted, nature-loving tourists with money.
Exploring the streets of Old Havana revels plenty of unexpected sights like this rooster perched in a window behind rusted security bars. He seemed content watching people walking by. Occasionally, he would voice his opinion with a cock-a-doodle-doo.
There are several wetlands off the coast between Downtown Punta Cana and the airport. The largest is Laguna Bávaro. This reserve is a birdwatcher’s paradise. Among the species are pelicans, herons, osprey, teal and the majestic great white egret. Efforts were made to develop this reserve for tourism. Hiking trails were created and kayaks were purchased for winding through the mangroves. Unfortunately, the wildlife refuge is under resourced and poorly maintained. Yet you can still enjoy its beauty by driving along Carretera Cabeza de Toro. This road less traveled is worthy of your binoculars. Other streets to consider are Avenida Barceló and Avenida Alemania.
Avenida Alemania, Punta Cana 23000, Dominican Republic