Stork (Marabou)

Marabou Stork with its balding, scabby head and pendulous pink air sac may appear to be one of the ugliest creatures in the world. A large male Marabou Stork, standing up to 4.5 feet tall and weighing nearly 20 lbs, is one of the largest flying birds in the world. Their wingspan approaches 6 feet.

The Marabou Stork is found throughout most of tropical Africa. They prefer dry open savannahs near large lakes or rivers.

Marabou Storks will eat just about any kind of animal, dead or alive. Marabous evolved their naked heads and necks as an adaptation for feeding on large animal carcasses without getting their head feathers soiled with blood and gore.

Photographed at Reid Zoo, Tucson, AZ

Sparrow (Lark)

Unlike many songbirds, the Lark Sparrow walks on the ground rather than hops. It hops only during courtship.

A courting male Lark Sparrow crouches on the ground, holds his tail up at a 45 degree angle from the ground, spreads the tail feathers to show off the white tips, and then struts with its wings drooping so that the wingtips nearly touch the ground. When the female is receptive, the male gives her a small twig just before copulation.

The Lark Sparrow often takes over old mockingbird or thrasher nests instead of building its own. Occasionally the eggs and young of two species are found in the same nest, suggesting that the Lark Sparrow shares the nest with the other bird.

Photographed in the wild, Tucson, AZ)

Sparrow (Chipping)

A crisp pretty sparrow whose bright rufous cap provides a splash of color and makes adults fairly easy to identify. They are also the only sparrow possessing a gray rump.

Chipping Sparrows are common across North America wherever trees are interspersed with grassy openings. Their loud, trilling songs are one of the most common sounds of spring woodlands and suburbs

Chipping sparrows are ground foragers feeding on insects, spiders, and seeds. They form small flocks and may join mixed-species

Photographed in the wild, Tucson, AZ

Phainopepla

The name "Phainopepla" comes from the Greek for "shining robe," (pronounced fay-no-PEP-la) a fitting characterization of the shiny, jet-black plumage of the adult male.

A crested songbird of the deserts and arid woodlands of the south-western United States and Mexico, the Phainopepla is particularly notable for its enigmatic pattern of breeding twice each year, in two different habitats

The Phainopepla, when pursued by predators or handled by humans, mimics the calls of other birds; imitations of at least 13 species have been recorded.

An individual Phainopepla eats at least 1,100 mistletoe berries per day, when they are available.

Photographed in the wild, Tucson, AZ

Peafowl (White)

Besides the India Blue, whites are the most well-known peafowl type to non-enthusiasts. Contrary to popular belief, whites are not albinos, because their eyes are blue, not pink.

It is speculated there may be a few white peafowl bred naturally in India. White was one of the first variations to be discovered and made popular, and has been around for many years.

The Indian Peafowl is a resident breeder in eastern Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka. The peacock is the national bird of India. The species is found in dry semi-desert grasslands, scrub and deciduous forests. It forages and nests on the ground but roosts on top of trees. It eats mainly seeds, but also some insects, fruits and reptiles.
  

Photographed at Reid Zoo, Tucson, AZ

Peafowl (Indian Blue)

The name "Peacock" is the name of the male Peafowl the more colourful as to the female known as the peahen.

The India Blue peafowl are native to India, and are the peafowl from which the Black-shouldered and White peafowl have mutated.

During breeding season, the Blue peacock's displayed, rustling train is a fascinating sight. He spreads his train to attract the peahen, although she may sometimes not even notice.

In contrast to the beautiful colors of the Blue peacock, the Blue peahen lacks bright coloration, which helps conceal her from predators when she is allowed to incubate her own eggs.

 
1, 5, 6 Photographed at Discovery Cove, Orlando, FL
2, 3, 4 Photographed at Toronto Zoo, Toronto, ON

Crested Wood Partridge

The Crested Wood Partridge, also known as the Crested Partridge, is a game bird in the pheasant family. This small partridge is a resident breeder in lowland rain forests in south Burma, south Thailand, and Malaysia. The male is blue in body and the female green in body with brown.

The crested wood partridge can live in groups of up to 15 individuals. Breeding pairs dig tunnel like nests beneath the litter of the forest floor. Offspring can number from four to eight chicks, which are cared for cooperatively by each parent. Larger broods may be divided, with each parent caring exclusively for half. Parents feed chicks for the first week, after which chicks forage for their own food.

Photographed at Discovery Cove, Orlando, FL

Partridge (Mountain Bamboo)

Mountain Bamboo Partridges of the Himalayas are small ground birds with a short black beak, short rounded wings, and a short tail.  They are approximately 14 inches tall.

When Mountain Bamboo Partridges are threatened, they prefer to run away.  If necessary, they fly with short, strong bursts, usually only for a few feet. They are rarely found far from water.  Their voice is a “loud ringing cackle” that repeats two notes over and over. 

 

Photographed at Reid Zoo, Tucson, AZ

Owl (Barn)

The Barn Owl is one of the most widely distributed birds in the world, found on all continents except Antarctica, and on many oceanic islands as well. It has been introduced by people to some of the few places it did not already occur, namely Hawaii, the Seychelles Islands, and Lord Howe Island.

The Barn Owl is one of the few bird species with the female showier than the male. The female has a more reddish chest that is more heavily spotted. The spots may signal to a potential mate the quality of the female. Heavily spotted females get fewer parasitic flies and may be more resistant to parasites and diseases.

The Barn Owl has excellent low-light vision, and can easily find prey at night by sight. But its ability to locate prey by sound alone is the best of any animal that has ever been tested. It can catch mice in complete darkness in the lab, or hidden by vegetation or snow out in the real world.

Photographed at Desert Museum, Tucson, AZ

Oriole (Hooded)

Hooded Orioles belong to the same family as Blackbirds.  Named for the orange hood on the male, this slender oriole is at home in suburban areas of the southwestern United States, from central California, Nevada through central Arizona. They can be seen hanging upside down whilst searching for food or perched near the ground. They have strong direct flight.

It originally nested in the trees of desert oases, but finds ornamental trees suitable. They feed on insects, fruit, and nectar. The nectar is taken from plants, such as aloes, hibiscus, lilies, and other tubular flowers, by piercing the base of the flower's stem, which has the effect of avoiding plant pollination.

Hooded Orioles are social birds and can be seen flocking with other related birds. A group of orioles is referred to as a "pitch" or a "split".
Photographed in the wild Tucson, AZ

Harrier (Northern)

A long-winged, long-tailed hawk of open grassland and marshes, the Northern Harrier forages by flying slowly low above the ground looking for small rodents. It is one of the few raptors in which the sexes look quite different: the male is white below with a light gray back and hood, the female is mottled in browns

 

Unlike other hawks, the Northern Harrier relies on its hearing as well as its vision to capture prey. The feathers of the face are stiff to help transmit sound, and it shows a pronounced "facial disk," much like that of an owl.

 

The Northern Harrier feeds primarily on mice, other small mammals, and small birds. It will, however, take larger prey, such as rabbits and ducks. It has been known to subdue large prey by drowning it.

 

Photographed in the wild, Tucson, AZ

Red-crowned Parrot

It is also known as the Red-crowned Amazon, Green-cheeked Amazon, and Mexican Red-headed Parrot. The color of the crown and forehead is a deep scarlet. The cheeks are an iridescent light green and there is blue lilac color behind the eyes. [see Military Macaw for similar colour]

Some are talkers, but others are often better at mimicking sounds. Though not as good a talker as many other amazons, they make up for it by being very affectionate and playful.

The current native wild population of between 1,000 and 2,000 is decreasing. The main threats to its survival are the illegal export of trapped birds from Mexico to the USA, and the destruction of habitat.

Photographed at Reid Zoo, Tucson, AZ

Bustard (Kori)

 The Kori Bustard is mostly grey in color, with a black crest on its head and yellow legs. Kori Bustards are often found with bee-eaters riding on their backs as they stride through the grass.

The bee-eaters make the most of their walking perch by hawking insects from the bustard's back that are disturbed by the bustard's wandering.

This is a large and heavy bird, and it avoids flying if possible. It spends most of its time on the ground, foraging for the seeds and lizards which make up most of its diet.

It has no preen gland , which is used by other birds to secrete waterproofing oil, nor does it have a hind toe, which is used for perching in trees. This demonstrates that the Kori bustard is well designed for ground dwelling.

Photographed at Reid Zoo, Tucson, AZ

Tweety turns 68 (1942-2010)

Bob Clampett created the character that would become Tweety in the 1942 short A Tale of Two Kitties, pitting him against two hungry cats named Babbit and Catstello (based on the famous comedians Abbott and Costello).

Rufous Hummingbird

This is the feistiest hummingbird in North America. The brilliant orange male and the green-and-orange female Rufus Hummingbird are relentless attackers at flowers and feeders, going after (if not always defeating) even the large hummingbirds of the Southwest, which can be double their weight.

Rufus Hummingbirds are wide-ranging, and breed farther north than any other hummingbird. Look for them in spring in California, summer in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, and fall in the Rocky Mountains as they make their annual clockwise circuit of the West and the longest migratory journeys of any bird in the world

Photographed at Desert Museum, Tucson, AZ

Hummingbird (Costa)

female

A desert hummingbird, Costa's Hummingbird breeds in the Sonora and Mojave Deserts of California and Arizona. It departs the desert in the hottest days of summer, moving to chaparral, scrub, or woodland habitat.

 male colour change with the lighting

Researchers have found that Costa's Hummingbird can enter a torpid state, with slowed heart rates and reduced body temperatures, under low ambient night-time temperatures.

Juvinile

The hearts of torpid Costa's Hummingbirds beat about 50 times per minute, while those of non-torpid resting Costa's Hummingbirds beat 500 to 900 times per minute.

Photographed in Phoenix & Tucson, AZ

Hummingbird (Broad-billed)

A strikingly colourful bird, the Broad-billed Hummingbird reaches the northern limit of its range in south-eastern Arizona. Broad-billed Hummingbirds that nest in Arizona are migratory; populations in Mexico are resident year-round in their breeding range.

The male Broad-billed Hummingbird performs a courtship display, starting by hovering about a foot from the female and then flying in repeated arcs, like a pendulum.

Like other hummingbirds, the Broad-billed Hummingbird is incapable of walking or hopping. Its bill is also red unlike most that are black.

Photographed at Desert Museum, Tucson, AZ

and in the wild, Tucson, AZ

Wildlife (Note on Hummingbirds)

I have managed to capture through the lens, 7 varieties of hummingbirds. They are the most challaging to take pictures of because of their speed. What I love is to see if I can capture their colours as the sun hits them. Where the tiny feathers seem to be black can turn out to be red, blue, or even purple in colour.

I had a chance to go to the Hummingbird Aviary at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. This was fantastic and well recomended to any hummingbird lover. Contact me and I will freely send you the Museum's guide to maintaining hummingbirds in your back yard.

Hornbill (Greater Indian)

The Great Hornbill also known as Greater Indian Hornbill is long-lived, living for nearly 50 years in captivity. The most prominent feature of the hornbill is the bright yellow and black casque on top of its massive bill. The casque is hollow and serves no known purpose.

This fellow has a broken casque, close up below

Approximately 60 hornbills are currently held in the US, and lesser numbers in other countries. While housing them and accommodating their diet holds little challenge, breeding them is notoriously difficult with fewer than a dozen successful attempts.

In captivity hornbills eat fruits and meat and a healthy diet is made up in most part, by fruit and some source of protein. A few have been tamed in captivity but hornbill behaviour in captivity is described as high-strung. Captive specimens may bask in the sun with outstretched wings

 

Photographed at Reid Zoo, Tucson, AZ

Goldfinch (Eastern-Texas)

The Lesser Goldfinch is a small, seed-eating finch of the Southeast. It has a dark-back and most common in Texas with a few in the southern Arizona area. Western Lesser have a greenish backs and common in Arizona and extend to California.

The Texas Lesser Goldfinches extends south to central Mexico, and all of the males have a black back. First year all lesser finches have a green back and are mistaken for the Californian western type.

photographed in the wild, Tucson, AZ