As an artist and lifelong birder, its always been in my head to do a huge art project revolving around birds. The idea that most stuck out to me was drawing all the birds of North America. But just drawing all those species just didn’t seem like enough, even though drawing all those species in…
Tag: illustration
Species Spotlight: Kori Bustard
Kori Bustard (Ardeodis kori) This large bodied bird is native to the deserts and savannas of southern Africa. Standing at a height of about three feet and males weighing up to 40 pounds, they are the heaviest flying bird on earth. The kori bustard is a cryptically colored ground bird consisting mostly of browns and…
Basic Bird Anatomy
I believe to truly understand and appreciate how unique birds are you must know what makes a bird a bird. What makes up each and every species no matter what they are. To know what makes them so different you must see what makes them similar. And from there you can really appreciate what makes…
International Vulture Awareness Day
The first saturday of September is international vulture awareness day! While these birds may not be everybodies favorite birds, they still fill a very important niche in the environment. They are the clean up crew! When an animal dies, scavengers like vultures will take care of the body. But the deceased animal could be carrying…
Bird Beaks: Form and Function
Beaks are an important part of a birds anatomy. Like many of the parts of a bird, they have evolved and adapted to help them survive in their chosen environment and niche. They are key to helping a species thrive by making the most of the food available to them. Just as there is a…
Cockatiel
This little parrot species can be found throughout most of Australia, prefering to stick to wetlands and scrubland. Even though it is much smaller than its relatives, it is still a cockatoo. Primarily gray with white wing patches, males will have brighter yellow faces with red cheeck patches and females will have dull coloring on…
Cedar Waxwing
The cedar waxwing is a medium sized songbird found through out almost all of North America except the the northern most parts. These little birds have a little crest, black crest and have a brown head and chest along with a yellow belly with their tail being black with a yellow or orange tail tip….
American Kestrel
The smallest and most common species of falcon in North America. It is one of the few birds of prey species that is sexually dimorphic, which means males and females have a different apearance. Males will have a slate colored head and wings with rusty backs and tails. Females are a reddish brown all over….
Bird of the Day: Spectacled Owl
The Spectacled owl is a larger sized nocturnal owl with a round head that has no ear tuftts. Adults have a dark brownish-black face with white markings between their eyes and cheeks with long eyebrows which look like spectacles and is what gives this species its name. They also have a white throat patch with…
The smallest bird in the world
One amazing thing about the bird world is its incredible biodiversity, one of the many factors that play into this is their difference in size. In the dense woodlands and forest edges of Cuba, the smallest species of birds can be found. Flitting from flower to flower the near threatened Bee Hummingbird ( Mellisuga helenae)…