Hornet is Europe’s largest wasp, and a sociable bug. Hornets live in almost all European areas, as well as part of Asia, from Siberia to western Mongolia. In the past, they only lived in old forests, where they could build nests in tree cavities or cliff holes, but being highly adaptive creatures, they now inhabit
The Princess Parrot is a rare and a very skittish bird. They inhabit only Western Australia and bushy inland territories. Many breeders have grown fond of this bird, as it’s very friendly and easily adapts to living in captivity. Even in the wild, Princess Parrots are very sociable and let humans come close. Unfortunately, many
White-tailed Tropicbird is an inhabitant of the tropical seas. This bird often flies deep into oceans, searching for food. The bird’s flight is elegant, filled with acrobatic moves. Its a pleasure to watch the Tropicbird fly in the sun, and even its Latin name Phaeton lepturus comes from a Greek myth about Phaeton, who wanted
The Sandhill Crane is a long, elegant wader. Just like other cranes, this bird is known for their spectacular mating dances. During this fascinating performance, loud calls, which sound like horn tootles, can be heard. Sandhill Cranes are also incredible fliers, as they have been observed to pass Mount McKinley, which is more than 6000
The Sulfur-crested Cockatoo is one of the most popular birds of Australia. The Cockatoo is known all around the world for being a friendly bird, easy to raise in captivity. In the wild, however, these birds are quite cautious and scared easily. Sulfur-crested Cockatoo in a tree Sulfur-crested Cockatoo’s homeland is Australia and it lives
Tawny Owl is a nocturnal bird and people rarely get the chance to see it, although you can tell an owl is nearby by its “hoo-hoo” call. These medium sized birds are widespread through most parts of Europe and they’re one of the most capable predatory birds. A Tawny Owl in flight These owls inhabit
The Pileated Woodpecker is a very large bird of the North American Continent, which means they can be found in Canada, all the way down to Florida, and from the East Coast of Nova Scotia to California’s West Coast. The Pileated Woodpecker on a Tree Appearance A very large bird, the Pileated Woodpecker is almost
Eclectus Parrot or Eclectus roratus is a beautiful bird that lives in rain-forests in the tropical Pacific islands, mainly New Guinea. Probably it is so widespread because local people raised those parrots as their companions. Eclectus parrots can be loud and live in huge groups. There are sometimes up to 60 birds in one flock.
Megachile Leaf-cutter bee is an extraordinary species. Although in appearance similar to the Honey Bee, this bee has a completely different lifestyle, most notably – the leaf-cutter bees lead solitary lives and don’t form hives. As their name suggests, these bees “cut” and then carefully sticks them together, using saliva, thus forming complex nests. Leaf-cutter
The Eastern Kingbird nests in Northern America and is known for its militant nature. Even the Latin name – Tyrannus tyrannus gives a hint of how aggressive this bird can be. No need to worry, though, as these birds will only show their truculent nature when something threatens their nests. These medium-sized birds are dark
The Fishing Bat is a a small, yet highly interesting mammal, found in Central and South America. They’re often called bulldog bats for their cheek bags and small eyes that hold a close resemblance to those of a bulldog. The Fishing Bat’s natural habitat is forest regions and seaside marshes in Central and Southern America,
The Black Swan also known as Cygnus Atratus is quite an uncommon bird that gained its significance through a metaphor, a Lebanese writer and the bird’s homosexuality. The fact that it is a swan and is not white as all his ‘brothers’, but exactly the opposite, is intriguing. Only the South American Black-necked swan has
The Andean Cock-of-the-rock is a medium sized bird, living in the Andes, from Venezuela South to Bolivia. It’s one of the most spectacular birds, with strikingly bright colours. Spottingthis beautiful bird is not very common, though, as they’re extremely shy and don’t usually fly near humans. It’s notable that both the sexes look very different,
The Rook a.k.a. Corvus Frugilegus seems like a really common bird with the tag “Nothing Special” attached to it. Well, think again! Besides the fact that it shares a name with a chess piece, already 2000 years ago a Greek fable writer called Aesop wrote that a rook uses stones to raise water level in
The Budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus) is a bird also known as a budgie or a parakeet of the Psittaciformes order, Psittacidae family, genus melopsittacus. Domesticated around the world as a common house pet, they are commonly found in the harsher, drier, inland environments in Australia for the past 5 million years. A Budgerigar sitting on a
