American Robin

The American Robin (Turdus migratorius) is a migratory songbird of the thrush family. The similarity between the orange-red coloring of its breast to that of the smaller and unrelated European Robin (Erithacus rubecula) led to its common name.

Baltimore Oriole

The Baltimore Oriole, Icterus galbula, is a small icterid blackbird which is 18 cm long and weighs 34 g.
Adults have a pointed bill and white bars on the wings. The adult male is orange on the underparts, shoulder patch and rump. All of the rest of the male is black. The adult female is yellow-brown on the upper parts with darker wings, and dull orange on the breast and belly.
The breeding habitats of these birds are the edges of deciduous and mixed woods across eastern North America. The range of this bird overlaps with that of the similar Bullock's Oriole in the midwest, and the two species are sometimes considered to be conspecific under the name Northern Oriole because they form fertile hybrids.
The Baltimore Oriole's nest is a tightly woven pouch located on the end of a branch, hanging down on the underside.
These birds migrate in flocks to southern Mexico, Central America and northern South America. Some birds may remain near feeders in winter.
The Baltimore Oriole is a rare vagrant to western Europe, and there are a couple of British records of birds wintering near garden feeders, including one in Oxford in December 2003. Perhaps the most remarkable record was the incident occurring on 7th and 8th of October, 2001. On this date, in Baltimore, Co. Cork, Ireland, the first record of this species in Ireland was made.
Baltimore Orioles forage in trees and shrubs, also making short flights to catch insects. They mainly eat insects, berries and nectar, and are often seen sipping at hummingbird feeders. Oriole feeders contain essentially the same food as hummingbird feeders, but are designed for orioles, and are orange instead of red and have larger perches. Baltimore Orioles are also fond of halved oranges.
This bird received its name from the fact that the male's colors resembled those on the coat of arms of Lord Baltimore. The Baltimore Orioles, an American League baseball team in Baltimore, Maryland, were named after this bird. It is also the state bird of Maryland.

Black-capped Chickadee

The Black-capped Chickadee, (Parus atricapillus), is a small songbird, a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. Often, it is still placed in the genus Parus with most other tits, but mtDNA cytochrome b sequence data and morphology suggest that separating Poecile more adequately expresses these birds' relationships (Gill et al., 2005). The American Ornithologists' Union has been treating Poecile as distinct genus for some time already.
Adults have a black cap and bib with white sides to the face. Their under parts are white with rusty brown on the flanks; their back is gray. They have a short dark bill, short wings and a long tail.
Their breeding habitat is mixed or deciduous woods in Canada, Alaska and the northern United States. They nest in a hole in a tree; the pair excavates the nest, using a natural cavity or sometimes an old woodpecker nest. They may interbreed with Carolina Chickadees or Mountain Chickadees where their ranges overlap. The Black-capped and Carolina chicadees are virtually impossible to tell apart visually, but they are readily distinguished by call. Their point of overlap is near New Brunswick, New Jersey.They are permanent residents, but sometimes move south within their range in winter. On cold winter nights, these birds reduce their body temperature by up to 10-12 °C to conserve energy.
These birds hop along tree branches searching for food, sometimes hanging upside down or hovering; they may make short flights to catch insects in the air. Insects form a large part of their diet, especially in summer; seeds and berries become important in winter. They sometimes hammer seeds on a tree or shrub to open them; they also will store seeds for later use. Black-capped Chickadees are known to remember the position of hundreds or more of their food caches for up to a month[citation needed].
During the fall migration and winter, chickadees often flock together. Many other species of birds, including titmice, nuthatches, and warblers can often be found foraging in these flocks. Mixed flocks stay together because the chickadees call out whenever they find a good source of food. This calling out forms cohesion for the group, allowing the other birds to find food more efficiently. When flocking, Black-capped Chickadees soon establish a rigid social hierarchy.

Brown Pelican

The Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) is the smallest of the eight species of pelican, although it is a large bird in nearly every other regard. It is 106-137 cm (42-54 in) in length, weighs from 2.75 to 5.5 kg (6-12 lbs) and has a wingspan from 1.83 to 2.5 m (6 to 8.2 ft).
It lives strictly on coasts from Washington and Virginia south to northern Chile and the mouth of the Amazon River. Some immature birds may stray to inland freshwater lakes. After nesting, North American birds move in flocks further north along the coasts, returning to warmer waters for winter.
This bird is distinguished from the American White Pelican by its brown body and its habit of diving for fish from the air, as opposed to co-operative fishing from the surface. It eats mainly herring-like fish. Groups of Brown Pelicans often travel in single file, flying low over the water's surface.
The nest location varies from a simple scrape on the ground on an island to a bulky stick nest in a low tree. These birds nest in colonies, usually on islands.
Pesticides like DDT and dieldrin threatened its future in the southeast United States and California in the early 1970s. Pesticides also threatened the pelican population in Florida in this period. A research group from the University of Tampa headed by Dr. Ralph Schreiber conducted research in the Tampa Bay/St Petersburg area and found that DDT caused the pelican eggshells to be overly-thin and incapable of supporting the embryo to maturity. As a result of this research, DDT usage was eliminated in Florida and the rest of the country.
Along with the American White Pelican, the Brown Pelican is protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.
There are four subspecies:
P. o. californicus (California Brown Pelican)
P. o. carolinensis (Eastern Brown Pelican)
P. o. occidentalis (Caribbean Brown Pelican)
P. o. thagus (Galapagos Brown Pelican)
The Peruvian Pelican, Pelecanus thagus, used to be considered a subspecies of the Brown Pelican (P. o. thagus). However, due to its well-defined allopatry and because it is much larger and heavier than its relatives, it was reclassified as a separate species.

Western Meadowlark

The Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta) is a medium-sized blackbird, very similar in appearance to the Eastern Meadowlark.
Adults have yellow underparts with a black "V" on the breast and white flanks with black streaks. The upperparts are mainly brown with black streaks. They have a long pointed bill; the head is striped with light brown and black.
Their breeding habitat is grasslands and prairie, also pastures and abandoned fields, across western and central North America to northern Mexico. Where their range overlaps with the eastern species, these birds prefer thinner, drier vegetation; the two birds generally do not interbreed but do defend territory against each other. The nest is on the ground, covered with a roof woven from grasses. There may be more than one nesting female in a male's territory. The nest is sometimes destroyed by mowing operations with eggs and young in them.
Western Meadowlark will interbreed with the Eastern Meadowlark where their ranges overlap, though their offspring are infertile.[citation needed]
These birds are permanent residents throughout much of their range. Northern birds migrate to the southern parts of the range; some birds also move east in the southern United States.
These birds forage on the ground or in low to semi-low vegetation, sometimes probing with its bill. They mainly eat insects as well as seeds and berries. In winter, they often feed in flocks.
This bird has a flute-like warbled song, unlike the simple whistled call of the Eastern Meadowlark. They were considered to be the same species for some time; the western species, having been overlooked for some time, was given the species name neglecta.
This is the state bird of Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon and Wyoming.

American Goldfinch

The Eastern or American Goldfinch (Carduelis tristis), also known as the Wild Canary, is a North American bird in the finch family. It is migratory, ranging from southern Canada to North Carolina during the breeding season, and from just south of the Canadian border to Mexico during the winter.
The only finch in its subfamily which undergoes a complete molt, the American Goldfinch displays sexual dimorphism in its coloration; the male is a vibrant yellow in the summer and an olive color during the winter months, while the female is a dull yellow-brown shade which brightens only slightly during the summer. The male displays brightly colored plumage during the breeding season to attract a mate.
The American Goldfinch is granivorous and adapted for the consumption of seedheads, with a conical beak to remove the seeds and agile feet to grip the stems of seedheads while feeding. It is a social bird, and will gather in large flocks while feeding and migrating. It may behave territorially during nest construction, but this aggression is short-lived. Its breeding season is tied to the peak of food supply, beginning in late July, which is relatively late in the year for a finch. This species is generally monogamous, and produces one brood each year.
Human activity has generally benefited the American Goldfinch. It is often found in residential areas, attracted to bird feeders installed by humans, which increases its survival rate in these areas. Deforestation by humans also creates open meadow areas which are the preferred habitat of the American Goldfinch.

Cardinal (bird)

The Cardinals or Cardinalidae are a family of passerine birds found in North and South America.
These are robust, seed-eating birds, with strong bills. They are typically associated with open woodland. The sexes usually have distinctive appearances; the family is named for the red plumage (like that of a Catholic cardinal's vestments) of males of the type species, the Northern Cardinal.
The “buntings” in this family are sometimes generically known as “tropical buntings” (though not all live in the tropics) or “North American buntings” (though there are other buntings in North America) to distinguish them from the true buntings. Likewise the grosbeaks in this family are sometimes called “cardinal-grosbeaks” to distinguish them from other grosbeaks. The name “cardinal-grosbeak” can also apply to this family as a whole.
Cardinals mate in early spring. Their nests are loosely woven in tall bushes such as honeysuckle and rose. Their diet includes seeds and small berries.

Northern Cardinal

The Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) is a member of the cardinal family of birds in North America. The bird's name comes from the red-robed Roman Catholic Cardinals. Its crested head is also said to resemble a bishop's mitre. Cardinals have been also referred to as "Redbirds" and "Virginia nightingales". Cardinals were once popular cage birds for their bright color and rich, varied songs.

Mountain Bluebird

The Mountain Bluebird (Sialia currucoides) is a medium-sized thrush.
Adults have thin bills. Adult males are bright blue, somewhat lighter underneath. Adult females have duller blue wings and tail and a grey breast, grey crown, throat and back.
Their breeding habitat is open country across western North America, including mountain areas, as far north as Alaska. They nest in cavities or in nest boxes. In remote areas, these birds are less affected by competition for natural nesting locations than the other bluebirds.
Northern birds migrate to the southern parts of the range; southern birds are often permanent residents. Some birds may move to lower elevations in winter.
These birds hover over the ground and fly down to catch insects, also flies from perch to catching them. They mainly eat insects and berries. They may forage in flocks in winter.
This is the state bird of Idaho and Nevada.

Hawaiian Goose

The Hawaiian Goose or Nēnē, Branta sandvicensis, is a species of goose endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. It shares a recent common ancestor with Branta canadensis, the Canada Goose. The official bird of the State of Hawaiiʻi, the Nēnē is exclusively found in the wild of the islands of Maui, Kauaʻi and Hawaiʻi. A larger, extinct and possibly flightless species, the Nēnē-nui (Branta hylobadistes) was present in prehistoric times on Maui; related, but hitherto undescribed forms also occurred on Kauaʻi and Oʻahu, and there was a gigantic, flightless relative on the island of Hawaiʻi.
The Nēnē gets its Hawaiian name from its soft call.
The species has a black head, buff cheeks and heavily furrowed neck. Bill, legs and feet are black. The young birds are as the male but duller brown and with less demarcation between the colors of the head and neck, and striping and barring effects are much reduced. Bill, legs and feet as for the adult.
The female Hawaiian Goose is similar to the male in coloring but slightly smaller.
Its strong toes have much reduced webbing, an adaptation to the lava flows on which it breeds. It mates on land unlike most other wildfowl.
This is the world's rarest goose. Once common, hunting and introduced predators such as mongooses, pigs, and cats reduced the population to 30 birds by 1952. However, this species breeds well in captivity, and has been successfully re-introduced so in 2004 it was estimated that there were 500 birds in the wild (and good numbers in wildfowl collections). However, there is some concern of inbreeding due to the small population of birds. The nature reserve WWT Slimbridge in England was instumental in the successful breeding of Nene geese in captivity, under the direction of the leading conservationist Sir Peter Scott, during the 1950s, for later re-introduction into the wild in Hawaii. There are still Nene geese at Slimbridge today.

Brown Thrasher

The Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum) is a species of thrasher, part of a family of New World birds (Mimidae) that includes New World catbirds and mockingbirds.
The Brown Thrasher is, as the name suggests, mostly brown or reddish-brown above, with a white breast and throat streaked with brown, and two white bars on each wing. It has a long tail, and its beak is also relatively large and somewhat curved. Adults average about 29 cm (11.5 inches) in length.
It is difficult to see all this however, as the bird is a retiring type that prefers thickets and heavy brush, often searching for food in dry leaves on the ground. In fact, it is more likely to be heard than seen, not only because of the rattling of leaves, but also because of its call, a sharp lip-smacking type sound. This bird is omnivorous, eating insects, berries, nuts and seeds, as well as earthworms, snails and sometimes lizards.
Its breeding range includes the United States and Canada east of the Rocky Mountains. It is a partial migrant, with northern birds wintering in the southern USA, where it occurs throughout the year. There is a single British record of this unlikely transatlantic vagrant.
The female lays 3 to 5 eggs in a twiggy nest lined with grass. The nest is built in a dense shrub or low in a tree. Both parents incubate and feed the young. These birds raise two or three broods in a year. They are able to call in up to 3000 distinct songs. The male sings a series of short repeated melodious phrases from an open perch to defend his territory and is also very aggressive in defending the nest.
Although this bird is widespread and still common, it has declined in numbers in some areas due to loss of suitable habitat.
The Brown Thrasher is the official state bird of Georgia, and the inspiration for the name of Atlanta's National Hockey League team, the Atlanta Thrashers.

Mockingbird

Mockingbirds are a group of New World passerine birds from the Mimidae family. They are best known for the habit of some species mimicking the songs of other birds, often loudly and in rapid succession. Mockingbirds also have a reputation of being fierce defenders of their nests. Both male and female mockingbirds will attack or feign diving attacks on both domestic and wild felines, canines, crows and other birds, as well as humans who venture too close to their nest. Other defensive tactics involve aggressive vocalizations and adults acting wounded on the ground as a lure to draw predators away from the nest site.
Most species are tropical, but the Northern Mockingbird breeds throughout the United States and Canada. There are about 17 species in three genera. These do not appear to form a monophyletic lineage: Mimus and Nesomimus are quite closely related; their closest living relatives appear to be some thrashers, such as the Sage Thrasher. Melanotis is more distinct; it seems to represent a very ancient basal lineage of Mimidae.(Hunt et al. 2001, Barber et al. 2004)

Wood Thrush

The Wood Thrush, Hylocichla mustelina, is a North American passerine bird. It is closely related to other thrushes such as the American Robin and is widely distributed across North America, wintering in Mexico and Central America. The Wood Thrush is the official bird of the District of Columbia.[2]
The Wood Thrush is a medium-sized thrush, with brown upper parts with mottled brown and white underparts. The male and female are similar in appearance.
The Wood Thrush is an omnivore, and feeds preferentially on soil invertebrates and larvae, but will also eat fruits. In the summer, it feeds on insects continuously in order to meet daily metabolic needs. It is solitary, but sometimes form mixed-species flocks. The Wood Thrush defends a territory that ranges in size from 800 to 28000 square meters. The Wood Thrush is monogamous, and its breeding season begins in the spring; about 50 percent of all mated pairs are able to raise two broods, ranging in size from 2 to 4 chicks.[3]

Sand Martin

The Sand Martin, (Riparia riparia) is a migratory passerine bird in the swallow family.
It has a wide range in summer, embracing practically the whole of Europe and the Mediterranean countries, part of northern Asia and also North America, where it is called Bank Swallow. It winters in eastern and southern Africa, South America and South Asia (where it is called the Collared Sand Martin).
The subspecies diluta of southern Asia, northern India and southeastern China is sometimes split as a separate species, the Pale Martin, Riparia diluta. It has paler grey-brown upperparts and a less distinct breast band. It winters in Pakistan and southern India.
The Sand Martin appears on its breeding grounds towards the end of March, just in advance of the Barn Swallow, as the first of its family, flitting over the larger sheets of water in search of early flies.
Its brown back, small size and quicker, jerkier flight separate it at once from Swallows and House Martins. Later parties accompany Swallows, but for a time, varying according to weather, the birds remain at these large waters and does not visit its nesting haunts.
The 12 cm long Sand Martin is brown above, white below with a narrow brown band on the breast; the bill is black, the legs brown. The young have rufous tips to the coverts and margins to the secondaries.
The twittering song is continuous when the birds are on the wing, and becomes a conversational undertone after they have settled in the roost. The harsh alarm is heard when a passing Kestrel, Carrion Crow or other suspected enemy requires combined action to drive it away.
The food consists of small insects, mostly gnats and other flies whose early stages are aquatic.
The Sand Martin is sociable in its nesting habits; from a dozen to many hundred pairs will nest close together, according to available space. The nests are at the end of tunnels of from a few inches to three or four feet in length, bored in sand or gravel.
The actual nest is a litter of straw and feathers in a chamber at the end of the burrow; it soon becomes a hotbed of parasites. Four or five white eggs are laid about the middle of May, and a second brood is usual.
The Sand Martin departs early, at any rate from its more northerly haunts. In August, the gatherings at the nightly roost increase enormously, though the advent and departure of passage birds causes great irregularity in numbers.

Anna's Hummingbird

These birds are glossy green on the back and grey below with green flanks. Their bill is long, straight and slender. The adult male has a glossy red crown and throat and a dark tail. Anna's is the only hummingbird species with a red crown. Females and juveniles have a green crown, a grey throat with some red marking and a dark tail with white tips.
Their breeding habitat is open wooded or shrubby areas and mountain meadows along the Pacific coast from British Columbia to Arizona. The female builds a large cup nest in a shrub or tree, sometimes in vines or on wires. The nest is round and about 1 1/2 to 2" in diameter. The nest is built of very small twigs, lichen and other mosses, and often lined with downy feathers or animal hair. the nest materials are bound together with spider silk or other sticky materials. They are known to nest early as mid-December and as late as June.
These birds are permanent residents in parts of their range. Some birds may wander north to southern Alaska, south to Mexico or move east from California after nesting season. Some individuals have been banded as far east as Alabama and Florida.
These birds feed on nectar from flowers using a long extendable tongue or catch insects on the wing. While collecting nectar, they also assist in plant pollination. They sometimes eat tree sap.
Unlike most hummingbirds, this bird sings during courtship. They are very territorial.
This bird was named after Anna Massena, Duchess of Rivoli. A hybrid between this species and Allen's Hummingbird has been described as Floresi's Hummingbird, "Selasphorus" floresii (Ridgway, 1909; Taylor, 1909); the hybrid with the Black-chinned Hummingbird was called "Trochilus" violajugulum.

Adelie Penguin

The Adélie Penguin, Pygoscelis adeliae is, together with the Emperor Penguin, one of the only two types of penguin living on the Antarctic mainland. This species is common along the entire Antarctic coast and nearby islands. Aside from the storm petrel, they are the most southerly distributed of all seabirds. In 1830, French explorer Dumont d'Urville named them for his wife, Adélie. Ross Island supports a colony of approximately half a million Adélie penguins.
These penguins are very fat and about 60 to 70 cm (24-28 in) long and are around 4.5 kg (10 lbs) in weight. Distinctive marks are the white ring surrounding the eye and the feathers at the base of the bill. These long feathers hide most of the red bill. The tail is a little bit longer than other penguins' tails.

Young Adélie Penguinsin Antarctica
Adélie Penguins arrive at their breeding grounds in October. Their nests consist of stones piled together. Sometimes the competition for breeding sites gets so fierce that mothers will steal stones from neighbors' nests. The males summon the females with a low guttural noise followed by a loud cry. A female typically lays two eggs which are brown or green in color. In December, the warmest month in Antarctica (about -2°C), the parents alternate periods of incubating the egg; one goes to feed and the other stays to warm the egg. The parent who is incubating does not eat. In March, the adults and their young return to the sea. Ellie gall sucks This penguin feeds mainly on crustaceans, such as krill, and fish.

Acorn Woodpecker

The Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus) is a medium-sized woodpecker, 21 cm long with an average weight of 85 g.
The adult has a black head, back, wings and tail, white forehead, throat, belly and rump. The eyes are white. The adult male has a red cap starting at the forehead, whereas females have a black area between the forehead and the cap.

Common Kestrel

The Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) is a bird of prey species belonging to the kestrel group of the falcon family Falconidae. It is also known as the European Kestrel, Eurasian Kestrel[1], or Old World Kestrel[2]. In Britain, where no other brown falcon occurs, it is generally just called "the Kestrel".
This species occurs over a large range. It is widespread in Europe, Asia, and Africa, as well as occasionally reaching the east coast of North America. The Common Kestrel is small compared with other birds of prey, but larger than most songbirds. Kestrels have long wings as well as a distinctive long tail like the other Falco species. This bird's plumage is mainly brown with dark spots. Unlike most hawks they display sexual colour dimorphism with the male having a blue-grey head and tail. The tail is brown with black bars in females, and has a black tip with a narrow white rim in both sexes. All Common Kestrels sexes have a prominent black malar stripe like their closest relatives.

Common Kestrel eggs
Common Kestrels measure 34–38 cm (~13–15 in) from head to tail, with a wingspan of 70–80 cm (~27–31 in). The average adult male weighs around 155 g (~5½ oz) with the adult female weighing around 190 g (~6½ oz).

European Roller

The European Roller, Coracias garrulus, is the only member of the roller family of birds to breed in Europe. Its range extends into western Asia and Morocco. It is a long-distance migrant, wintering in southern Africa.
It is a bird of warm open country with some trees. The European Roller is a stocky bird, the size of a Jackdaw at 29-32 cm in length with a 52-58 cm wingspan, but it is mainly blue with a warm brown back. Rollers often perch prominently on trees, posts or overhead wires, like giant shrikes, whilst watching for the large insects, lizards and frogs that they eat.
This species is even more striking in its strong direct flight, with the brilliant blue contrasting with black flight feathers. Sexes are similar, but the juvenile is a drabber version of the adult.
The display of this bird is a lapwing-like display, with the twists and turns that give this species its English name. It nests in an unlined tree or cliff hole, and lays up to six eggs.
The call is a harsh crow-like sound.

Nilgiri Wood-pigeon

The Nilgiri Woodpigeon (Columba elphinstonii) is a bird endemic to moist deciduous forests and sholas of the Western Ghats in southwestern India. They are identified in the field by the checkerboard pattern on their napes.
This pigeon species qualifies as vulnerable owing to its small, declining population, restricted range and widespread destruction of its forest habitat.[1] A few relict populations survive on the high altitude hills of the peninsula outside the Western Ghats formation including the Biligirirangan Hills and Nandi Hills near Bangalore.
The binomial commemorates the Hon. Mountstuart Elphinstone (1779-1859).

African Grey Hornbill

The African Grey Hornbill, Tockus nasutus, is a hornbill. Hornbills are a family of tropical near-passerine birds found in the Old World.
The African Grey Hornbill is a widespread and common resident breeder in much of sub-Saharan Africa and into Arabia.
This is a bird mainly of open woodland and savannah. The female lays two to four white eggs in a tree hole, which is blocked off during incubation with a cement made of mud, droppings and fruit pulp. There is only one narrow aperture, just big enough for the male to transfer food to the mother and the chicks.
When the chicks and the female are too big to fit in the nest, the mother breaks out and rebuilds the wall, then both parents feed the chicks.
This species is a large bird, at 45cm in length, but is one of the smaller hornbills. It has mainly grey plumage, with the head, flight feathers and long tail being a darker shade. There is a white line down each side of the head and one on the back which is visible only in flight. The long curved bill is black and has a small casque and a creamy horizontal stripe.
Sexes are similar, but the male has a black bill, whereas the female has red on the mandibles. Immature birds are more uniformly grey. The flight is undulating. The similarly sized Red-billed Hornbill has uniformly grey plumage.
The African Grey Hornbill is omnivorous, taking insects, fruit and reptiles. It feeds mainly in trees.

Collared Kingfisher

The Collared Kingfisher (Todiramphus chloris) is a medium-sized kingfisher belonging to the family Halcyonidae, the tree kingfishers. It is also known as the White-collared Kingfisher . It has a wide range extending from the Red Sea across southern Asia and Australasia to Polynesia. It is a very variable species with about 50 different subspecies.

South Polar Skua

The South Polar Skua, Stercorarius maccormicki, is a large seabird in the skua family Stercorariidae. An older name for this bird is MacCormick’s Skua. This species and the other large southern hemisphere skuas, together with Great Skua, are sometimes placed in a separate genus Catharacta.
This is a large bird at 53 cm length. It breeds on Antarctic coasts, usually laying two eggs in November and December. Like other skuas, it will fly at the head of a human or other intruder approaching its nest. It is a migrant, wintering at sea in the Pacific Indian and Atlantic Oceans. In the eastern North Atlantic it is replaced by the Great Skua.
The South Polar Skua eats mainly fish, which it often obtains by robbing gulls, terns and even gannets of their catches. It will also directly attack and kill other seabirds.
Like most other skua species, it continues this piratical behaviour throughout the year, showing less agility and more brute force than the smaller skuas when it harasses its victims.
Distinguishing this skua from the northern hemisphere Arctic, Pomarine and Long-tailed Skuas is relatively straightforward. The large size, massive barrel chest and white wing flashes of this bird are distinctive even at a distance. The flight is direct and powerful.
Identification of this skua is more complicated when it is necessary to distinguish it from the closely-related Great Skua of the North Atlantic, and the other large southern hemisphere skuas.
Adult South Polar Skuas are greyish brown above, and have a whitish (pale morph) or straw-brown (intermediate morph) head and underparts, and the contrast between head and body makes it easy to separate from similar species with good views.
Juveniles and adult dark morphs are harder to distinguish from their relatives, and more subjective or difficult-to-observe criteria, such as the colder brown plumage and blue bill base, must be used.
Identification problems make claims of any southern hemisphere skua in the eastern North Atlantic problematic, and few records of South Polar Skua have been accepted in Western Europe. Similar problems occur, of course, with extra-limital claims of Great Skua.
This bird is named after the naval surgeon Robert McCormick, who collected the type specimen.

Ruddy Kingfisher

The Ruddy Kingfisher (Halcyon coromanda) is a medium-sized tree kingfisher which is widely distributed in east and southeast Asia, ranging from South Korea and Japan in the north, south through the Philippines to the Sunda Islands, and west to China and India. It is migratory, with birds in the northern part of the range migrating as far south as Borneo during winter. Locally common in southern parts of its range, the Ruddy Kingfisher is rare in Japan, where it is highly sought after by birders. Ruddy Kingfishers inhabit forested areas from the temperate to tropical zones, often in thick jungles and rainforests.
Reaching approximately 25cm, the Ruddy Kingfisher has a very large, bright red bill and equally red legs. The body is rust red, generally deepening to purple at the tail. There is little sexual dimorphism though some sources state that male birds are somewhat brighter in plumage.
Like other kingfishers, Ruddy Kingfishers generally feed on fish, crustaceans, and large insects, though in areas with less running water, they are known to take frogs and other amphibians. Due to its preference for heavily forested areas, the kingfisher's high, descending call is more often heard than the bird itself is seen, and these birds generally travel singly or in pairs.
The binomial name recalls the Coromandel Coast of India.

Red-wattled Lapwing

The Red-wattled Lapwing (Vanellus indicus), (local names: Hindi: titeeri, titai, titori, Sindhi: tAteehAr, Gujarati: titodi Kashmiri: hatatut, Assamese: 'bAlighorA', Telugu: yennappa chitawa, Tamil: alkati) is a lapwing or large plover, a wader in the family Charadriidae. It is sometimes called the did-ye-do-it bird due to its unmistakable call.

Willow Grouse

The Willow Grouse (Europe) or Willow Ptarmigan (North America), Lagopus lagopus, is a medium-sized gamebird in the grouse family. It is a sedentary species, breeding in birch and other forests and tundra across northern Eurasia, and in Alaska and northern Canada. It is the state bird of Alaska. During the last ice age, the species occurred in continental Europe (Tomek & Bocheński 2005).

The spring male is brown above with a reddish neck and white wings and underparts. The female is similar, but lacks the pure white belly. In winter, both sexes' plumages become completely white except that the tail is black. They can be distinguished from the winter Ptarmigan by habitat (not venturing above the treeline), larger size, thicker bill, and lack of black between the eye and bill in the winter male.

The distinctive British subspecies, the Red Grouse (Lagopus lagopus scoticus) has sometimes been considered a separate species. It is a moorland bird, and is basically reddish brown in all plumages, never going white.

The male's song is a loud "go-back go-back".

These are hardy vegetarian birds, but insects are also taken by the developing young.

The male Willow Grouse is unique in its nesting behaviour. In all other species of grouse, only the female takes responsibility for the young. However, the male Willow Grouse often takes responsibility of the young by staunchly defending his territory and his young. Males have even been documented to have attacked a Grizzly Bear and will attack humans who distract their young.

Great Indian Bustard

The Great Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps) is a bustard found in India and possibly Pakistan. It is a large, brown and white bird, the male is about 122 cm (48 in) in length and the female 92 cm (36 in). It lives in arid and semi-arid grasslands.
The current population is estimated at less than 1,000. The main threat to its existence is habitat loss. The bird is found in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh states of India. Ghatigaon and Karera santuaries in Madhya Pradesh had sizeable population earlier but now there is no Great Indian Bustard seen in Karera wildlife sanctuary in Shivpuri district. The Great Bustard was identified in 1978 at Nanaj, 18 km from Solapur in Maharashtra by Mr B.S. Kulkarni. Nearly 24 bustards are now seen in Nanaj sanctuary. There has been some assaults recently on the habitat of the bird.and one bird was found injured and eventually died.

Black Francolin

The Black Francolin, Francolinus francolinus, is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds.
It is one of the few francolins to have a range outside Africa. It is a resident breeder from Cyprus and south-eastern Turkey eastwards through Iran to southwest Turkmenistan and northeast India. Its range was formally more extensive, but over-hunting has reduced its distribution and numbers. There have been a number of introductions, but most have failed to take root.
This bird is found in scrubby habitats with plenty of low cover. It nests in a bare ground scrape laying 8-12 eggs. Black Francolin takes a wide variety of plant and insect food.
The Grey Partridge-sized male is mainly black, with white spotting on the back and flanks. It has a chestnut neck collar, white cheek patches and brown wings. The legs are red. The female is mainly brown, but has a chestnut hind neck.
This is a very unobstrusive species, best seen in spring when the male sings a mechanical kik-kik-kik from a mound. It has a Pheasant's explosive flight, but prefers to creep away unseen.
The easiest place to see this bird is on and around Paphos International Airport in Cyprus, the only country with a recovering population. However, this is also a military base, so people creeping around the perimeter with telescopes and binoculars may attract interest from the police.

Little Black Cormorant

The Little Black Cormorant, Phalacrocorax sulcirostris, is a member of the cormorant family of seabirds. It is common in smaller rivers and lakes throughout most areas of Australia. It is around sixty centimetres long, and is all black with blue-green eyes.

Eurasian Woodcock

The Eurasian Woodcock, Scolopax rusticola is a medium-small wader. This species is the woodcock found through most of temperate and subarctic Eurasia. Northern and Asian populations migrate to southern Europe or south Asia respectively. Birds in milder western European countries are resident. This woodcock is replaced in the new World by the very similar but slightly smaller American Woodcock.
Adults are 33-38 cm in length, including the 6-7 cm long straight bill, and have a 55-65 cm wingspan. The Woodcock's body is patterned cinnamon on top and grey underneath. It has large eyes located high in the head. The wings are rounded and the legs are short and pinkish. This bird does not show the obvious mantle stripes of its American relative in flight.
Their breeding habitat is damp wooded areas. They nest on the ground in an open wooded location. These birds forage by probing in soft soil in thickets, usually well hidden from sight. They mainly eat earthworms and insects, also plant material. They are crepuscular, being most active at dawn and dusk. This species is generally solitary.
The male performs a display flight called 'roding' at dusk during courtship. Flying with a flickering action and downward pointing bill. It utters several croaks followed by a sharp squeak during this performance.
In many countries Woodcock are hunted as game. This is particularly popular in the UK, where their size, speed and flight pattern makes them a very challenging shot. A witnessed "right and left", in which a Woodcock is downed with each barrel of a shotgun, affords the shooter membership of the Shooting Time's prestigious Woodcock Club.

Houbara Bustard

The houbara bustard, Chlamydotis undulata, is a large bird in the bustard family. It breeds in the Canary Islands and north Africa and Pakistan. The Asian former subspecies has now been split as a separate species, Macqueen's bustard, Chlamydotis macqueenii. These are the only members of the Chlamydotis genus.
The dividing line between the two species is the Sinai peninsula. The houbara bustard is largely resident in its range.
This species breeds in deserts and other very arid sandy areas.
The houbara bustard is 60 cm long with an 140 cm wingspan. It is brown above and white below, with a black stripe down the sides of its neck. In flight, the long wings show large areas of black and brown on the flight feathers. It is slightly smaller and darker than Macqueen's bustard.
Sexes are similar, but the female is smaller and grayer above. It is vocally almost silent.
Like other bustards, this one has a flamboyant display raising the white feathers of the head and throat and withdrawing the head. 2-4 eggs are laid on the ground.
This species is omnivorous, taking seeds, insects and other small creatures.
The houbara bustard is widely prized in Arabia and Pakistan for its meat; widespread hunting has almost put it on the endangered list.

Great Thick-knee

The Great Thick-knee (Esacus recurvirostris) is a very large wader which is a resident breeder in tropical southern Asia from India and Sri Lanka into South-east Asia.
This is a species of gravel banks along rivers or near lakes, and also beaches. A single egg is laid in a bare scrape on the open shingle.
It is mainly nocturnal or crepuscular like other stone-curlews, but can frequently be seen foraging by daylight, moving slowly and deliberately, with occasional short runs. It tends to be wary and fly off into the distance ahead of the observer, employing powerful, rather stiff wingbeats.
The Great Thick-knee is a very large wader at 49–55 cm, and has a massive 7 cm upturned bill. It has unstreaked grey-brown upperparts and breast, with rest of the underparts whitish. The face has a striking black and white pattern, and the bill is black with a yellow base. The eyes are bright yellow and the legs a duller greenish-yellow.
In flight, the Great Thick-knee shows black and white flight feathers on the upperwing, and a mainly white underwing. Sexes are similar, but young birds are slightly paler than adults.
The call is a wailing whistle, given mainly at night, as with other birds in this family. The Great Thick-knee eats crabs, large insects, and other animal prey.

Bronze-winged Jacana

The Bronze-winged Jacana, Metopidius indicus, is a jacana. It is the only member of the genus Metopidius. The jacanas are a group of waders in the family Charadriidae, which are identifiable by their huge feet and claws which enable them to walk on floating vegetation in the shallow lakes that are their preferred habitat. They are found worldwide within the tropical zone.
The Bronze-winged Jacana breeds in India and southeast Asia. It is sedentary apart from seasonal dispersion. It lays four black-marked brown eggs in a floating nest. The males, as in some other wader families like the phalaropes, take responsibility for incubation.
These are conspicuous and unmistakable birds. They are 29cm long, but the females are larger than the males. They are mainly black, although the inner wings are very dark brown and the tail is red. There is a striking white eyestripe. The yellow bill extends up as a red coot-like head shield, and the legs and very long toes are grey.
Young birds have brown upperparts. Their underparts are white, with a buff foreneck.
The Bronze-winged Jacana's feeds on insects and other invertebrates picked from the floating vegetation or the water's surface.
Call is a wheezy piping seek-seek-seek given mostly in alarm.
When forced they sometimes choose to hide by submerging themselves. The male may carry chicks between the wings and body.
Measurements (from Rasmussen and Anderton, 2005) Length 280-310 mm Wing 150-197 mm (males 150-180mm , females 167-187 mm) Bill from tip to top of frontal shield 34-46 mm (adults) 32-38 (juveniles) Tarsus 61-76 mm Tail 40-52 mm

White Stork

The White Stork (Ciconia ciconia) is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae, breeding in the warmer parts of Europe (north to Estonia), northwest Africa, and southwest Asia (east to southern Kazakhstan). It is a strong migrant, wintering mainly in tropical Africa, down to the south of South Africa, and also in the Indian Subcontinent.
It is a huge bird, 100-125 cm (40-50 in.) tall, with a 155-200 cm (61-79 in) wingspan and a weight of 2.3-4.5 kg (5-10 lbs). It is completely white except for the black wing flight feathers, and its red bill and legs. It walks slowly and steadily on the ground. Like all storks, it flies with its neck outstretched.

Great Indian Bustard

The Great Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps) is a bustard found in India and possibly Pakistan. It is a large, brown-and-white bird, the male is about 122 cm (48 in) in length and the female 92 cm (36 in). It lives in arid and semi-arid grasslands.
The current population is estimated at less than 1,000. The main threat to its existence is habitat loss. The bird is found in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh states of India. Ghatigaon and Karera santuaries in Madhya Pradesh had sizeable population earlier but now there is no Great Indian Bustard seen in Karera wildlife sanctuary in Shivpuri district. The Great Bustard was identified in 1978 at Nanaj 18 Kms from solapur by Mr B.S. Kulkarni nealry 24 bustards are now seen in Nanaj sanctuary near Solapur in Maharashtra.There has been some assults recenlty on the habitat of the bird.and one bird was found injured condition which eventually died.

Red-billed Tropicbird

The Red-billed Tropicbird, Phaethon aethereus, also known as the Boatswain Bird is a tropicbird, one of three closely related seabirds of tropical oceans. It occurs in the tropical Atlantic, eastern Pacific and Indian Oceans.
The Indian Ocean race of the Red-billed Tropicbird, P. a. indicus, was at one time considered a full species, the Lesser Red-billed Tropicbird.
The Red-billed Tropicbird breeds on tropical islands laying a single egg directly onto the ground or a cliff ledge. It disperses widely when not breeding, and sometimes wanders far, including an amazing record from Great Britain. They feed on fish and squid, but are poor swimmers.
The adult is a slender mainly white bird, 48cm long excluding the very long central tail feathers, which double the total length. The wingspan is about 1 metre, and the long wings have black markings on the flight feathers. There is black through the eye. The bill is red.
Sexes are similar, although males average longer tailed, but juveniles lack the tail streamers, are greyer-backed, and have a yellow bill.
P. a. indicus has a reduced black eyestripe, and a more orange-tinted bill.

Cream-coloured Courser

The Cream-coloured Courser, Cursorius cursor, is a wader in the pratincole and courser family, Glareolidae.
Although classed as waders, these are birds of dry open country, preferably semi-desert, where they typically hunt their insect prey by running on the ground.
These coursers are found in Canary Islands, north Africa and southwest Asia. Their two eggs are laid in a ground scrape. They are partially migratory, with northern and northwestern birds wintering in India, Arabia and across the southern edge of the Sahara.
They are rare north of the breeding range, but this species has occurred as far away as Finland, Ireland and Great Britain.
These birds have long legs and long wings. They have slightly downcurved bills. The body plumage is sandy in colour, fading to whitish on the lower belly. The upperwing primary feathers and the underwings are black. The crown and nape are grey, and there is a black eyestripe and white supercilium.
In flight this species resembles a pratincole, with its relaxed wingbeats, pointed wings and dark underwings.

Sarus Crane

The Sarus Crane, Grus antigone is an all-year resident breeding bird in northern Pakistan and India (especially Central India and the Gangetic plains), Nepal, Southeast Asia and Queensland, Australia. It is a very large crane, averaging 156 cm (5 ft) in length, which is found in freshwater marshes and plains.

Tawny Eagle

The Tawny Eagle, Aquila rapax is a large bird of prey. It is about 62-72 cm in length and has a wingspan of 165-185cm. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. It was once considered to be closely related to the migratory Steppe Eagle, Aquila nipalensis, and the two forms have previously been treated as conspecific. They were split based on pronounced differences in morphology and anatomy (Clark, 1992; Olson, 1994; Sangsteret al., 2002); molecular analysis[citation needed] indicates that these birds are not even each other's closest relatives.
It breeds in most of Africa both north and south of the Sahara Desert and across tropical southernwestern Asia to India. It is a resident breeder which lays 1-3 eggs in a stick nest in a tree, crag or on the ground.
Throughout its range it favours open dry habitats, such as desert, semi-desert, steppes, or savannah.
This is a large eagle with tawny upperparts and blackish flight feathers and tail. The lower back is very pale. This species is smaller and paler than the Steppe Eagle, although it does not share that species' pale throat.
Immature birds are less contrasted than adults, but both show a range of variation in plumage colour.
The Tawny Eagle's diet is largely fresh carrion of all kinds, but it will kill small mammals up to the size of a rabbit, reptiles and birds up to the size of guineafowl. It will also steal food from other raptors.
The call of the Tawny Eagle is a crow-like barking, but it is rather a silent bird except in display.

Red-crowned Crane

The Red-crowned Crane (Grus japonensis), also called the Japanese Crane is a large crane and is the second rarest crane in the world. In East Asia, it is known as a symbol of luck and fidelity. At 55 inches high, the crane does not make easy prey, for all that it stands out in its natural habitat of marshes and swamps. When it matures, the Red-crowned Crane is snow white with a patch of red skin on its head. This patch of skin becomes bright red when the crane becomes angry or excited. An exceptional male weighed 15 kg (33 lbs.), making this the heaviest crane on record, although large Sarus Crane are taller.

Closeup of the crane's head
In the spring and summer, the Red-crowned Crane lives in Siberia, where their eggs hatch. Normally the crane lays 2 eggs, with only one surviving. Later, in the fall, it migrates in flocks to Korea, Japan, China, and other countries in E Asia to spend the winter. All Red-crowned Cranes migrate, except for a flock that stays in Hokkaidō, Japan, year long.
The crane eats small amphibians, aquatic invertebrates, insects, and plants that grow in marshes and swamps.
Habitat: Marshes, river banks, rice fields, and any place with water, standing dead vegetation, and food.

Red-billed Tropicbird

The Red-billed Tropicbird, Phaethon aethereus, also known as the Boatswain Bird is a tropicbird, one of three closely related seabirds of tropical oceans. It occurs in the tropical Atlantic, eastern Pacific and Indian Oceans.
The Indian Ocean race of the Red-billed Tropicbird, P. a. indicus, was at one time considered a full species, the Lesser Red-billed Tropicbird.
The Red-billed Tropicbird breeds on tropical islands laying a single egg directly onto the ground or a cliff ledge. It disperses widely when not breeding, and sometimes wanders far, including an amazing record from Great Britain. They feed on fish and squid, but are poor swimmers.
The adult is a slender mainly white bird, 48cm long excluding the very long central tail feathers, which double the total length. The wingspan is about 1 metre, and the long wings have black markings on the flight feathers. There is black through the eye. The bill is red.
Sexes are similar, although males average longer tailed, but juveniles lack the tail streamers, are greyer-backed, and have a yellow bill.

White-faced Storm-petrel

The White-faced Storm-petrel, Pelagodroma marina also known as White-faced Petrel is a small seabird of the storm-petrel family. It is the only member of monotypic genus, Pelagodroma.
The White-faced Storm-petrel breeds on remote islands in the south Atlantic, such as Tristan da Cunha and also Australia and New Zealand. There are north Atlantic colonies on the Cape Verde Islands, Canary Islands and Savage Islands. It nests in colonies close to the sea in rock crevices and lays a single white egg. It spends the rest of the year at sea.
The White-faced Storm-petrel is strictly pelagic outside the breeding season, and this, together with its often-remote breeding sites, makes this petrel a difficult bird to see from land. Only in severe storms might this species be pushed into headlands. There have been a handful of western Europe records from France, Great Britain and The Netherlands.
This storm-petrel is strictly nocturnal at the breeding sites to avoid predation by gulls and skuas, and will even avoid coming to land on clear moonlit nights. Like most petrels, its walking ability is limited to a short shuffle to the burrow.
The White-faced Storm-petrel is 19-21 cm in length witha 41-44 cm wingspan. It has a pale brown to grey back, rump and wings with black flight feathers. It is white below, unlike other north Atlantic petrels, and has a white face with a black eye mask like a phalarope. Its plumage makes it one of the easier petrels to identify at sea.
It has a direct gliding flight and will patter on the water surface as it picks planktonic food items from the ocean surface. It is highly gregarious, but does not follow ships.
Widespread throughout its large range, the White-faced Storm-petrel is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Australasian Grebe

The Australasian Grebe, Tachybaptus novaehollandiae is a tiny waterbird common on fresh water lakes and rivers in greater Australia, New Zealand and on nearby Pacific islands. At 25-27 cm in length, it is one of the smallest members of the grebe family (see also Little, Least Grebe).
It is an excellent swimmer and diver, and usually dives immediately when alarmed and swims away under water.

Yellow-billed

The Yellow-billed Stork, Mycteria ibis, is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae.
The Yellow-billed Stork is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.

Black-bellied Whistling Duck

The Black-bellied Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis) is a whistling duck which breeds in the southernmost USA and tropical Central and South America.

The Black-bellied Whistling Duck is a common but wary species. It is largely resident, apart from local movements. It usually nests in hollow trees.

The habitat is quiet freshwater lakes, cultivated land or reservoirs with plentiful vegetation, where this duck feeds mainly at night on seeds and other plant food. It is highly gregarious, forming large flocks when not breeding.

The Black-bellied Whistling Duck is 48-53 cm long. It has a long red bill, long head and longish legs, pale grey head and mostly grey-brown plumage. The belly is black and the large white wing bar is visible in flight.

All plumages are similar, except that juveniles have a grey bill and less contrasted belly.

As the name implies, these are noisy birds with a clear whistling waa-chooo call.

Eagles in culture

The word

The modern English name of the bird is derived from the Latin term aquila by way of the French Aigle. The Latin aquila may derive from the word aquilus, meaning dark-colored, swarthy, or blackish, as a description of the eagle's plumage; or from Aquilo, the Latin version of Greek Boreas, or north wind.

Old English used the term Earn, related to Scandinavia's Ørn. The etymology of this word is related to Greek ornos, literally meaning "bird". In this sense, the Eagle is the Bird with a capital B.

[edit] Eagles as national symbols

Coat of arms of the town of Berg en Terblijt in the Netherlands, an example of the prolific use of the eagle in European heraldry.

Napoleonic eagle

The eagle has been used by many nations as a national symbol, depicting power, beauty and independence.

• Arabic world. Many Arabic states and organisations use eagles as symbols, e.g. the PLO.
• Czech Republic. The Czech Republic integrates three historical parts: Bohemia (with a double-tailed lion in the emblem), Moravia and Silesia (both with female eagles in their emblems - red-and-white chequered and black).
• Hellenistic Egypt. The Ptolemaic rulers of Egypt used it as their seal.
• First French Empire. Napoleon Bonaparte used the Roman Golden Eagle as the symbol of his new French empire.
• Ghana. Two eagles are part of the coat of arms of Ghana.
• Mexico. The bird on the Mexican coat of arms and flag is a Golden Eagle.
• Moldova. An eagle is part of the coat of arms and flag of Moldova.
• Nigeria, The eagle is part of the Coat of Arms of Nigeria and the Seal of the President of Nigeria.
• The Philippines. The endangered Philippine Eagle is the national bird of the Philippines.
• Poland. A white eagle on a red field is the coat of arms of Poland.
• Romania. The eagle is also part of the coat of arms of Romania
• Rome. The Romans used it on the standards of their armies. From this derives:
  • The late Byzantine Empire) chose a two-headed golden eagle as its symbol. It is popularly that one head symbolised ancient Rome, and the other head symbolised "new Rome" at Constantinople. From this derives:
    • Albania. The two-headed eagle is the emblem of "Shqipëria" or Land of the Eagles, which is known in English as Albania (see The Tale of the Eagle for the legendary origin of the name)
    • Russian Empire. After the fall of Constantinople, the Russian Empire took the two-headed eagle as its own symbol.
  • Charlemagne and Holy Roman Empire. After his crowning as the new Roman Emperor, Charlemagne adopted the ancient Roman eagle as his own symbol. The Holy Roman Empire born of his kingdom took the eagle, but the Habsburgs replaced the golden eagle by an imperial eagle. From this derives:
    • Austria. The Austrian Empire had a two-headed eagle as its symbol. After the abolition of Austria-Hungary, Austria took as its symbol a one-headed eagle in the modern coat of arms of Austria.
    • Germany and Prussia. Prussia, and later Germany have used a black eagle as their national symbol.
    • Spain. The "Catholic Kings", Isabella and Ferdinand, used the Golden Eagle as a part of the royal shield. The eagle was on the Spanish shield until 1978.
• Serbia/Montenegro. The Two-headed eagle is the emblem of Serbia, Montenegro, and Serbia and Montenegro.
• The Seljuk Turks and Ottoman Turks used a double-headed eagle as coats-of-arms.
• USA. The United States has adopted the North American Bald Eagle as its national emblem. Although the Golden Eagle is found in North America, U.S. references to an unspecified "eagle" are often to the Bald Eagle, especially in an emblematic context. However, a few U.S. coins have shown the Golden Eagle (recognizable because the feathering on its legs extends to the base of the toes);^{[3] [4]} this error is the cause of the expression "illegal eagle".^{[citation needed]}

Eagles as religious objects

In Jewish tradition the eagle is a symbol of greatness, and leaders such as the medieval sage Maimonides and the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, have been referred to by their peers and students as "The Great Eagle". The Torah compares God Himself to an eagle in Deuteronomy, 32.11-12. "As an eagle awakens its nest, hovering over its fledglings, it spreads its wings, taking them and carrying them on its pinions. [So] the Lord guided them [the Israelites] alone, and there was no alien deity with Him."

Eagle lecterns are very common in Christian churches and cathedrals. The eagle is the symbol used to depict John the Apostle, whose writing most clearly witnesses the light and divinity of Christ. In art, John, as the presumed author of the Gospel, is often depicted with an eagle, which symbolizes the height he rose in the first chapter of his gospel. See Names of John.

The eagle is a sacred bird in some cultures and the feathers of the eagle are central to many religious and spiritual customs, especially amongst Native Americans in the United States and First Nations in Canada, as well as among many of the peoples of Meso-America. Some Native American peoples revere eagles as sacred religious objects and the feathers and parts of Bald and Golden Eagles are often compared to the Bible and crucifix. Eagle feathers are often used in various ceremonies and are used to honor noteworthy achievements and qualities such as exceptional leadership and bravery. In the cultures of the Northwest Coast, Eagle is also a supernatural being and also the ancestor and reatures in the heraldic crests of important clans known as totem poles.

Despite modern and historic Native American practices of giving eagle feathers to non-indigenous people and also members of other tribes who have been deemed worthy, current United States eagle feather law stipulates that only individuals of certifiable Native American ancestry enrolled in a federally recognized tribe are legally authorized to obtain eagle feathers for religious or spiritual use. In Canada, poaching of eagle feathers for the booming U.S. market has sometimes resulted in the arrests of First Nations person for the crime.^{[citation needed]}

Eagles as organizational symbols

• Australia. The Royal Australian Air Force uses the Wedge-tailed Eagle on its coat of arms. There is also an Australian Rules Football club called the West Coast Eagles.
• Greece. The double-headed eagle is the emblem of the Greek sport clubs AEK (black eagle on yellow background) and PAOK (black eagle on white background). It is a symbol of the clubs' origins, since both clubs were founded by Greeks who fled to Greece from Constantinople in 1922-23.
• Italy. The Roman eagle is the symbol of the Roman sports club S.S. Lazio.
• Nigeria. The Nigeria Football Association, the nation's football (soccer) governing body, has a green eagle perched on a football as its organisational symbol and logo. The Nigerian national football team is known as the 'Super Eagles', the under-20 youth team as the 'Flying Eagles', and the under-17 national side as the 'Golden Eaglets'. They all have an eagle as their symbol.
• Portugal. Eagle is the symbol of the Portuguese football team Sport Lisboa e Benfica.
• Turkey. Black Eagles is used for the Turkish sports club Beşiktaş J.K..
• USA. Eagles are a common motif for American companies and organizations seeking association with a national identity. A few examples are the United States Postal Service, the Constitution Party, and the name of the highest rank in the Boy Scouts of America. Among the sports teams whose mascot is an eagle, the only one in a major league of a major sport (by U.S. standards) is the Philadelphia Eagles (American football).
• China. Flying eagle is the logo of Shatin Pui Ying College in Hong Kong. In this school, an award is called Flying Eagle Award with the eagle badges as prizes.

Crested Serpent Eagle

The Crested Serpent Eagle, Spilornis cheela is a bird of prey. Like all eagles, it is in the family Accipitridae.

The Crested Serpent Eagle can be found in a large geographical region from South Asia, including India and Sri Lanka, to Southeast Asia, extending to southern China and Indonesia. This forest bird nests in treetops near fresh water. Its nests are constructed with sticks and contain not more than a single egg at a time.

The Crested Serpent Eagle is a medium large raptor at about 55-75cm in length. Adults have dark brown upperparts and head, and have a hooded appearance at rest. The underparts and underwing coverts are pale brown. In soaring flight, the broad wings are held in a shallow V. The tail and underside of the flight feathers are black with broad white bars. When perched, they appear large headed and owl-like due to the shape of the face and positioning of the eyes.

The call is a distinctive Kluee-wip-wip with the first note being high and rising. They call a lot in the late mornings from perches or as they rise on the thermals in the mornings.

Sexes are visually similar, but young birds have a whitish head, underparts and underwing, the latter showing darker barring.

The Crested Serpent Eagle, as its English and scientific names suggest, is a specialist reptile eater which hunts over woodland for snakes and lizards.

Black-chested Snake-eagle

The Black-chested Snake-eagle (Circaetus pectoralis) is a large African bird of prey of the Accipitridae family. It resembles other Snake-eagles and was once believed to be conspecific with the Short-toed Eagle and Beaudouin's Snake-eagle.

The main identification character of this bird is its dark brown head and chest to which it owes its name. In flight the dark head contrasts with the underparts and underwings, which are white apart from dark barring on the flight feathers and tail. The upperparts are dark brown, and the eye is yellow.

The female is similar to, but larger than the male, and the juvenile is rufous.

The call is a whistled kwo kwo kwo kweeoo.

This species can be found throughout southern Africa from Ethiopia and Sudan in the north, to South Africa in the south and and Angola in the south west.

It inhabits different habitats, providing it can find open terrain to hunt on, trees to perch and nest in, and sufficient food supply. This includes semi-arid or even desert areas.

As its name indicates, this bird feeds mostly on snakes, but will also prey on lizards, small mammals and frogs.

The female will lay only one egg per clutch, which is incubated for 50 days. The chick leaves the nest after 3 months.

Due to its wide distribution this species is not endangered.

Short-toed Eagle

The Short-toed Eagle (Circaetus gallicus) is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as kites, buzzards and harriers.

This is an Old World species spread throughout the Mediterranean basin and into Russia and the Middle East, and into parts of Asia (Pakistan, India and some Indonesian islands.

Those present on the northern edge of the Mediterranean and other parts of Europe migrate mainly to sub-Saharan Africa north of the equator, leaving in September/October and returning in April/May. In the Middle and Far East the populations are resident. In Europe it is most numerous in Spain where it is fairly common but elsewhere it is rare in many parts of its range.

A bird on the Isles of Scilly, Great Britain, in October 1999 was the first confirmed record for that country.

The Short-toed Eagle is found in open cultivated plains, arid stony deciduous scrub areas and foothills and semi-desert areas. It requires trees for nesting.

Adults are 63-68 cm long with an 185-195 cm wingspan and weigh 1.7-1.9 kg. They can be recognised in the field by their predominantly white underside, the upperparts being greyish brown. The chin, throat and upper breast are a pale, earthy brown. The tail has 3 or 4 bars. Additional indications are an owl-like rounded head, brightly yellow eyes and lightly barred under wing.

The Short-toed Eagle is an accomplished flyer and spends more time on the wing than do most members of its genus. It favours soaring over hill slopes and hilltops on updrafts, and it does much of its hunting from this position at heights of up to 500 meters. When quartering open country it frequently hovers like a Kestrel. When it soars it does so on flattish wings.

Its prey is mostly reptiles, mainly snakes, but also some lizards. Occasionally small mammals to the size of a rabbit; rarely birds and large insects.

This eagle is generally very silent. On occasions it emits a variety of musical whistling notes. When breeding it lays only one egg, but can live up to 17 years.

The Short-toed Eagle has suffered a steep decline in numbers and range in Europe and is now rare and still decreasing in several countries due to changes in agriculture and land-use. It needs protection. In the middle and far eastern part of its range this species is not yet threatened.