Category Amazing Birds

        Do all owls sleep in the mornings and hunt at night? Well, we have a rebel here. Snowy owls are not night owls; in fact they are active during the day. If you ever hear someone discussing snowball-like creatures that devour rabbits, rodents and smaller birds, they are definitely talking about snowy owls.

        From a distance, they look like snowballs with brown or black spots here and there. These birds are patient hunters who wait to identify their prey before launching an attack. Their sharp eyesight and keen hearing aid them in finding the prey, even under thick vegetation or snow covered lands.

        It has a dense plumage that helps in camouflaging it and the sharp talons enable it to snatch the catch deftly.

        Snowy owls are native of the arctic regions in North America and Eurasia and are especially active in summers.

Picture Credit : Google

          A national flag is representative of the country and the ideals it holds on to. Various symbols are used in the design of national flags including birds.

          The resplendent quetzal appears not only in the national flag of Guatemala, but also in its currency and coat of arms with a display of its splashy green body. It is the national bird of Guatemala.

          The Guatemalan currency gets its name from the bird-‘quetzal’. The resplendent quetzal was first described by the Mexican naturalist Pablo de La Llave in 1832. His description brought this green coloured bird to the spotlight. Soon it gained celebrity status.

          The resplendent quetzal has been praised for its beauty across time and cultures. It has an iridescent green body with shades ranging from green gold to blue violet and a bright red breast. Its upper tail feather is longer than its entire body. Sounds like a heavenly bird. Doesn’t it? It is found from Chiapas in Mexico to western Panama. It spends most of its time just sitting on a perch seemingly staring into space. It can also turn its head around almost 180 degrees, just as an owl does.

Picture Credit : Google

          Frigate birds are notorious for their acts of piracy. The word pirate probably gives you the image of Jack Sparrow from the movie series Pirates of the Caribbean with his pirate hat and soiled clothes, ransacking ships and cities for gold and silver.

          Their brownish black plumage gives them a pirate-like appearance and most of their food is acquired by chasing other birds, forcing them to give up their catch. They were sometimes known as Man 0′ War, because of aerie piracy. They forage on lagoons and seas occasionally hunting down fish, especially flying fish.

          The magnificent is a seabird of the tropical Atlantic. It is a very large bird with a length of 89-114 cm a wingspan of 2.17-2.44 m. these elegant birds usually engage in a silent flight spreading their long angular wings and deeply forked tails.

Picture Credit : Google

          Little Red Riding Hood is remembered for her red hood. But have you ever thought of an orange hood? The males of the Andean cock-of-the-rock, also known as tunki are always noted for their bright orange crown. Their beauty is a bane for them as it exposes them to birds of prey and even snakes, thus making them vulnerable. Encroachment of their habitat is another major threat to the species.

          The Andean cock-of-the-rock is indigenous to the subtropical forests of South America. Often spotted near upland streams, it feeds on fruits, insects and at times small vertebrates. Seems like a mixed diet!

          Females of the Andean cock take the responsibility of building nests which is plastered to cave entrances or rocky outcrops using mud. Their world-wide population and trends in their numbers have not been determined. Still, it is believed that these birds are not threatened.

Picture Credit : Google