Adélie penguins are small Antarctic penguins with black heads, white bellies, and bright white rings around their eyes. They live around Antarctica, nest on rocky ice-free ground, and dive for krill, fish, and other small sea animals.

African penguins are flightless seabirds from the coasts of South Africa and Namibia. They have black-and-white feathers, pink patches above the eyes, donkey-like braying calls, and a conservation story that needs urgent help.

Albatrosses are giant seabirds with long narrow wings built for gliding over oceans. They spend much of life at sea, feed on squid and fish, and return to remote islands to nest and raise chicks.

The American goldfinch is a small North American finch famous for the bright lemon-yellow breeding plumage of adult males. Females and winter males are duller olive or brownish yellow, but both sexes keep dark wings with pale bars. Goldfinches eat an unusually seed-heavy diet, nest later than most songbirds, and fly in a bouncing pattern while giving a call often remembered as po-ta-to-chip.

American kestrels are tiny colorful falcons found across much of the Americas. They hunt from wires, poles, trees, or hovering flight, using sharp eyesight, quick wings, and talons to catch insects and small animals.

The American robin is a familiar North American thrush with an orange breast, gray-brown back, and cheerful whistled song. It searches lawns for earthworms and insects during warmer months, switches toward fruit in colder weather, and builds sturdy cup nests reinforced with mud. Despite its name, it is not closely related to the European robin.

The American tree sparrow is a plump North American songbird with a rusty cap, a two-coloured bill, and often a small dark spot on its plain breast. Despite its name, it usually forages and nests close to the ground. It breeds near the Arctic treeline and spends winter in weedy fields, marsh edges, gardens, and snowy backyards farther south.

Andean condors are giant New World vultures from South America. They soar above the Andes on huge wings, search for carrion, nest on cliffs, and have nearly featherless heads that help them stay cleaner while feeding.

The anhinga is a long-necked waterbird of warm freshwater wetlands in the Americas. It swims with much of its dark body submerged, making the exposed neck resemble a snake. Wettable feathers and dense bones reduce buoyancy, while a dagger-like bill and spring-powered neck help it catch fish underwater. After diving, it often spreads its wings dramatically to dry.

Auks are diving seabirds that live in northern oceans. They have short wings, strong swimming skills, and thick bodies that help them dive underwater for fish, crustaceans, and other sea foods.

Bald eagles are large birds of prey from North America. Adults are famous for white heads, white tails, dark bodies, yellow beaks, strong talons, fish-catching skills, and their role as the official national bird of the United States.

Barn owls are pale, graceful owls with heart-shaped faces, dark eyes, soft feathers, and amazing hearing. They hunt mostly at night and are often found near farms, fields, barns, grasslands, and old buildings.

Bee-eaters are bright, colorful birds known for catching flying insects in the air. Many perch on branches, wires, or banks, then swoop out to grab bees, wasps, dragonflies, and other insects with quick flying skills.

Birds-of-paradise are rainforest birds famous for some of the most dazzling courtship displays in nature. Many males have bright feathers, strange shapes, fancy dances, and special calls that females inspect carefully.

Bitterns are secretive marsh birds in the heron family. They often hide among reeds with brown streaky feathers, long necks, pointed bills, and slow careful movements that help them blend into wetland plants.

The black-capped chickadee is a tiny North American songbird built for cold forests and snowy winters. Its black cap, black throat bib, white cheeks, gray back, and lively chick-a-dee calls make it easy to recognise. Chickadees hide food in hundreds of places, remember many of those locations, and join organised winter flocks that share warnings and search for food together.

Blackbird can mean different birds in different places. In Europe, the common blackbird is a thrush with a beautiful song, while in the Americas, many blackbirds belong to a different songbird family. Both are known for calls, songs, and lively behavior.

Blue jays are bright blue, white, and black corvid birds with perky crests and noisy calls. They are smart social birds, and their love of acorns has helped spread oak trees in parts of North America.

Boobies are tropical seabirds known for strong flight, webbed feet, pointed wings, and dramatic plunge-dives into the ocean. Some species, like the blue-footed booby, are famous for bright feet and funny courtship dances.

Bowerbirds are clever forest birds famous for the amazing display structures that many males build. These structures are called bowers, and males decorate them with colorful objects to impress visiting females.

Budgerigars, often called budgies, are small parrots from Australia. Wild budgies are usually green and yellow with dark markings, while pet budgies have been bred in many colors and are known for social behavior and cheerful chatter.

Burrowing owls are small sandy-colored owls with long legs, bright yellow eyes, and a very unusual home style. Instead of nesting high in trees, they live in underground burrows in open grasslands, deserts, and prairies.

This page focuses on the Common Buzzard, also called the Eurasian Buzzard, Buteo buteo. It is a broad-winged bird of prey found across Europe and much of Asia, with some populations travelling south for winter. Common buzzards hunt from perches or soar over open land beside woodland. Their feathers vary so much that a very pale bird and a very dark bird can appear to belong to different species.

California condors are giant scavenging birds from western North America. They nearly disappeared in the 1900s, but a major recovery program brought them back from the edge. They still need protection from lead poisoning and other dangers.

The Canada goose, Branta canadensis, is a large North American waterbird recognised by its black head and neck, white chinstrap, and brown body. Some populations make long seasonal migrations, while others remain in the same region throughout the year. Canada geese graze on grasses and crops, nest near water, raise mobile yellow goslings, and have adapted remarkably well to parks, reservoirs, golf courses, farms, and city wetlands.

Canaries are small finches famous for cheerful songs. Wild canaries come from islands near northwest Africa, while many pet canaries have been bred in bright colors, including yellow, orange, white, brown, and greenish shades.

Cardinals are bright songbirds best known for the northern cardinal, whose male is famous for red feathers, a crest, and a black face mask. Cardinals are common in many North American backyards, forests, parks, and shrubby places.

The Carolina chickadee, Poecile carolinensis, is a tiny black-capped songbird of the southeastern United States. It lives year-round in deciduous and mixed forests, wooded neighbourhoods, swamps, parks, and gardens. Carolina chickadees search bark and leaves for insects, visit feeders for seeds, hide food for later, nest inside tree cavities, and join mixed winter flocks. Along the northern edge of their range, they can hybridize with black-capped chickadees.

The carrion crow, Corvus corone, is an all-black member of the crow family found across much of western Europe and parts of Asia. Despite its name, it does not live only on carrion. It eats insects, worms, seeds, fruit, eggs, small animals, scraps, and dead animals. Carrion crows are adaptable problem solvers that use farmland, woodland edges, coasts, parks, and towns, usually living alone, in pairs, or in small family groups.

Cassowaries are large flightless rainforest birds with black feathers, bright blue necks, strong legs, and a helmet-like casque on the head. They live in New Guinea, nearby islands, and northern Australia.

Chickadees are small North American songbirds known for their bold calls, round bodies, and curious behavior. Many have black caps, pale cheeks, and quick movements as they search trees, shrubs, and feeders for insects, seeds, and other food.

Chickens are domesticated birds raised around the world for eggs, meat, and feathers. They have short wings, heavy bodies, combs, wattles, beaks, claws, and many funny behaviors such as scratching, dust bathing, and clucking.

Chinstrap penguins are small Antarctic penguins named for the thin black line under the chin. They breed in noisy colonies on rocky Antarctic and subantarctic islands and feed mostly on krill and other small ocean animals.

The Chipping Sparrow, Spizella passerina, is a small North American songbird of open woodland, forest edges, parks, gardens, and conifer groves. Breeding adults wear a bright rusty crown, white eyebrow, and sharp black eye line, but winter birds become browner and less boldly marked. Males sing a rapid dry trill from exposed branches, while flocks hop across the ground for seeds. Northern populations migrate south, and southern populations may remain closer to their breeding areas.

Cockatiels are small Australian parrots in the cockatoo family. They are known for their tall crests, long tails, soft whistles, orange cheek patches, and friendly flock behavior in dry open habitats.

Cockatoos are crested parrots known for expressive head feathers, strong curved beaks, loud calls, and clever social behavior. Most species live in Australia, New Guinea, Indonesia, the Solomon Islands, and nearby regions.

The Common Tern, Sterna hirundo, is a graceful waterbird that breeds across large parts of Europe, Asia, and North America. It nests beside coasts, lakes, and rivers and spends the nonbreeding season along warmer seas. Breeding adults have a black cap, pale gray body, red-orange legs, a red bill with a dark tip, narrow pointed wings, and a deeply forked tail. They hover above water before plunging after small fish.

Condors are huge New World vultures and some of the largest flying birds on Earth. The two living condors are the Andean condor of South America and the California condor of North America.

The Cooper's Hawk, Astur cooperii, is a medium-sized North American bird of prey built for chasing other birds through forests and tree-lined neighborhoods. Adults have blue-gray backs, reddish-barred chests, red eyes, short rounded wings, and long rounded tails. Females are much larger than males. Cooper's Hawks have adapted well to many towns and suburbs, where pigeons, doves, and other birds provide abundant prey.

Coots are dark, chicken-shaped waterbirds in the genus Fulica and the rail family, Rallidae. Different species inhabit wetlands across much of the world, including the American Coot, Eurasian Coot, Red-gartered Coot, Hawaiian Coot, and several South American forms. They swim and dive like ducks but have lobed toes instead of webbed feet. Coots eat aquatic plants and small animals, build floating nests, defend territories noisily, and often gather in large flocks outside the breeding season.

Cormorants are dark water birds famous for diving after fish. They have long necks, strong bodies, hooked bills, webbed feet, and a habit of standing with wings spread after swimming.

Cranes are tall, graceful birds with long legs, long necks, broad wings, and loud calls. They live in wetlands, grasslands, marshes, and open plains, where they search for plants, grains, insects, and small animals.

Crows are smart black birds in the corvid family, the same family as ravens, jays, and magpies. They are curious, adaptable, and famous for loud caws, strong memories, problem-solving skills, and clever ways of finding food.

Doves are birds in the pigeon family, often known for soft cooing calls, gentle looks, smooth feathers, and strong flight. The word dove is often used for smaller members of the pigeon family, but the names dove and pigeon can overlap.

Ducks are waterbirds related to geese and swans. They have webbed feet, broad bills, waterproof feathers, and bodies built for swimming, floating, diving, or dabbling in ponds, lakes, rivers, wetlands, and coasts.

Eagles are large birds of prey known for strong wings, sharp talons, hooked beaks, and excellent eyesight. They soar high above land or water while searching for fish, mammals, reptiles, or other food.

Egrets are elegant wading birds in the heron family. Many have white feathers, long legs, long necks, and pointed bills that help them walk through shallow water and catch fish, frogs, insects, and other small animals.

Egyptian geese are bold waterbirds from Africa with long legs, pinkish bills, dark eye patches, and loud calls. They look a bit goose-like, but they are close relatives of ducks and shelducks in the waterfowl family.

Emperor penguins are the largest penguins in the world. They live in Antarctica, survive freezing weather, dive deep for food, and gather in huddles to stay warm on icy breeding grounds.

Emus are large flightless birds from Australia. They are the second largest living birds after ostriches, with long legs, shaggy feathers, strong running speed, and a curious wandering life across open habitats.

The European Goldfinch, Carduelis carduelis, is a small colorful finch native to Europe, North Africa, and western and central Asia. It has a bright red face, black-and-white head, warm buff back, black wings crossed by bold yellow bars, and a musical twittering call. European Goldfinches use fine pointed bills to pull seeds from thistles, teasels, dandelions, and other plants. They live in open woodland, farmland, orchards, parks, gardens, hedgerows, and weedy fields.

The European Robin, Erithacus rubecula, is a small songbird found across Europe, western Asia, and North Africa. Adults have an orange face and breast, brown upperparts, a pale belly, thin legs, and large dark eyes. European Robins live in woodland undergrowth, hedgerows, parks, gardens, scrub, and shaded forest edges. They search mostly near the ground for insects, spiders, worms, and other invertebrates, adding berries and seeds when animal food becomes scarce.

Falcons are fast birds of prey related to hawks and eagles. They have pointed wings, sharp talons, hooked beaks, excellent eyesight, and powerful flight skills for chasing birds and other prey.

Finches are small songbirds found in many parts of the world. Many have strong cone-shaped bills that help them crack seeds, while some also eat insects, fruit, buds, and other small foods depending on the species.

Flamingos are tall wading birds with long legs, long necks, curved bills, and pink feathers. They live in wetlands, lagoons, lakes, and mudflats, where they feed by filtering tiny foods from water and mud.

Frigatebirds are large tropical seabirds with huge wings, long forked tails, hooked bills, and amazing gliding skills. Male frigatebirds are famous for inflating bright red throat pouches during courtship displays.

Gannets are large fish-eating seabirds in the genus Morus and the family Sulidae. Three living species exist: the Northern Gannet of the North Atlantic, the Cape Gannet of southern Africa, and the Australasian Gannet of Australia and New Zealand. Adults are mostly white with black flight feathers, long pointed wings, streamlined bodies, strong webbed feet, and dagger-like bills. Gannets are famous for folding their wings and plunging from the air into the sea to catch schooling fish and squid.

Gentoo penguins are bold penguins with bright orange bills, orange feet, and a white stripe across the head. They breed on subantarctic islands and parts of the Antarctic region, dive for food, and are famous for fast underwater swimming.

Golden eagles are large powerful raptors with dark brown bodies, golden feathers on the back of the neck, broad wings, sharp talons, and amazing soaring skills. They live across wild open areas of North America, Europe, Asia, and parts of North Africa.

Goldfinches are small songbirds known for yellow feathers, cheerful calls, and seed-eating habits. They often visit gardens, fields, feeders, and weedy places where they use small pointed or cone-shaped bills to pick seeds from plants.

Geese are large waterbirds related to ducks and swans. They are known for loud honks, long necks, webbed feet, strong flying, family groups, and traveling in flocks across lakes, fields, wetlands, and skies.

Great horned owls are powerful owls with big yellow eyes, deep hooting voices, and tall feather tufts that look like horns. They live in many habitats and hunt at night with silent wings, strong feet, and sharp talons.

Grebes are diving water birds with smooth bodies, pointed bills, and special lobed toes. They are excellent swimmers, but their legs sit far back on the body, which makes them much better in water than on land.

The Guillemot, Uria aalge, is a large auk also called the Common Guillemot in Britain and the Common Murre in North America. It breeds around the North Atlantic and North Pacific on crowded sea cliffs, rocky islands, stacks, and ledges. Adults have chocolate-brown or nearly black upperparts, white underparts, narrow pointed bills, short legs set far back on the body, and compact wings that work in both air and water. Guillemots spend most of the year at sea and return to land mainly to raise a single chick.

Harlequin ducks are striking sea ducks that love wild water. They breed along fast mountain rivers and streams, then spend winter along rocky coasts where waves crash, foam flies, and food hides among rocks.

Harpy eagles are powerful rainforest birds of prey with broad wings, sharp eyes, strong talons, and a bold feather crest. They live in tropical forests from southern Mexico through Central and South America.

Hawks are birds of prey with sharp talons, hooked beaks, strong wings, and excellent eyesight. They hunt during the day and can live in forests, grasslands, deserts, wetlands, cities, and many open places.

A hen is an adult female chicken. Domestic chickens are commonly classified as Gallus gallus domesticus, the domesticated form of the Red Junglefowl, with some ancestry from other junglefowl populations. Young females are called pullets before reaching maturity. Hens are social, ground-feeding birds with excellent color vision, strong feet for scratching, a muscular gizzard for grinding food, and complex calls and body language. Depending on breed, age, season, health, and daylight, a hen may lay many eggs with or without a rooster present.

Herons are long-legged wading birds often seen standing quietly in shallow water. They have long necks, sharp spear-like bills, broad wings, and patient hunting skills for catching fish, frogs, insects, and other wetland animals.

The Hooded Crow, Corvus cornix, is a large two-tone corvid found across northern, eastern, and southeastern Europe and parts of western Asia and the Middle East. Its head, throat, wings, tail, bill, and legs are black, while most of the body is smoky gray. Hooded Crows are intelligent, adaptable omnivores that live along coasts, farmland, woodland, mountains, villages, and cities. Many bird authorities treat them as a species separate from the all-black Carrion Crow, although some global conservation lists still combine the two.

Hoopoes are striking birds with fan-like crests, long downcurved bills, pinkish-brown bodies, and bold black-and-white wings. They use their bills to probe soil and grass for insects, larvae, worms, and other small invertebrates.

Hornbills are tropical birds with large curved bills and, in many species, a helmet-like casque on top. They live in forests, savannas, and woodlands of Africa and Asia and often eat fruit.

The House Finch, Haemorhous mexicanus, is a small North American songbird in the finch family. It is native to Mexico and western North America but now occupies most of the United States and southern Canada after introduced birds founded an eastern population during the 1940s. Adult males usually show red, orange, or yellow color on the head and breast, while females are brown and heavily streaked. House Finches thrive around deserts, farms, parks, gardens, buildings, and bird feeders.

Hummingbirds are tiny colorful birds famous for hovering in front of flowers. They beat their wings very fast, drink nectar with long bills and tongues, and can even fly backward like little feathered helicopters.

Ibises are long-legged wading birds with long, slender, downward-curving bills. They use those curved bills to probe mud, shallow water, grass, and soft ground for insects, worms, crustaceans, and other small foods.

The Jackdaw, Coloeus monedula, is a small, compact member of the crow family found across Europe, western Asia, and parts of North Africa. Some taxonomies still use the older name Corvus monedula. Adults have blackish plumage, a pale gray nape and side of the neck, a short bill, and striking pale silver or whitish eyes. Jackdaws live in farmland, cliffs, woodland edges, villages, parks, and cities. They are highly social birds that form lasting pairs, nest in cavities, communicate with sharp chack calls, and gather in large communal roosts.

The Kea, Nestor notabilis, is a large olive-green parrot found only on New Zealand's South Island. It is famous for intelligence, curiosity, playful social behavior, a long curved bill, blue-green wing feathers, and vivid orange-red underwings revealed in flight. Kea live from coastal forest and river valleys to snowy alpine slopes, making them uniquely adapted to mountain life while not being restricted to the highest peaks. New Zealand's Department of Conservation estimates only about 1,000 to 5,000 remain and lists the species as Threatened–Nationally Endangered.

King penguins are tall penguins with orange patches on the head and chest. They breed on subantarctic islands, gather in huge colonies, dive for fish and squid, and raise fluffy brown chicks during a long breeding cycle.

Kingfishers are colorful birds known for sharp bills, compact bodies, and spectacular dives into water. Many species perch above streams, rivers, lakes, or coasts, then plunge down to catch fish or other small prey.

Kiwis are small flightless birds from New Zealand. They have long beaks, hair-like feathers, strong legs, tiny wings, and nostrils near the end of the beak, which helps them sniff for food on the forest floor.

Kookaburras are large kingfishers from Australia and nearby regions, famous for loud laughing calls that echo through woodlands. They have big heads, strong beaks, sturdy bodies, and a clever hunting style for insects, lizards, and other small animals.

The Kākāpō, Strigops habroptilus, is a large green flightless parrot found only in Aotearoa New Zealand. It is nocturnal, heavy-bodied, long-lived, and famous for an owl-like face, mossy camouflage, powerful climbing feet, and males whose low booming calls travel across valleys. Kākāpō survive only through intensive conservation on carefully managed predator-free islands and sanctuaries. The official Kākāpō Recovery population tracker listed 235 living birds in 2026.

The Lapwing on this page is the Northern Lapwing, Vanellus vanellus, a crested plover of farmland, wet grassland, marshes, meadows, and mudflats across Europe and Asia. The wider word lapwing also covers many other species in the genus Vanellus. Northern Lapwings have glossy green-and-purple upperparts, a white belly, dark breast, long wispy crest, broad rounded wings, and a distinctive peewit call. They perform tumbling courtship flights, lay camouflaged eggs in shallow ground scrapes, and raise downy chicks that can walk and feed soon after hatching.

Little blue penguins, also called little penguins or kororā, are the world’s smallest penguins. They have blue-gray backs, white bellies, and coastal lives where they swim for fish by day and often return to shore after dark.

Loons are diving waterbirds known for haunting calls, sharp bills, webbed feet, and beautiful black-and-white breeding feathers. They are strong swimmers that catch fish underwater and often live on quiet northern lakes during nesting season.

Lorikeets are colorful parrots famous for feeding on nectar and pollen. Many live in Australia, New Guinea, and nearby islands, where their brush-tipped tongues help them sip from flowers and spread pollen like flying paintbrushes.

Lovebirds are small, colorful parrots from Africa and Madagascar. They are known for short tails, chunky bodies, bright feathers, social behavior, and strong pair bonds, which helped give these little parrots their sweet name.

Lyrebirds are Australian forest birds famous for incredible mimicry. A male superb lyrebird can copy many sounds from the forest around him and display with long tail feathers that curve like a lyre.

Macaws are large, colorful parrots with long tails, strong curved beaks, loud calls, and clever social behavior. Many live in tropical forests of Central and South America, where they fly, climb, and search for fruit, seeds, and nuts.

Magpies are clever, long-tailed birds in the crow family. Many are known for black-and-white feathers, loud calls, strong beaks, bold behavior, nest building, food hiding, and sharp problem-solving skills.

Mallards are familiar dabbling ducks found on ponds, lakes, rivers, wetlands, and city parks. Males often have shiny green heads, while females are brown and streaky, helping them hide on nests.

Mandarin ducks are small perching ducks famous for the male’s bright colors, orange “sail” feathers, and fancy crest. They live near wooded ponds, rivers, and lakes, where they can nest in tree cavities and raise brave little ducklings.

Marabou storks are huge African wading birds with long legs, bald heads, big bills, and a dangling throat pouch. They are famous scavengers, helping clean up carrion and scraps while also catching live prey such as insects, fish, and small animals.

Mockingbirds are clever songbirds famous for copying the sounds of other birds and noises around them. The northern mockingbird is gray with white wing patches, a long tail, and a bold voice that can fill a yard, park, or street.

Moorhens are lively waterbirds in the rail family. This page focuses on the Common Moorhen, Gallinula chloropus, found across much of Europe, Africa, and Asia. Its long toes, bobbing swim, white side stripe, and red-and-yellow bill make it a memorable resident of ponds, marshes, and slow waterways.

Mute swans are large graceful waterbirds with white feathers, long curved necks, orange bills, and black knobs at the base of the bill. They may look calm, but adults can be very protective around nests and young.

Mynah birds, also spelled myna birds, are lively birds in the starling family. Many live in Asia, and some species are famous for loud calls, bold behavior, yellow skin patches, glossy feathers, and amazing sound mimicry.

Nightingales are small brown songbirds famous for powerful, beautiful songs. The common nightingale is often heard in spring and early summer, and males may sing from hidden shrubs during the day or even at night.

Nuthatches are small songbirds that climb tree trunks and branches while searching for insects and seeds. They are famous for moving headfirst down trees, using strong feet, sharp claws, short tails, and pointed bills to explore bark cracks.

Orioles are colorful perching birds known for bright yellow, orange, or black feathers, loud whistling calls, and treetop life. Old World and New World orioles are not the same family, but both include beautiful birds that often eat fruit and insects.

Ospreys are large fish-hunting raptors often seen near rivers, lakes, coasts, and reservoirs. They dive feet-first into water, grip slippery fish with special feet, and carry prey neatly through the air.

Ostriches are huge flightless birds from Africa. They have long necks, long legs, big eyes, small heads, soft feathers, and powerful running skills that help them survive in open country.

Owls are amazing birds of prey with big eyes, quiet wings, sharp talons, and super hearing. Many owls are active at night, which makes them feel a little mysterious and very cool to learn about.

Oystercatchers are bold shorebirds with long bright bills, sturdy legs, and loud calls. They live along coasts, mudflats, and rocky shores, where they feed on oysters, mussels, clams, worms, and other shoreline animals.

Parakeet is a common name for many small or medium-sized parrots with slender bodies and usually long, tapered tails. Budgerigars, rose-ringed parakeets, monk parakeets, and many birds called conures are examples, but they do not all belong to one genus. Parakeets live in different parts of the world and share classic parrot tools such as hooked beaks, grasping feet, clever brains, and noisy social lives.

Parrots are smart, social birds known for colorful feathers, curved beaks, loud calls, climbing feet, and sound mimicry. Many parrots live in warm forests and eat seeds, nuts, fruit, flowers, and other foods.

Peacocks are male peafowl famous for huge colorful trains covered in eyespot patterns. Peahens are females, and together these birds belong to the pheasant family. Peacocks use their feathers in amazing courtship displays.

A peahen is an adult female peafowl—not a separate species and not a female peacock. This page focuses on the Indian or common peafowl, Pavo cristatus. Peahens lack the enormous eye-spotted train of adult males, but their mottled brown, cream, and green feathers are excellent camouflage when they nest and care for peachicks on the ground.

Pelicans are large water birds famous for huge throat pouches under their long bills. They use the pouch like a dip net to scoop fish and water, then drain the water before swallowing the fish.

Penguins are flightless birds that are excellent swimmers. They have flipper-like wings, waterproof feathers, webbed feet, and strong bodies built for ocean life. Most penguins live in the Southern Hemisphere.

Peregrine falcons are powerful raptors famous for their incredible hunting dives called stoops. They live on cliffs, coasts, mountains, and even tall city buildings, where they hunt birds with speed, sharp eyesight, and skill.

Pheasants are ground-loving game birds in the pheasant family. Many male pheasants have bright colors and long tails, while females are often brown and camouflaged so they can hide near nests and chicks.

Pigeons are sturdy birds in the dove family, seen in cities, cliffs, farms, parks, and woodlands around the world. They are known for cooing calls, strong flight, bobbing walks, simple twig nests, and parents that feed babies a special crop milk.

Plovers are compact shorebirds and open-ground birds with round heads, large eyes, short necks, and short sturdy bills. Instead of probing deeply like many sandpipers, they often run a few steps, stop suddenly, look for movement, and peck prey from the surface. Different plovers live on beaches, mudflats, grasslands, tundra, deserts, riverbanks, and lakeshores around the world.

Potoos are seven species of nocturnal birds in the family Nyctibiidae. They live from Mexico and the Caribbean through Central and South America. By day, mottled feathers and a stiff upright pose make a resting potoo resemble a broken branch. After dark, its enormous eyes, wide mouth, and quiet aerial attacks help it catch moths, beetles, and other flying insects.

Puffins are small seabirds with black-and-white feathers, orange feet, and bright colorful beaks during breeding season. They nest in colonies on cliffs and islands and dive underwater to catch fish.

The purple finch, Haemorhous purpureus, is a chunky North American songbird with a strong seed-cracking bill. Despite its name, an adult male usually looks raspberry red or rose washed, not bright purple. Females and young birds are brown and heavily streaked. Purple finches breed mainly in coniferous and mixed forests and may wander south in irregular winter movements when northern seed crops are scarce.

Quail are small, round game birds that usually spend much of their time on the ground. They have short tails, patterned feathers, quick feet, small bills, and clever camouflage that helps them hide in grass, fields, deserts, and brushy places.

Ravens are large black corvid birds with thick bills, shaggy throat feathers, and deep croaking voices. They are smart, playful, wide-ranging birds that can live in forests, mountains, deserts, tundra, coasts, and even near towns.

The razorbill, Alca torda, is a black-and-white seabird in the auk family. Its thick, flattened bill and upright stance may remind you of a penguin, but razorbills can fly. They breed on rocky North Atlantic coasts and spend most of the rest of the year at sea, where their wings become powerful underwater paddles for chasing fish.

Red-tailed hawks are large birds of prey often seen soaring over fields, roadsides, deserts, forests, and open country. Adults are famous for broad wings, sharp talons, powerful eyesight, and the rusty red tail that gives them their name.

Rheas are tall, flightless birds native to South America. They have long legs, long necks, soft gray-brown feathers, and large wings that cannot lift them into flight. BirdLife recognizes two species: the greater rhea, Rhea americana, and the lesser or Darwin’s rhea, Rhea pennata. Some taxonomic authorities instead treat the Puna rhea as a third species, so species counts can differ between references.

Roadrunners are fast ground-living cuckoo birds from deserts and dry habitats of the southwestern United States and Mexico. They can fly, but they usually prefer running on strong legs while hunting small animals.

Robins are familiar songbirds known for warm orange or red breasts, cheerful songs, and hopping across lawns or woodland floors to find worms and insects. Different birds are called robins in different regions, including the American robin and the European robin.

Rockhopper penguins are small crested penguins with bright yellow eyebrow feathers, red eyes, and big attitudes. They live in noisy colonies on rocky islands and hop over rocks instead of waddling smoothly like some penguins.

The rook, Corvus frugilegus, is a highly social member of the crow family found across much of Europe and Asia. Adults are glossy black with a pale, bare patch of skin around the base of the long bill, while young rooks keep dark facial feathers for their first months. Rooks forage together across fields and gather in treetop nesting colonies called rookeries.

A rooster is an adult male domestic chicken, not a separate species. Domestic chickens are commonly classified as Gallus gallus domesticus and descend mainly from red junglefowl, with genetic contributions from other junglefowl. Roosters vary enormously among breeds, but many have a large comb, hanging wattles, curved tail feathers, pointed neck and saddle feathers, strong legs, and a ringing crow.

Roseate spoonbills are bright pink wading birds with long legs and a flat spoon-shaped bill. They sweep that bill through shallow water to feel for tiny fish, shrimp, insects, and other wetland snacks.

Sandpipers are small to medium shorebirds that run along beaches, mudflats, marsh edges, and wet ground. Many use long sensitive bills to probe sand or mud for tiny animals hidden below the surface.

Scarlet macaws are bright red, yellow, and blue parrots from tropical forests of Central and South America. They have long tails, strong hooked beaks, loud calls, and smart social lives in the rainforest canopy.

Screech owls are small owls with big eyes, bark-colored feathers, and surprisingly loud nighttime voices. Many screech owls hide in tree cavities during the day, then hunt insects, mice, and other small animals after dark.

Seagulls are usually called gulls by scientists. They are clever, noisy seabirds with webbed feet, strong wings, loud calls, and flexible diets that help them live near oceans, lakes, rivers, cities, and harbors.

Secretary birds are tall African birds of prey with long legs, hooked beaks, black crest feathers, and a famous snake-hunting style. Unlike many raptors, they spend much of their hunting time walking on the ground.

On this page, shag means the European shag, Gulosus aristotelis, a slim dark cormorant of rocky coasts. In New Zealand, Australia, and other places, people also use shag for several different cormorant species. European shags chase fish underwater, nest on cliffs and islands, and grow glossy green-black plumage with a curled crest during the breeding season.

The sharp-shinned hawk, Accipiter striatus, is a small woodland raptor of the Americas. Short rounded wings, a very long tail, long toes, and quick reflexes help it race between trunks and branches while chasing small birds. Northern populations migrate south for winter, when these secretive hawks sometimes appear near backyard bird feeders.

Shoebills are tall gray swamp birds with huge shoe-shaped bills, long legs, broad wings, and an almost statue-still hunting style. They live in freshwater wetlands of tropical eastern and central Africa.

Snipes are compact, long-billed shorebirds that usually hide among grasses and sedges in marshes, bogs, wet meadows, and muddy shorelines. Most true snipes belong to the genus Gallinago, while a few relatives occupy other genera in the sandpiper family. Their sensitive bills locate small animals below the surface, their striped feathers disappear into vegetation, and several species make eerie courtship music with their tail feathers.

Snow geese are loud, social waterbirds famous for huge flocks, white bodies, black wingtips, and long migrations. Some snow geese are white, while others are darker “blue morph” birds with pale heads.

Snowy owls are large white owls with bright yellow eyes, round heads, thick feathers, and powerful wings. They live in Arctic tundra and can wander far south when food is scarce.

Sparrows are small songbirds found in many places around the world. They are known for chirping calls, brown or gray feathers, cone-shaped bills, busy flocks, and a seed-loving diet that also includes insects, especially when feeding chicks.

Spoonbills are long-legged wading birds with amazing spoon-shaped bills. They walk through shallow water and sweep their bills from side to side to catch small fish, crustaceans, insects, and other wetland food.

Starlings are clever songbirds known for shiny feathers, noisy calls, and amazing flock flights called murmurations. They search for insects, fruit, seeds, and other foods in fields, gardens, towns, farms, and open habitats.

Storks are large, long-legged birds with long necks, strong bills, and wide wings. Many live around wetlands, fields, rivers, or open country, where they catch small animals and build big stick nests in trees, cliffs, or sometimes on rooftops.

A flash of violet, green, red, or gold beside a flower might be a sunbird. These small songbirds live across Africa, Asia, and parts of Oceania. They sip nectar, catch insects, move pollen between flowers, and show how unrelated animals can evolve similar solutions to the same challenge.

Sunbitterns are tropical birds from Central and South America with calm brown feathers that hide a surprise. When threatened, a sunbittern can spread its wings and tail to show bright eye-like patches that may startle predators.

Swallows are small, agile songbirds famous for fast flight, narrow pointed wings, short bills, and catching insects in the air. Many species glide over fields, rivers, wetlands, and farms, and some build muddy nests under cliffs or buildings.

Swans are large graceful waterbirds with long necks, heavy bodies, big feet, and strong wings. They are related to ducks and geese and often live on lakes, rivers, wetlands, ponds, and marshes.

Swifts are fast-flying birds with long curved wings, short bills, and streamlined bodies. They look a little like swallows, but they are a different bird group, and many spend huge amounts of time flying while catching insects in the air.

A tawny frogmouth may be sitting in plain sight and still be almost impossible to spot. By day, this Australian bird stretches tall and blends into a branch; by night, it opens an astonishingly wide mouth to catch prey. It may resemble an owl, but it belongs to a different bird family with its own special skills.

Tawny owls are rounded woodland owls famous for deep hoots, dark eyes, and soft mottled feathers. They are common night birds in many parts of Europe and western Asia, where they live in woods, parks, and mature trees.

Terns are graceful seabirds with narrow wings, forked tails, and sharp bills. Many terns fly over oceans, lakes, rivers, and coasts, then plunge toward the water to catch small fish and other prey.

Titmice are small woodland songbirds related to chickadees. Many are cheery-voiced, active, and curious, with small bills and sometimes a pointed crest on the head as they search trees for insects, seeds, and other foods.

Toucans are tropical birds famous for huge colorful bills, bright markings, and rainforest homes. They live in Central and South America and use their big bills to reach fruit, toss food, and help manage body heat.

Turkeys are large birds with strong legs, rounded bodies, fan-shaped tails, bare heads, and funny-looking skin parts called wattles and snoods. Wild turkeys can fly short distances, while many farm turkeys are too heavy to fly well.

Vultures are large scavenging birds that help clean nature by eating carrion, which means dead animals. They have broad wings for soaring, strong beaks for tearing food, and amazing stomachs that can handle meals many animals could not safely eat.

Warblers are small, active songbirds that often flit through leaves while searching for insects. Many warblers are tiny, quick, and hard to spot, but their songs, colors, and long migrations make them exciting birds to learn about.

Woodcocks are eight living species of plump, long-billed birds in the genus Scolopax and the sandpiper family Scolopacidae. Unlike many shorebird relatives, they spend much of their time in woodland, forest edge, scrub, and damp ground where mottled feathers hide them among leaves. The widespread Eurasian Woodcock and American Woodcock are the best studied, while six species live on islands or restricted parts of Asia and New Guinea. Woodcocks probe soil for earthworms and other small animals, become especially active around dusk or at night, and perform remarkable courtship flights. Exact size, calls, migration, breeding behaviour, and conservation status differ by species.

Woodpeckers are birds known for tapping, drilling, and drumming on trees. They have strong beaks, long sticky tongues, climbing feet, and stiff tail feathers that help them search tree bark for insects.

Wrens are small songbirds with big voices. Many wrens have brown feathers, short wings, thin pointed bills, and tails that often stick upward. They hunt insects in bushes, marshes, rocky places, gardens, and forests.

Yellow-eyed penguins, also called hoiho, are rare penguins from New Zealand. They have pale yellow eyes, a yellow band of feathers around the head, shy nesting habits, and a conservation story that needs careful protection.