Birds

The Great Hayward Earthquake of 1868

The morning of October 21, 1868, dawned clear with a temperature of fifty-nine degrees in downtown San Francisco. At 7:53 am, a 7.0-magnitude quake hit the San Francisco Bay...

Why Do Rain Sounds Make Us Sleep Better?

Why do Rain Sounds Make Us Sleep Better? We all know that rain makes us feel better. In...

White-cheeked Honeyeater (Phylidonyris nigra)

Warm, musical warbles fill the air as groups of male White-cheeked Honeyeaters (Phylidonyris nigra) advertise the onset of...

Myotonic Goat – The Fainting Goats in Tennessee

Sometimes animal behavior surprises you. The myotonic goat, which faints, temporarily seizes when feeling panic. This goat is...

Purple-crowned Fairywren (Malurus coronatus)

Family: The beautiful Purple-crowned fairywren (Malurus coronatus) belongs to the Australasian wren family (Maluridae). Other Names: Also known as...

Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo (Zanda funerea)

In the eucalypt forests and pine plantations of Southeast Australia, yellow-tailed black cockatoos call with long-carrying wailing cries as they fly slowly over the...

Yellow-eyed Cuckooshrike (Coracina lineata)

Campephagidae is the family to which the yellow-eyed cuckooshrike belongs. Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, and eastern Australia are all home to the...

Tasmanian Thornbill: A Gem of Temperate Rainforests

Habitat: The Tasmanian Thornbill (Acanthiza ewingii) is found in temperate rainforests and wet sclerophyll shrubberies in Tasmania and islands in the Bass Strait. However,...

Yellow-Bibbed Lory – Solomon Island’s Hidden Gem

The Yellow-Bibbed Lory (Lorius chlorocercus) is a monotypic species of parrot in the Psittaculidae family. This beautiful parrot is endemic to the Solomon Islands....

Green Rosella (Platycercus caledonicus)

Green rosella (Platycercus caledonicus) is a large species that is often regarded as a pest in Tasmania.  It is not uncommon to see them...

Redwing – Slightly Smaller than its Relations with Song Thrush

The redwing (Turdus iliacus) measures 21–24 cm in length, has a wingspan of 33–35 cm, and weighs 55–75 grams. Easily distinguished from all of...

Slaty-backed thornbill (Acanthiza robustirostris)

Family: The slaty-backed thornbill (Acanthiza robustirostris) belongs to the family Acanthizidae in the order Passeriformes. Identification: Both adult sexes are similar. The upper parts are...

Little Blue Heron | The Silent Fisher of the Marshes

Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea) Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea) is a small, graceful, and slender heron of the genus Egretta and part of the...

Ancient Two-Tailed Bird Fossils Discovered

An ancient dinosaur-era two-tailed bird turns out to have two tails, one for flying and the other for showing off. Do paleontologists suggest that...

Brown Thornbill: Art of Survival in Dry Woods into the Wild

Family: Brown Thornbill (Acanthiza pusilla) belongs to the family Acanthizidae and is a member of the order Passeriformes and the genus Acanthiza. Habitat: Brown thornbills...