Sparrows are iconic desert denizens of the southwestern U.S. and northern Mexico. They thrive in open arid habitats, with evenly spaced shrubs, trees, and cacti. Historically, these native ecosystems were naturally maintained with frequent, low-intensity fires. But decades of drought and…

A male Buff-breasted Sandpiper courts a female on their breeding grounds far north of the Arctic Circle. He raises his wings, flashing their silvery-white undersides, as he sings his clicking serenade. These birds spend much of the year on grasslands in Argentina, migrating to the Arctic…

El búho cornudo ( Bubo virginianus) es un cazador nocturno excepcional, gracias a sus agudos sentidos y su sigilo, pero son sus garras las que le permiten sujetar a una presa que forcejea. El más externo de sus cuatro dedos puede rotar hacia adelante o hacia atrás, una ventaja que la…

The rainforests of Eastern and Northeastern Australia harbor many species of birds found almost nowhere else. This Eastern Whipbird — which is more often heard than seen — hangs out in the dense understory. Easier to lay eyes on is the large, pigeon-like Wompoo Fruit-Dove. Feathered in a…

In the black water of a Louisiana bayou, the water ripples where a slender form glides just beneath the surface. It appears to be a snake, but look closer at the long, narrow spike of a beak. It’s a snakebird, a colloquial name for the Anhinga, swimming with just its head and neck above…

This Osprey looks similar to other birds of prey. But the species is truly unique among raptors. For example, the Osprey is the only raptor with oily feathers. And the Osprey’s long, slender, arched wings help it clear the water as it takes flight after catching a fish. The Osprey we see…

One of Hawaii’s rarest forest birds is this ‘akiapola’au. Some of the roughly 1,000 'akis left on earth live and breed in kipukas on the lower slopes of Mauna Loa, Hawaii’s largest active volcano. A kipuka is an island of native forest surrounded not by water but by recent lava flows - a…

El territorio de sabana del norte de Australia es uno de los hábitats naturales más propensos a los incendios en el mundo, y sus plantas han evolucionado para prosperar con fuegos frecuentes de baja intensidad. Cuando las llamas arrasan la sabana, los milanos negros ( Milvus migrans)…

By moving from the faster high air to slower low air, or vice versa, an albatross can propel itself forward. In a series of sinuous loops, the albatross surfs the wind, up and down, repeating the pattern over and over again as it moves thousands of miles across the ocean.

La alquita crestada (Aethia cristatella), también conocida como mérgulo empenachado, es un ave marina pequeña que anida en acantilados remotos del Pacífico norte y el mar de Bering. Pero lo que de verdad distingue a estas aves es su olor. ¡Huelen a mandarina! Los experimentos muestran que…