Long-tailed Duck: Little Known Duck of Many Secrets!
The Long-tailed Duck is not widely known outside birdwatching circles. But what a wonderful duck it is. Found only locally at certain times of the year, and with an oddly goofy, human-like voice, the...
View ArticleWhich Bird Has the Most Feathers
In general, the bigger the bird, the higher the number of feathers. Someone counted the feathers on a Tundra Swan and came up with 25,216. At least 80% were on the swan’s neck. Penguins, on the other...
View ArticleBlack Turnstones Head South
Black Turnstones are back at Alki! It's mid-August and Gregg Thompson is photographing Black Turnstones returning to the Puget Sound area for the winter. And he's trying to sort through the group,...
View ArticleGreat Egret's Lacy Courtship
People working together can protect birdsDownloadMale Great Egrets have special long feather plumes called aigrettes, which they use in courtship displays in the spring. These beautiful big birds were...
View ArticleHave You Ever Seen a Pink Gull?
Some gulls and terns greet the spring with a rosy blush on their breastsDownloadSome gulls and terns may show a glowing pink color, similar to that of flamingos and spoonbills. This pink color comes...
View ArticleWhy Is That Bird Part White? Leucism!
If you see a bird with abnormal white feathers or washed-out plumage, that bird may have a genetic condition called leucism, (pronounced LUKE-ism). Leucism prevents pigments from reaching some — or...
View ArticleEclectic Plumages of Eclectus Parrots
Males and females of these colorful parrots look so differentDownloadEclectus Parrots are big, loud, colorful parrots native to the lowland rainforests of New Guinea and northern Australia. The female...
View ArticleScintillating Starlings
Some of the most beautiful birds in the world are ... starlingsDownloadIn Africa, where there are dozens of starling species, a quick look reveals a variety of visual stunners. Some of the names hint...
View ArticleFemale Anna's Hummingbird Preening
Living year round along the Pacific Coast of the US and into the Southwest, Anna's Hummingbirds are territorial, feisty little favorites at backyard feeders. This female was photographed perched and...
View ArticleFancy Fruit-doves in the South Pacific
Fruit-doves may be the most brilliantly colored birds in the worldDownloadFruit-doves are forest-dwelling doves of the South Pacific found on island groups like the Philippines and New Guinea. There...
View ArticleIn Winter, Puffins Lead Very Different Lives
Puffins shed their bright colors and spend months alone at seaDownloadEvery summer, puffins — like this Horned Puffin — grow blazingly colorful layers over the bases of their huge beaks. But in the...
View ArticleDo Male and Female Birds Always Look Different?
Telling the sexes apart, or notDownloadThe males and females of many bird species, like these Blue Jays, look identical. And crows, which at least to our eyes, are all the same color and size. But even...
View ArticleEau de Junco
They create a sensory world of their ownDownloadIt’s junco season in North America. Flocks of these white-bellied snowbirds are kicking and scratching on woodland edges and beneath feeders from...
View ArticleWhy Is My Robin Half White?
Genetic conditions can affect feather pigmentationDownloadA bird with abnormal white feathers, like this American Robin, may have a genetic condition called leucism. Leucism prevents pigments from...
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