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…

En un día caluroso de verano, observa con atención aves como el cuervo, o como esta águila cabeza blanca. Nunca los verás sudar, porque las aves no tienen glándulas sudoríparas. Entonces, ¿cómo se mantienen frescas? Una forma es jadeando. Cuando respiran con rapidez, el calor se expulsa…

Common Swifts in Europe nest in eaves and under roof tiles and gables. But modern construction doesn’t have these nooks and crannies, and populations of swifts have been declining. However, there’s a solution called the “swift brick,” a small nesting box that fits right into the wall of a…

Noticeably smaller than Mallards, Blue-winged Teal wings have large patches of powder blue edged in emerald. Blue-winged Teal are long-distance migrants, traveling from nesting areas in Canada and the U.S. to South America for the winter. They feed in shallow water with a preference for…

Tree Swallows glisten in the June sunlight, as they swoop and glide, their arcs interlacing in the air. When a white feather flutters down among them, one swallow snatches the feather in its bill and flies upward, as another gives chase. After a moment, the lead bird lets loose the feather…

¿Cuál es el ave de humedal más colorida de América? ¿La espátula rosada ( Platalea ajaja)? ¿La garza agami ( Agamia agami)? Considera un candidato más, igual de deslumbrante: la gallineta morada ( Porphyrio martinica). Sus plumas son tan iridiscentes que parecen irreales. Y sin embargo, a…