Birds

Native to Africa, the ostrich, Struthio camelus, is the largest living species of bird, growing to a height of approximately 2. 4 m (8 ft) and a weight of 150 kg (330 lb). Although flightless, the ostrich can run at speeds as high as 65 km/hr (40 mph). Highly adaptable, ostriches can be found living in mountainous areas, open savanna, or sandy desert plains. They have omnivorous feeding habits, eating grass, the foliage of trees and bushes, and any small invertebrate and vertebrate animals they can chase down.

This broad-tailed hummingbird, Selasphorus platycercus, hovers above a honeysuckle flower, creating its characteristic humming sound with its wings.

The specialized skeletal structure of the hummingbird, shared only by its relative the swift, allows its wings to twist. Able to produce 22 to 78 of these wing movements per second, the bird can hover forward and backward while it drinks from a flower. Hummingbirds belong to the Trochilidae family of birds, which contains the smallest birds in the world.

The bald eagle was designated as the national bird of the United States in 1782. Its name does not imply a lack of feathers, but instead is derived from the word piebald, meaning marked with white. The bald eagle reigns as the second-largest bird of prey in North America, after the California condo.

Tropicbirds have long, slender tail feathers and brightly colored bills. They nest on cliff ledges, in caves, or in trees in tropical areas of the world.

The red-tailed tropicbird is found in the Pacific and Indian oceans.

A bird moves its wings in two ways during flapping flight.

The part of the wing closest to the bird s body moves up and down.

Simultaneously, the tip of the wing moves in a circular motion, propelling the bird forward. The way a bird flies depends on the shape of its wings.

Most small birds flap their wings the entire time they are airborne, while gulls and other large birds with long, pointed wings soar or glide. The fastest fliers have sharply tapered wings.

African Jacana The African jacana is the smallest of the jacana family of water birds. The birds have particularly long toes that enable them to walk on floating vegetation in ponds, lakes, and streams.

Wood Duck The wood duck, Aix sponsa, lives in a variety of freshwater habitats in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. It often swims in shallow water, foraging for the seeds of aquatic plants. Like other ducks, the wood duck has webbed toes that function as paddles.

Gouldian Finches Gouldian finches are one of about 153 species of finches found worldwide. The bills of finches are structurally adapted for shelling seeds, their primary food.

A seed wedged in a small groove on the side of the palate is crushed when the lower portion of the bill is raised up against it.

The tongue then removes and discards the husk, after which the seed is swallowed.

American Oystercatcher The American oystercatcher has a long red bill with a chisel-like ...