Anatomy
the material from which feathers (as well as scales and hair) are constructed
this Pennsylvania location is a hotspot for fall raptor migration
What is Hawk Mountain?
this widespread and striking passerine is the most commonly designated state bird
What is the Northern Cardinal?
Cuckoos (& Brown-headed Cowbirds) are famous for engaging in this "amoral" behavior
What is nest parasitism?
extinct today, this Madagascar native was the bird that laid the largest known egg
What is the elephant bird?
the opening where both excretory and reproductive material can exit a bird's body
What is the cloaca?
the longest-range migrating bird on Earth
What is the Arctic Tern?
What are the Galápagos Islands?
vulture-like habits characterize this supersized western U.S. species
What is the California Condor?
the ʻapapane and 'i'iwi are both members of this group
What are the Hawaiian honeycreepers?
the organ where some birds store grit for the purpose of grinding their food
What is the gizzard?
this book by Rebecca Heisman examines scientific insights into bird migration
What is "Flight Paths"?
What is the Scissor-Tailed Flycatcher?
this hibernation-like state is entered into each night by some hummingbirds, lowering their metabolic activity by up to 95%
What is torpor?
these nocturnal birds, native to the Indomalayan and Australasian realms, adopt a posture that resembles a broken branch
What are the frogmouths?
the organ that birds use for vocalization
What is the syrinx?
What is the Bar-headed Goose?
this family of large seabirds can be found far offshore in the Southern Ocean and North Pacific, but not the North Atlantic
What are the albatrosses?
this bird found in coastal Virginia uses its outsized lower mandible to harvest surface fish at high speed
What is the Black Skimmer?
the only member of the Darwin's finches clade (Geospizinae) not found in the Galapagos Islands
What is the Cocos Finch?
source of waxy secretions that may have antimicrobial properties
What is the uropygial gland?
a line drawn between this species' winter and breeding habitats crosses Virginia, but there are no eBird records for it in Albemarle County
What is the Kirtland's Warbler?
this region is home to both flamingos and penguins, as well as a flightless steamer duck
What is Patagonia?
these birds leave distinctive traces in shallow-water sediments as they sweep their up-side-down heads back and forth through the silt
What are flamingos?
the rarest gull in the world
What is the Lava Gull?