Archives: Bird Species

Spotted Whistling-duck standing on a wooden stump

The Spotted Whistling-duck is a distinctive duck species found in southeast Asia. Also known as the tree duck, it has long legs and a long neck compared to other ducks,…

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Female Scaly-sided Merganser standing on a branch in the water

The Scaly-sided Merganser is a diving duck that breeds in Siberia, northern China, and Korea, and winters in southern China and in Russia. This species makes its home along clear,…

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Female Ringed Teal perched on a wooden stump

The Ringed Teal is a colorful dabbling duck of South American forests where it favors swampy tropical forests and marshy clearings in well-wooded lowlands. Although its diet is not well…

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A Marbled Teal standing on a branch

The Marbled Teal is a duck of the Mediterranean region, particularly fond of shallow brackish and freshwater pools with abundant emergent vegetation. This is an omnivorous dabbling duck, eating seeds,…

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Male Hooded Merganser swimming in the water

The Hooded Merganser is a showy diving duck with a distinctive head crest and bright eyes. The smallest of the three merganser species found in North America, the Hooded Merganser…

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Male and female mallards

A very common dabbling duck of the Nearctic region, and introduced elsewhere where it is sometimes considered an invasive pest, the Mallard occurs on almost any body of shallow water,…

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A male and female Bufflehead in the water

The Bufflehead is a small, handsome resident of permanent freshwater ponds and lakes within the boreal forest and aspen parkland zone of North America. The smallest duck species in North…

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An African Pygmy-goose

Weighing just over half a pound, the African Pygmy-Goose is the smallest species of waterfowl in the world! This goose inhabits swamps, marshes, shallow freshwater lakes, and slow-flowing rivers in…

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Palm-nut Vulture perched on a branch

A striking black and white vulture of Sub-Saharan Africa, the Palm-nut Vulture is found along the edges of tropical forests, large rivers, lakes, and seashores, especially where oil palms abound….

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King Vulture perched on a branch

The third largest of the vultures of the Americas, the King Vulture has one of the strongest beaks out of all the American vultures and is able to open carcasses…

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Headshot of a Hooded Vulture

The Critically Endangered Hooded Vulture is a rather small, brown vulture, native to Sub-Saharan Africa. This species mainly occupies open woodland and savanna, but also forest edge, where if feeds…

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Black Vulture standing on the ground

The American Black Vulture is one of several vultures of the Americas which feed almost entirely on large animal carrion. Appropriate habitat for the Black Vulture must combine open areas…

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In The News

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Guam kingfishers hatched at National Aviary among first released into wild in nearly 40 years | CBS News

Three Guam kingfishers that hatched at the National Aviary have been released on an island in the Pacific, marking the first time their species has been in the wild in nearly 40 years.

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Guam Sihek Released to the Wild | National Aviary

Nine Guam Kingfishers have been released to the wild on Palmyra Atoll, making them the first of their kind to reside in the wild since the 1980s.  

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Take an Enchanting Journey through Forests this fall at the National Aviary! | National Aviary

Explore the Aviary’s new fall seasonal theme, Forests Presented by Peoples; learn more about the creatures who inhabit these woodland areas during TWO new daily activities, and say “hello again!” to the adorable Eurasian Eagle-Owl making her Animal Ambassador debut!

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  Extinct in the Wild birds head to new home ahead of first wild release | National Aviary

Precious Guam Kingfishers arrived on the Pacific Island as part of a project to re-establish a wild population 

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National Aviary works to bring back bird that’s extinct in the wild | CBS News

The National Aviary may be based in Pittsburgh but the important work they do spans the globe - playing an instrumental part in saving a bird that's been extinct in the wild for 40 years.

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