The Southern Bald Ibis is a gregarious, glossy bluish-black ibis restricted to the southern tips of South Africa. This ibis resides in mountainous regions, where it prefers higher elevation short-grass habitats, as well as recently burned, plowed, mowed, or heavily grazed fields and cultivated lands. In these grasslands, the Southern Bald Ibis feeds frequently in large flocks, primarily searching for grasshoppers, beetles, and caterpillars. This species usually nests colonially, building a platform of sticks on ledges or cliffs where it may be safer from predators. This ibis has suffered from human disturbances at its colonial nest sites, and impacts on grassland foraging grounds.

Southern Three-banded Armadillos are one of the mammal species living at the National Aviary. They are among the smaller of the armadillo species, and are native to grassy areas and forests throughout Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay. Armadillos have very acute senses of hearing and smell, which helps them to find termites and ants and then use their strong legs and claws to grab. Their strong senses also help them to detect predators. When startled, the Southern Three-banded Armadillo will roll up into a tight ball for protection.

Speckled Mousebirds are very social, often living in flocks of twenty or more birds. They are among the few folivorous bird species specializing in eating leaves. When food is scarce, or in cooler weather, mousebirds often huddle in large groups and can reduce their energy requirement by going into a state of inactivity known as torpor.

Scientists have described the six extant species of mousebirds, including the Speckled, as “living fossils” due to their lineage of more than two dozen species from the end of the Cretaceous (66 million years ago)  to the end of the Miocene era (5 million years ago).

Adult Spectacled Owls are distinctive for their brown upperparts and head with whitish face markings resembling a pair of glasses. As juveniles, their facial markings are the complete opposite—pure white except for a chocolate brown facial disc! This distinctive species can be found throughout Central and South America in dense rainforest habitats. The call of the Spectacled Owl is a quick series of popping sounds, which sound like someone knocking on a door. Males sing more often than females, usually to claim territory, but have been known to sing duets together.

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, and is very comfortable perching high up in trees. They favor low-lying wetlands, where they both dabble and dive for food which includes seeds and invertebrates; they are most active at night. This species is not globally threatened.

The Steller’s Sea Eagle is a fierce, impressive raptor with chocolate-brown plumage and striking white shoulders and tail. With its deep, strongly arched bill and massive yellow feet, it’s no wonder that the Japanese call this bird O-washi (The Great Eagle). At nearly four-feet in length and an average weight of 13-20 pounds, Steller’s Sea Eagles are one of the largest eagle species in the world, outweighing both the Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja) and the Philippine Monkey-eating Eagle (Pithocophaga jefferyi), and with a wingspan (up to 6 – 8 feet) second only to its near-cousin the White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla). Not surprisingly, an adult Steller’s Sea Eagle has no natural predators.

The species is vulnerable to changes in its habitat and food supplies, however. This huge eagle needs an equally huge territory, so the Steller’s population (which is not large) is widespread and particularly sensitive to habitat loss due to climate change. Threats to already declining Pacific Salmon populations translate into potential prey shortages during the all-important breeding season.

Striped Skunks are nocturnal mammals found across North America, known for their distinctive black and white fur pattern and bushy tail (which is about half the length of its body!). They are typically active at night, foraging for food such as insects, small mammals, and plants.

Infamous for their strong, musky odor, skunks can spray as a defense mechanism when threatened. This pungent spray is produced by glands near the tail and serves as a potent deterrent to potential predators. But don’t worry – you won’t smell that at the National Aviary. As this defense mechanism is not needed for skunks in expert care, our resident Striped Skunks were “de-scented” before their arrival to the Aviary – meaning their scent glands were safely removed. 

Often misunderstood, skunks play a crucial role in their ecosystems by controlling insect and rodent populations. In turn, this is beneficial to agriculture as it reduces pest damage to crops. This behavior also helps maintain a balance in the food chain, which can benefit ground-nesting birds and other wildlife. Additionally, skunks’ foraging activities can expose critical food sources – such as the dispersal of various seeds – that attract bird species.

The Sunbittern is an unusual bird of forested streams of Central and South America. This species is perhaps best known for a characteristic display involving large “eyespots” in the plumage of their wings. Sunbitterns have a characteristic “Frontal Display” that they use when they are threatened.  The spread and tilt their wings forward, exposing two large eyespots.  The tail is lifted and fanned out to fill the gap between the wings. Overall, the posture dramatically increases the apparent size of the displaying bird while exposing the fake eyes.  Both sexes use the display, and young Sunbitterns practice the display in the nest when they are just 10 days old.

The Sunbittern is at home on both swift and rocky streams, and slower moving, sandy or silt-bottomed streams, where is stalks fish, amphibians, crustaceans and insects. and then captures them with a quick lunge. The Sunbittern is currently listed as a species of Least Concern.

Superb Starlings are dark iridescent blue on the back of their head and chest, a black face that sets off their bright white eyes, metallic blue-green back and wings, and a dark orange belly bounded by bright white under the tail and in a band across the breast. The Superb Starling occurs in open woodland, including very arid country, as well as cultivated areas and gardens around human habitations of East Africa. This starling forages mostly on the ground where its diet consists mostly of insects, but it will also eat berries, small fruits, and human food scraps from around settlements and picnic sites. This species practices cooperative breeding, with helpers assisting in nest-building and feeding young. The helpers are most often males from a previous brood. The Superb Starling is not considered threatened.

The Taveta Golden Weaver occurs in East African in Kenya and Tanzania. They are found in swampy lowland areas during the breeding season. Outside of the breeding season, they are found in adjacent dry bush country. They build impressive spherical nests hanging over water. The intricately weaving strips of reed leaf blades that make up their ovoid-shaped nests are hung from bulrushes or from overhanging trees. While the Taveta Golden Weaver is very localized, it occurs in large numbers, and is not globally threatened.

Tawny Frogmouths are comical looking birds with large eyes and wide mouths. They are found throughout Australia in a wide variety of habitats, from Eucalyptus forests to city parks. They inhabit areas with extreme temperature variation, with very cold nights and very hot days. To stay cool, Tawny Frogmouths engorge the blood vessels in the mouth, which helps to cool air as it is inhaled. In the winter, pairs roost together to share body warmth, and they will often sunbathe in the daylight, opening their beaks wide and moving their heads from side to side for sunlight to penetrate their thick feathers. In the winter, they spend much of their days and nights in torpor.

One of a number of species of toucans, popular for their enormous, colorful beaks, the Toco Toucan is the only one which is adapted to drier, more open habitats. These include a mosaic of natural forested, agricultural, and successional habitats, including gallery forests, palm groves, open woodlands, secondary forest, savanna and thorn-forest, plantations, and orchards. Toco Toucans use their bills to feed on a variety of fruits and insects, but are also well-known for preying on the eggs and nestlings of other bird species. This toucan nests in hollow trees. While many bird species in tropical South America are threatened by the conversion of natural forests to agriculture, the Toco Toucan is more flexible in its habitat requirements and is not currently of conservation concern.