Named for the British Monarch Queen Victoria, the Victoria Crowned Pigeon is without doubt a royal bird. Its dusty blue-grey feathers may remind one of the pigeons found on any city street, but the Crowned Pigeon’s elegant blue lace crest, scarlet eyes, and rakish black mask are unlike anything you’ll find pecking around in the city park. Add in the fact that this largest of all pigeons is nearly the size of a turkey, and you know you’re seeing something special.

Victoria Crowned Pigeons like to be in pairs or small groups, wandering the forests of New Guinea in search of the seeds and fallen fruits that make up most of their diet. Males will sometimes spar with each other during the breeding season — flaring their wings and puffing up their chests to look larger and more impressive for the females — but they tend to live peacefully together the rest of the year. Groups of Crowned Pigeons spend most of their time on the ground, only flying up into the branches of trees when startled, or when they want somewhere safe to roost overnight.

Hunting and habitat destruction have already extirpated the Victoria Crowned Pigeon from many of its traditional territories in New Guinea. And the population continues to fall. Based on current estimates, there are only 10,000 – 20,000 Victoria Crowned Pigeons left in the wild.

The Vietnam Pheasant, also called the Edwards’s Pheasant, is a little-known species which may be Extinct in the Wild. It has not been observed in the wild since 2000 and is currently listed as Critically Endangered. Much of the species’ potential habitat was destroyed as a result of herbicide use during the Vietnam War, and subsequent logging and clearing of land for agriculture further contributed to the loss of suitable habitat. Hunting has also been a problem for the species.

The Vietnam Pheasant is considered by many to be the most endangered of all pheasant species. An elusive bird not seen in Central Vietnam’s dense, evergreen forests since 2000. While it’s is currently listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as Critically Endangered, but many believe the species could be Extinct in the Wild.  

A very colorful and terrestrial bird of the forest understory, the Western Hooded Pitta occurs in a wide range of habitats in Southeast Asia, including primary riverine forests, secondary forests with heavy understory or scrub, and wet or dry forests. This species can also be found in commercial plantations such as overgrown rubber or coffee plantations, orchards, and old gardens.

A little smaller than an American Robin, Western Hooded Pittas have a chunky body, large head, short tail feathers, and long legs. Both the male and female have a green body, a mostly or entirely black head (with a chestnut crown of variable extent), bright blue wing coverts, bright red belly, and large white wing patches that can only be seen when in flight. While the species is minimally dimorphic, females may average a slightly duller color underneath and have smaller white wing patches. 

The Western Hooded Pitta eats many kinds of insects that it finds among the dead leaves and litter of the forest floor, such as beetles, ants, termites, cockroaches, and their larvae. Earthworms and snails are also included in their diet. They are usually very terrestrial, but when they fly they show a startling bright white wing patch, a possible predator defense. Their large nest is a flattened dome on sloping ground made of twigs, dead leaves, rootlets, and moss, and often has a short “walkway” of leaves and twigs leading up to a side entrance. 

A beautiful multicolored bird with flashy white cheeks, the White-cheeked Turaco is native to Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia and Eritrea, where they inhabit higher elevation Podocarpus and juniper forests, as well as tall gallery trees and thick bush along watercourses at lower elevations. Here the turaco favors the fruits and berries of Podocarpus trees and junipers.

The White-crested Laughingthrush occurs in broadleaf evergreen forest and mixed deciduous forest in Southeast Asia and in the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains. It will also inhabit disturbed forests, secondary forest and gardens. This is a very social and vocal species, often foraging on the ground in groups of 6 to 20 individuals while looking for insects and other invertebrates in the leaf litter. The White-crested Laughingthrush nests cooperatively, meaning the nestlings are fed by a group of birds including the genetic parents and their previous offspring. These helpers take over attending the fledglings once they leave the nest, freeing the parents to begin nesting again. This species is generally common and not globally threatened.

These birds are unique in that the females look different than the males, showcasing the beauty of dimorphism. But that’s not all – their prominent bills and gorgeous plumage make them a sight to behold.

White-headed Ducks are also impressive divers! They engage in extensive feeding at night, feasting on mideg larvae, and can remain underwater feeding for up to a minute before resurfacing! 

The White-rumped Shama, also called the Common Shamma Thrush, is native to southeast Asia, India, and some Indonesian islands. This species prefers dense greenery and uses its long tail to change directions easily as it flits about in dense thickets. It has a melodious and complex song and was once thought to be a member of the thrush family Turdidae. The White-rumped Shama was introduced to the Hawaiian Archipelago in 1931 and is now common on the islands of Kaua’i and O’ahu. Unfortunately, in Hawaii, the White-rumped Shama is a reservoir for avian malaria which threatens endemic birds on the islands. While not globally threatened, the illegal wildlife trade has led to marked declines in the species’ population.

White-throated Bee-eaters are colorful, social birds, named for their ability to pluck honeybees (and other insects) from the air with amazing agility using their long, curved bills. Found throughout central Africa, they breed in the dry sub-desert steppe and winter in woodland areas and farmlands. They are the only bee-eater species that has an elaborate aerial courtship display: they alternate gliding with their wings held high with bursts of loud calls. They are not globally threatened.

The White-throated Ground Dove is a little known species from the Northern Mariana Islands of the Pacific Ocean. It occurs in all types of forested habitats on several islands in the Mariana Islands chain, and is most abundant on the island of Rota. This species is frugivorous, meaning it primarily eats fruits. Unlike other birds in the genus Gallicolumba, the White-throated Ground Dove forages in bushes and trees, and does not on the ground. Like other birds in the Mariana Islands, the White-throated Ground Dove is vulnerable due to the introduction of an invasive species, the brown tree snake. The White-throated Ground Dove was extirpated (meaning eliminated from a specific area, but not extinct) from Guam in 1986.

The Wood Thrush is a medium-sized songbird found primarily in forests across eastern North America. Recognizable by its rich, flutelike song, it has a distinctive appearance with a reddish-brown back and spotted breast. These thrushes are primarily migratory, spending their winters in Central America and returning to North America to breed.

One of the most notable features of the Wood Thrush is its haunting, melodious song, which is often considered one of the most beautiful among North American songbirds. They prefer dense, mature forests with a mix of tree species, where they build their nests in low branches.

Unfortunately, the Wood Thrush has been experiencing a decline in population due to habitat loss, especially from logging and the destruction of forests. Fragmentation of their forest habitat makes it harder for them to find suitable nesting areas. Climate change and the increasing presence of predators like raccoons and nest parasitism by brown-headed cowbirds also contribute to their struggles. As a result, the Wood Thrush conservation efforts are focused on protecting and restoring forest habitats to help stabilize their numbers.

The Yellow-hooded Blackbird occurs in northern South America where it favors marshes with emergent aquatic plants such as cattails or bulrushes, as well as humid savannas, mangroves, and agricultural land where it can forage in newly plowed fields. Yellow-hooded Blackbirds also frequently forage in grass and vegetation for seeds and insects, including caterpillars and weevils. The blackbird’s reproductive strategy includes harems or successive polygyny, with many Yellow-hooded Blackbirds nesting colonially in large groups of up to 100 pairs. The Yellow-hooded Blackbird is not globally threatened.

The Yellow-naped Amazon is an Endangered species of the Pacific coast of Mexico and Central America. It inhabits semi-arid woodland, arid scrubland and pine savannas, and treefall gaps in tropical deciduous and swamp forests. Often found in large and noisy flocks, they feed on a variety of seeds and fruits. They nest in hollows of trees. The Yellow-naped Amazon suffers from extensive poaching of nestlings for the pet trade, perhaps more than any other Amazona parrot, and its population is in steep decline.