One of the most familiar tanagers of the Neotropics, the Blue-grey Tanager ranges from Mexico south through Central and South America. This species uses a wide variety of non-forest and human-altered habitats, including cacao and coffee plantations, city parks and gardens, and second growth forest and forest edges. Typically seen in pairs, this tanager may join mixed-species flocks while foraging on arthropods and fruit. The nest is a deep cup of rootlets, moss, grass, and other materials, sometimes constructed of materials taken from other tanagers, euphonias, and flycatchers. The Blue-grey Tanager is widespread and abundant, and is not considered threatened.

Named after their iconic, vibrant, blue tongue, the Blue-tongued Skink is a multi-faceted reptile. As an omnivore, Blue-tongued Skinks eat both plants and animals. While they aren’t poisonous or venomous, they trick predators into believing they are! In the wild, bright colors tend to indicate that an animal is toxic or venomous. As a defense mechanism, when threatened they stick their bright tongue out which indicates to potential predators that they are “poisonous.”

But their tricks don’t stop there! Because of their distinct, banded pattern, and ability to tuck in their legs, these skinks can mimic snakes as they hide in tall grasses and thick forests.

If neither of these tricks works to protect the skink, they will drop their tail and run in a different direction. Once detached, their tail continues to move around – distracting the predator’s attention allowing the reptile to seek safety.

They are a larger lizard species, reaching up to two feet in length.

Boat-billed Herons have shorter legs and squatter bodies than most herons, but their distinguishing feature is their very large and broad bill and huge, dark eyes. The eyes are an indication of their foraging behavior, which takes place at dusk and early night. Native to the Neotropics, this heron is an inhabitant of coastal mangroves and other kinds of dense forest along low-lying rivers, freshwater creeks, and lakes, the Boat-billed Heron feeds mostly on fish, small rodents, and reptiles. Although not considered threatened, human disturbance at nesting colonies has been known to negatively impact reproductive success.

Pelicans are large, bulky waterbirds with webbed feet, short legs, and a remarkably long bill. The underside of their bills extends into a pouch that can hold 2-3 gallons of water at a time, which they use to trap fish. When hunting, they spot their prey from the air and plunge into the water head-first. After trapping the fish, they drain the water out the sides of the bill, and then swallow the fish whole. Brown Pelicans incubate their eggs with their feet, essentially standing on them to keep them warm.

Unfortunately, the use of the pesticide DDT caused Brown Pelican numbers to plummet during the 20th century. Much like the decline of the Bald Eagle, DDT thinned the pelicans’ egg shells, causing them to break during incubation. After DDT use was banned, Brown Pelican numbers slowly recovered and they were officially removed from the Federal Endangered Species list in 1985.

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 America nests in old woodpecker cavities in poplar, spruce, or fir trees near water. This duck is small enough to fit in the nest cavities of Northern Flicker woodpeckers, which have a hole only about 2.5 inches in diameter! Buffleheads are almost exclusively monogamous and nest in the same spot every year. Bufflehead chicks are precocial, meaning they are able to walk and feed themselves shortly after hatching, and they leave the nest only a day after they’ve hatched. Although not threatened, this diving duck is susceptible to loss of nesting sites from timbering and development of the forest near lakes, and to environmental contamination by heavy metals like mercury and cadmium.

Burrowing Owls are a small, long-legged species of owl that spends the majority of its time on the ground. They are native to open grassland, prairie, and desert habitats and range from southern Canada (where they are considered an endangered species) to the drier habitats of South America. They have also been found nesting in man-made structures and in close proximity with people on golf courses, campuses, and suburbs. Burrowing Owls differ from most owls in a variety of ways. They are primarily terrestrial and nest underground, while the majority of owls are cavity nesters or use the nests of other birds, such as crows or hawks.  This owl’s habit of nesting in colonies in underground burrows across flat, treeless habitats has put it in competition with many kinds of human development, such as agriculture, housing plans, golf courses, and airports. As a result, programs exist to safely translocate Burrowing Owls and to attract them to nearby protected sites using artificial burrows.

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An inhabitant of high mountain ranges in eastern China, the Cabot’s Tragopan—also sometimes called the Yellow-bellied Tragopan—is a grouse-like bird. Male Cabot’s Tragopans perform a spectacular display at dawn and dusk, sometimes while perched on a mossy log, which is reminiscent of Pennsylvania’s state bird, the Ruffed Grouse. Both the Ruffed Grouse and Cabot’s Tragopan flap and drum their wings during courtship displays, but the tragopan takes it a step further, slowly fanning his wings while rhythmically pumping his head up and down. He inflates two fleshy blue horns on top of his head, unfurls a red-and-blue wattle, then abruptly rears up, drums his wings, and cranes his neck. The display transforms this dusty brown bird into a colorful curiosity! This species is threatened by logging and farming, as well as hunting outside of protected areas.

The Capuchinbird is an unusual-looking, brown-to-orange bird of the canopy of tropical lowland evergreen forests of northeastern South America. This species primarily consumes a wide variety of fruits, but also many different larger invertebrates. The Capuchinbird gathers in leks during the mating season where males compete for the attention of the female in a communal space. Their nests of twigs are then built in the understory in the fork of branches near the lek site. The Capuchinbird is not currently considered under threat.

The Central Asian Tortoise thrives in dry, semi-arid regions with sparse vegetation. They are characterized by their domed, yellowish-brown to green shells featuring a distinct pattern of light and dark markings.

They feed primarily on grasses, weeds, and some flowers and are well-adapted to surviving harsh environments. In their natural habitats, their diet helps control the growth of vegetation, protecting the delicate balance of their respective ecosystem. They have a slow metabolic rate and are typically solitary– only coming together during breeding season.

Measuring around eight – 10 inches in length, it’s a docile tortoise that is facing population decline due to the illegal pet trade and poaching.

Ecologists have even recorded birds using desert tortoise burrows for survival such as gathering nest materials, taking dust baths, and hunting. 

The beautifully iridescent Common Grackle is found throughout much of North America where it inhabits a wide variety of open or partially open habitats with scattered trees. The grackle is omnivorous, eating a wide variety of seeds, grains, fruits, insects, and small vertebrates, as well as human food scraps. They build a bulky nest, commonly in wooded residential areas and often near water. The Common Grackle is considered a common bird in steep decline, though they remain widespread and abundant.

The Crested Coua is found in drier habitats of the Afrotropical region, including coastal deciduous forest, savanna, spiny brushland, palms, and mangroves. The Crested Coua eats large insects, snails, small lizards, and occasionally other birds’ eggs, but also some berries, seeds, and fruits. These are collected at higher levels of the forest, mostly by walking along branches, gleaning food items as it goes; it often works its way up from the base of one tree, and upon reaching the top, flies down to the base of an adjacent tree and then repeats the process.

The Crested Oropendola inhabits forest edges and clearings in lowland South America east of the Andes Mountains. This species forages mostly in the upper stratum of trees on fruits, insects, and spiders, as well as small vertebrates such as tree frogs. The Crested Oropendola will also take cultivated fruits such as oranges, papayas, and mangos. Crested Oropendolas breed in colonies of 2–40 nests, with a dominant male that does most of the mating. Nests, built by the females, are spectacular pensile (hanging) pouches, open at the top, that may be as long as 5 feet. The Crested Oropendola is regarded as an agricultural pest in fruit orchards and plantations in some areas, and is locally persecuted, but it is not considered threatened.