Our Animals

New Guinea Blue-tongued Skink Tiliqua gigas

As the name suggests, their tongues are BRIGHT blue! Not only is it a unique adaptation, but it’s also a defense mechanism. If threatened by a predator, New Guinea Blue-tongued Skinks will open their mouth and wave their blue tongue around to startle predators.

Native to northern and eastern Australia, as well as parts of New Guinea, New Guinea Blue-tongued Skinks are one of the largest skink species (measuring up to 24 inches long!). They have robust, stocky bodies, a triangular head, and sturdy limbs that are adapted for both climbing and burrowing. They are adorned with a mix of brown, gray, and orange scales that provide camouflage in their natural habitat.

In the wild, they are diurnal, meaning they are active during the day and night. During colder months, these skinks may enter a state of brumation, a hibernation-like period where their metabolism slows down significantly.

These skinks are omnivorous, feeding on various plants, insects, and even small animals.  

New Guinea Blue-tongued Skink

Tiliqua gigas

Distribution

Australia and New Guinea

Habitat

Forest, savanna, shrubland, grasslands, terrestrial

Diet

Fruits, vegetables, plants, mealworms, insects

Status

Least Concern

Breeding

Females lay 2 – 23 eggs at a time. Females incubate clutch for 4 – 5 months. Offspring reach maturity in a little over two years.

Nicobar Pigeon Caloenas nicobarica

FUN FACT

Genetically, the Nicobar Pigeon is the closest living relative to the extinct Dodo.

The closest living relative to the now extinct Dodo, the Nicobar Pigeon occurs only on small wooded, often uninhabited islands of the Indo-Malayan region, where it favors lowland habitats such as mangroves, scrub, and lowland and foothill forests. It may also occur in some forests which have been selectively logged. This species nests colonially, with sometimes several nests being placed in a single tree. Like other pigeons, the Nicobar feeds primarily on fallen fruits and seeds on the ground. A gizzard stone that is contained in the Nicobar Pigeon’s stomach helps the bird to grind up hard food items. When Nicobar pigeons drink they submerge their beak and suck up water, instead of sipping as other birds do.

Nicobar Pigeon

Caloenas nicobarica
Indo-Malayan

Habitat

Occurs only on small wooded, often uninhabited islands; found in mangroves, scrub, lowland and foothill forests, including selectively logged forests, up to at least 700 meters

Diet

Feeds on fallen fruits and seeds in forests

Status

Near Threatened

Breeding

Nicobar Pigeons nest colonially, sometimes in mixed colonies with imperial pigeons. The nest is a crude platform of twigs containing a single white egg. Several nests may sometimes be placed in a single tree. Both parents perform incubation and chick-rearing.

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Northern White-faced Owl Ptilopsis leucotis

Owls that have ear tufts can use them as a means of communication. Ear tufts can be raised or lowered to show mood, and also to help camouflage the owl – making it look more like a broken off branch in silhouette!

Northern White-faced Owls stand at about ten inches tall, comparable in size to Eastern Screech-Owls. They are distinguished by their prominent ear tufts and a striking white facial disc outlined by a thick black border. The body of the Northern White-Faced Owl is predominantly light gray-brown, adorned with delicate streaks and vermiculation’s – or markings resembling the tracks of worms. Their eyes, a mesmerizing feature, range from deep amber-yellow to a deep orange hue and have a “wuh-wuuuu” call; the first note is short while the second is drawn out and repeated every few seconds. 

When faced with a threat, these owls can either flare open its wings and puff up to appear larger, or it can compress its feathers, elongate its body, and narrow its eyes to thin slits, making it appear inanimate. This behavior is why the White-fronted Scops Owl is sometimes referred to as the “Transformer” Owl. It is an interesting adaptation that allows the owl to blend into its surroundings and avoid being detected by predators.

Northern White-faced Owl

Ptilopsis leucotis
Central Africa
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Habitat

Inhabits a belt of deciduous dry woodlands and adjacent thorny savannah from Southern Senegal in the west to Western Ethiopia in the east.

Diet

Mostly small mammals, but also birds, reptiles, and invertebrates.

Status

Least Concern

Breeding

Nest is a small to large stick platform of another bird, such as pigeon, turaco, eagle, or hawk; sometimes in a tree cavity or crevice, usually 2 - 8 m above ground. Clutch is usually 2–3 eggs; and hatch in about 30 days; fledge in another 30 days, and remain with parents for at least an additional two weeks post-fledging.

Owl Finch Taeniopygia bichenovii

FUN FACT

The Owl Finch, or Double-barred Finch, has a white face bordered by a thin black line; viewed head on it is somewhat heart-shaped and reminiscent of a miniature Barn Owl’s face.

The Owl Finch, or Double-barred Finch, is a handsome bird from northern and eastern Australia, where it is found in open grassy woodlands, scrublands, forest edge, and grassy vegetation along larger watercourses, as well as more anthropogenic habitats such as cane fields, roadsides, and parks and gardens. Like similar finches, the Owl Finch feeds of grasses and forbs on the ground, but will take more insects during the breeding season. The nest of this finch is a ball with a side entrance, made from grass, lined with soft grasses or feathers, and placed in a bush or small tree. Despite its popularity as a cage bird, the Owl Finch is not threatened.

Owl Finch

Taeniopygia bichenovii
Australasian

Habitat

Open grassy woodlands, scrublands, forest edge, grassy vegetation along larger watercourses, cane fields, roadsides, and parks and gardens

Diet

Seeds of grasses and forbs; occasionally insects and their larvae, mainly in breeding season. Takes seeds from ground; also will jump up to pull seed heads down. Forages singly, in pairs and in small flocks; occasionally in larger flocks of 50 or more.

Status

Least Concern

Breeding

Owl Finches build a round nest with a side entrance from grass in a bush, small tree, palm, or canegrass, or sometimes in a hole in a tree or under a roof. Nests, which are lined with soft grasses or feathers, are often near paper wasp nests. A clutch of 3-6 eggs is incubated for 11-2 days. Young fledge after 19 days, and are independent 21 days after fledging.

Palawan Peacock-pheasant Polyplectro napoleonis

FUN FACT

The male Palawan Peacock-pheasant’s courtship display is extraordinary. He fans his tail, showing concentric rows of eyespots, called ocelli, and, at the same time, he flattens his body bilaterally, fans his iridescent blue wings, bends his crest forward, and struts around the plain-colored female.  He vibrates his plumage so that his tail feathers stridulate, making sound in a way similar to crickets.

The Palawan Peacock-pheasant is a gorgeous bird with vibrant plumage; males have bright blue accents while females have striking markings and less colorful plumage. The spots on their feathers resemble eyes and may help scare away predators. Males use their remarkable plumage in an elaborate courtship display. Palawan Peacock-pheasants are strictly monogamous, and both males and females help with the rearing of young. Like many related pheasants, this species is threatened by loss of habitat and hunting.

Palawan Peacock-pheasant

Polyplectro napoleonis
Indo-Malayan

Habitat

Primary and secondary forest in rolling terrain, coastal lowland forest (which has now mostly been logged); occasionally occurs in Casuarina-dominated dwarf forest on serpentine rock; primary montane forest with dense patches of bamboo

Diet

Invertebrates, but also takes fruits seeds, and occasionally small vertebrates such as frogs

Status

Vulnerable

Breeding

Palawan Peacock-pheasant females lay two eggs in a nest on the ground and incubates them for 19-20 days. Males defend the nest site, and both sexes care for young for an extended period of time.

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Palm Cockatoo Probosciger aterrimus

FUN FACT

Male and female Palm Cockatoos sometimes put on a spectacular drumming display at the nest-hollow, using specially prepared stick or Grevillea glauca nut as a tool. They hold this “drumstick” in their feet and beat it against the hollow tree trunk to produce a fantastic percussive display.

The Palm Cockatoo has the largest bill of any parrot (except for the Hyacinth Macaw), and it uses its powerful bill to eat very hard seeds and nuts that other species can’t access, like palm nuts. They are also among the loudest of all parrots, and communicate by whistling contact calls, stomping noisily on their perches, and drumming loudly against trees with a stick. This drumming display can be used to signify their territory to other Palm Cockatoos, but is also performed at the nest site as a courtship display! Before breeding season begins, a pair of Palm Cockatoos may construct multiple nests. Some are used exclusively for display purposes.

Palm Cockatoo

Probosciger aterrimus
Australasian

Habitat

Rainforest, gallery forest, tall secondary forest, forest edges dense savanna

Diet

Seeds, fruits, nuts (especially palm nuts), berries, and buds from a wide variety of plants

Status

Least Concern

Breeding

Pairs nest in hollows high up in the trunk of dead or living trees, lining the hollow with twigs and wood chips. The female incubates a single egg for 30-35 days, and is fed by her mate while she is on the nest. The chick stays in the nest for 100 days and remains with the parents until the next breeding season.

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Palm-nut Vulture Gypohierax angolensis

FUN FACT

Also called vulturine fish-eagle, or simply fishing vulture, this species is sufficiently unique to be classified in a monotypic (only one species) genus of its own.

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. Unlike other vultures, the Palm-nut Vulture feeds only occasionally on smaller carrion – and rarely at large animal carcasses – and instead specializes its feeding on the fleshy fruit and husks of the oil palm, and on the palm-fruits of Raffia palm. These fruits make up more than 60% of an adult bird’s diet and more than 90% of a juvenile bird’s diet. Unlike the situation with many vultures in the Old World, the Palm-nut Vulture’s population is stable or even increasing.

Palm-nut Vulture

Gypohierax angolensis
Afrotropical

Habitat

Edges of tropical forests, large rivers, lakes, mangroves, estuaries and seashore, and cultivated areas where oil palms abound

Diet

Mainly the fleshy fruit-husks of the oil palm and on the palm-fruits of Raffia palm; insects, crabs, mollusks, frogs, fish, small mammals, and reptile eggs and hatchlings; occasionally smaller carrion, but, unlike other vultures, rarely at large animal carcasses

Status

Least Concern

Breeding

A Palm-nut Vulture pair performs acrobatic aerial courtship displays and are highly territorial around their nest, which both sexes build out of sticks in the open fork or crown of a tall tree 6–60 meters above ground. They use the same nest year after year, laying a single egg that is incubated by both sexes for 35–50 days. The nestling is cared for by both adults and fledges in about 90 days.

Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus

Peregrine Falcons are the world’s fastest animal, capable of diving, or stooping at their prey, at speeds of more than 200 miles per hour! 

Peregrine Falcons are one of the most widely distributed land animals in the world, having been observed on every content in the world except for Antarctica. Highly regarded as a noble bird by biologists and licensed falconers, Peregrines have darker, striped plumage and tapered wings for aerodynamic flight.

Although currently classified as Least Concern, Peregrine Falcon populations weren’t always stable. Peregrines essentially disappeared from the east coast in the 1960s, and were on the brink of extinction in the United States (U.S.) due to harmful pesticide effects, particularly DDT. Conservation measures for the species have been very successful, and the U.S. Peregrine Falcon population quickly recovered. The species was removed from the Endangered Species List in 1999, just 29 years after being placed on the list. 

To further the study of wild Peregrine Falcon populations, particularly in urban areas, the National Aviary hosts a live stream of the Peregrine family living high atop the University of Pittsburgh’s Cathedral of Learning: The National Aviary’s Peregrine FalconCam. Tune in every spring and summer to see the current happenings of a wild pair – who knows, they might even raise a few chicks!  

Peregrine Falcon

Falco peregrinus
Worldwide
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Each spring and summer, the National Aviary hosts a live stream of the Peregrine Falcons residing high up on the southeast side of the Cathedral of Learning on the main campus of the University of Pittsburgh.

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Habitat

Historically cliffs near rivers and coastlines; now found mostly in urban areas, where nesting occurs on skyscrapers and within the framework of tall bridges.

Diet

: Primarily birds, especially water birds (it’s old name is “Duck Hawk”), but also pigeons and miscellaneous songbirds and woodpeckers. Sometimes will prey on bats, and rarely on other mammals and insects.

Status

Least Concern

Breeding

Peregrines nest on cliffs or ledges of tall buildings where they lay a group of up to four eggs in a bowl-shaped depression in gravel. The female and male both incubate the eggs for just over a month. Chicks fledge from the nest at around six to seven weeks old. They remain with their parents for several more weeks (6-10) before dispersing up to several hundred kilometers (immature females travel twice as far from their natal grounds compared to the males).

Pied Crow Corvus albus

Like the crows found in Pittsburgh, this species roosts communally in stands of large trees throughout parks in cities and towns. The roost location can attract many hundreds or even thousands of Pied Crows. 

Measuring between 18 – 20 inches long, Pied Crows are found throughout Africa, from Senegal to Sudan. They reside in most environments except for rainforests and very hot desert regions. They have a hefty, robust bill that allows them to eat various foods from small vertebrates to fruit, and carrion. Because of its expansive diet, Pied Crow’s are an important member of the environmental clean-up crew as they consume carrion and help stop the spread of diseases (just like vultures!). They also keep prey populations stable as well as contribute to the distribution of seeds.  

Crows are an extremely smart species and have been observed using tools to get food – like dropping stones on an egg to crack the shell open. 

Pied Crows look like American Crows, except Pied Crows wear stylish white “sweater vests!”

Pied Crow

Corvus albus
Afrotropical

Habitat

Open country of various kinds, including grasslands, open woodlands, forest openings, savannas, riverbanks, and lakeshores. Often found near human habitations such as farmsteads, villages, towns, and even cities.

Diet

Omnivorous and opportunistic. Takes many kinds of invertebrates such as spiders, ticks, beetles, termites, grasshoppers and locusts, and mollusks. Also feeds on many kinds of small vertebrates such as frogs, lizards, rodents, fish and small birds. Even capable of catching small birds and bats in flight. Will scavenge for vegetables, fruits, seeds, roots, etc.

Status

Least Concern

Breeding

Nest, built by both sexes in about 12 days, is a bulky structure of sticks, roots and sometimes manmade materials like wire, with deep cup lined with mud, dung, wool, string and grasses, usually in high tree fork, on telephone pole, pylon, windmill, or tall building; rarely on cliff ledge. Often uses the same site, but builds a fresh nest each year. Lays 1–7 eggs, mostly 4 or 5, which are incubated for 18-19 days by both sexes. The female incubates for 75–80% of the time and does all of the sitting overnight. The chicks are fed by both sexes in the nest for 35–45 days.

Pied Imperial-Pigeon Ducula bicolor

FUN FACT

These striking pigeons can weigh more than a pound.

The Pied Imperial-Pigeon is a very large inhabitant of coastal forests, mangroves and coconut plantations, principally on islands in the Indo-Malayan region. This species travels in flocks at dusk and dawn and nests in colonies of up to tens of thousands of birds. They are among the most powerful and agile flyers in the bird world, and they have very large flight muscles. This has enabled them to colonize many different islands across expansive stretches of open water.

Pied Imperial-Pigeon

Ducula bicolor
Indo-Malayan

Habitat

Coastal forests, mangroves and coconut plantations. Typically nests and roosts on small offshore islands, but this strong-flying bird will visit coastal mainland and large islands to feed.

Diet

Frugivorous; feeds on a variety of fruits and berries, including wild figs and the large fruits of wild nutmegs

Status

Least Concern

Breeding

The Pied Imperial-Pigeon usually breeds in colonies on offshore islets. In Sumatra, they nest mainly in mangroves. The nest is a flimsy platform, and they usually lay only one egg.

Pink-headed Fruit-Dove Ptilinopus porphyreus

FUN FACT

The Pink-headed Fruit-Dove is endemic to Indonesia. It is a very range-restricted species, found only within a band of high elevation forest on very tall mountains and mountain ranges in Indonesia. Within its narrow range it can sometimes be found breeding alongside another National Aviary species, the Black-naped Fruit-Pigeon.

The Pink-headed Fruit-Dove is a stunning resident of the montane forests in high mountains throughout Indonesia. They feed on figs and small berries, staying high up in the forest canopy. This species lays a single egg, which the male incubates during the day and the female at night. While the Pink-headed Fruit-Dove is considered a species of least concern, it is facing declines in the wild. Pink-headed Fruit-Doves are found in a very restricted range, found only in very tall mountain regions within a band of high elevation forests, and deforestation poses a threat to their habitat.

Pink-headed Fruit-Dove

Ptilinopus porphyreus
Indo-Malayan

Habitat

Oak-laurel and montane heath forests in high mountains (>2000 meters). The species occurs exclusively within a band of mid-to high elevation forest habitat on the slopes of these mountains.

Diet

Feeds on figs and small berries in the upper canopy of the forest

Status

Least Concern

Breeding

The Pink-headed Fruit-Dove’s breeding season is the dry season from March to May. They lay a single egg in a loose stick nest about 15-20 feet above ground. The male builds the nest. Incubation lasts for 20 days (like many doves and pigeons, the male incubates during the day, and the female incubates overnight), and the chick fledges in 15-16 days. Both parents provide care of the young after fledging.

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Plush-crested Jay Cyanocorax chrysops

FUN FACT

Plush-crested Jays can mimic other birds and even human speech.

The handsome Plush-crested Jay inhabits forests, open woodlands, and forest edges, as well as scrublands and fruit groves of south-central South America. This species is omnivorous, mostly eating small invertebrates and fruits, but also taking seeds, eggs, nestlings, frogs, and lizards. Plush-crested Jays forage in flocks of several birds, and, like temperate zone jays, will cache (store) extra food in crannies of trees and in holes under leaf litter. The Plushed-crested Jay is a communal breeder, with two or three helpers at the nest who are the pair’s young from previous nestings. These helpers participate in nest duties and nest defense. Although not threatened, the illegal pet trade is a negative factor affecting the species.

Plush-crested Jay

Cyanocorax chrysops
Neotropical

Habitat

Forests, open woodlands, and forest edges; also scrublands and agricultural fruit groves. Often forages in flocks of several birds, and, like temperate zone jays, will cache extra food in crannies in trees and in holes under leaf litter.

Diet

Small invertebrates, mainly insects, and fruits from several plant species. Will take nestlings and eggs of other bird species; also will eat small frogs and lizards. Eats seeds, especially maize, or corn, in winter; also foodstuffs of various kinds given or discarded by humans.

Status

Least Concern

Breeding

The Plushed-crested Jay is a communal breeder, with two or three helpers (young from previous nestings) participating in nest duties and nest defense. The male performs courtship feeding to the female, and pairs are monogamous but not for life. Nests are built 4-6 m above the ground. Clutch size is usually 2-4 eggs, but sometimes as many as six. Incubation period is 18-20 days; nestlings fledge after 22-24 days but continue to be fed for up to 3 months after fledging.

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The National Aviary is home to more than 500 birds and other animals representing 150 species; some of which live in behind-the-scenes habitats. To enhance our guests’ educational experience, and with regard to individual bird preferences, different species may spend time in various public-facing habitats.

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