Our Birds
- Birds & Habitats
- Our Birds
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.
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.
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.
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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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.
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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FUN FACT
Puna Teal get their name from the region they inhabit. The ‘puna’ zone is a montane grassland above the treeline but below permanent snowpack in the High Andes in Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina.
Puna Teal are dabbling ducks that feed by tipping up and reaching down into shallow water and are commonly found on bogs, lakes, and wetlands in the high Andes Mountains. Male and female Puna Teal look alike and sport a blue bill and a crisp, black cap, though males tend to be slightly brighter.
Habitat
Prefers weakly alkaline wetlands with floating vegetation at higher elevations
Diet
Like other dabbling ducks, it feeds largely by tipping up and reaching down into shallow water. It feeds on seeds and other parts of aquatic plants, grasses and sedges; also some aquatic invertebrates (insects and larvae, mollusks, crustaceans).
Status
Least Concern
Breeding
Puna Teal nest on ground in thick grass, often at a distance from the water. The female alone incubates a clutch of 5-6 creamy pink-colored eggs for 25-26 days. After the eggs hatch, the male rejoins and defends the family group.
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FUN FACT
The Raggiana Bird-of-Paradise is the national bird of Papua New Guinea and appears on the country’s flag.
The spectacular Raggiana Bird-of-Paradise is found in lowland forest, hill forest and lower montane forest, secondary growth, forest edges and patches, and even gardens in New Guinea. Eating primarily fruits and arthropods, the species is an important dispereser of mahogany and nutmeg seeds. The male Raggiana Bird-of-Paradise’s tail has two long tail wires and cinnamon-colored feathers, which can be up to three feet in length. Like other birds in this family, this is a lekking species. A lek is a common area where multiple males compete using elaborate courtship displays in order to attract the attention of a female; as many as ten adult Raggiana Birds-of-Paradise have been observed at a single lek. Traditional lek sites tend to occupy prominent positions in local topography, such as a high ridge crest. The Raggiana Bird-of-Paradise is common and widespread with no evidence of significant potential threats.
Habitat
Lowland forest, hill forest and lower montane forest, secondary growth, forest edges, gardens, and even trees and copses in otherwise open deforested areas. Traditional lek sites tend to occupy prominent position in local topography, such as ridge crest.
Diet
Mostly fruits, mainly capsular ones, and figs; also some arthropods
Status
Least Concern
Breeding
This species is polygynous. Leks, including up to ten adult males, typically are located in the upper portions of one or more canopy trees in forest interior or forest remnant. The female builds and attends the nest alone. The nest an open bowl-shaped structure of leaves, leaf pieces, rootlets, vine stems, orchids or ferns and fibers, with discrete egg-cup lining of horsehair-like material, built in tree branches 2–11 m above ground. A clutch is one or (usually) two eggs, incubated for 18-20 days, with a 17-20 day nestling period.
FUN FACT
Although considered a “true parrot” (members of the Psittacoidea superfamily within the order Pisttaciformes), Lorikeets are specially adapted for a diet consisting mostly of nectar and pollen. The tip of a Lorikeet’s tongue has a collection of tiny hair-like structures called papilla that help them excavate pollen and nectar from flowers. This adaptation is why you’ll sometimes hear Lorikeets referred to as “brush-tongued parrots.”
Rainbow Lorikeets couldn’t have a more appropriate name. These small, active parrots are among the most brightly colored in the bird world – as though someone used a whole box of crayons while designing them! Lorikeets are native to Australia and eastern Indonesia, where they live in large, noisy flocks. Nectar from blooming trees such as the eucalyptus, African Tulip-tree and cheesewood is an important food source for lorikeets. As a result, lorikeets are an important pollinator for these and other trees. Lorikeets will also eat figs, apples, and sorghum, and sometimes papaya and mango fruits which have already had their tough skins opened by fruit bats. Because of this, they are sometimes considered a crop pest by farmers with orchards.
The National Aviary is home to two of the many subspecies of Rainbow Lorikeet: the Swainson’s (Trichoglossus haematodus moluccanus) and the Edward’s (T. haematodus capistratus). The Swainson’s Rainbow Lorikeet (native to Eastern Australia and Tasmania) is mostly green, but with a deep blue head, a yellowish collar, and a red chest. The Edward’s (native to the Lesser Sunda Islands north of Australia) is almost a faded version of the Swainson’s, with a head gently shaded by blue and a striking yellow front. In fact, some sources argue for renaming the Edward’s Rainbow Lorikeet the Marigold Lorikeet and making it a separate species.
A symbolic Rainbow Lorikeet adoption is a great gift, and helps us care for our flock!
Adopt Today!Habitat
Lowland wooded country, including primary rainforest, second growth, scrubby monsoon forest, savanna, riparian woodland, mallee, coconut and other plantations, gardens and suburban areas
Diet
Nectar and pollen from flowers, as well as fruits and occasional grains
Status
Least Concern
Breeding
Rainbow Lorikeets breed in the spring in Australia, laying 1-3 eggs in a tree hollow. The female alone incubates the eggs for 25 days, and both parents care for the young until they fledge at around eight weeks.
FUN FACT
First reported on Puerto Rico in 1970, the Northern Red Bishop has become established in the 1980s in the Lesser Antilles, on Martinique and Guadeloupe, and most recently on St. Croix, Jamaica, and Cuba.
The Northern Red Bishop, sometimes called the Orange Bishop, is a small songbird found in the grasslands and wetlands of Africa. Some populations have become established in other areas, as well. This species forages in small flocks, primarily eating seeds. Males are a stunning orange. Females are less colorful but have beautiful streaking. Their song is a buzzy “zee-zee-zee” sound.
Habitat
Tall open or bushed grassland, also tall crops and overgrown margins of cultivated areas. Seasonally flooded areas are favored for nesting; an introduced population in West Indies inhabits grassy margins of sugar-cane fields.
Diet
Mostly small grass seeds; also insects. Seeds of millet favored, however, nestlings initially fed mostly insects. Forages on ground, but takes insects both on ground and in flight. Very gregarious, it forms into large flocks in the non-breeding season, along with other seed-eaters like canaries (Serinus), waxbills (Estrildidae), and also with congeners, like the Black-winged Bishop (E. hordeaceus).
Status
Least Concern
Breeding
This species is polygynous, and males will often mate with up to six females. The male builds the nest for his mates, which are globular structures with a side entrance, made from coarse grass strips. The females line the nest with grass flowerheads, which often project from entrance. Nests are usually built 1–2 meters above ground and supported by vertical grass or weed stems, or within cultivated crops; more rarely 3–6 meters above ground in bamboo, bush or tree. Clutches of 2–4 eggs are incubated by the females only for 13–14 days; chicks also are fed only by the females for a period of 14–16 days.
FUN FACT
Images of the Red Siskin are common throughout Venezuela, and they even appear on some Venezuelan bank notes.
The Red Siskin is an Endangered species owing to its popularity as a cage bird. The Red Siskin is a vibrantly colored finch that was once plentiful in Venezuela and so recognizable that their image is printed on Venezuelan banknotes, written into poetry, and appears in works of art. Native to the northern regions of Venezuela and Columbia, the Red Siskin inhabits dry deciduous woodland in the lowlands and foothills, as well as scrub or grasslands with scattered trees, and the edges of evergreen forests. Siskins are mostly granivorous, foraging on the seeds of various grasses, forbs, and trees, but they will also consume fruit and berries. Although legally protected, the cage bird trade continues to impact this species. Throughout the 20th century the birds were trapped and exported as part of the illegal wildlife trade, and were highly prized for their coloring and were bred with canaries. Their numbers dwindled almost to the point of extinction. Now Endangered, fewer than 7,000 Red Siskins remain in the wild in small, isolated populations.
Habitat
Lowlands or foothills in dry deciduous woodland (also lowland humid forest in Venezuela), edge of evergreen forest, and scrub or grassland with scattered trees
Diet
Mostly seeds of various grasses, forbs, and trees; also fruit, berries, and some nectar
Status
Endangered
Breeding
The Red Siskin's nest is a deep cup of fibrous bark or grass strips, lined with fine plant fibers, and placed high (up to 25 meters) up in a bromeliad clump or the fork of a tall forest tree. Females incubate a clutch of 3-5 eggs for 11-13 days; young fledge at 14-16 days.
FUN FACT
Many people first encountered the Red-billed Hornbill as the animated character, Zazu, in Disney’s The Lion King.
Made internationally famous as the result of the animated character, Zazu, in Disney’s The Lion King, the Red-billed Hornbill is a bird of open savannas and woodlands, and dry thorn-scrub with sparse ground cover in the Afrotropical region. This species forages for a variety of small invertebrates, but will also take some fruit and seeds. Like other hornbills, this species is best known for its enormous bill, and for its nesting habits. Utilizing an old barbet or woodpecker cavity as a nest, the female hornbill seals the entrance with her own droppings and food remains, lays her eggs, and incubates them for 23–25 days. The female and chicks are fed throughout this time by the male through a small opening. While in the cavity, the female molts all her wing and tail feathers, and emerges when the oldest chick is about three weeks old.
Habitat
Open savanna and woodlands, usually with sparse ground cover; also extends into drier thorn-scrub and also denser forest formations
Diet
Mostly invertebrates, with some small vertebrates and occasionally fruits and seeds
Status
Least Concern
Breeding
The species nests in tree cavities made by barbets or woodpeckers. They line the nest with green leaves and some bark and dry grass; the female seals the entrance with her own droppings and food remains. She lays 2–7 white eggs (clutch size varies in response to rainfall), and incubates them for 23–25 days. The female and chicks are fed by the male through a small opening. While in the cavity, the female molts all her wing and tail feathers, and emerges when the oldest chick is about three weeks old. The chicks fledge when they are about seven weeks old.
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FUN FACT
The Red-billed Leiothrix, also known as the Pekin Robin and Pekin Nightingale, has a very loud and beautiful song. The species has been introduced successfully to the Hawaiian Islands, Japan, France, and Spain, as well as some islands off the coast of Madagascar.
Native to southern China and the Himalayas, the Red-billed Leiothrix inhabits the thick undergrowth of more open broadleaf evergreen, pine, and mixed forests, as well as scrub and forest edges. The Red-billed Leiothrix forages low in vegetation for fruit and arthropods. Outside the breeding season this species may occur in large flocks of up to 100 other leiothris, and it will also join mixed species flocks. The Red-billed Leiothrix is sometimes known as the Pekin Robin, and has become a popular cage bird, it has also been introduced in a number of places around the world. There are currently no conservation threats for this species.
Habitat
Thick undergrowth in open forests, and forest edges; also uses secondary growth (scrubby areas), bamboo stands, etc.
Diet
Forages low in vegetation for fruit and arthropods
Status
Least Concern
Breeding
The Red-billed Leiothrix builds a pendulous nest in the fork of a branch in dense vegetation. A clutch of 3 eggs is incubated for 12 days. Both parents feed nestlings invertebrates, and young fledge after 10-12 days.
Although they are called “finches,” this species is taxonomically grouped with the tanager family (Thraupidae). Red-crested Finches are the only tanager species that has unmarked white eggs.
In many species, such as Red-crested Finches, males have a distinct appearance compared to females. They have a dark red coloration with a narrow white eye ring and a black-bordered bright red crown. Males can partly conceal or show off their crown coloration according to the situation. On the other hand, females have a white eye ring but lack any black and bright red on their crown. They are much duller above and paler below than the male and only have bright red coloration on the rump.
Distribution
Central South American east of the Andes Mountains and south to Buenos Aires, Argentina; has a few small disjunct populations in northern Peru, the Guianas, and northern Brazil near the mouth of the Amazon.
Habitat
Arid scrub, savannas, grasslands, parks and gardens in towns and villages, agricultural areas, second growth, and dry, thorny woodlands.
Diet
Diet of this species is not well known, but presumably it eats a variety of seeds, as well as some fruits and insects.
Status
Least Concern
Breeding
Builds a cup nest of fine twigs, grass stems, and rootlets interwoven with multiple supporting branches of a shrub or small tree about two meters above ground. The species lays two plain white eggs which are incubated by the female for 11-12 days, and the young (fed by both parents) fledge in 11-12 days.
FUN FACT
Unlike most tropical passerines, the male Red-legged Honeycreeper has an “eclipse” color phase outside the breeding season, when he is a dull olive-green, much like the female. When breeding season is over, he molts into a fresh coat of olive-green, and the process begins all over again.
One look at the Red-legged Honeycreeper and it’s easy to see where it gets its name. Largest of the Cyanerpes honeycreepers at about 12 centimeters long, both male and female Red-legged Honeycreepers sport bright, candy-red legs and a long, sharp bill that’s almost as recognizable as their legs. Males in breeding plumage are a brilliant blue, with azure cap and black wings and tail. Yellow underwing coverts flash conspicuously when the birds are in flight. Females are olive-green above and paler below; males in eclipse plumage resemble the females, but retain their black wings and tails.
The Honeycreeper’s thin, downward-curving bill is an adaptation to nectar-eating, but also allows the Honeycreeper specialized access to fruit and insects. Honeycreepers are able to reach into the narrow cracks of ripening arillate fruit husks to nip bits off the rich arils inside, long before birds with shorter, heavier bills can reach them. In the same way, the bill fits neatly into cracks in tree bark and behind twisting vines to pluck out insects too small and hidden for other birds to find. These tiny insects, in fact, make up the majority of the Red-legged Honeycreeper’s diet.
Common and widespread throughout its range, the Red-legged Honeycreeper is currently not considered threatened. However, “harvesting” of the Red-legged Honeycreeper is allowed in Mexico for part of the year, most likely to supply the pet and caged bird trade.
Habitat
Forests and forest edges, including around cacao and shade-grown coffee plantations, where trees have been only partially cleared
Diet
Primarily insects, significantly more than other tanagers; tiny berries and fleshy arils, and nectar when seasonally available
Status
Least Concern
Breeding
Nest are constructed exclusively by the female, and she does all the incubation and brooding for the pair's two eggs. Eggs hatch in 12-14 days, and chicks fledge around 14 days later. Both parents feed the chicks. Spiders are a favorite!
The National Aviary is home to more than 500 birds 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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