Birds

Flamingos: Facts and Information

James’ flamingos in Salar Uyuni, Bolivia. Photo: Christian-Mehlfuhrer. Classification  Flamingos belong to the Phoenicopteridae family. Close relatives  Flamingos’ closest relatives are the grebes. Likewise, flamingos and grebes are more closely related to pigeons and doves than to other water birds of similar appearance. Conservation The biggest threats are the loss of habitat due to pollution, …

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Hummingbird facts and information

Hummingbird Facts & Information

Families  All hummingbirds belong to the family Trochilidae. Close Relatives  They are closely related to the swifts of the family Apodidae. Conservation The major threat to hummingbirds is habitat loss. There are 37 species of hummingbirds in the list of threatened and endangered birds.   Distribution Hummingbirds occur only in the Americas. Diet They feed mostly …

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Understanding Magnification Power and Aperture in Binoculars

Magnification Power and Aperture in Binoculars Binoculars bring distant birds, and other wildlife, up close, allowing the careful study of shapes, colors, and patterns. If you are shopping for a pair of binoculars, making the right choice means understanding the magnification power and image brightness, and how these two elements influence the field of view, …

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How to Identify Birds

  Being able to identify the birds you see in the field not only increases the value of an outdoor experience but can also help conserve birds and their habitats. If you are interested in getting to know the birds you see and reporting your records to databases used by scientists and conservationists, these simple …

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macaw clay lick

Macaw, Parrot and Parakeet may visit clay licks for more than a single reason

Red and Green Macaws (Ara chloropterus) on a clay lick in Southeast Peru. Photo Credit: Fernando Angulo. Macaws, parrots, and parakeets that visit the clay licks in Southeast Peru are thought to eat clay to help them neutralize toxins consumed in their daily diets. Other macaws, parrots, and parakeets outside this region, and in other …

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