13. Toco Toucan
The head and neck of the Toco Toucan is the largest relative to the body size of any bird, and it may be used to regulate heat distribution similar to an elephant’s ear. While sleeping, heat loss can be reduced by placing their head under their wings.
14. Egyptian vultures
15. Jacobin Red Splash Pigeon
The Jacobin is perhaps the most regal of pigeons, having been kept by the likes of Charles Darwin and Queen Victoria. It is so named because of the feathered headdress that surrounds its head.
16. Andean rooster of rock
During breeding, the male Cock-of-the-rock engages in a dance battle with other males, becoming increasingly frenzied as the female approaches.
17. Gray crowned crane
Gray-crowned cranes come from South and East Africa and are known for being quite feisty and capable of getting people’s attention with just a gentle pat. When he started pecking at my camera and seemed intent on starting a conversation with me, I wasn’t worried anymore!
18. Shoe making
19. Vulture King
The Mayans once believed that the King Vulture was a messenger between gods and humans. Contrary to the common association between vultures and deserts, King Vultures live in dense forests found in South America up to Mexico!
20. Vultrurine Guineafowl
Vultrurine Guineafowl hens can lay up to 40 eggs per season – this may be one of the reasons this bird is not a threatened species! They are found in the dense semi-deserts of East Africa and spend most of their time running rather than flying.
21. Miniature duck with crest
This domestic duck is a crested one. Comb-like structures around the edges of their beaks allow them to run through mud to find food like insects.
22. Nicobar pigeon
The Nicobar pigeon is the closest relative to the Dodo. They are a threatened species hunted for food and their gizzard stones are extracted for jewelry. They are a nomadic species that moves from places like the Nicobar Islands in India to other coastal regions in Southeast Asia.
23. Titus has a beard
Bearded Tits are the only British songbird that stays and breeds in reed beds all year round. There are fewer than 600 breeding pairs of bearded tits found in the UK, most likely because they are limited by their habitat, building their nests low in the reeds.
24. Silver-rimmed rooster
In Polish literature and art, this silver-rimmed rooster became the symbol of a country gentleman from medieval Poland. I took this photo at the League Championship Poultry Show last week.
25. Hooded vulture
A dignified bird. Their photos in this collection remind me of an essay that helped me appreciate their presence in the bird world… “On Coming Back as a Buzzard” by Lia Purpura. Worth searching the web for and worthy of the way you have given these birds a dignified image.
