Birds
A Duck That Nests in Trees
In pine barren wetlands, on New York’s Long Island, where black gum and red maple trees dominate the landscape, a mother wood duck calls to her ducklings from the edge of a small pond. The ducklings are only a day old and covered in down. They are still in the nesting cavity of an old […]
Boat-tailed Grackles Evoke Nostalgia
One of my fondest memories is being greeted by the calls of boat-tailed grackles at the Florida welcome center after driving nearly a thousand miles from New York. The calls along with the warm Florida sunshine signified an escape from the cold wintry weather of the north and the start of our family vacation. Boat-tailed […]
Falcated Teal
This east Asian duck nests in eastern Russia and northern China. It winters in southeast Asia including parts of India, south China and Vietnam. This duck’s prime habitats are lakes, ponds, wetlands and lagoons within forests where it dines on shore plants, aquatic vegetation, seeds and the occasional mollusk. Due to high levels of hunting […]
Victoria Crowned Pigeon
Wandering the forest floor in New Guinea, the Victoria crowned pigeon finds figs, a favorite and other fruit and seeds to eat. Although a ground-dwelling species, this bird is capable of flying into the trees if disturbed. This pigeon is a threatened species partly due to the loss of habitat from logging.
Crested Wood Partridge
This gamebird is in the pheasant family and thrives in the lowland rainforests of southeast Asia where it uses its feet to find fruit, seeds and insects to eat. What is interesting about this species is that it feeds its young beak to beak. The youngsters of other members of this family begins pecking for […]
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