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  • On February 14, 1978, the bald eagle was federally listed as endangered in all of the lower 48 United States except Washington, Oregon, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan (it was classified as threatened in these states). The species was reclassified as threatened in the remaining states on August 11, 1995. Of course, the threatened status means that bald eagle populations are increasing, but have not increased to the point where they are out of danger.<br />
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A 1975 estimate of the total bald eagles in the world (since they are only found in North America, I could say North America) was between 35,000 and 60,000! Most of these are in Alaska and Canada where bald eagles are not endangered. To give you an idea of how the population has grown in the lower 48 states, in 1963 there were 417 breeding pairs known, and in 1994 that number was up to 4,452<br />
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The American bald Eagle has short powerful toes but long scimitar shaped talons. These are perfect for gripping onto slippery fish. The Bald Eagle has brilliant talon - eye coodornition and is capable of snatching unsuspecting fish from the surface of a lake at top speed and is incredibly accurate when doing so.
    All Feathers and Additude.jpg
  • The Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus) is a member of the ibis and spoonbill family (Threskiornithidae). Birds in this family are wading birds with long, downward-curved bills that they use to probe in mud or grass for invertebrates and other prey. Sacred Ibises are larger than Florida's native ibises. <br />
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They have very distinctive long, black feathers or plumes on their rumps. During the breeding season the feathers on the sides of their chests and on the outer wings (near the edge when folded) may have a yellowish (or reddish) tinge, and their lower legs may be tinged with reddish-copper; bare patches of scarlet-red skin may also be visible under their wings. The heads and necks of young Sacred Ibises are covered with black and white feathers, giving the head and neck a mottled appearance.<br />
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Sacred Ibises look very similar to the native Wood Stork (Mycteria americana), a member of the stork family (Ciconiidae) that is federally listed as an endangered species.<br />
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Sacred Ibises are native to sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and Madagascar; historically, they were also found in Egypt, where they are now extinct. These large birds are often depicted in Egyptian hieroglyphs as the earthly representation of the god Thoth (also shown as an ibis-headed man) and were considered sacred?hence the common name. They are very similar in appearance and so closely related to the Black-headed Ibis (T. melanocephalus) in South Asia and the Australian White Ibis (T. molucca) that many scientists consider the three a "superspecies," and some believe they may actually all be the same species. In their native range, they inhabit coastal estuaries, lagoons, marshes, and other inland wetlands such as flooded agricultural fields and urban retention ponds.
    Sacred Ibis.jpg
  • The East African Crowned Crane (Grey Crowned Crane) gets its name from the distinctive golden crown of feathers on its head. The Grey Crowned Crane is a bird in the crane family Gruidae. It occurs in dry savannah in Africa south of the Sahara, although it nests in somewhat wetter habitats.They can also be found in marshes. This photo was taken at the Saint Louis Zoo<br />
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This species and the closely related Black Crowned Crane are the only cranes that can roost in trees, because of a long hind toe that can grasp branches. This habit, amongst other things, is a reason why the relatively small Balearica cranes are believed to closely resemble the ancestral members of the Gruidae.<br />
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The body of the Grey Crowned Crane is mainly gray. The wings are predominantly white, but contain feathers with colors ranging from white to brown to gold. The head is topped with a crown of stiff golden feathers. Cheek patches are white, and a red gular sack is present under the chin. The gular sack is similar to a wattle, except that it can be inflated. Legs and toes are black. The bill is short and dark gray. <br />
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West African crowned cranes are monogamous birds that form pairs for life. Pairs can be seen together even in the middle of a large flock, which suggests an exceptionally strong pair bond. Adult cranes reinforce their pair bond by dancing for and with each other. They perform ritualistic dance displays that include bows, leaps, runs, wing flapping, short flights, jerky bouncing, running, and stick tossing. Cranes of all ages dance. Among younger birds, dancing may serve to reduce aggression with other cranes, provide physical exercise, and possibly relieve anxiety.
    Crowned Crane Consistency.jpg
  • Mike Moats explained that there are other unique and fun items to macro with the exception of flowers and insects...This is my attempt to macro a fake birds nest with feathers that came with some flowers I recently purchased...Please critique and give constructive criticism.
    quills.jpg
  • The Green-winged Macaw, also known as the Red-and-green Macaw, is a large mostly-red macaw of the Ara genus. This is the largest of the Ara genus, widespread in the forests and woodlands of northern and central South America.<br />
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The green-winged macaw is a large parrot covered with mostly red plumage. The wing and tail feathers are blue and green, hence its name. This macaw has a white, naked face, striped with small red feathers. The beak is strongly hooked and the feet are zygodactylous (2 toes that point forward and 2 toes that point backward).<br />
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Macaws are very messy eaters - their extremely strong beaks are perfectly adapted for eating all sorts of nuts and seeds, as seen in their ability to crack open incredibly hard-shelled nuts (such as Brazil nuts) with ease. In the course of daily feeding, macaws allow plenty of seeds (while eating, as well as in their droppings) to fall to the forest floor, thus regenerating much of the forest growth.<br />
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Largely a forest dwelling species, green-winged macaws, along with many of their parrot relatives, are under pressure from deforestation and human population growth.
    Red and Green Macaw.jpg
  • Adults have a long, square-tipped brown tail and are a brown or dull-brown color across the back with some shading into deep gray on the wing feathers. Breast and belly feathers may be streaked; the flanks usually are. In most cases, adult males' heads, necks and shoulders are reddish. This color sometimes extends to the belly and down the back, between the wings. Male coloration varies in intensity with the seasons and is derived from the berries and fruits in its diet. As a result, the colors range from pale straw-yellow through bright orange (both rare) to deep, intense red. Adult females have brown upper-parts and streaked underparts.
    Red Male House Finch-D.jpg
  • A Female Dark-Eyed Junco Foraging For Food in the Snow During A Cold Blue Winter Day.<br />
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Females and juvenile birds are generally paler and show a greater mixture of brown in the plumage. Generally, there is less white on the outer tail feathers in juvenile and female birds. There is, however, much individual variation.<br />
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The Dark-eyed Junco is the best-known species of the juncos, a genus of small grayish American sparrows. This bird is common across much of temperate North America and in summer ranges far into the Arctic. Dark-eyed Juncos are neat, even flashy little sparrows that flit about forest floors of the western mountains and Canada, then flood the rest of North America for winter. They're easy to recognize by their crisp (though extremely variable) markings and the bright white tail feathers they habitually flash in flight. One of the most abundant forest birds of North America, you'll see juncos on woodland walks as well as in flocks at your feeders or on the ground beneath them. <br />
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Juncos are the "snowbirds" of the middle latitudes. Over most of the eastern United States, they appear as winter sets in and then retreat northward each spring. Some juncos in the Appalachian Mountains remain there all year round, breeding at the higher elevations. These residents have shorter wings than the migrants that join them each winter. Longer wings are better suited to flying long distances, a pattern commonly noted among other studies of migratory vs. resident species.
    Blue Christmas Junco.jpg
  • This is my attempt to macro a fake birds nest with a feather that came with some flowers I recently purchased...Please critique and give constructive criticism.
    glowing_quill.jpg
  • Bald Eagle Grooming Day - Time for a little feather maintenance
    Feather Maintenance.jpg
  • The gangly Double-crested Cormorant is a prehistoric-looking, matte-black fishing bird with yellow-orange facial skin. Though they look like a combination of a goose and a loon, they are relatives of frigatebirds and boobies and are a common sight around fresh and salt water across North America?perhaps attracting the most attention when they stand on docks, rocky islands, and channel markers, their wings spread out to dry. These solid, heavy-boned birds are experts at diving to catch small fish.<br />
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Adults are brown-black with a small patch of yellow-orange skin on the face. Immatures are browner overall, palest on the neck and breast. In the breeding season, adults develop a small double crest of stringy black or white feathers.<br />
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The Double-crested Cormorant is a member of the cormorant family of seabirds. It occurs along inland waterways as well as in coastal areas, and is widely distributed across North America.
    Cormorant Curves.jpg
  • This blue jay was resting under a heat lamp on a cold and snowy winter day in my Missouri backyard. Having a pretty close vantage point I was able to get a dent amount of detail in the feathers of this lovely bird. A close look reveals the water droplets from the falling snow that has melted from the heat of the lamp.<br />
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The Blue Jay is a passerine bird in the family Corvidae, native to North America. It is resident through most of eastern and central United States and southern Canada, although western populations may be migratory.<br />
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This common, large songbird is familiar to many people, with its perky crest; blue, white, and black plumage; and noisy calls. Blue Jays are known for their intelligence and complex social systems with tight family bonds. Their fondness for acorns is credited with helping spread oak trees after the last glacial period.<br />
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Blue Jays prefer tray feeders or hopper feeders on a post rather than hanging feeders, and they prefer peanuts, sunflower seeds, and suet. Planting oak trees will make acorns available for jays of the future. Blue Jays often take drinks from birdbaths.
    Winter Heat Blue Jay.jpg
  • The East African Crowned Crane gets its name from the distinctive golden crown of feathers on its head. It lives in open areas and grasslands, where it feeds on grass seeds, insects, frogs and lizards. Crowned cranes usually mate for life. Both the male and female cooperate in building the nest, and in defending the eggs and the chicks. Crowned crane parents often pretend to be injured to lure predators away from their nestlings.
    Flowing Crowned Crane Profile.jpg
  • Double-crested Cormorants are large birds, growing over two feet long, with a wingspan of four feet.<br />
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They are mostly black with an orange throat. They have a long neck and webbed feet.<br />
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During breeding season, males have two curly black crests on their heads.<br />
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Cormorants are water birds, and are found at lakes, rivers, streams, marshes, bays, and coasts. They are great swimmers and divers, as well as good flyers.<br />
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Double-crested Cormorants usually travel, feed, and roost in groups.<br />
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In breeding season, cormorants gather in colonies and build nests out of sticks, twigs, feathers, grass, bark, and trash. They have been known to also include pebbles and parts of dead birds.
    Cormorant Speckle.jpg
  • This Blue Hyacinth Macaw Strikes A Funny Pose.<br />
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The large Hyacinth Macaw Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus is a majestic beauty. Visually it appears to be the largest parrot in the world. But that is not quite so. The elongated body of the Hyacinth reaches about 37' (95 cm) in length and it has an impressive wingspan up to about 42 inches across, which is the most expansive parrot in the world. But the Hyacinth is not all that hefty, it only weighs up to about 3.7 lb.<br />
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The worlds largest parrot is actually a flightless, ground-dwelling bird. It is the species Strigops habroptila, commonly called Kakapo which means night parrot. This hefty bird only extends to 24' (61 cm) in length, but in weight a mature adult can be up to 9 pounds (4 kg)! The Kakapo is endemic to New Zealand and is quite a pretty bird in its own right. Rather than being blue like the Hyacinth, it is a yellowish green color mottled with dark stripes and spots giving it an owlish appearance. Its scientific name actually means 'owl-faced soft feathers'.<br />
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The beautiful Hyacinth is pretty much an all blue large Macaw. The rich cobalt blue of its coloring is what influenced its name. It is a calm Macaw and known to make an excellent pet. Hyacinth Macaws have a very even temperament. They are sweet, extremely gentle, and are not inclined to make a great deal of noise. They are affectionate and playful, and become quite attached to their human families.
    Hyacinth Pose.jpg
  • Harriet is the oldest eagle ambassador and arrived at the National Eagle Center in 2000. In 1998, a vehicle collision left her left wing badly dislocated and part of it was subsequently amputated.<br />
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Although she was fully adult at the time of her injury, we know that she hatched in 1981. Harriet was banded as an eaglet in her nest in northern Wisconsin. A researcher placed a small aluminum band on her leg, and she lived in the wild for 17 years before her accident in 1998.<br />
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Harriet has a feather tuft atop her head that makes her easy to identify. We can't be certain, but suspect that this distinctive feather growth is the result of scar tissue and damage to feather follicles.<br />
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As an eagle ambassador with the National Eagle Center, Harriet has made appearances across the country. She's been featured on the Today Show and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. In 2007, Harriet was in Washington DC to celebrate the removal of the bald eagle from the endangered species list.<br />
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Much of Harriet's work over the years has been with veterans. She has visited VA hospitals and been a part of numerous veterans honor ceremonies. Harriet is the eagle featured on the Minnesota Support Our Troops license plate.
    Bald Eagle Eating Fish.jpg
  • A curious bald eagle in black and white with glowing feather details
    Curious Eagle - BW.jpg
  • The female Mallard is predominantly mottled with each individual feather showing sharp contrast from buff to very dark brown, a coloration shared by most female dabbling ducks, and has buff cheeks, eyebrow, throat and neck with a darker crown and eye-stripe
    Flying Female Mallard.jpg
  • The Blue and Gold Macaw Ara ararauna is one of the most beautiful large parrots. It is a sweet tempered and affectionate parrot, and has one of the best all around personalities of the large Macaws. This bird makes a great companion for a single person. But it is friendly with everyone, including other birds, when it's well socialized. Although some Macaws are one-person type birds, the Blue and Gold is right at home in a family type situation as well.<br />
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This large parrot is also sometimes called the Blue and Yellow Macaw, or you may come across a larger variant from Bolivia called the Bolivian Blue and Gold Macaw. The Bolivian variety is distinguished by its larger size and its coloring. On all these Macaws the colors are vibrant, but the Bolivian has more of a true blue rather than the teal blue seen in the average Blue and Gold. They all share the same wonderful personality and characteristics.<br />
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The Blue and Gold Macaw is very adaptive. Whatever environment they are in, it becomes quite normal for them. If they are around many people, they will accept many people. When well trained and socialized, Blue and Gold Macaws enjoy participating in all sorts of outdoor and public activities with their owners. We've seen them attending public festivals on their owners arms. One woman regularly took her Macaw with her to Western line dance classes. Another woman would take her Blue and Gold horseback riding with her. There are bird leashes available so you can take your feathered friend wherever you go, and they just adapt. They ride well in a car on a bird car seat
    Tropic Macaw.jpg
  • Yellow-Crowned Night Heron chillaxing up on a branch.
    Yellow-crowned Night Heron.jpg
  • A Tufted Titmouse standing on a seed treat defending it like he is king of the mountain
    Tufted Titmouse on Treat.jpg
  • An Immature Bald Eagle in Black and White Under The Tree Canopy
    BW Immature Bald Eagle.jpg
  • A Bald Eagle Head-Shot Profile Closeup on a textured blue backdrop
    Baldy On Blue.jpg
  • Mr. Quakers is making his rounds trying to locate some food.
    339A5603.jpg
  • An Injured Eagle In Black and White
    Pride In Detail.jpg
  • This little lady was playing in a fountain just enjoying the beautiful weather at the Saint Louis Zoo.
    quackers.jpg
  • This prairie dog was just trying to eat and this little bird just kept trying to take the food right out of the prairie dogs mouth.  It was really funny to watch and the prairie dog did not seem to care.
    gimme_my_carrot.jpg
  • I photographed these beautiful Flamingos at the Saint Louis, Missouri. Flamingos or flamingoes are a type of wading bird.
    pink_flamingo.jpg
  • A Starling and A Prairie Dog Fight Over Peanuts at the Saint Louis Zoo
    cmon share your food.jpg
  • I photographed these beautiful Flamingos at the Saint Louis, Missouri. Flamingos or flamingoes are a type of wading bird.
    flamingos.jpg
  • Flamingo Flow.jpg
  • A Flock Of Snow Geese Fly Through Wentzville Skies on a cold March Morning
    Crowded New Melle Skies.jpg
  • March 1st on a snowy afternoon the husband and I decided to head out and see what kind of photos we could capture while it was still snowing.  ..We came across 2 fields along Hwy D in New Melle, Missouri were hundreds of what I believe to be Snow Geese were making themselves at home.  I took this shot as I thought it was unique and interesting. They are beautiful.
    new_melle_snow_geese.jpg
  • Snow Geese Waddle Through The Snow in New Melle
    New Melle Snow Geese.jpg
  • This beautiful peacock can be found at the Saint Louis Zoo hanging out with the Prairie Dogs.
    peacock2.jpg
  • This beautiful peacock can be found at the Saint Louis Zoo hanging out with the Prairie Dogs.
    peacock-pose.jpg
  • Flamingo Flow 2.jpg
  • I took this shot of the Male Indigo Bunting in my front yard. The Indigo Bunting is a small bird. It displays sexual dimorphism in its coloration; the male is a vibrant blue in the summer and a brown color during the winter months, while the female is brown year-round.
    male_indigo_bunting.jpg
  • Male Mallard Duck was running for his life from all the little kids on a hot humid day at the zoo.  ..The male birds (drakes) have a bright green head and are grey on wings and belly, while the females are brown all over.
    mallard_duck.jpg
  • Ostriches are the largest living birds. The boldly-colored males can grow up to 9 feet tall and weigh as much as 350 pounds. Females are smaller and are drab-colored to blend in with their surroundings.
    Ostrich.jpg
  • This shot was taken in Grand Marais, Minnesota on Lake Superior. It was an absolutely beautiful day.
    lake_superior_goose.jpg
  • I photographed this Ostrich at the Saint Louis Zoo.
    ostrich.jpg
  • This beautiful peacock can be found at the Saint Louis Zoo hanging out with the Prairie Dogs.
    peacock_profile.jpg
  • This shot was taken on a hot but relaxing day at the Saint Louis zoo.
    East African Crowned Crane.jpg
  • A Dreamy Vision Of A Red-Bellied Woodpecker
    I Dreamt Of A Woodpecker.jpg
  • A Male Northern Cardinal Stands Slightly Inquisitive Upon A Broken Tree Stump Against A Moody Backdrop.
    Moody Painterly Redbird.jpg
  • Downy Woodpecker - Male 2.jpg
  • Spread your wings and fly
    Fly Like An Eagle.jpg
  • This goose stop and poses for a cute photo after enjoying a piece of bread. Love the water drops falling from its mouth.
    dribbles.jpg
  • This carp swam up to this cute little gosling and tried to eat its webbed food for lunch. These little gosling squealed and the big geese came to its defense.
    carp_bait.jpg
  • The Bald Eagle has been the national emblem of the United States since 1782 and a spiritual symbol for native people for far longer than that. These regal birds aren't really bald, but their white-feathered heads gleam in contrast to their chocolate-brown body and wings. Look for them soaring in solitude, chasing other birds for their food, or gathering by the hundreds in winter. Once endangered by hunting and pesticides, Bald Eagles have flourished under protection. <br />
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The Bald Eagle dwarfs most other raptors, including the Turkey Vulture and Red-tailed Hawk. It has a heavy body, large head, and long, hooked bill. In flight, a Bald Eagle holds its broad wings flat like a board. <br />
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Look for Bald Eagles near lakes, reservoirs, rivers, marshes, and coasts. For a chance to see large Bald Eagle congregations, check out wildlife refuges or large bodies of water in winter over much of the continent, or fish processing plants and dumpsters year-round in coastal Alaska and the Pacific Northwest.
    Eagle With an Attitude.jpg
  • A Double-Crested Cormorant sits along the shore of a pond with a copper sheen.
    Cormorant on Copper Pond.jpg
  • A cold Male Junco bird gland on a dormant winter bush covered with snow, sunflower seed in his beak
    Snowy Male Junco.jpg
  • The Pintail or Northern Pintail is a widely occurring duck which breeds in the northern areas of Europe, Asia and North America. It is strongly migratory and winters south of its breeding range to the equator.
    Northern Pintail (Female).jpg
  • A Red Male House Finch on a spring blooming tree branch with pink and purple blossoms.
    Red Male House Finch-E.jpg
  • White-Breasted Nuthatch-E.jpg
  • Red-Bellied Woodpecker-A.jpg
  • IMG_4554.jpg
  • It was so windy out yesterday, all of my bird shots look like this
    Titmouse In The Breeze.jpg
  • After enjoying some bread the geese and gosling’s seem happy and just continue to swim around the docks at Maynard's enjoying the beautiful weather.
    contentment.jpg
  • This photo makes me laugh. I swear this fish looks like it is having a serious take with the goose about not sharing food.
    we_need_to_chat.jpg
  • This immature bald eagle with was hurt and can no longer fend for its self so it lives at Sea World and is helping educate people about the lives of Bald Eagles.
    Immature Bald Eagle.jpg
  • The Black Swan (Cygnus atratus) is a large waterbird, a species of swan, which breeds mainly in the southeast and southwest regions of Australia. The species was hunted to extinction in New Zealand, but later reintroduced. Within Australia they are nomadic, with erratic migration patterns dependent upon climatic conditions. Black Swans are large birds with mostly black plumage and red bills. They are monogamous breeders that share incubation duties and cygnet rearing between the sexes.
    Black Swan on Gold.jpg
  • The Carolina Wren is a common species of wren, resident in the eastern half of the USA, the extreme south of Ontario, Canada, and the extreme northeast of Mexico
    Carolina Wren 2.jpg
  • The Cardinal is probably one of the most recognizable and popular backyard birds because of its brilliant red color and crested head. It is a great bird to admire year-round. The color contrast of the brilliant red against fresh white snow really is a high point during the winter months. Early settlers were said to have named this bird after the Cardinals of the Catholic Church who wore red robes.<br />
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Both sexes are accomplished songsters and may be heard at any time of year. Cardinals will mate for life and remain together throughout the entire year. That's why you will usually see a male and female together at your feeding station.<br />
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Male and female Cardinals both sing. Songs are loud, beautiful whistled phrases. Some songs you may hear sound like "whoit whoit whoit" and "whacheer whacheer." These songs are used in forming territories and in courtship. Male and female cardinals use "chirps" as contact calls and alarms. They also have many visual displays such as "tail-flicks" to signal alarm. The crest may be raised and lowered. Strongly territorial, males will fight other males, along with their own reflection in windows!
    Chubby Winter Redbird.jpg
  • A Red-Bellied Woodpecker Pays a Visit To My White Swing Feeder For a Lunch Reservation
    Red-Belly Comes For Lunch.jpg
  • The adult female Brown-headed Cowbird is slightly smaller than the male and is dull grey with a pale throat and very fine streaking on the underparts.
    Flowing Female Cowbird.jpg
  • A Titmouse peeks down below to see what all the commotion is about under the bird feeder
    Titmouse Peekdown.jpg
  • Red Male House Finch perched on a tree branch as the sun sets
    Red Male House Finch-C.jpg
  • White-Breasted Nuthatch-H.jpg
  • White-Breasted Nuthatch-D.jpg
  • Tufted Titmouse-H.jpg
  • Tufted Titmouse-G.jpg
  • Tufted Titmouse-C.jpg
  • A Blue Jay perched atop a stump looking down with a mealworm in its mouth
    Blue Jay on Pastels.jpg
  • Blue Jay-B.jpg
  • A Female House Finch Looking Backward On A Broken Tree Against A Backdrop Of Green Texture
    Female House Finch Look Back on Gree...jpg
  • A Tufted Titmouse perched on a small tree branch with a background of purple and orange hues.
    Tufted on Violet.jpg
  • A Bald Eagle's Majesty Shines From The Shadows
    Majesty On Black.jpg
  • A Pigeon/Dove Snuggles Next To A Tree And Tries To Stay Warm
    Cozy Pigeon.jpg
  • A Female Mallard Duck on Textured Blue Waters
    Lady Mallard Blues.jpg
  • It is said the eagle was used as a national emblem because, at one of the first battles of the Revolution (which occurred early in the morning) the noise of the struggle awoke the sleeping eagles on the heights and they flew from their nests and circled about over the heads of the fighting men, all the while giving vent to their raucous cries.
    Scream For Freedom.jpg
  • Thought it was an interesting pose of the East African Crowned Crane, especially just popping out of the shadows like it was.
    IMG_3045.jpg
  • A Goose Swims in blue waters casting a geometric reflection
    Goose Symmetry.jpg
  • These baby gosling finally showed these two carp who was boss and got to the bread first.
    got_it.jpg
  • The active little Downy Woodpecker is a familiar sight at backyard feeders and in parks and woodlots, where it joins flocks of chickadees and nuthatches, barely outsizing them. An often acrobatic forager, this black-and-white woodpecker is at home on tiny branches or balancing on slender plant galls, sycamore seed balls, and suet feeders.
    Monday Morning Downy.jpg
  • American White Pelican just relaxing and casually swimming across the pond.
    American White Pelican.jpg
  • The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle.<br />
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Though their numbers have grown in much of their range, bald eagles remain most abundant in Alaska and Canada. These powerful birds of prey use their talons to fish, but they get many of their meals by scavenging carrion or stealing the kills of other animals. (Such thievery famously prompted Ben Franklin to argue against the bird's nomination as the United State's national symbol.) They live near water and favor coasts and lakes where fish are plentiful, though they will also snare and eat small mammals.<br />
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Bald eagles are believed to mate for life. A pair constructs an enormous stick nest�one of the bird-world's biggest�high above the ground and tends to a pair of eggs each year. Immature eagles are dark, and until they are about five years old, they lack the distinctive white markings that make their parents so easy to identify. Young eagles roam great distances. Florida birds have been spotted in Michigan, and California eagles have traveled all the way to Alaska.
    Baldy On Lookout.jpg
  • The Black-crowned Night Heron, commonly abbreviated to just Night Heron in Eurasia, is a medium-sized heron found throughout a large part of the world, except in the coldest regions and Australasia
    Black-Crowned Night Heron.jpg
  • Few sounds symbolize American patriotism like the piercing shrill of a bald eagle. But just like George Washington and his cherry tree, that majestic call - is a myth. The screech associated with the bald eagle, in fact, belongs to a different bird. It's a cry that's synonymous with America's national bird. But there's a problem. If you were to look up at the bird making that sound in real life you wouldn't see a bald eagle. Unfortunately for the bald eagle, it has like a little cackling type of a laugh that's not really very impressive for the bird.<br />
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The hole in the tongue is not for swallowing, it's for breathing. The bird trachea (wind pipe) comes up through the tongue. The esophogus is behind that. This is very functional, actually. The eagle's tongue also has sort of a barb on it. When they are swallowing something large, like a fish, they will stick out their tongue so the barbs go past the morsel, then pull their tongue back in. The tips of the barb will pull the food back into their throat, where it can be swallowed. If an eagle's windpipe were behind the tongue like a human, they wouuld be unable to breath with a large piece of prey or whole fish in their their throat.  A situation like that is where the tongue comes into play. They will stick out their tongues to allow the barbs to get the bite of food, but while the tongue is extended, they will open the hole in their tongue to take a breath of air.
    Down The Hatch.jpg
  • Columbia, an adult female bald eagle, came to the National Eagle Center in 2003 as a juvenile. She hatched in the spring of 2001.<br />
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After feeding on road kill near Dunbar, WI, Columbia was struck by a van. This accident left her with an open fracture near her right shoulder. While this wound was significant and would render her unable to fly again, the accident most likely saved Columbia's life. During treatment for her injuries, Columbia was found to have nearly twice the lethal dose of lead in her blood.<br />
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Lead is extremely dangerous for eagles. Just a tiny amount of lead can be lethal in 4-5 days. She was able to be treated for lead poisoning, but any damage already incurred would be irreversible.<br />
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Columbia arrived at the National Eagle Center just a few months before the Space Shuttle Columbia mission that ended in tragedy. Columbia was named in honor of the commander and crew of this shuttle.
    Columbia - Eagle.jpg
  • An American Bald Eagle with an Edgy Amber Attitude snacks on the last bit of a fish, remnants of fishy bone and flesh still visible on the tongue.
    Edgy Amber Eagle.jpg
  • A cold male Northern Cardinal adds a splash of color to an otherwise dull gray winter afternoon in the woods
    A Splash of Winter Red.jpg
  • A Friendly red cardinal perches on a blue bar on my swing-set in search af some afternoon seed.
    Cardinal In The Rain.jpg
  • A member of the tribe of 'stiff-tailed ducks', the Ruddy Duck has a spiky tail that it often holds straight up in display. Female ruddy ducks have grayish-brown neck and body plumage. The sides of the head and neck are dull buff-brown with a single dusky horizontal stripe crossing a pale-gray cheek patch. The bill is dark gray and the legs and feet are grayish. Females are relatively silent.
    Adult Female Ruddy Duck.jpg
  • Yes even a robin can have some majesty and prowess.<br />
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The quintessential early bird, American Robins are common sights on lawns across North America, where you often see them tugging earthworms out of the ground. Robins are popular birds for their warm orange breast, cheery song, and early appearance at the end of winter. Though they're familiar town and city birds, American Robins are at home in wilder areas, too, including mountain forests and Alaskan wilderness. <br />
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The American Robin or North American Robin is a migratory songbird of the thrush family. It is named after the European Robin because of its reddish-orange breast, though the two species are not closely<br />
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A distinctive, potbellied bird. Forages on lawns and other areas of short vegetation for earthworms and other invertebrates in a run-and-stop pattern typical of terrestrial thrushes. Adult: depending on sex and subspecies, head, with white eye arcs, varies from jet black to gray, with white supercilia and throat, blackish lores and lateral throat stripe. Underparts vary, often in tandem with head color, from deep, rich reddish maroon to gray-scalloped, peachy orange. Males tend to be darker, females grayer, but overlap makes determining sex of many problematic.
    Majestic Robin Blues.jpg
  • This White-Breasted Nuthatch was pacing back and forth across the top of a swing in my backyard plucking off meal-worms I had left there for a treat.
    Nuthatch Walking Wood.jpg
  • The Downy Woodpecker is a species of woodpecker, the smallest in North America. The active little Downy Woodpecker is a familiar sight at backyard feeders and in parks and woodlots, where it joins flocks of chickadees and nuthatches, barely outsizing them.
    Downy on Winter Feeder.jpg
  • A Male Northern Cardinals perched on a white feeder in the midst of a cold winter snow storm. The vibrant Cardinal red contrast against the chilly blues and white snow. The Northern Cardinal is a North American bird in the genus Cardinalis, it is also known colloquially as the redbird or common cardinal.<br />
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The Northern Cardinal or "Redbird" is probably one of most popular visitors to backyard bird feeders. Its range extends over most of the eastern USA, parts of extreme southeastern Canada, and south through Mexico to Belize. It has also been introduced to Hawaii. Its variable call, a loud "cheer cheer cheer" or "purty purty purty," is sung by both sexes and can be heard year round. Cardinals are nonmigratory, but some movement does occur in the later summer and fall.<br />
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The male Northern Cardinal is perhaps responsible for getting more people to open up a field guide than any other bird. They're a perfect combination of familiarity, conspicuousness, and style: a shade of red you can't take your eyes off. Even the brown females sport a sharp crest and warm red accents. Cardinals don't migrate and they don't molt into a dull plumage, so they're still breathtaking in winter's snowy backyards. In summer, their sweet whistles are one of the first sounds of the morning.
    Chilly Cardinal Blues.jpg
  • A Double-Crested Cormorant casts a shadow against textured peeling paint at the Saint Louis Zoo. The Double-crested Cormorant is a member of the cormorant family of seabirds. It occurs along inland waterways as well as in coastal areas, and is widely distributed across North America. he Double-crested Cormorant is a large waterbird with a stocky body, long neck, medium-sized tail, webbed feet and a medium sized hooked bill.<br />
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Recently the population of Double-crested Cormorants has increased. Some studies have concluded that the recovery was allowed by the decrease of contaminants, particularly the discontinued use of DDT. The population may have also increased because of aquaculture ponds in its southern wintering grounds. The ponds favor good over-winter survival and growth.<br />
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Adult Double-crested Cormorants are black or dark brown and have an orange-yellow patch of skin at the base of their bills. In breeding plumage, adults have two whitish tufts behind their eyes, hence the description 'double-crested.' First-year birds are pale on the upper breast and darker on the belly. Double-crested Cormorants have slender, hook-tipped bills that are often tipped up at an angle as they swim. They can be distinguished from the other two Washington cormorant species by their thicker bills and by the pronounced kink in their long necks in flight.
    Cormorant By Cracked Paint.jpg
  • The Common Starling, also known as the European Starling or just Starling, is a passerine bird in the family Sturnidae. This species of starling is native to most of temperate Europe and western Asia.
    European Starling.jpg
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