bird in profile Originally uploaded by Peter Wallstrom A sweet little chickadee-dee-dee … one of my favorite birds… The caption reads: I took this one from the kitchen window at my grandmas house, you get pretty close and the birds can’t see you
A Bird A Day Archive
There are actually three species of Gannets: Northern Gannet, (also known as “Solan Goose”), Morus bassanus Cape Gannet, Morus capensis Australasian Gannet, Morus serrator This post will focus on the Northern Gannet, also known as the “Solan Goose” or Morus bassanus. Northern Gannets are the largest seabird in the North Atlantic with a wingspan of 6 to 6.74 feet long!! Quite a big and impressive bird. According to Wikipedia, Gannets hunt fish by diving from a height into the sea and pursuing their prey underwater. Gannets have a number of adaptations which enable them to do this: they have no external nostrils; they have air sacs in their face and chest under their skin which act like bubble wrapping, cushioning the impact with the water;
Red-tailed black cockatoo Originally uploaded by dark orange The bird of the day today is the Red-tailed black cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus banksii). It is also known as Banksian- or Bank’s Black Cockatoo. It is found in Australia, those Australians, they get to see all the cool and rare birds. =) This is a big bird folks, about 24 inches LONG! Wow, two feet of bird. Despite its size, this very noisy bird prefers to eat mostly Eucalyptus seeds. A bird after my own heart. =) They can live up to or even longer than 50 years! Wow, a long-living, seed-eating bird. Nice. Growing up, my grandmother often had cockatoos but hers were white with yellow or red tufts. These are the more common type of cockatoo
Eastern Rosella Originally uploaded by ianmichaelthomas Today’s bird of the day is the Eastern Rosella, also known as Platycercus eximius. It is native to Australia and Tasmania but now is also found in New Zealand. I read you can have this bird as a pet but it is not very “cuddly”. Hahahaha. This bird photograph is from flickr user ianmichaelthomas. Here is what he had to say about this photograph (direct copy and paste): Another wild and free Australian native parrot! Australia can rightly be called the land of parrots. There are about 80 species in Australia. Eastern Rosella Another iconic Australian native parrot, the Eastern Rosella is spectacularly coloured, and similar in size to the Crimson rosella. Eastern rosellas are the mascot/emblem of Aussie
Stellar’s Jay Originally uploaded by Life of David The Stellar Jay, another bird found locally, is today’s bird of the day. It’s scientific name is Cyanocitta stelleri. It is common throughout the U.S. but I love it. I like to look at them. They are interesting and beautiful. They like seeds, nuts, berries, fruit, invertebrates, eggs, other bird’s nestlings (GASP!), acorns, conifer seeds and other things like them. It will join you for a picnic, if you bring the right food. You can read more about the Stellar Jay, even hear its call, here. http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Stellers_Jay.html
GBH Originally uploaded by sproutter The Great Blue Heron…one of my favorite birds, albeit I have so many. This bird is so beautiful. I remember the first time I seen one. I was mesmerized by it and ever since, I’ve been on the lookout for it whenever I am near its habitat. Also known as Ardea herodias in the scientific world, this bird is the largest heron in North America. It can be from 36 to 55 inches from head to tail and has a wingspan of 66 to 79 inches! Many inches of awesome. =) It has a scratchy, throaty call. You can hear it here. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Great_Blue_Heron.ogg It eats small fish mostly but it will also eat shellfish, insects, rodents, amphibians (such as frogs),