Meet the world’s animals.

Photos: 12,636 · Stories: 19,540

• Rose-throated Becard Pachyramphus aglaiae

  

  Males stand out with a dark, slaty body, a blackish cap, and usually a bright pink throat. They search for insects and small fruits in the canopy of tropical forests.

• Hairy-legged Vampire Bat Diphylla ecaudata

  A tailless, dark brown bat that mainly lives in forests. It roosts in caves and other shelters and is known for feeding on bird blood.

• Long-legged Buzzard Buteo rufinus

  The Long-legged Buzzard is a large raptor with highly variable plumage. A Qatar regional account records it as a rare winter visitor.

• Toque Macaque Macaca sinica

  A macaque endemic to Sri Lanka; the shape of its crown tuft varies by region.

• Chestnut Wood Quail Odontophorus hyperythrus

  The Chestnut Wood-Quail lives in the understory of humid montane forest in Colombia. Its chestnut and black mottling is set off by a white throat and red forehead patch.

• Yellow-nosed Cotton Rat Sigmodon (Sigmodon) ochrognathus

  The Yellow-nosed Cotton Rat uses high-elevation grasslands and rocky slopes, where it makes nests and burrows.

• Marsh Tit Poecile palustris

  The Marsh Tit is a small bird with a glossy black cap and dark bib. In the UK it can be confused with the similar Willow Tit.

• Rock Karroo Rat Myotomys sloggetti

  Myotomys sloggetti lives in high-altitude parts of South Africa and Lesotho. It has a rounded body, short legs and tail, and dense fur. A museum account describes it as strictly diurnal and sun-basking.

• Yellow-billed Egret Ardea brachyrhyncha

  This egret occurs in a range of South African wetlands. It catches fish, amphibians, and aquatic invertebrates by standing still or walking slowly through shallow water.

• Chuuk Flying Fox Pteropus pelagicus

  The Chuuk flying fox lives in the Caroline Islands of Micronesia. The study treats the Mortlock population and the populations on Chuuk Lagoon and Namonuito as two subspecies of one species.

• Gosling's Bunting Emberiza goslingi

  This bunting was formerly included in the Cinnamon-breasted Bunting. This entry follows the species-level account of Emberiza goslingi and describes that taxon alone.

• Blanford's Bat Hesperoptenus (Milithronycteris) blanfordi

  Blanford's bat is a medium-sized forest bat from South and Southeast Asia, including Borneo. It roosts in hollow trees or foliage and hunts flying insects at night.

• Amami Woodcock Scolopax mira

  The Amami Woodcock is a large ground-dwelling shorebird of broadleaf forests in the Amami Islands and northern Okinawa Island. Its dark plumage and long legs blend into the forest floor.

• Columbian Ground Squirrel Urocitellus columbianus

  The Columbian ground squirrel lives in groups in western North American grasslands and alpine meadows. It is known for a long hibernation.

• Markham’s Storm Petrel Hydrobates markhami

  This small seabird, about 21–23 cm long, ranges over the tropical Pacific. It breeds in fissures and cavities in salt flats in Peru and Chile.

• Apennine Chamois Rupicapra ornata

  The Apennine chamois lives in central Italy. It uses high grasslands and steep rocky slopes, descending into valley woodland in winters with heavy snow.

• Grey-bellied Tesia Tesia cyaniventer

  This very small bird lives near the ground in grasses and shrubs of damp subtropical mountains. Its short tail and long legs are noticeable.

• Fringe-lipped Bat Trachops cirrhosus

  The fringe-lipped bat has wart-like bumps on its lips and chin. It lives in lowland forests of Central and South America and roosts in hollow trees or caves.

• Williams's Lark Mirafra williamsi

  This small lark lives on lava-strewn plains in Kenya's semi-desert. Its upperparts vary from dark to rusty brown, and its streaked chest and white outer tail feathers are noticeable in flight.

• Crested Mona Monkey Cercopithecus pogonias

  The crowned guenon is notable for its crest of hair and lives mainly in the trees of western Central African forests.

• Blue-tailed Bee-eater Merops philippinus

  A bee-eater described in a Malaysian regional profile, where it occurs around sandy coasts, riverbanks, and farmland. It catches flying insects in the air.

• Golden hamster Mesocricetus auratus

  A hamster with wild populations in a small part of the Middle East, including Syria. Wild animals burrow and are usually solitary.

• White-tailed Nuthatch Sitta himalayensis

  It has blue-grey upperparts, a short tail, and orange-tinged underparts. The white on the tail can be difficult to see.

• Burnished Enggano Rat Rattus adustus

  This rat is known from Enggano Island west of Sumatra, but records are extremely limited and little is known about its life.