Meet the world’s animals.

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• Perote Ground Squirrel Xerospermophilus perotensis

  

  This ground squirrel lives in the highlands of eastern Mexico. It is active by day and retreats to underground burrows at night.

• Cinereous Mourner Laniocera hypopyrra

  This mourner occurs in Amazonian lowland forest and elsewhere. A nest was reported in mature floodplain forest in Peru, and a Brazilian study documented a distinctive juvenile plumage.

• Bushy-tailed Woodrat Neotoma (Teonoma) cinerea

  This rodent of western North America is known for its bushy tail and piles of plant material around its rocky shelters.

• Cape Sparrow Passer melanurus

  A common sparrow of dry grassland and woodland in southern Africa. It mainly eats seeds, but also takes insects, fruit and nectar.

• Slender Squirrel Sundasciurus (Sundasciurus) tenuis

  The slender squirrel has olive-brown upperparts and tail with gray underparts. It lives in trees and takes both plant and animal foods by day and night.

• Striped Pipit Anthus lineiventris

  The Striped Pipit has a patchy range east and south of the equatorial rainforest belt. Bold streaks below and pale lemon edges on the wings and tail help identify it.

• Montane Vole Microtus (Mynomes) montanus

  This vole lives in grasslands and alpine meadows of western North America and remains active beneath snow in winter.

• Cape Long-billed Lark Certhilauda curvirostris

  The Cape Long-billed Lark is about 20–24 cm long. It lives among coastal dunes and nearby low vegetation on South Africa's southwestern coast.

• Phayre's Squirrel Callosciurus phayrei

  Phayre's Squirrel has pale stripes along its sides and ranges from southern China into eastern Myanmar.

• Choco Toucan Ramphastos brevis

  This toucan lives in humid forests from western Colombia into Ecuador. Males and females differ in bill length.

• Northern Red-backed Vole Myodes rutilus

  This small vole occurs in northern Europe, Asia, and North America. Its back has a rusty-red cast, and it stores plant and fungal foods in nests for use during winter.

• Pale-browed Tinamou Crypturellus transfasciatus

  This ground-dwelling bird occurs along the Pacific side from southwestern Ecuador to northwestern Peru. Its pale brow and barred back help identify it.

• Mohave Ground Squirrel Xerospermophilus mohavensis

  This small ground squirrel lives only in California's western Mojave Desert. It is active by day and spends much of the year underground.

• Southern Fiscal Lanius collaris

  This shrike lives in open country in southern Africa. It watches from branches or fences and catches insects and small mammals.

• California Deermouse Peromyscus californicus

  The California deermouse is a relatively large mouse with a white underside and feet. It is active at night and often eats California bay seeds in woodland.

• Rufous-bellied Kookaburra Dacelo gaudichaud

  The Rufous-bellied Kookaburra lives in lowland New Guinea and nearby islands. The male has a blue rump and tail and deep reddish-brown underparts.

• Mexican Gray Squirrel Sciurus (Sciurus) aureogaster

  The Mexican gray squirrel lives among forest trees and is notable for its reddish-brown belly and flanks. Its coat varies across its range.

• Madagascar Rail Rallus madagascariensis

  The Madagascar Rail is endemic to Madagascar’s eastern wetlands. It stays hidden in dense wetland vegetation and is often heard before it is seen.

• Hairy-tailed Akodont Necromys lasiurus

  The hairy-tailed akodont is a small rodent found in central South America. It lives mainly in grasslands and savannas and eats mostly seeds, though insects can become more important after dry-season fires.

• American Bittern Botaurus lentiginosus

  A brown-and-buff heron that can blend into marsh vegetation by stretching its neck and pointing its bill upward.

• Sonoma Chipmunk Tamias (Neotamias) sonomae

  It occurs in northwestern California, in chaparral, open woodland, and brushy forest edges.

• Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius

  This small plover searches along water for prey. It breeds in the UK in summer and has a yellow ring around the eye.

• Bolivian Akodont Akodon (Akodon) boliviensis

  This akodont ranges from southern Peru through central Bolivia to northwestern Argentina. Records include dry Puna and humid grasslands, with dense grass tussocks and small woodland patches.

• Yellow-crowned Bishop Euplectes afer

  The Yellow-crowned Bishop is a small bird of grasslands and wetlands in sub-Saharan Africa. It mainly eats seeds, and breeding males puff out yellow back feathers and call.