Meet the world’s animals.

Photos: 12,813 · Stories: 19,540

• Imperial Shag Leucocarbo atriceps

  

  This cormorant occurs along the coasts and islands of southern South America. Breeding adults show striking blue eye-rings and black-and-white plumage, and dive at sea mainly for fish.

• Grey-winged Cotinga Lipaugus conditus

  This cotinga was recorded in mountain cloud forests in Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. A field report described calling males as similar to females but brighter, with a greyer face.

• Lesser Nighthawk Chordeiles acutipennis

  The Lesser Nighthawk lives in dry country and catches insects on the wing at dusk. It lays eggs directly on the ground with little or no nest material.

• South Georgia Pipit Anthus antarcticus

  This small bird is endemic to South Georgia and has thick plumage suited to the cold. It nests among tussock grass and feeds on insects along the shore.

• Maroon Oriole Oriolus traillii

  The Maroon Oriole lives in moist deciduous and evergreen forests. The nominate male is black and maroon, while the female has a grey back and a pale, streaked belly.

• African Hobby Falco cuvierii

  The African Hobby is a small falcon found in sub-Saharan Africa. It has rufous underparts, and regional field material notes that much of its ecology remains poorly known.

• Red-backed Fairywren Malurus melanocephalus

  Bright males have a black body and a red-orange back. Females and young are browner, and the species uses grassy habitats.

• White-billed Buffalo Weaver Bubalornis albirostris

  This large weaver lives in dry habitats south of the Sahara and feeds on seeds, fruit, and small invertebrates found on the ground.

• Golden-tailed Parrotlet Touit surdus

  This small parrot lives in lowland and secondary forests of eastern Brazil. It searches for fruit in the canopy and is seen in pairs or small groups.

• Gray-hooded Sierra Finch Phrygilus gayi

  This finch inhabits open slopes, grass steppe, and scrub in northwestern Patagonia and the Andes. It eats seeds and is also recorded around rocky ground.

• Cinnamon-breasted Bunting Emberiza tahapisi

  The cinnamon-breasted bunting is a bunting that searches for seeds and insects on rocky hills and mountain slopes.

• Orange-billed Lorikeet Neopsittacus pullicauda

  This small lorikeet lives in New Guinea's mountain forests. It feeds on nectar, pollen, and fruit, and its head and belly colors vary somewhat by subspecies.

• Cerulean-capped Manakin Lepidothrix coeruleocapilla

  This manakin occurs on Peru’s eastern Andean slopes. The male is black with a blue crown, back, and rump; the female is green with a yellowish belly. Both forage in the understory of montane forest.

• Twelve-wired Bird-of-paradise Seleucidis melanoleucus

  The male has a black head and body, yellow underside, and wire-like flank plumes. It lives in lowland swamp forest and eats fruit and small animals.

• Green-backed Hillstar Urochroa leucura

  The Green-backed Hillstar occurs on the northern eastern Andes of Peru and also in Colombia and Ecuador. It inhabits humid montane forest.

• Forest Kingfisher Todiramphus macleayii

  The Forest Kingfisher is an Australian kingfisher with a blue back and white underside. Males have a white collar, and both sexes hunt from perches.

• Zapata Wren Ferminia cerverai

  This wren occurs only in Zapata Swamp in southwestern Cuba. It has a long tail and bill, builds a grass nest, and eats a varied range of small animals and other foods.

• Golden-breasted Starling Lamprotornis regius

  This starling lives in dry savanna from Ethiopia to northeastern Tanzania. Adults have blue-green upperparts and golden underparts; females have shorter tails than males.

• Grey-headed Lapwing Vanellus cinereus

  The Grey-headed Lapwing has a grey head, yellow legs, and a dark breast band; it breeds in Japan and northeastern China.

• Thick-billed Flowerpecker Dicaeum agile

  The Thick-billed Flowerpecker ranges from the Indian subcontinent into Southeast Asia. This small bird takes fruit and nectar with its thick bill and forages in tree canopies and village groves.

• Bar-tailed Lark Ammomanes cinctura

  This small lark has inconspicuous plumage. It forages on the desert ground in small flocks and seeks shade during the hottest part of the day.

• Marail Guan Penelope marail

  This arboreal guan ranges from the Guianas to northern Brazil. A diet study in French Guiana recorded fruit feeding in both the canopy and lower forest.

• Przevalski's Partridge Alectoris magna

  This partridge lives on the northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in China. A narrow, almost broken tawny-brown neck band helps distinguish it.

• 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.