Meet the world’s animals.

Photos: 12,673 · Stories: 19,540

• Swainson's Sparrow Passer swainsonii

  

  A small sparrow, about 16 cm long, found in highlands and near human settlements. It feeds mainly on plant seeds on the ground and is sedentary.

• Baudo Guan Penelope ortoni

  The Baudó Guan is a large bird of the humid forests of western Colombia and Ecuador. Its dark brown body has small white patches, and a red wattle hangs from its throat.

• White-winged Triller Lalage tricolor

  This cuckooshrike occurs in Australia. Breeding males show a sharp black-and-white pattern, and the species searches for insects in open woodland and scrub.

• Black-headed Heron Ardea melanocephala

  The Black-headed Heron is a large heron with a black head and gray-and-white body. The sexes look alike, though some birds have little or no white on the front of the neck.

• Pied Thrush Geokichla wardii

  The male has striking black-and-white markings. The species breeds in Himalayan forests and moves south for the winter.

• Clarion Wren Troglodytes tanneri

  This wren is restricted to Clarion Island, Mexico. It lives in open habitats and nests in cavities among volcanic rock or sand, as well as holes in human-made structures.

• Spur-winged Goose Plectropterus gambensis

  This large waterbird lives around wetlands and eats mainly plant matter.

• Slaty Bristlefront Merulaxis ater

  This bird lives in the Atlantic Forest of south-eastern Brazil. Males are slate-grey and females brown, with fine bristles at the base of the bill. It searches for insects among leaf litter close to the forest floor.

• Rusty-backed Antwren Formicivora rufa

  This antwren occurs in South America, including cerrado scrub. Males have black breast and belly areas bordered by white, while females have dark streaks on the white throat and breast.

• Black-backed Barbet Lybius minor

  It has a red forehead, whitish underparts washed pink, and black thighs. It is recorded in riverine woodland, forest edges, and near cultivation.

• Brown-chested Lapwing Vanellus superciliosus

  This large, long-legged upland shorebird occurs in open places such as short grassland, burned areas, and lakeshores. It can be nomadic or migratory and is often seen in small flocks.

• Common Woodshrike Tephrodornis pondicerianus

  The Common Woodshrike lives in scrub and open woodland in southeastern India and feeds mainly on insects.

• Brown-capped Fantail Rhipidura diluta

  A 1996 report of a 1993 field project lists Sumbawa, Flores and Lomblen (now Lembata), in forest habitats other than dry thorn-scrub. These historical island records are not a current exhaustive range map.

• Western Tanager Piranga ludoviciana

  The Western Tanager is a small bird that breeds in western North American forests. Males stand out with an orange-red head and yellow body.

• Arabian Lark Eremalauda eremodites

  The Arabian Lark is a large-billed lark of sandy deserts and open arid plains on the Arabian Peninsula. It runs along the ground while feeding, occurring singly or in pairs when breeding and in larger groups outside the breeding season.

• Brown-eared bulbul Hypsipetes amaurotis

  A bird found among trees in Japanese woods and towns. A brown area behind the eye and across the cheek is a useful identifying feature.

• Oriental Reed Warbler Acrocephalus orientalis

  An olive-brown reed warbler that visits reed beds and sings loudly for long stretches.

• Common hill myna Gracula religiosa

  A glossy black bird with conspicuous yellow skin flaps on its head.

• Noronha Vireo Vireo gracilirostris

  The Noronha Vireo is a small bird confined to the main island of Fernando de Noronha off Brazil. A paper including field observations from 1973 recorded it in wooded and scrubby areas, but not in the cleared center.

• African Pitta Pitta angolensis

  Both sexes have vivid green, blue, yellow, and red plumage, yet hide among thickets and leaf litter. Birds that migrate to southern Africa to breed forage for invertebrates in riverine woodland.

• Peach-fronted Parakeet Eupsittula aurea

  Its green wings have blue edges, and its face has fine markings. Pairs and small groups use open areas and wetland edges.

• Tourmaline Sunangel Heliangelus exortis

  The Tourmaline Sunangel is a small hummingbird of the Andes. Males have glossy green plumage and a violet-blue throat, and the birds feed on nectar and insects.

• Black-and-buff Woodpecker Meiglyptes jugularis

  This woodpecker lives in Southeast Asian forests. Males have a red cheek stripe that females lack. It uses humid forest edges, secondary growth, and bamboo, searching bark for invertebrates.

• Russet-backed Oropendola Psarocolius angustifrons

  This large bird forages in loose flocks in forests and agricultural land. Plumage and bill color differ between Peruvian lowland and Andean forms.