Meet the world’s animals.

Photos: 12,813 · Stories: 19,540

• Green Heron Butorides virescens

  

  This small heron waits motionless for fish in shallow water. It sometimes drops twigs or insects onto the water to lure fish.

• Paddyfield Pipit Anthus rufulus

  A pipit of open country in South and Southeast Asia, seen in fields, grassland, and wetlands.

• White-throated Swallow Hirundo albigularis

  This swallow lives in Africa south of the equator and catches insects in flight. Some birds that breed in South Africa are thought to move north after breeding.

• Mayotte Sunbird Cinnyris coquerellii

  This sunbird is endemic to Mayotte. It feeds on flower nectar and small insects, and the sexes differ markedly in color.

• Half-collared Sparrow Arremon semitorquatus

  The Half-collared Sparrow inhabits the understory of montane forest and secondary growth in southeastern Brazil. Males have a yellow lower mandible and a broken breast band. A 2022 report recorded one bird singing at a forest edge.

• Itatiaia Spinetail Asthenes moreirae

  This small ovenbird lives in high-elevation grasslands of southeastern Brazil. Its long, frayed tail is distinctive, and it forages among grass and shrubs.

• Sentinel Lark Corypha athi

  The Sentinel Lark ranges from central Kenya to northeastern Tanzania. Nairobi-area observers describe birds singing for long periods from prominent perches.

• Gilded Hummingbird Hylocharis chrysura

  This hummingbird ranges across southern South America. Its plumage shines golden green and its tail is bronze. It takes nectar as well as insects and small spiders.

• Japanese Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus xanthodryas

  The Japanese Leaf Warbler visits subalpine forests from Kyushu northward and repeats a slightly husky song. It was once grouped with the Kamchatka and Arctic Leaf Warblers.

• American Golden-Plover Pluvialis dominica

  The American Golden-Plover breeds on Arctic and subarctic tundra and winters from eastern Brazil to Argentina.

• Geomalia Zoothera heinrichi

  Geomalia is restricted to Sulawesi, Indonesia. The account identifies it as Zoothera heinrichi and notes that it was formerly placed in its own genus, Geomalia.

• Western Gerygone Gerygone fusca

  The Western Gerygone is a small bird about 10 cm long, and the sexes look alike. In Western Australia it gleans small insects from foliage in forests and woodlands.

• Blue-billed Curassow Crax alberti

  The Blue-billed Curassow is a large forest bird of Colombia. It feeds mainly on the ground, and its remaining wild habitat is limited to a few small forest remnants.

• American Redstart Setophaga ruticilla

  This small bird hops among branches to catch insects. It breeds in North American woods and migrates south for winter.

• Indian Scimitar Babbler Pomatorhinus horsfieldii

  The Indian Scimitar Babbler is marked by a long, downcurved yellow bill and a white line above the eye. It searches for insects and spiders among forest leaf litter and undergrowth.

• White-crowned Manakin Pseudopipra pipra

  Male White-crowned Manakins are black with a white crown; females and young males are greenish. In wet-forest understory they take fruit and insects from foliage in flight.

• Silvery-cheeked Antshrike Sakesphoroides cristatus

  The current name is Sakesphoroides cristatus, while a 2015 diet paper used the older genus name Sakesphorus cristatus. The bird occurs in dry forest and scrub of northeastern Brazil. Stomach samples contained many ants and termites, with more caterpillars during the breeding season.

• Hooded Merganser Lophodytes cucullatus

  A small duck with striking black-white and chestnut plumage in males and a cinnamon crest in females. It dives for food in North American ponds and rivers.

• Black-capped Lory Lorius lory

  The Black-capped Lory is a parrot that visits flowering trees in forests to feed on nectar and fruit. It moves in pairs or small groups.

• Greater Ani Crotophaga major

  The Greater Ani has glossy black plumage with a green sheen and a large bill. It forms groups in wet lowland forests and forages from the trees down into the lower forest layers.

• Bhutan Laughingthrush Trochalopteron imbricatum

  The Bhutan Laughingthrush occurs in the eastern Himalayas and searches for food near the ground in woodland and scrub.

• Red-and-black Grosbeak Periporphyrus erythromelas

  The Red-and-black Grosbeak shows a marked plumage difference between the sexes: males are red and black, while females are mainly yellow. It occupies the lower and middle layers of lowland forest in northeastern South America.

• White-rumped Spinetail Zoonavena sylvatica

  A broad white rump stands out against its black upperparts, which may shine blue. It catches insects high over forested hills.

• Southern Black Tit Melaniparus niger

  The Southern Black Tit lives in dry open woodland and scrub in southern Africa. It searches among branches and leaves for small invertebrates.