Meet the world’s animals.

Photos: 12,676 · Stories: 19,540

• Rufous-thighed Hawk Accipiter erythronemius

  

  The Rufous-thighed Hawk is a small raptor of forests and wooded savannas. A breeding study in Brazil and Argentina recorded high nests in conifers and birds as the main prey.

• Yellow-bellied Tyrannulet Ornithion semiflavum

  This small tyrannulet uses moist lowland forest and its edges in Central America. Accounts also record it in plantations and gardens, where it feeds mainly on insects.

• Striped Kingfisher Halcyon chelicuti

  A kingfisher that perches in open African woodland and scrub to look for prey on the ground. Fine stripes mark its head and body.

• Stark's Lark Spizocorys starki

  This small lark inhabits dry country and is nomadic, moving after rain. Outside the breeding season it may gather in large flocks.

• Black-cheeked Waxbill Estrilda charmosyna

  This small waxbill occurs in dry scrub from Ethiopia to Tanzania. It feeds on grass seeds and other small foods near the ground.

• Rarotonga Starling Aplonis cinerascens

  This starling is endemic to Rarotonga in the Cook Islands. It feeds in the forest canopy on fruit, insects and nectar; one study records it visiting flowers of native Fitchia.

• White-bellied Minivet Pericrocotus erythropygius

  This account refers to Pericrocotus erythropygius and excludes the separately treated Jerdon's Minivet. Males show black, white, and orange, while females are mainly grey-brown and white.

• White-necked Heron Ardea pacifica

  The White-necked Heron is a large heron with a white head and long neck marked by black spots. It walks in shallow water to find fish and other prey.

• Choco Brush Finch Atlapetes crassus

  This brushfinch lives in humid montane forest on the western Andes of Colombia and Ecuador. Yellow underparts, a black-sided face, and a tawny crown stripe are useful clues.

• Short-tailed Pipit Anthus brachyurus

  The Short-tailed Pipit is a small, ground-living bird with bold streaks on its back and breast. It ranges from Gabon through the Congo region to eastern Angola and Zambia, with a separate population in Uganda. In southern Africa it uses moist, short grassland.

• Great Pampa-Finch Embernagra platensis

  This large finch lives in shrubby grasslands and marshes in southern South America. It has a long tail and a strong orange-yellow bill; back and vent colors vary among forms.

• Flesh-footed Shearwater Ardenna carneipes

  The Flesh-footed Shearwater is a seabird with a dark body and pale bill and feet. It breeds in island burrows and moves across wide ocean areas seasonally.

• Black Wheatear Oenanthe leucura

  The male is black with a white rump and tail, while the female is browner.

• Violaceous Coucal Centropus violaceus

  The Violaceous Coucal is a large coucal found only on New Britain and New Ireland. It searches for insects and small animals in trees in humid lowland forest.

• Sooty Swift Cypseloides fumigatus

  This swift catches insects in flight and nests on cliffs beside waterfalls. A study in northeastern Argentina recorded breeding at several waterfalls.

• San Blas Jay Cyanocorax sanblasianus

  The San Blas Jay lives along Mexico's southwestern Pacific coast and uses dry woodland and scrub. A study near Acapulco recorded year-round groups in the southern population.

• Black-banded Owl Strix huhula

  The Black-banded Owl is a nocturnal forest owl of South America. Its dark body is densely marked with wavy white bars.

• Puna Plover Charadrius alticola

  This small plover lives by high-Andean rivers and lakes. Its head and neck colors change between breeding and winter plumage.

• White-naped Monarch Carterornis pileatus

  It occurs on Halmahera and Buru in moist lowland forest. Salvadori's description of a male from Halmahera records a black forehead, back, wings and tail against a white crown, pale eye-area patches, white cheeks, chest and belly. A field report recorded small groups in logged forest and forest edges.

• Long-wattled Umbrellabird Cephalopterus penduliger

  A large black bird whose male has a long chest wattle and an overhanging crest. Females are smaller, with a reduced or absent wattle.

• Plumbeous Rail Pardirallus sanguinolentus

  The head and underparts are gray, the back is olive-brown, and the legs are red. It uses a variety of waterside habitats, from Peruvian coastal lowlands to Andean wetlands.

• Broad-tailed Hummingbird Selasphorus platycercus

  A hummingbird of high mountain meadows. Males make metallic wing trills in flight, while females raise the young.

• Black-crested Antshrike Sakesphorus canadensis

  This antshrike is associated with low vegetation at water edges. The Peru Aves account records foraging in permanently or seasonally flooded forest, lake edges, and along slow-flowing creeks.

• Marbled Godwit Limosa fedoa

  The Marbled Godwit probes mud and sand with its long upturned bill to find small aquatic animals. Its plumage changes between breeding and nonbreeding seasons.