Quetzal: 6 Species, 3 Foot Tails and Where to See One
The resplendent quetzal grows tail coverts longer than its own body. Species list, range, diet, nesting, cultural history and the best places to find one wild.
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Do Birds Pee? What That White Splat Actually Is
Birds have no bladder and never produce liquid urine. The white cap on a bird dropping is the urine, and the reason why explains flight and eggs.
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Cayuga Duck: Black Eggs, Quiet Temperament, and Why It Turns White
The Cayuga is a black American duck breed that lays near black eggs early in the season and slowly turns white with age.
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Red Bird Not a Cardinal? 12 Look Alikes and How to Tell Them Apart
No crest and a pale bill means tanager, not cardinal. Twelve red birds compared by crest, bill, red coverage, range and season.
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National Bird of El Salvador: The Torogoz and Its Racket Tail
El Salvador’s national bird is the turquoise-browed motmot, the torogoz. What it looks like, what it symbolizes, and how that racket tipped tail forms.
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White Peacock: Leucistic, Not Albino, and What One Costs
White peacocks are leucistic Indian peafowl with blue eyes, not albinos. Rarity, price, how to tell male from female, and the symbolism behind a sighting.
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Blue Bird with Orange Chest: 6 Species and How to Tell Them Apart
An orange throat means Eastern Bluebird, a blue throat means Western. Six blue birds with orange chests, sorted by a three step field test.
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Gray Bird: Species Identification Guide
Catbird, mockingbird, mourning dove, and more. How to tell common gray birds apart by size, tail shape, and markings.
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Do Birds Have Ears? Yes, and They Hide Behind Feathers
Birds have no ear flaps, but every bird has a funnel-shaped ear opening behind the eye under a patch of special feathers. Where to find it and how well birds actually hear.
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Orange and Black Bird: Species Identification Guide
Baltimore oriole, Bullock’s oriole, American redstart, and more. How to identify an orange-and-black bird by range, bill shape, and behavior.
