A truly magnificent sight, the Golden or Chinese Pheasant is another
type of bird that catches the eye with a wonderful display of color.
These are gamebirds, native to western China, although they have been
bred in other countries like the UK, and are unmistakably lovely with a
golden crest, rump and bright red body. When showing off to attract a
mate, the male spreads his deep orange 'cape,' which looks just like a
black and orange fan covering everything except the bright yellow eye.
It is native to forests in mountainous areas of western China, but feral
populations have been established in the United Kingdom and elsewhere.
The Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica) is a seabird species in the auk
family. It is a pelagic bird that feeds primarily by diving for fish,
but also eats other sea creatures, such as squid and crustaceans.
Its most obvious characteristic during the breeding season is its
brightly colored bill. Also known as the Common Puffin, it is the only
puffin species which is found in the Atlantic Ocean. The curious
appearance of the bird, with its large colorful bill and its striking
piebald plumage, has given rise to nicknames such as '"clown of the
ocean" and "sea rooster." The Atlantic Puffin is the provincial bird for
the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
The Hoopoe, a colorful bird that is found across Afro-Eurasia, is
notable for its distinctive 'crown' of feathers. It is the only extant
species in the family Upupidae. One insular species, the Giant Hoopoe of
Saint Helena, is extinct, and the Madagascar subspecies of the Hoopoe
is sometimes elevated to a full species. Like the Latin name upupa, the
English name is an onomatopoetic form which imitates the cry of the bird.
The Grey Crowned Crane (Balearica regulorum) is a bird in the crane
family Gruidae. It inhabits the dry African savannah south of the
Sahara, although it nests in somewhat wetter habitats. They can also be
found in marshes, cultivated areas and grassy flatlands near rivers and
lakes from eastern Uganda and Kenya to South Africa. This animal does
not migrate. There are two subspecies. The East African B. r.
gibbericeps (Crested Crane) can be found from the eastern Democratic
Republic of the Congo through Uganda, where it is the national bird, and
from Kenya to eastern South Africa. It has a larger area of bare red
facial skin above the white patch than the smaller nominate species, B.
r. regulorum (South African Crowned Crane), which breeds from Angola
down to South Africa.
Peacocks are large, colorful pheasants (typically blue and green) known
for their iridescent tails. These tail feathers, or coverts, spread out
in a distinctive train that is more than 60 percent of the bird's total
body length and boast colorful "eye" markings of blue, gold,
red, and other hues. The large train is used in mating rituals and
courtship displays. It can be arched into a magnificent fan that reaches
across the bird's back and touches the ground on either side. Females
are believed to choose their mates according to the size, color, and
quality of these outrageous feather trains.
