The fierce-looking bald eagle is our national symbol. It is the only eagle unique to North America. The brown body, white head, and white tail of the adult birds make it easy to identify as it soars through the skies on long, broad wings.
Supermodels of the bird world, flamingos are very social and spend much of their day preening and wading on their long, thin legs. But they are far more rugged than they look, able to live at high altitudes, in frozen lakes, or on muddy flats. Caribbean flamingos are also called American flamingos.
The unmistakable peacock is an iridescent showman. His long tail feathers, known as coverts, stretch into a huge fan that seems to stare right back at you with eyes of blue, gold and green. These plumes are used to attract his female counterpart, the peahen. Together the handsome pair is called peafowl.
The Magellanic penguin does not dwell on the ice like so many of its cousins. Instead, it lives near the ocean in more temperate climates with grass, shrubs, and even forests. This medium-sized penguin was named after explorer Ferdinand Magellan, who spotted the birds in 1520 as he rounded the tip of South America.
More >>