Cranes are among the most beautiful of all creatures. Their elegant long necks, slender build, poised stance, and elaborate dances have inspired cultures for centuries. Cranes have graced the earth for over twenty million years. Today, three genera...
Easily observable at sunset, when it travels in large flocks, the hooded crow is abundantly present in vast areas of the European continent, becoming a very common presence even in inhabited areas. Not graceful, with dull colors and with a not so...
The snowy owl is truly one of the majestic members of the owl family. Known scientifically as Bubo scandiacus, it is also sometimes referred to as the Owl of the Arctic.
The black sparrowhawk is one of the largest Accipiter species which includes goshawks and other sparrowhawks. There are two subspecies of black sparrowhawks occurring in different regions of sub-Saharan Africa. Accipiter melanoleucus temminckii are...
If there ever was a misunderstood creature, it is the barn owl. Barn owls are incredibly useful animals. They have been helping us keep rodents at bay for centuries. Yet they are feared across many cultures, earning the names demon owls or ghost...
The Kingfishers are a diverse family of colorful birds. Once known as the halcyon bird in ancient Greece, these attractive birds have held a special presence in our lives throughout history. The name Halcyon would later be given to one of the three...
Imagine this: you’re on a hike on the alps and above your head you see flying a bird with a lamb in its claws. In the past it was a common belief that the lammergeier was a “lamb thief”. However, this belief is totally without foundation.
While the rest of us have been confined to our respective countries over the last few months, European bee-eaters (Merops apiaster) have been drawing closer to their annual southerly migration. Luckily, international borders don’t matter for birds...
While you might think about a bird bath as a simple way to offer drinking water for the birds in your area, it does more than that. Birds use water to preen and bathe and it can be hard to find the liquid in the winter when the temperatures drop. If...
Hummingbirds are delicate birds that many people want to attract to their gardens. How do you attract them? You can do so namely by planting flowers that attract hummingbirds and setting out nectar bird feeders for them to enjoy. One of the main...