Author: Bradley Shepherd

Often called ‘Nonpareil’ which means ‘unrivaled’, or rainbow birds, the painted bunting bird (Passerina ciris) is a small bird native to North America and South America, where it resides in woodlands and brush areas. It’s known for its bright red color, its fat body, and its spotted chest and throat. Painted bunting birds are largely herbivorous, eating seeds, berries, worms, insects, and the occasional larger insect or spider. The species has been rated as Near Threatened (NT) by the IUCN Red List due to its widespread range throughout Central and South America. Its habitat includes open fields, gardens, brushy edges of forests, and thickets…

The yellowhammer bird (Emberiza citrinella) also known as the Eurasian yellowhammer, the European yellowhammer, or the golden bunting, is a small passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae. It breeds across Europe and much of temperate Asia where it has been introduced in many areas outside its natural range such as New Zealand and Australia, where it has become known by its Maori name of tui-tui. It is not found naturally in North America. It has many different common names depending on the country in which it lives, including yellow hammer and golden-breasted bunting in Italy. Its scientific name means tawny goldfinch, and its…

Thrush nightingale birds, also known as Luscinia luscinia or the sprosser, are small birds belonging to the genus Luscinia of the family Muscicapidae, native to woodlands of temperate Europe and Asia. It has been introduced in North America, where it has become established in New England and Washington state (U.S.), and British Columbia (Canada). A medium-sized bird, it has olive-brown upperparts, paler underparts, streaked flanks, and white outer tail feathers which contrast with the blackish tail; the undertail coverts are also white except on central rectrices, which are orange-brown with black bars. It’s a medium-sized species of nightingale with brown upperparts, pale buff…

The double crested cormorant (Nannopterum auritum) is a member of the genus Nannopterum. It is widely distributed around the North Pacific, with an estimated global extent of occurrence of 730,000 km2. This species nests in colonies on cliffs or trees, typically near water. A large, black bird with long wings and a long neck, the double crested cormorant has an average wingspan of 48 inches and can weigh up to 2.5 kg. It belongs to the family Phalacrocoracidae and is found in Europe, Asia, and Africa as well as New Zealand and Australia, where it is locally known as the Pied Cormorant. Its name…