Cassowary

The Cassowary is a large, flightless bird from Australia and New Guinea. It is the biggest bird in Australia and the second-biggest mselves by kicking. Their three-toed feet have sharp claws; the dagger-like middle claw is 5 inches (12 cm) long. Cassowaries can run up to 32 mph (50 km/hr) and jump up to 5 feet (1.5 m). Two of the three cassowary species have red, fleshy wattles (loose skin hanging from the neck).
Eggs and Chicks: Females lay 3-8 large, pale green-blue eggs in each clutch (a set of eggs laid at one time). These eggs measure about 3.5 by 5.5 inches. Only ostrich and emu eggs are bigger. The male incubates (keeps warm) the eggs for 2 months, then cares for the brown-striped chicks for 9 months. The female does not care for the eggs or the chicks.
Diet: The cassowary is a frugivorous bird (it mostly eats fruit). Fallen fruit and fruit on low branches is the mainstay of its diet. It also eats fungi, insects, frogs, snakes and other small animals.

Eastern Bluebird

The Eastern Bluebird, Sialia sialis, is a blue songbird that sings a melodic warble. This beautiful member of the thrush family lives in the eastern half of the USA and in southern Canada, ranging from the Atlantic coast to the Rocky Mountains. Its numbers have been decreasing greatly in the last few decades. The Eastern Bluebird has a life span of about 6 years. This songbird is the state bird of Missouri and New York.
Anatomy: The Eastern Bluebird is about 5.5 to 7 inches (14-18 cm) long and has a wingspread of 11 to 13 inches (28-33 cm). The bill is thin. Males have bright blue feathers above, an orange-red throat and breast, and a white belly. Females are camouflaged; they have dull blue wings and tail, a gray head and back, a brown breast, a white eye ring, and a white belly.
Diet: The Eastern Bluebird mostly eats insects (especially grasshoppers, crickets, katydids, and beetles), worms, snails, and spiders; it also eats fruit.
Nest and Eggs: Eastern Bluebird nests are cup-like and are made from dried grass, pine needles, and plant stems. Nests are built in holes in trees and rotted tree stumps. Females lay 3-6 pale blue eggs in each clutch (a set of eggs laid at one time). The female incubates the eggs for 12-14 days. Both parents care for the hatchlings for 15-20 days, when the young leave the nest.

Black Swan

The black swan (Cygnus atratus) is an Australian native that has been introduced to other places, including New Zealand (where it is now considered a pest) and Sweden. The adult female is called a pen, the adult male is called a cob, and the baby is called a cygnet. Black swans are very territorial. They make honking and hissing noises. Black swans fly in a V-shaped formation and can fly at speeds of up to 50 miles per hour (80 kph). The black swan is the emblem of the State of Western Australia.
Anatomy: Black swans are long-necked black birds with a red beak tipped in white. The neck is longer than the body. Black swans have a wingspan of up to 6 feet (1.8 m) and are up to 4 feet (1.2 m) long. They weigh up to 13 pounds (6 kg). Males and females are similar in size.
Diet: The black swan eats mostly water plants and some grain. It reaches under the water with its long neck to get these plants, and it even eats the roots. Cygnets eat a lot of bugs and other small invertebrates, since they feed mostly from the water's surface.
Eggs and Nests: These graceful waterfowl mate for life. Black Swans build large nests located near the water; they are lined with swan down (delicate feathers). Females lay 4-8 pale green eggs in each clutch (a set of eggs laid at one time). Both parents care for the eggs and hatchlings.

Bird Skeleton

Birds have a lightweight skeleton. Most of the bones of flying birds are thin and hollow; some have internal struts or trusses (cross walls) that make them very strong. (Some flightless birds, like penguins, have solid bones.) The keel-shaped sternum (breastbone) is where the powerful flight muscles attach to the body.
Birds have a smaller total number of bones than mammals or reptiles. This is because many of their bones have fused together (like the middle to lower vertebrae), making the skeleton more rigid. Birds also have more neck (cervical) vertebrae than many other animals; most have 13 to 25 of these very flexible neck vertebrae (this helps them groom their feathers). Birds are are the only vertebrate animals to have a fused collarbone (the furcula or wishbone) or a keeled breastbone.

Label the External Bird Anatomy Diagram

abdomen - the belly.
auriculars (ear coverts) - the feathers that cover the bird's ear opening (located behind the eyes).
breast - the area over the belly and under the thprimaries - the main flight feathers on the wings (they are located on lower [outer] parts of the wings). scapulars - feathers on the shoulder (also called lesser secondary coverts).
secondaries - the smaller flight feathers on the wings - they are on the upper part of the wings (above the primaries).
tail feathers - flight feathers at the end of the bird (used for steering).
toes - the digits of the feet.
throat - the area under head and above the chest.
upper mandible - the upper part of the bill.
wing coverts - small feathers that cover the base of larger wing feathers (located at the top of the wings under the scapularsroat.
cere - the waxy-looking bumps on the upper beak of some birds (including the parrots, pigeons, and some hawks).
claws - hard talons at the end of each toe.
crown - the top of the bird's head.
forehead - the area directly above the eyes.
lore - the area on each side of a bird's face, between the eyes and the upper bill.
lower mandible - the lower part of the bill.
nape - the back of the neck.

Bald Eagle

The bald eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, is a magnificent bird of prey that is native to North America. This majestic eagle is not really bald; white feathers cover its head. The derivation of the name "bald" is from an obsolete English word meaning white. The bald eagle has been the national symbol of the USA since 1782. Habitat: The bald eagle lives near rivers and large lakes, as it catches most of its food in the water.
Diet: Eagles are carnivores (meat-eaters) and hunt during the day (they are diurnal). They eat mostly fish. They also hunt and scavenge small mammals, snakes, and other birds.
Anatomy: Bald eagles have a long, downward-curving yellow bill, and large, keen eyes. These strong fliers have white feathers on their head, tail, and wing tips; the body has brown feathers. The feet have knife-like talons. Eagles have about 7,000 feathers. Adult eagles have a 7 ft (2.3 m) wingspan. The females are 30% larger than the males.
Nest and Eggs: Bald eagles build an enormous nest from twigs and leaves. The nest can be up to eight feet across and may weigh a ton! Nests are located high from the ground, either in large trees or on cliffs. Eagles may use the same enormous nest over and over again for years.
A clutch of 1 to 3 eggs eggs is laid by the female. The incubation period is from 1 to 1 1/2 months. Both males and females incubate the eggs. They both feed the hatchlings until they learn to fly (fledge).

Arctic Tern

Arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea) is a small bird that makes the longest migration of any bird. It breeds in the Arctic tundra (within the Arctic Circle), but flies to the edge of the Antarctic ice pack during the winter. It flies over 21,750 miles (35,000 km) each year - roughly the circumference of the Earth. This excellent flier spends most of its life flying. This tern always experiences long days, since it spends the summer in the Arctic and the (Northern Hemisphere) winter in the Antarctic.
These social birds live in large groups, called colonies. Immediately before beginning a migration, a noisy colony of birds suddenly becomes quiet, and they all take to the air and fly away (this behavior is called "dread").
Arctic terns have a life span of about 20 years.
Anatomy: The Arctic tern is about 12 to 15 inches (30-38 cm) long and weighs about 2.8-4 ounces (80-110 grams). Males and females are similar. The Arctic tern has webbed feet, the tail is long and forked, the legs are short and red, and the head is rounded and white with a black cap.
Diet: The Arctic tern eats
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Archaeopteryx

Archaeopteryx (pronounced ark-ee-OP-ter-icks) is the earliest-known bird. It lived during the Jurassic period, about 150 million years ago, when many dinosaurs lived. Paleontologists think that Archaeopteryx was a dead-end in evolution and that early coelurosaurian theropods (a group of meat-eaters that included dinosaurs like Deinonychus and Velociraptor) led to the birds.
Anatomy: Archaeopteryx seems to be part-bird and part-dinosaur. Unlike modern-day birds, it had teeth, three claws on each wing, a flat sternum (breastbone), belly ribs (gastralia), and a long, bony tail. Like modern-day birds, it had feathers, a lightly-built body with hollow bones, a wishbone (furcula) and reduced fingers.
This crow-sized animal may have been able to fly, but not very far and not very well. Although it had feathers and could fly, it had similarities to dinosaurs, including its teeth, skull, lack of a horny bill, and certain bone structures. Archaeopteryx had a wingspan of about 1.5 feet (0.5 m) and was about 1 foot ( 30 cm) long from beak to tail.
Diet: Archaeopteryx was a carnivore, a meat-eater. It may have eaten insects and other small animals.
Fossils: Seven detailed fossil impressions of this early bird have been found in Germany. Archaeopteryx was named by paleontologist Hermann von Meyer in 1861.
Classification: Kingdom Animalia, Phylum Chordata, Class Aves, Genus Archaeopteryx, Species lithographica (von Meyer, 1861), bavarica (Wellnhofer, 1993).

American Tree Sparrow

The American Tree Sparrow (Spizella arborea) is a common, migrating songbird that lives in much of North America. It breeds in northern Canada but winters in the United States. Its song is a rapid, chirping warble.
Anatomy: The American Tree Sparrow is about 6 inches (15 cm) long. It has a long tail and a red-brown cap. It is distinguished by a dark spot in the center of its breast, and frosty edges on the wings and tail.
Diet: The American Tree Sparrow eats seeds and small insects.
Nest and Eggs: The American Tree Sparrow's nest is built on or near the ground in a natural depression, near the base of scrubby trees and shrubs. The female lays 3-5 eggs in each clutch (a set of eggs laid at one time).

American Robin

The American Robin is a common, widespread songbird that lives across much of North America down to Guatemala. This bird is a type of thrush; it is more closely related to blackbirds than to English robins. It was mistakenly called a robin by early American settlers.
Anatomy: The American Robin is 9-10 inches (23-25.5 cm) long. Males and females are very similar in coloring; the male's head is darker and has brighter feathers. Young robins are paler than adults and have dark spots on the chest.
Diet: Robins eat small insects, spiders, and worms.
Nest and Eggs: Robins' nests are cups made from grass and mud. Nests are built in trees and shrubs. Females lay 3-7 light blue eggs in each clutch (a set of eggs laid at one time). The female incubates the eggs for 12-14 days.

Golden Plover

The American Golden Plover is a medium-sized shorebird from America. They nest in the far north and migrate to South America over winter. Anatomy: The American Golden Plover is 9.5-10 inches (24-25.5 cm) long. The feathers are brown, golden-brown, and white; it has a white, S-shaped mark along the head and sides.
Nest and Eggs: American Golden Plover nests are simple scrapes in the ground. Females lay 3-4 brown eggs with dark markings in each clutch (a set of eggs laid at one time).

American Flamingo

Feathers: The fla
The American Flamingo is a large pink bird that lives in large flocks in wetlands. When a flamingo flies, its long neck and long legs make a nearly straight line. Flamingos live to be about 50 years old. mingo's bright pink color is due to its diet. The carotene from the shrimp in its diet turns its feathers pink. If a flamingo's diet is low in carotene, the feathers become white.
Feathers: The flamingo's bright pink color is due to its diet. The carotene from the shrimp in its diet turns its feathers pink. If a flamingo's diet is low in carotene, the feathers become white.


Diet: The flamingo eats insects, crustaceans (shrimp and other shrimp-like animals), and tiny plants like diatoms and algae. The flamingo eats by putting its head upside-down into the water looking backwards. It takes in water that is rich in tiny organisms and filters nutrients from the water with a comb-like organ on its tongue.
Habitat: Flamingos prefer alkaline (the opposite of acid) waters. The American flamingo is native to Central America and South America. These birds live in warm, lush coastal areas and on cold mountain lakes high in the Andes Mountains (in Chileet (1.2 m) tall. Their long bill turns downward in the middle; it is yellow/orange with a black tip. The large bill is used in filter feeding.

American Crow

The American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) is a jet-black bird, closely related to the raven. The crow's call sounds like "caw." This social bird sometimes gathers in flocks of many hundreds of birds. When large groups of crows are feeding, there will often be one or two "sentinels" who are on the lookout for danger while the others eat.
Anatomy: The crow is an all-black bird about 18-22 inches (45-56 cm) long. It has a square-shaped tail and pointed wings.
Diet: The American crow is an omnivore; it eats plants and animals. It eats insects, grains, fruit, other birds' eggs, and small land and aquatic animals.
Eggs and Nests: The crow's nest is a cup of twigs and sticks lined with grass, bark, pine needles, and moss. Nests are located high in a tree or utility pole. Eggs are bluish-greenish marked with brown and gray. Females lay 3-7 eggs in each clutch (a set of eggs laid at one time). Both parents incubate the eggs, which hatch in about 17 days. The young are a

African Gray Parrot

The African Gray Parrot (Psittacus erithacus) is a very talkative, intelligent, and sensitive bird. It may be the best talker of all the birds, easily learning hundreds of words and other sounds. These parrots have been kept as pets since ancient times, when the ard to distinguish.
Eggs and Chicks: There are 3 to 5 eggs in each clutch (a set of eggs laid in one nesting period). The eggs are laid in a tree cavity high above the ground. The female incubates the eggs for 30 days, and the male feeds her. Both parents will feed the chicks.
Diet: African Gray Parrots eat seeds, berries, nuts, and fruit.

African Elephant

The African Elephant is the largest living land animal (larger than the Asian Elephant). These mammals have very strong social bonds and live in family groups headed by a female (called a cow). Males (called bulls) occasionally join the group. Elephants are excellent swimmers. Elephants have few natural enemies except man, and they are in danger of extinction due to loss of habitat and poaching (they are killed for their ivory tusks).
Anatomy: African elephants average about 10 feet (3 m) tall at the shoulder, weighing roughly 6 tons (5,400 kg). Males are larger than females. Both males and females have tusks (large, pointed ivory teeth). They have wrinkled, gray-brown skin that is almost hairless.
Ears: African Elephants have large ears (up to 5 feet=1.5 m long) that are shaped like the continent of Africa. The ears not only hear well, but also help the elephant lose excess heat, as hot blood flows near the surface of the skin.
Trunk: Elephants breathe through two nostrils at the end of their trunk, which is an extension of the nose. The trunk is also used to get water and food. To get water, the elephant sucks water into the trunk, then curls the trunk towards the mouth and squirts the water into it. The trunk has two prehensile (grasping) extensions at the tip, which it uses like a hand.
Diet: Elephants eat roots, grasses, leaves, fruit

Abyssinian Cat

The Abyssinian cat is one of the oldest-known breeds of domesticated cats. This loyal, intelligent cat resembles the cat statues and drawings in ancient Egyptian art. The Abyssinian cat may have been introduced to the West in the mid-1800s.
The Name Abyssinian: Abyssinia is the old name of Ethiopia (a country in the Horn of Africa). Recent genetic studies have suggested that the Abyssinian cat probably originated in Southeast Asia, and not Africa.
Anatomy: Abyssinians have short, shiny hair. The coat is ticked (this means that each hair has bands of color). The coat color can be red, ruddy, blue (beige with specks of blue/black), or fawn.
This regal cat has a long, arched neck, slim legs and a long, tapering tail. The eyes are almond-shaped and are green, gold or hazel in color. The ears are large, alert, and set widely apart The muscular body is long and lithe.

Scottish Terrier, Scotty,

The Scottish Terrier (also called the Scotty, Scottie, and the Aberdeen Terrier) is a bold, alert, robust, fearless and loyal dog. A working dog, it was originally bred in Great Britain to hunt foxes and badgers. Three US presidents, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower and George W. Bush had Scotty dogs as pets while they were in the White House.
Anatomy: The Scottish Terrier is about 10 inches (about 25 cm) high at shoulders, and weighs 20 to 21 pounds (9-10 kg). This small dog has a wiry outer coat and a dense inner coat; the fur is black, wheat, red, or mixed. A very long skull gives this terrier a distinctive look.

high-spined lizard

Anatomy: Acrocanthosaurus was 30-40 feet (9-12 m) long and weighed about 5,000 pounds (2300 kg). This theropod dinosaur had a big head, with a 4.5-foot (1.4 m) long skull and 68 thin, sharp, serrated teeth. It had 17-inch (43 cm) spikes extending from its vertebrae along the neck, back, and tail. These spikes may have been covered with skin, forming a thick, fleshy sail along its back. This predator had powerful arms; each hand had three fingers equipped with long, sickle-like claws.
When it Lived: Acrocanthosaurus lived during the early Cretaceous period, about 115-105 million years ago.
Fossils: Acrocanthosaurus fossils have been found in Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah (in the USA). Many fossilized tracks have also been found.

Earth pig" in Afrikaans

The aardvark is a hairy, nocturnal (active at night), burrowing, insect-eating mammal from Africa. Aardvarks are 5 to 6 feet (1.5 to1.8 m) long which includes a 2 feet (0.6 m) long tail. They weigh about 140 pounds (64 kg). Aardvarks have a long, narrow snout, a long tongue and very sticky saliva, which are used in getting ants and termites, the mainstay of its diet. They have a sleek, dark brown coat, long ears, short legs with webbed 2nd and 3rd toes, and strong, sharp, hoof-like claws. It has 10 cheek teeth (and no incisors or canines) and bristles around its small mouth. The teeth are made of a type of cement, not enamel (our teeth are made of enamel). Aardvarks have good sense of smell and hearing.

DIET
Aardvarks are insectivores that eat ants and termites. They use their large claws to dig into ant hills and termite mounds and then stick their long, sticky, extensile tongue into the nest or mound to get the insects. Aardvarks use their sense of smell and hearing to help locate the insects.

BEHAVIOR AND SOCIAL HABITS
Aardvarks are solitary, shy, nocturnal animals. They hunt for food at night while sleeping during the day. They burrow using their large claws and sleep underground in large dens that they dig. Very little is known about the aardvark.

animals

Adélie Penguins

• Related Web Links
• Antarctic Penguins: Facts, Photos, Sounds
• Emperor Penguins: National Geographic Animal Home Page
• Emperor Penguins: National Geographic Coloring Book
• Emperor Penguin Chicks: Small Wonders, SeaWorld Busch Gardens Baby Page
• Emperor Penguins: Experience Antarctica, Australian Government
• March of the Penguins: National Geographic Feature Film