As the name suggests, Blue-crowned Laughingthrushes are an extremely social species, often maintaining a close family dynamic where sometimes young from early clutches help raise younger chicks. These beautifully blue, yellow, and brownish birds communicate with each other through various squeals and calls…and one that even sounds like human laughter! In the late 1980s, the…
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The Cuban Grassquit (pronounced grass-keet, like parakeet!) is a member of the tanager family known for its beautiful calls. So much so that the “canora” in their scientific name is derived from the Latin canorus, which means “melodious.” Males are notably different than their female counterparts. Males feature a black mask and breast-patch with bright…
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The Wood Thrush is a medium-sized songbird found primarily in forests across eastern North America. Recognizable by its rich, flutelike song, it has a distinctive appearance with a reddish-brown back and spotted breast. These thrushes are primarily migratory, spending their winters in Central America and returning to North America to breed. One of the most…
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The National Aviary is home to Loggerhead Shrikes behind-the-scenes. They are hawk-like songbirds that create “food pantries.”
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Yellow-rumped Caciques are named after the bright yellow plumage on their rump, which is brighter in males than females.
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The striking Scarlet-faced Liocichla is found in the dense, hilly forests in Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and China. These birds are typically furtive, spending much of their time foraging in the forest undergrowth. Scarlet-faced Liocichlas are known for being very vocal and musical like other members of the bird family that contains laughinghthrushes and babblers. As…
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The Yellow-hooded Blackbird occurs in northern South America where it favors marshes with emergent aquatic plants such as cattails or bulrushes, as well as humid savannas, mangroves, and agricultural land where it can forage in newly plowed fields. Yellow-hooded Blackbirds also frequently forage in grass and vegetation for seeds and insects, including caterpillars and weevils….
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The White-crested Laughingthrush occurs in broadleaf evergreen forest and mixed deciduous forest in Southeast Asia and in the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains. It will also inhabit disturbed forests, secondary forest and gardens. This is a very social and vocal species, often foraging on the ground in groups of 6 to 20 individuals while looking…
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The Turquoise Tanager occurs in the Amazon Basin and nearby habitats of South America where it favors forest edge, clearings with scattered trees, tall second growth, riparian forests, and parks and gardens. It consumes about equal proportions of fruit and insects, but in particular, mistletoe berries are a very important part of the diet of…
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The Venezuelan Troupial is the national bird of Venezuala. It is found in northern South America and several Caribbean islands. It occurs in dry woodland of acacia and tree-like cacti, but also in pastures and savanna, dry or seasonal woodlands, and sometimes old fruit plantations. The Venezuelan Troupial is omnivorous, feeding on nectar, fruits, seeds,…
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The Taveta Golden Weaver occurs in East African in Kenya and Tanzania. They are found in swampy lowland areas during the breeding season. Outside of the breeding season, they are found in adjacent dry bush country. They build impressive spherical nests hanging over water. The intricately weaving strips of reed leaf blades that make up…
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Superb Starlings are dark iridescent blue on the back of their head and chest, a black face that sets off their bright white eyes, metallic blue-green back and wings, and a dark orange belly bounded by bright white under the tail and in a band across the breast. The Superb Starling occurs in open woodland,…
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