A very common dabbling duck of the Nearctic region, and introduced elsewhere where it is sometimes considered an invasive pest, the Mallard occurs on almost any body of shallow water, but especially those with submerged or floating vegetation. In the breeding season the Mallard eats mostly animal foods such as aquatic insect larvae and snails, but at other times of year they favor seeds, aquatic vegetation, and cereal crops. The Mallard usually nests near water but on the ground  in upland areas, with the nest hidden under overhanging vegetation.

The Bufflehead is a small, handsome resident of permanent freshwater ponds and lakes within the boreal forest and aspen parkland zone of North America. The smallest duck species in North America nests in old woodpecker cavities in poplar, spruce, or fir trees near water. This duck is small enough to fit in the nest cavities of Northern Flicker woodpeckers, which have a hole only about 2.5 inches in diameter! Buffleheads are almost exclusively monogamous and nest in the same spot every year. Bufflehead chicks are precocial, meaning they are able to walk and feed themselves shortly after hatching, and they leave the nest only a day after they’ve hatched. Although not threatened, this diving duck is susceptible to loss of nesting sites from timbering and development of the forest near lakes, and to environmental contamination by heavy metals like mercury and cadmium.

Weighing just over half a pound, the African Pygmy-Goose is the smallest species of waterfowl in the world! This goose inhabits swamps, marshes, shallow freshwater lakes, and slow-flowing rivers in Africa which have abundant aquatic vegetation. Here it feeds primarily on seeds, leaves, and flowers of various aquatic plants, and nests in a variety of situations. The African Pygmy-Goose is not globally threatened, but populations are adversely affected by introduced fish, like tilapia, and by the invasive aquatic water hyacinth, which tends to take over waterways.

A striking black and white vulture of Sub-Saharan Africa, the Palm-nut Vulture is found along the edges of tropical forests, large rivers, lakes, and seashores, especially where oil palms abound. Unlike other vultures, the Palm-nut Vulture feeds only occasionally on smaller carrion – and rarely at large animal carcasses – and instead specializes its feeding on the fleshy fruit and husks of the oil palm, and on the palm-fruits of Raffia palm. These fruits make up more than 60% of an adult bird’s diet and more than 90% of a juvenile bird’s diet. Unlike the situation with many vultures in the Old World, the Palm-nut Vulture’s population is stable or even increasing.

A beautiful multicolored bird with flashy white cheeks, the White-cheeked Turaco is native to Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia and Eritrea, where they inhabit higher elevation Podocarpus and juniper forests, as well as tall gallery trees and thick bush along watercourses at lower elevations. Here the turaco favors the fruits and berries of Podocarpus trees and junipers.

One of a number of species of toucans, popular for their enormous, colorful beaks, the Toco Toucan is the only one which is adapted to drier, more open habitats. These include a mosaic of natural forested, agricultural, and successional habitats, including gallery forests, palm groves, open woodlands, secondary forest, savanna and thorn-forest, plantations, and orchards. Toco Toucans use their bills to feed on a variety of fruits and insects, but are also well-known for preying on the eggs and nestlings of other bird species. This toucan nests in hollow trees. While many bird species in tropical South America are threatened by the conversion of natural forests to agriculture, the Toco Toucan is more flexible in its habitat requirements and is not currently of conservation concern.

The Curl-crested Aracari is an eye-catching small toucan found in lowland forests in parts of Peru, Brazil, and Bolivia. It is very colorful, with bright yellow, red, and green feathers and a multi-colored bill. Its most distinctive feature is the glossy black curlicue feathers atop its head. They eat mostly fruits but occasionally will eat the eggs of other birds. This species is not globally threatened but is vulnerable to human hunting activities.

The Bearded Barbet derives its name from the distinctive bristles that sit at the base of its bill, which both males and females possess. This handsome bird, with bright red underbelly and glossy black feathers on its back, is native to the tropical habitats of western Africa. Bearded Barbets are often found in groups, moving from one fruiting tree to another and clipping fruits with their powerful bills. The Bearded Barbet is not globally threatened.

The Sunbittern is an unusual bird of forested streams of Central and South America. This species is perhaps best known for a characteristic display involving large “eyespots” in the plumage of their wings. Sunbitterns have a characteristic “Frontal Display” that they use when they are threatened.  The spread and tilt their wings forward, exposing two large eyespots.  The tail is lifted and fanned out to fill the gap between the wings. Overall, the posture dramatically increases the apparent size of the displaying bird while exposing the fake eyes.  Both sexes use the display, and young Sunbitterns practice the display in the nest when they are just 10 days old.

The Sunbittern is at home on both swift and rocky streams, and slower moving, sandy or silt-bottomed streams, where is stalks fish, amphibians, crustaceans and insects. and then captures them with a quick lunge. The Sunbittern is currently listed as a species of Least Concern.

Linnaeus’s Two-toed Sloths are expert climbers. When you visit the Tropical Rainforest, you may catch Wookiee hanging upside down high in the canopy, or moving slowly along branches and vines. They have two claws on their hands and three claws on their feet, all measuring about 4 inches in length, that help them to hang. Sloths only come down from the trees once every week or so to defecate. Sloths live life in the slow lane, moving about 0.2 miles per hour in the trees, and sleep upwards of 15 hours each day! Sloths are anything but lazy, though. All of this sleeping helps them to conserve energy—an important thing for an animal whose diet of leaves, shoots, and barks is not very nutritious. They have a large, multi-chambered stomach that can hold huge quantities of food. It can take up to a month for a sloth to digest one meal!

The Pied Imperial-Pigeon is a very large inhabitant of coastal forests, mangroves and coconut plantations, principally on islands in the Indo-Malayan region. This species travels in flocks at dusk and dawn and nests in colonies of up to tens of thousands of birds. They are among the most powerful and agile flyers in the bird world, and they have very large flight muscles. This has enabled them to colonize many different islands across expansive stretches of open water.

The Grey-capped Emerald Dove, also called the Asian Emerald Dove or the Green-winged Dove, is found in a wide range of forest types, including rainforests, mangroves, and bamboo forests, throughout Southeast Asia. This “pretty pigeon” has very bold, irridescent green wings. Males have a distinctive grey crown and shimmery wings, while females are duller. They have a patch of white feathers on the bend of their wings that serves a social signaling function—it can be concealed (when the bird is relaxed) or made very obvious, when the bird is approaching competitors or rivals.

The Grey-capped Emerald Dove is not globally threatened, but predation by rats and feral cats poses a danger.