Rainbow Lorikeets couldn’t have a more appropriate name. These small, active parrots are among the most brightly colored in the bird world – as though someone used a whole box of crayons while designing them! Lorikeets are native to Australia and eastern Indonesia, where they live in large, noisy flocks. Nectar from blooming trees such as the eucalyptus, African Tulip-tree and cheesewood is an important food source for lorikeets. As a result, lorikeets are an important pollinator for these and other trees. Lorikeets will also eat figs, apples, and sorghum, and sometimes papaya and mango fruits which have already had their tough skins opened by fruit bats. Because of this, they are sometimes considered a crop pest by farmers with orchards.

The National Aviary is home to two of the many subspecies of Rainbow Lorikeet: the Swainson’s (Trichoglossus haematodus moluccanus) and the Edward’s (T. haematodus capistratus). The Swainson’s Rainbow Lorikeet (native to Eastern Australia and Tasmania) is mostly green, but with a deep blue head, a yellowish collar, and a red chest. The Edward’s (native to the Lesser Sunda Islands north of Australia) is almost a faded version of the Swainson’s, with a head gently shaded by blue and a striking yellow front.  In fact, some sources argue for renaming the Edward’s Rainbow Lorikeet the Marigold Lorikeet and making it a separate species.

Scarlet Macaws are a striking bird, known for their deep red coloring and white faces. In their tropical evergreen habitats, they can often be seen flying in pairs or in family groups. Their calls can be loud and harsh, and Scarlet Macaws in human care can sometimes mimic human speech. They have powerful beaks and strong feet built for grasping. While not globally threatened, habitat loss and trapping for the illegal wildlife trade are concerns for this species.

The Palm Cockatoo has the largest bill of any parrot (except for the Hyacinth Macaw), and it uses its powerful bill to eat very hard seeds and nuts that other species can’t access, like palm nuts. They are also among the loudest of all parrots, and communicate by whistling contact calls, stomping noisily on their perches, and drumming loudly against trees with a stick. This drumming display can be used to signify their territory to other Palm Cockatoos, but is also performed at the nest site as a courtship display! Before breeding season begins, a pair of Palm Cockatoos may construct multiple nests. Some are used exclusively for display purposes.

The Meyer’s Parrot (also called the Brown Parrot), is a species native to tropical Africa, found throughout scrub, savanna, palm grove, and subtropical woodland habitats. This species relies on old-growth areas with large trees, because it nests in the excavated cavities left by woodpeckers. While the Meyer’s Parrot is similar to other parrots in its diet of fruit and seeds, it has also been observed eating the flowers of some trees and shrubs. This parrot is considered an agricultural pest because of the damage it can do to ripening food crops. Meyer’s Parrot populations are stable, given their large population and their wide range.

The Green-winged Macaw (also called the Red-and-green Macaw) is a large parrot, second only to the Hyacinth Macaw in size. This species range is also large, spanning eastern Panama to Paraguay. The Green-winged Macaw’s band of green feathers on its wings and the presence of fine, tiny red feathers on its white face distinguish it from the similar Scarlet Macaw. It has an extremely powerful bill, which it uses to easily crack open hard-shelled nuts like Brazil nuts. Unlike many parrot species, Green-winged Macaws are not great imitators. Although not globally threatened, the Green-winged Macaw is generally uncommon, with pairs frequently solitary and dispersed. This species has a shrinking range, with population declines at the edges of its range.

Adult Spectacled Owls are distinctive for their brown upperparts and head with whitish face markings resembling a pair of glasses. As juveniles, their facial markings are the complete opposite—pure white except for a chocolate brown facial disc! This distinctive species can be found throughout Central and South America in dense rainforest habitats. The call of the Spectacled Owl is a quick series of popping sounds, which sound like someone knocking on a door. Males sing more often than females, usually to claim territory, but have been known to sing duets together.

Eurasian Eagle-Owls have the largest wingspan of any owl species, reaching a whopping 6.5 feet! This species is widely distributed across Europe and Asia, and frequents a variety of habitats, from coniferous forests to grasslands and deserts. Eurasian Eagle-Owls are powerful flyers and soar on updrafts, similar to the flight style of many hawks. They are considered an apex predator, and have no natural predators, and they use a variety of hunting techniques to obtain prey. They are not picky eaters, and will eat anything from small mammals like voles to snakes and lizards, and occasionally even other birds of prey.

Eastern Screech-Owls are a very common owl species throughout North America, and they have gotten very used to living near humans. These pint-sized owls can be gray or a reddish-brown. They roost and nest in cavities in trees, but also make use of nest boxes. Males are smaller than females, but still have a deeper voice.

Burrowing Owls are a small, long-legged species of owl that spends the majority of its time on the ground. They are native to open grassland, prairie, and desert habitats and range from southern Canada (where they are considered an endangered species) to the drier habitats of South America. They have also been found nesting in man-made structures and in close proximity with people on golf courses, campuses, and suburbs. Burrowing Owls differ from most owls in a variety of ways. They are primarily terrestrial and nest underground, while the majority of owls are cavity nesters or use the nests of other birds, such as crows or hawks.  This owl’s habit of nesting in colonies in underground burrows across flat, treeless habitats has put it in competition with many kinds of human development, such as agriculture, housing plans, golf courses, and airports. As a result, programs exist to safely translocate Burrowing Owls and to attract them to nearby protected sites using artificial burrows.

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A relatively common Nearctic owl, the Barred Owl inhabits mature mixed deciduous-coniferous forests, often near streams or wooded swamps. This owl nests primarily in cavities, with both parents helping to care for the young until the autumn. Barred Owls have a varied diet of small mammals and birds. Barred Owls are, unfortunately, susceptible to collisions with automobiles as the owls may attack prey on roads passing through their forested territories. But, this species has been expanding its range from eastern North America all the way to the West Coast.

White-throated Bee-eaters are colorful, social birds, named for their ability to pluck honeybees (and other insects) from the air with amazing agility using their long, curved bills. Found throughout central Africa, they breed in the dry sub-desert steppe and winter in woodland areas and farmlands. They are the only bee-eater species that has an elaborate aerial courtship display: they alternate gliding with their wings held high with bursts of loud calls. They are not globally threatened.

You may not think you’ve heard the rollicking call of the Laughing Kookaburra, but you almost certainly have. The Kookaburra’s loud “laugh” — that echoing koo-koo-koo-koo-KA-KA-KA! in the background of every jungle movie ever made — actually comes from a squat, unassuming bird who would never be found anywhere near a jungle. In fact, the traditional home of the wild Laughing Kookaburra is the wide-open eucalyptus forests of Australia.

The Laughing Kookaburra is the largest member of the kingfisher family. But while many kingfishers are brightly colored and famed for their dramatic dives down into the water in search of fish, the brown-and-beige Laughing Kookaburra prefers dry woodlands and city parks, not to mention a more practical sit-and-wait style of hunting. Kookaburras will eat almost any kind of meat they can get hold of — insects, small mammals, hotdogs, snakes. Once caught up in the Kookaburra’s strong beak, prey is carried up into the trees and whacked repeated against a branch to kill it and soften the insides up for easy eating.

When they’re not stealing food from picnics or beating up snakes, Kookaburras use their distinctive call as a territorial marker. Everywhere you can hear their laughter belongs to them! Unfortunately, they like nothing better than to sound off first thing in the morning. This tendency to wake people up, whether they want to or not, has earned the Laughing Kookaburra the local nickname “The Bushman’s Alarm Clock.”