Eastern Loggerhead Shrikes are hawk-like songbirds. They have a strong hooked bill for capturing prey which they can carry in their beak or with their feet. They impale larger inspects and vertebrates on long thorns and even barbed wire fences. This action makes it easier for them to consume their prey and enables them to hunt prey in abundance – storing it for later consumption. The act of storing prey for up to a few days can degrade the structure of any toxins, making it safe to eat -a similar adaption can be found in Monarch Butterflies! 

Conservation:
The Eastern Loggerhead Shrike is one of Canada’s most endangered songbirds. Loss of Grassland habitats due to issues such as overuse of agricultural land and pesticides are contributing to their rapid decline. The National Aviary is collaborating with the Wildlife Conservation Partners (WCP) in a carefully coordinated breeding program to help increase this species’ population. The Aviary currently hosts one pair of Eastern Loggerhead Shrikes’ behind-the-scenes. The pair have hatched chicks that will be released by the WPC team, at the Napanee and Carden plains of Ontario to supplement existing wild populations. 

The White-throated Ground Dove is a little known species from the Northern Mariana Islands of the Pacific Ocean. It occurs in all types of forested habitats on several islands in the Mariana Islands chain, and is most abundant on the island of Rota. This species is frugivorous, meaning it primarily eats fruits. Unlike other birds in the genus Gallicolumba, the White-throated Ground Dove forages in bushes and trees, and does not on the ground. Like other birds in the Mariana Islands, the White-throated Ground Dove is vulnerable due to the introduction of an invasive species, the brown tree snake. The White-throated Ground Dove was extirpated (meaning eliminated from a specific area, but not extinct) from Guam in 1986.

Named for the British Monarch Queen Victoria, the Victoria Crowned Pigeon is without doubt a royal bird. Its dusty blue-grey feathers may remind one of the pigeons found on any city street, but the Crowned Pigeon’s elegant blue lace crest, scarlet eyes, and rakish black mask are unlike anything you’ll find pecking around in the city park. Add in the fact that this largest of all pigeons is nearly the size of a turkey, and you know you’re seeing something special.

Victoria Crowned Pigeons like to be in pairs or small groups, wandering the forests of New Guinea in search of the seeds and fallen fruits that make up most of their diet. Males will sometimes spar with each other during the breeding season — flaring their wings and puffing up their chests to look larger and more impressive for the females — but they tend to live peacefully together the rest of the year. Groups of Crowned Pigeons spend most of their time on the ground, only flying up into the branches of trees when startled, or when they want somewhere safe to roost overnight.

Hunting and habitat destruction have already extirpated the Victoria Crowned Pigeon from many of its traditional territories in New Guinea. And the population continues to fall. Based on current estimates, there are only 10,000 – 20,000 Victoria Crowned Pigeons left in the wild.

The closest living relative to the now extinct Dodo, the Nicobar Pigeon occurs only on small wooded, often uninhabited islands of the Indo-Malayan region, where it favors lowland habitats such as mangroves, scrub, and lowland and foothill forests. It may also occur in some forests which have been selectively logged. This species nests colonially, with sometimes several nests being placed in a single tree. Like other pigeons, the Nicobar feeds primarily on fallen fruits and seeds on the ground. A gizzard stone that is contained in the Nicobar Pigeon’s stomach helps the bird to grind up hard food items. When Nicobar pigeons drink they submerge their beak and suck up water, instead of sipping as other birds do.

The beautiful Luzon Bleeding-heart gets its name for the scarlet markings on its chest. Found throughout primary and secondary forests in the Philippines, the Luzon Bleeding-heart feeds on seeds, berries, and insects along the forest floor. Their call is a mournful coo. The species is generally considered rare or scarce, and is considered to be Near Threatened. It is vulnerable to habitat destruction and hunting.

The beautifully iridescent Common Grackle is found throughout much of North America where it inhabits a wide variety of open or partially open habitats with scattered trees. The grackle is omnivorous, eating a wide variety of seeds, grains, fruits, insects, and small vertebrates, as well as human food scraps. They build a bulky nest, commonly in wooded residential areas and often near water. The Common Grackle is considered a common bird in steep decline, though they remain widespread and abundant.

Blue-fronted Amazon parrots, also called Turquoise-fronted Amazons, are loud, social, and intelligent birds that live in family groups in their native South American habitats. They are cavity nesters, and rely on old-growth forested areas for breeding. Like all parrots, Blue-fronted Amazons have the ability to mimic different sounds in their environment — an ability that varies widely between individual birds. Their social nature makes them popular pets, but they can be difficult to keep as pets. While they are one of the most abundant Amazon parrot species in South America, they are vulnerable to the illegal wildlife trade.

This dark tern with its reddish-orange beak and feat, and striking white moustache, is a resident of the coasts of Peru and Chile where it catches fish in the Humboldt Current. The Inca Tern nests along the Pacific coast on rocky cliffs or guano islands, sometimes utilizing the old nest of a Humboldt Penguin. Reduction of nesting habitat as a result of guano harvesting may affect population dynamics. However, Inca Terns are very flexible and successful in using any kind of coverage (natural or artificial) for nesting. They can nest inside abandoned buildings and huts on guano islands, and in any pile of wood and metal slabs. Inca Tern populations may be affected by the reduction of anchovy stocks due to commercial fishing, and by reduced breeding success caused by the presence of rats and cats on some islands.

Malayan Flying Foxes are the largest member of Pteropus! With their striking red or russet heads that turn deep orange during breeding season, these bats are a true wonder of nature. They have large, well-developed eyes for flight navigation and form feeding groups of up to 50 and roosting colonies of up to 20,000 individuals. And let’s not forget about their unique ability to hang effortlessly upside-down in trees with their long, sharp, curved claws. As the world’s only flying mammals, these bats truly are a sight to behold.

Despite their impressive size and territorial behavior, the Malayan Flying Fox is facing a decline in their population. In some areas, colonies of up to 52,000 individuals have been reduced to only 3,000.

Southern Three-banded Armadillos are one of the mammal species living at the National Aviary. They are among the smaller of the armadillo species, and are native to grassy areas and forests throughout Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay. Armadillos have very acute senses of hearing and smell, which helps them to find termites and ants and then use their strong legs and claws to grab. Their strong senses also help them to detect predators. When startled, the Southern Three-banded Armadillo will roll up into a tight ball for protection.