The handsome Plush-crested Jay inhabits forests, open woodlands, and forest edges, as well as scrublands and fruit groves of south-central South America. This species is omnivorous, mostly eating small invertebrates and fruits, but also taking seeds, eggs, nestlings, frogs, and lizards. Plush-crested Jays forage in flocks of several birds, and, like temperate zone jays, will cache (store) extra food in crannies of trees and in holes under leaf litter. The Plushed-crested Jay is a communal breeder, with two or three helpers at the nest who are the pair’s young from previous nestings. These helpers participate in nest duties and nest defense. Although not threatened, the illegal pet trade is a negative factor affecting the species.

Scarlet Ibis are beautiful birds noted for the vibrancy of their namesake scarlet feathers. These bright birds are found in mangrove swamps and wetlands of northern South America, feeding on crustaceans as they wade through water. Like other ibis species, the Scarlet Ibis is very social, and sometimes even forages with other species like herons and spoonbills. They have also been known to follow behind foraging ducks, catching and eating insects disturbed by the ducks’ passage. 

Roseate Spoonbills are distinctive birds with pink plumage with a uniquely shaped bill that gives them their name. Their long, flat bill is rounded at the end like a spoon, and they use it to scoop up small crustaceans as they slowly walk through shallow water. These small crustaceans are also the source of the Roseate Spoonbill’s coloring! Spoonbills are social birds and gather in groups when feeding, roosting, and nesting. Like other waterbirds, habitat loss and pollution are threats.

Conservation Story
During the late 1800s, this species was decimated by the feather trade for its highly prized plumes. The degradation and destruction of coastal foraging habitats in the United States are some of the most important conservation problems for this species.

The Black-faced Ibis is found throughout open fields and meadows in southern South America. Black-faced Ibises are sociable birds, often nesting in colonies of up to 50 pairs, and sometimes among other species like Black-crowned Night-Herons or cormorants. They may feed alone or in small flocks, and their diet consists of insects and occasionally frogs, salamanders, and small rodents. This species is not globally threatened.

Snowy Egrets are strikingly beautiful birds, with pure white plumage and graceful and elaborate courtship displays. The feathers of the Snowy Egret were highly sought after for fashion, primarily for women’s hats, throughout the late 1800s and into the early twentieth century. The species’ population declined rapidly until restrictions on hunting were put into place and the feather trade was ended. Snowy Egrets made a comeback and even extended their range. They are adaptable to a range of environmental foraging conditions. Snowy Egrets are a focal species that attracts other waders to foraging aggregations, and the addition of more feeding birds may increase success rates for all foraging birds. The Snowy Egret’s bright yellow feet enhance a foraging maneuvers, like “foot-stirring” that attract or startle prey. Today, the Snowy Egret remains vulnerable to oil spills, habitat loss, plastic pollution, and pesticides.

A smaller egret, the Eastern Cattle Egret is named for its habit of stalking insects and other small prey disturbed by herds of cattle moving through and grazing in grassland habitats. Egrets will fly to a grass fire from far away in order to catch fleeing insects, and they even forage at airports, waiting at the edges of the runways for airplanes to pass and blow insects out of the grass. A worldwide phenomenon, the Eastern Cattle Egret is renowned for having colonized without human assistance three continents in just the last hundred years! This world-traveling species inhabits a wide variety of open drier, grassy habitats such as fields, pastures, and rice paddies, and so has likely benefited from agricultural disturbances. The Eastern Cattle Egret nests colonially often and is sometimes present in mixed colonies with other species of herons, cormorants, storks, and ibises.

Boat-billed Herons have shorter legs and squatter bodies than most herons, but their distinguishing feature is their very large and broad bill and huge, dark eyes. The eyes are an indication of their foraging behavior, which takes place at dusk and early night. Native to the Neotropics, this heron is an inhabitant of coastal mangroves and other kinds of dense forest along low-lying rivers, freshwater creeks, and lakes, the Boat-billed Heron feeds mostly on fish, small rodents, and reptiles. Although not considered threatened, human disturbance at nesting colonies has been known to negatively impact reproductive success.

Harris’s Hawks are a deep chestnut brown with yellow markings that make them stand out. They are a very social species, and have been observed raising young and hunting—an unusual trait for a raptor species! While on the hunt, a group of Harris’s Hawks will descend on their prey and flush it. Harris’s Hawks can be found throughout Mexico and parts of the southern United States.

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.

American Flamingos have brilliant feathers that range from pale pink to a deep scarlet red, and get their coloring from the microscopic shrimp and algae in their diet. The depth of their pigmentation indicates how well a flamingo was eating as its feathers grew. Their long neck and legs allow them to wade and forage in water several feet deep. They use their curved bill to strain plankton and other small invertebrates from the water.

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.